[Dans]

Hi all 

I have 6 CMM in a 1 acre field, we currently have a couple of buckets of water in there that I change every other day but we'd like to get something a bit better sorted out. I'm utterly confused by the options though. We are looking to fence off our areas so we have 4 grazing areas that we move between regularly.

At first I was thinking some kind of automatic waterer, one that straddles two enclosed areas seems good. But I've no idea really what size of on I need so that everyone can drink if they want. My husband was then thinking of just getting one waterer that we move to whichever area they are in but then I was wondering how you move it around.

I've also been cleaning these buckets out every 2 weeks or so as they get a bit slimy. How do you do that with a big waterer?

Sorry utterly newbie questions but just don't want to buy the wrong thing for us.

Dans

[Foobar]

For 6 sheep in 1 acre I'd used 4x http://www.fanevalleystores.com/product/4141123/kanguro-square-rubber-feed-skip-trough-30l.  I wouldn't bother cleaning them so frequently either.  I've used these for a few years and not needed an automatic one yet, just a hose pipe somewhere close-ish by to fill them from.
Small enough for lambs to use and not deep enough to drown in. Tough as old boots (my new ram lamb demolished one of my large plastic water drinkers in a day, thanks Toby! tsk.), easy to move and light enough to tip over when you need to clean 'em.  Easy to deal with when they freeze over .. just give them a kick

Oh and they are cheap

[Jukes Mum]

I use a gorilla tub. Cheap, easy to clean and cheap (£4) to replace when damaged. The first lasted a year, this one is fine after 2 years.

[Dans]

Thanks guys

I tried the gorilla tubs with some concentrate when we first got them but they got their horns in them. I'll try the rubber ones. If we separate off the 1 acre field would you still have 4 of them in each area Foobar?

Dans

[pharnorth]

I aim to have enough water out for three or four days  at least and for sheep don't clean out very often. Maybe once a quarter. The sizes suggested sound about right, 30l or thereabouts. If you are likely to have lambs in not too tall. We had hoses going out for years and worked ok but I got a guy with a tractor and a mole to put permanent underground pipes out a couple of years ago and that is hugely beneficial when it freezes. It's a bit like putting electric sockets in a new house you never get it quite right. I'd be inclined to put an automatic water in the way you describe positioned such that it manages two quarters and carry out from there to the other two when needed.

[Marches Farmer]

Depends on your long term plans, perhaps?  If you're confident you're staying put and continuing to keep sheep for a number of years I think it's worth considering a permanent water supply.  You can get galvanised two-sided drinkers with the ball valve on one side.  If you cut a hole in the fencewire the drinker can straddle both fields.

[Foobar]

Thanks guys

I tried the gorilla tubs with some concentrate when we first got them but they got their horns in them. I'll try the rubber ones. If we separate off the 1 acre field would you still have 4 of them in each area Foobar?

Dans

Yeah, leave one in each area, they are cheap.  That means you can always nick one to use indoors if you have a poorly sheep or whatever.

[Bionic]

We have 2 acres for our 6 sheep which is divided into 2 fields. We divide those fields in half again with electric fencing. There is an automatic trough that straddles the 2 fields. When we divide up the field for the electric fencing we just make sure that that one part of the trough is included in their grazing area.

We were lucky that they kept horses on the land before we got here so the automatic watering troughs were already here. I am so glad they are as I never need to touch them, other than checking the water for ice in the winter.

As already said, if you are staying put and can afford it I would definitely look at the automatic watering option. 

[Dans]

Probably a silly question but do the automatic waterers not need cleaning? We're cleaning the buckets every couple of weeks as it gets a bit slimy around the side. Am I being OTT?

Dans

[Marches Farmer]

I clean ours (scrubbing brush + bale out with an old plastic pudding basin) before the sheep get moved into the field and whenever I think necessary after that, by which I mean a layer of silt on the bottom or bird muck floating around in it.  The criteria for me is whether I would want to drink from it if I were a sheep or whether I'd drink from it because I didn't have a choice.  That's why we fished a dead fox out of the stream last week!

[pharnorth]

Ditto Marches Farmers comments.  The auto feeder tanks seem to keep a bit cleaner anyway as they are being replenished. Certainly if you leave them unused for a few weeks they go slimy much quicker than when they are being used.  Ideally raise them slightly then you can syphon off the water rather than have to disconnect to turn them over.  Also a bit of Miltons fluid keeps them fresh longer. In face on that note I'll just ghave mouth and Miltons mine!