Goats and water buckets

[Mini-M Ranch]

Why do they drink more if I fill the bucket up less? Seriously, if I fill the bucket up nearly to the top, they sniff it and walk off. If I fill it 3/4 full, they all run over and drain it in big, long gulps. lol. I don't think I understand goats yet.

 

[lupinfarm]

My horse won't drink from the big water bucket right away if she can drink out of the small pail i use to fill it up LOL. And then, she gulps it all down and I have to go fill it up again, and it's just a horrible circle of me filling up a bucket, her drinking it, nothing ever getting into the muck bucket for her.

I have to chase her away first!! ... or be REALLLLYYY quiet when coming into the field so she doesn't notice me.

 

[Rockytopsis]

I can't answer the question, but I guess it it like my dogs that will stick their noses up the drain pipe that drains the water from the down spout off the roof and drink that nasty water when I keep at the barn a 4 gallon bucket with fresh water. Who knows

LOL
Nancy

 

[Its not a GOAT its a DOG]

I don't know but they might be afraid of the full water bucket but not the less full bucket.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

because goats are.....crazy!?!?!? hee hee hee

thats a new one... maybe they keep dipping their noses in too deeply? dunno.....

my dogs prefer mud puddles to any of the other waterers.. for heavens sakes.

 

[Its not a GOAT its a DOG]

goats are crazy! all but one breed are afraid of water so the deep water is probably what they are afraid of.

 

[Andrew C.]

Ahah ! I think your on to something here my goats had 20 litre drums for water and they hardly drank any and I kept them full so I was always wasting a lot of water cleaning them out.

So I cut the top off them to make them about 10 litre drums and I find they drink more much more.

Now I have a doe with kids I have put a smaller bucket next to hers incase the kids want a drink and she drinks it all almost staight away its 4 litres.

I think they prefer to drink shallow water or lower water, shame that.

Maybe ?

Any thoughts ?

Am I crazy like goat?

 

[kimmyh]

I like shallow buckets for everything, there is nothing worse than finding a baby that has drown in a water source a foolish human provided-me.

 

[cmjust0]

We hang buckets from light chains in the kidding stalls...even just a few inches off the ground helps. That way, if baby decides to rear up and see what's inside, the bucket just swings out of the way.

I've seen it swing back and hit the baby like a wrecking ball and splash water out, sure, but....oh well.

 

[kimmyh]

I mount buckets in kidding stalls at just above the level of the does tail. I figure her pushing out a baby in the bucket, is just as bad as a baby falling in a bucket, they would both be dead.

LOL edited to change bucks to buckets.