"Silage Power" Keeps Waterers From Freezing

"Silage Power" Keeps Waterers From Freezing LIVESTOCK Feeding Equipment 27-2-29 Heat from fermenting silage keeps Conrad Hoffman's livestock waterers from freezing. The Madison, S. Dak., farmer says his father discovered more than 50 years ago that rotting horse manure stacked over water lines and around water troughs kept water and floats from freezing up. "I used to use electric heaters in the tanks to keep them from freezing, but there was always something going wrong with them," he says. So several years ago, he "cleaned up" his father's idea by building water troughs with boxes over and around them that he could pack full of silage. Only about 1 ft. of the trough extends out from under the silage-filled box. "You only need enough of the trough sticking out to allow the cattle to drink," he says. He hangs a baffle down to the water surface so cold air can't blow in under the silage box. A buried pipe to the trough supplies water, and a regular float valve under the box keeps the trough full. "The silage stays warm as it ferments and the waterer never freezes, no matter how cold it gets," he says. Hoffman has used both pine and cedar to build the water troughs and silage boxes. "I like cedar better for the troughs," he says. "But both are fine as long as the boards swell when they're wet and hold water. Lately, I've been lining the insides with rubberized roofing material. It keeps water from seeping out and helps insulate, too. "The boxes can be built of anything. What's most important is that you keep air out of the silage box. If air can get in, the silage may freeze up." Hoffman had three silage-warmed waterers in use last winter. Cattle can drink from either end of two of them, which are about 14 ft. long, 1 ft. wide, and 8 in. deep. The single water trough is just 8 ft. long. The silage boxes for all three waterers are about 12 ft. long and roughly 4 ft. wide by 4 ft. tall and are open at the top. He says the silage only has to be 2 to 3 ft. deep to keep the waterers from freezing. "Usually, we use older, moldy silage. After we fill them, we cover the silage with plastic and old carpet to keep it from blowing out," he continues. "At least once in the winter, we top off the boxes with fresh silage to keep it heating. If you can't get enough moldy silage, or if it stops fermenting, we've found we can start it up again by sprinkling a little ground feed into the silage box. "You do have to keep the rats controlled. They'll make tunnels in the silage that can let air move through and then it'll all freeze up," he says. He says the silage slowly deteriorates and by spring, it's mostly rotten. Then they clean out the boxes, but they continue to use the waterers all year. "Over the years, this idea has saved us a lot of money in electricity, not to mention time and trouble in repairing heaters," he says. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Conrad Hoffman, 22928 456th Ave., Madison, S. Dak. 57042 (ph 605 256-3132).

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