"Improving Our Lot" - Planned Holistic Grazing, for starters..

[Samcowman]

Sorry treat me like I’m thick but what do you mean air gap?

Rules from the water companies when using mains water are that there has to be an air gap and any potential dirty water, in a trough for example, so there is no risk of contamination in the mains supply for human drinking water.
We had to install a special air gap pump where the backup for roof and spring water is mains for this very problem.

 

[Sharpy]

Always get the odd one that usually clears without treatment and always just blamed the gorse for creating the skin breaks that allow the orf into the lambs, they're always nibbling at the flowers. There's around 125 lambs in the affected group of which around 20 have blisters, but so far only a couple that are really badly affected, it's spread alarmingly fast compared to previous years, a downside to higher stocking density ?

Have to agree about colostrum, but a bit puzzled as seemed to be plentiful colostrum on the ewes this year, with loads of lambs running round with lumps of that stinking yellow crap sticking their tails down. On the other hand-quite a mixed bunch of ewes so could just be lambs of older weaker ewes that are badly affected.

If it doesn't spread much further and individual cases clear up fast maybe we can re-consider joining the two mobs in a few weeks time. We'll just have to wait and see how it goes. In the meanwhile I'll just try and keep focus on the grazing- which I have a lot more control over than the numerous ailments that sheep love to test us with...

Have you tried giving access to rock salt?

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Rules from the water companies when using mains water are that there has to be an air gap and any potential dirty water, in a trough for example, so there is no risk of contamination in the mains supply for human drinking water.
We had to install a special air gap pump where the backup for roof and spring water is mains for this very problem.

I'm just going to put in a tank to prevent it happening, not that it can, (unless I have some northern hemisphere water in the system) because I want to be putting minerals in the water.

Here's one for all the folks with sharp pencils:
We have an unrestricted water supply thru a 20mm ¾ inch pipe as per our deal with the council for having the reservoir accessible. Straight out of the base of their first tank of 8.

I want to put in a small dosatron inline dispenser for minerals and fill a buffer tank with mineralised water (saves frigging about with sleds and tubs etc) and out of this tank will be a 32mm that feeds the 25mm laterals which run the troughs.

Question is, say we have a demand from 180 cattle drinking, I'm thinking 50 litres×180=9000 litres per day.. how big a tank do we need?
What will a 20 foot length of ¾inch pipe flow in a 24 hour period?

I'm thinking 3500 l would be ideal as we can order a low-profile tank and lose less head, as I can set the top of the tank about 400mm above the base of the reservoir tanks.

Be interesting to see if there's a bright spark who knows how to work it out.

 

[Sharpy]

I'm just going to put in a tank to prevent it happening, not that it can, (unless I have some northern hemisphere water in the system) because I want to be putting minerals in the water.

Here's one for all the folks with sharp pencils:
We have an unrestricted water supply thru a 20mm ¾ inch pipe as per our deal with the council for having the reservoir accessible. Straight out of the base of their first tank of 8.

I want to put in a small dosatron inline dispenser for minerals and fill a buffer tank with mineralised water (saves frigging about with sleds and tubs etc) and out of this tank will be a 32mm that feeds the 25mm laterals which run the troughs.

Question is, say we have a demand from 180 cattle drinking, I'm thinking 50 litres×180=9000 litres per day.. how big a tank do we need?
What will a 20 foot length of ¾inch pipe flow in a 24 hour period?

I'm thinking 3500 l would be ideal as we can order a low-profile tank and lose less head, as I can set the top of the tank about 400mm above the base of the reservoir tanks.

Be interesting to see if there's a bright spark who knows how to work it out.

Assuming a 2 m drop (assuming the tanks are reasonably full most of the time) an online calculator says 65000 litres a day (or your daily requirements in about 3.5 hrs) so a big tank isn't really needed apart from insurance against supply issues.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Assuming a 2 m drop (assuming the tanks are reasonably full most of the time) an online calculator says 65000 litres a day (or your daily requirements in about 3.5 hrs) so a big tank isn't really needed apart from insurance against supply issues.

What a legend you are. Thanks for that.

Yeah, one massive advantage of being tapped into the town supply is I'm basically guaranteed a supply, eg my ¾ inch pipe is NOT going to make much headway against their 8 big tanks fed with a 5 inch pipe even if I ran a rain-gun in the dark.

It's really just "heat of the day insurance" I'm after.

 

[The Ruminant]

Sorry treat me like I’m thick but what do you mean air gap?

It’s a physical space - an air gap - between the water pipe coming in and the maximum level of the water in the trough (or other vessel) being filled. That way, if there’s ever a negative pressure in the supply, it draws in air and not contaminated water (which could then contaminate the whole supply).

Most troughs have this these days when they fill from the top - they’ll overflow before it reaches the ball cock inflow

https://www.keraflo.co.uk/wp-conten...-Guide-to-the-UK-Water-Supply-Regulations.pdf

Edit: I see @Samcowman beat me to it with the reply!

 

[The Ruminant]

Hugelkultur is where the mound timber at the bottom of the bed? We have a rather treeless landscape here ?

Ah......

Have you come across practical remedies to the short grass survival tactic?

One solution I wouldn’t recommend is to spend nearly £2k on a herbal ley mix, spend three days In early April scratching the surface of the old sward, broadcasting and rolling the seed in, allowing it to sit baking in/on bone-dry soil for three weeks, then get a solitary wet day which gives it one really good soaking, then allow it to sit for the whole of May in baking hot sun (where anything that chitted can shrivel up and die)......

I can guarantee this doesn’t work.....

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Ah......

One solution I wouldn’t recommend is to spend nearly £2k on a herbal ley mix, spend three days In early April scratching the surface of the old sward, broadcasting and rolling the seed in, allowing it to sit baking in/on bone-dry soil for three weeks, then get a solitary wet day which gives it one really good soaking, then allow it to sit for the whole of May in baking hot sun (where anything that chitted can shrivel up and die)......

I can guarantee this doesn’t work.....

If it's any comfort, it doesn't work here, either.

 

[pear]

Ah......

One solution I wouldn’t recommend is to spend nearly £2k on a herbal ley mix, spend three days In early April scratching the surface of the old sward, broadcasting and rolling the seed in, allowing it to sit baking in/on bone-dry soil for three weeks, then get a solitary wet day which gives it one really good soaking, then allow it to sit for the whole of May in baking hot sun (where anything that chitted can shrivel up and die)......

I can guarantee this doesn’t work.....

Doesn’t work here either! I don’t know what is more annoying- knowing how much it cost, or continually looking at the fields in question? Probably both!

 

[Whitewalker]

Thanks @Samcowman and @The Ruminant logical enough. Never knew that

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

Kiwitech micro troughs and an umbilical.

Much of the land was unfenced and had no water supply when I took it on. I’ve moled in a mile of water pipe with risers every 100 yards. I’m pumping water out of the river - hence being able to use the Micro troughs (they’re illegal for connection to the mains as there’s no air gap).

The micro troughs are brilliant.

Hope your river doesn't dry up then.....

 

[Poorbuthappy]

If it's any comfort, it doesn't work here, either.

Nor here?

 

[Woolless]

Always get the odd one that usually clears without treatment and always just blamed the gorse for creating the skin breaks that allow the orf into the lambs, they're always nibbling at the flowers. There's around 125 lambs in the affected group of which around 20 have blisters, but so far only a couple that are really badly affected, it's spread alarmingly fast compared to previous years, a downside to higher stocking density ?

Have to agree about colostrum, but a bit puzzled as seemed to be plentiful colostrum on the ewes this year, with loads of lambs running round with lumps of that stinking yellow crap sticking their tails down. On the other hand-quite a mixed bunch of ewes so could just be lambs of older weaker ewes that are badly affected.

If it doesn't spread much further and individual cases clear up fast maybe we can re-consider joining the two mobs in a few weeks time. We'll just have to wait and see how it goes. In the meanwhile I'll just try and keep focus on the grazing- which I have a lot more control over than the numerous ailments that sheep love to test us with...

Poor colostrum quality (I think) has been an issue this year. Joint ill cases running about 7% here plus picking up the odd 'healthy' lamb . I think the ewes got a real battering late winter here and that's how it's expressing itself.

 

[Guleesh]

Have you tried giving access to rock salt?

A long time ago, and tried various licks in the past but tbh haven't used anything like that for over 10 years now.

 

[Poorbuthappy]

Poor colostrum quality (I think) has been an issue this year. Joint ill cases running about 7% here plus picking up the odd 'healthy' lamb . I think the ewes got a real battering late winter here and that's how it's expressing itself.

You probably already know this, but I have learnt this year that ticks can cause joint ill type symptoms. It's been a bad year for ticks this year and I have had issues around this.

 

[Woolless]

You probably already know this, but I have learnt this year that ticks can cause joint ill type symptoms. It's been a bad year for ticks this year and I have had issues around this.

Yes, I've never seen a tick on a sheep or dog here. Normally get one or two cases per year, 30 odd this time. I'm not the only one either, as you will have read.

 

[Guleesh]

Poor colostrum quality (I think) has been an issue this year. Joint ill cases running about 7% here plus picking up the odd 'healthy' lamb . I think the ewes got a real battering late winter here and that's how it's expressing itself.

Well for us the ewes have been in far worse conditions than last winter, they wintered really well, I attribute a large part of our problem to the fact around half our flock are bought in ewes, i suspect once these are filtered out over the next few years and replaced with homebreds then a lot of problems will be lessened. Plenty joint ill started here but got them jabbed in time, i blame ticks and also lost a few big lambs to suspected tick pyaemia.

 

[Guleesh]

Should maybe have spot-on lambed when ringing at a day old but usually wait till they're done lambing and do them all at same time.

 

[Henarar]

Should maybe have spot-on lambed when ringing at a day old but usually wait till they're done lambing and do them all at same time.

we had joint ill trouble last year so this time we sprayed iodine on their tails and balls before putting the ring on also sprayed the ring, touch wood no problems this time

 

[jack6480]

What do you think to this?! I was thinking of just rolling them instead of topping