Australian Fair Food Forum

Portable trough systems - advice?

Farming Livestock
#1

Has anyone had any experience with portable trough systems like this?
http://www.precisiongrazing.com.au/troughs

This is the only product I can find on a quick google. It looks good inc modular so can add an extra if need.

Any other recommendations would be good and / or a design. And/or more general advice on implementing a system like this. Initially for cattle but also good if adaptable to sheep later / multi-purpose.

(The above business also has a very round about way of ordering and unclear wait to delivery. And also I would prefer to get it closer to home (NE Vic)).

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#2

Hi Serenity,

We have multiple styles on our farm. We have water lines with turf keys as inputs and i am about to trial the portable water system from Kiwitech which is very similar key in style system. Check out their website www.kiwitech.co.nz and i have also found the folks at Gordon Gibson in Wangaratta quite helpful for irrigation requirements.

That system you mentioned above looks a bit cumbersome compared to the two i mentioned. Think of really wet years and less weight.

Steve

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#3

Thanks heaps Steve! I’ll probably be in touch with more Qs!

#4

Hi Serenity,

We have used portable water troughs for the past 5 years, for both cattle and sheep. We have water lines over the whole farm (325 acres) and have risers on these lines, about every 60 or so metres, enabling us to have varying sized grazing areas. We have used poly troughs ranging in size from 1 metre to 6 metres in length, depending on the animals and the number of stock we are supplying.
Having said all of that, this last year, I replaced all of the portable troughs (in most areas anyway) with permanent concrete troughs. The reasons are as follows - now we have one less job to do each move, the cattle can’t damage the troughs or break inlet lines, the concrete troughs have a valve called a "Cocky Valve, which is guaranteed not to leak and is virtually unbreakable, and probably most of all, I don’t have to have any worrying thoughts that there is a leak and a feeder tank is empty. We can’t spare wasting water and each tank is 25000 litres.

Hope this is of interest.

Cheers

Mike

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