How To Keeping Your Auto-Waterers From Freezing! 💧

Welcome to E.A.B Farms. We are a first-generation family farm that specializes in top quality forage and bedding production. We also grow row-crops and background beef feeder calves. We have a growing herd of black angus cows for calf production. We look forward to you following along as we share the challenges and rewards of being a first-generation family farm!

[@haroldharberson161]

Your little boy is really growing up. I can see he is going to have a good life living on a farm . You are truly Blessed keep up the good work. Also Courtney is a doll too

[@e.a.bfarms]

@haroldharberson161 Thank you! We are very blessed. Hopefully, hard work keeps it that way!

[@Rollinghillsfarmsmn]

Good waterer advice. We’ve added an insulated panel on the west side of our Ritchie to help in super cold winter. We also adjust water level and clean grit in the valve and basin every fall while it’s still warm.

[@e.a.bfarms]

@@Rollinghillsfarmsmn 👍 Stay warm this week Dave!

[@CircleTFarms419]

Great update, hope the channel keeps growing, keep up the good work

[@e.a.bfarms]

@@CircleTFarms419 👍 Thanks for watching!

[@piperdoug428]

Never turn down a beautiful sunset

[@e.a.bfarms]

@@piperdoug428 Never know when it's gonna be your last these days! 👍

[@stevecobb7844]

Im subscribed One of my criteria for subscribing is not hearing you curse. You pass that test

[@e.a.bfarms]

@stevecobb7844 I try to keep it clean, but just warning you every once in a while, they do slip out! Thanks for watching!

[@brenterickson1695]

We put in a Cobett waterer 2 summers ago. I kind of fought with it last winter but then I shortend the float cord to keep the water down about 3" from the top... That was the trick, it works ice free down to -30 now...I also have a 150W ceramic reptile heater bulb down in the tube when it gets below zero...I love it now....Fun watching the kids out with you feeding....Pretty soon they can go out in the cold and feed and you can sit in the house and drink coffee.🤣🤣🤣.

[@e.a.bfarms]

@@brenterickson1695 Thanks for watching! The kids already fight over who's skidloader it is. . .

[@rileypriebe8537]

I second the Cobbett waterer. Put one in early November just up in Mora. So far, no light in the waterer this winter. Most ice I had was about an inch and a half and that was -20. Stays open after I break it in the morning. Gonna try shortening the float after this comment. Have 2 ritchies also on the farm.

[@ryanbachman9227]

Those canary grass bales will be good bedding the cows will eat some of that. They will always pick through the good stuff. They will eat corn stalk bales

[@e.a.bfarms]

@ryanbachman9227 👍 Most definitely!

[@andylieffring3987]

Did the place used to be a dairy farm? Any plans to use the silos at some point?

[@e.a.bfarms]

@@andylieffring3987 Correct old dairy, we have talked about it but probably not.. One was completely gone through shortly before we purchased the farm and was never filled. I do wish they wouldn't of filled in the bunker silo as we definitely would have used that!

[@nickschaps4022]

I agree on the alfalfa for the most part, but it’s important with dairy cows to pull it from them 3-4 weeks prior to calving. I’ve seen a lot of dairy cows and heifers get milk fever after calving when on alfalfa. Probably not an issue for low milk production beef cows

[@e.a.bfarms]

@nickschaps4022 I was once told milk fever and high calcium are related, right? We are only top dressing around 15lbs per cow.

[@nickschaps4022]

@ correct, the calcium and protein in alfalfa will encourage a big flush of milk when she freshens, she will over produce milk and pull all the calcium out of her bloodstream. So if you remove alfalfa a few weeks to a month before calving the initial flush of milk at freshening won’t be so high because she has less protein and calcium to produce milk and she can adjust without draining all the calcium from her system. We slowly add alfalfa back in over the month after calving to get production up gradually. Always good to have a couple tubes of CMPK handy for calving, usually give a dose in the 12hrs after the calf drops and it prevents milk fever, or a calcium bolus.

[@michiganhay7844]

Yeah, I think you’re right with the Alfalfa pencils out all the time a lot cheaper than buying off farm protein supplements.

[@e.a.bfarms]

@michiganhay7844 Definitely, Them lick tubs are the most expensive, and you see them everywhere. .

[@timpingel9607]

Has the price of hay changed any lately??

[@e.a.bfarms]

@@timpingel9607 Auction prices kreeped up a few dollars, but not a whole lot.

[@timpingel9607]

@ Same around here

[@Boxcar89]

Any equipment upgrades for 2025?

[@e.a.bfarms]

@Boxcar89 Yeah, Some new iron comming. . .

[@farawayfarm2520]

I'm still filling a stock tank with a hose. 🙄 We'll have auto fill eventually. I'm taking a break from below zero wood cutting watching videos.

[@e.a.bfarms]

@farawayfarm2520 Gotta catch up on the youtube! 👍

[@farawayfarm2520]

@e.a.bfarms It's definitely not going to be muddy this week.

[@michiganhay7844]

Shall I have a lot of fun using a horse to move the cows?

[@e.a.bfarms]

@michiganhay7844 She loves her horse, her horse hates cattle. . . Haha