Most are raised above the stock tank to allow for the gravity flow of water.
Gravity fed water system cattle.
It requires no pumps and no power.
For sizing the water storage use the following cattle water consumption rates for cattle on pasture.
And our newly established gravity fed water system is the right step for us at this time.
My favourite without a doubt is a gravity fed system straight out of a water source a river a dugout a dam.
They are generally sized to hold a three to seven day supply of water for cattle.
One key point of the kerr center livestock program s approach to water management is as much as possible to take the water to the cattle in the pasture.
The grazing infrastructure chapter of my book grass fed cattle provides detailed step by step calculations for calculating flow rates and water pressures for your cattle water system including how to account for pressure gains or losses caused by gravity.
The handy quick reference tables provided in this chapter will help you calculate the pressure losses and changes in flow rates caused by friction inside your pipes for a wide range of pipe diameters for both polyethylene and pvc pipes.
But you do need elevation differences on your ranch to make it work.
This allows cattle to make more efficient use of forage and also minimizes the amount of ground sacrificed for lanes to and from watering points both of which reduce erosion.