Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Water chemistry cattle in farm ponds

I occasionly work for a man who runs a cattle farm and he has a 3 acre pond on his property which is at max 10 feet deep.He has about 300 head of cattle which wade in the pond and sometimes they go to the bathroom in it.Will this be in any way harmful to the pond or cause algae blooms?He just started allowing the cattle to wade in it and last summer it seemed like there was a considerable heavy algae bloom in it.Any info on this would be helpful.

Hi dan1962 and welcome to the forum. We usually don't let new members fall through cracks, but it happens occasionally. Please don't take it personally.

Anyway, I don't know the answer to your question, but someone will come along soon and give you some advice.

Cattle can be pretty bad for a pond.

I'm guessing that tilapia would be a partial solution, and would clean up much of the poo before it has a chance to foul the pond.

Don't know if tilapia are legal in GA.

No tilapia aren't legal in Ga,

In addition to causing more algae, cattle may muddy up the water a lot and break down the shoreline, shallowing out the edges.

Dan,

I had researched this a little when I had a neighbor's cattle on my property and Pond. The NCRS said it was just a little fertilizer, but 300 head of cattle is a bit much.

I had a cattle problem before I bought my property. The cattle had broken down the fence and had their way with my Pond, creating well worn trails to the water, creating major erosion issues. It was so bad, that I couldn't fill 3 or 4 of the eroded areas with 2 or 3 round bales.

I. then, found out that it was my responsibility to keep the neighbor's cattle off of my property. So I had a StayTuff fence put up. End or story. There was about 45 head having their way with my 5 acre pond, and the StayTuff put the Kabosh on it.

I recently hired Wayne Cardiff's staff (RIP Wayne) to fix the erosion. They did a great job of creating a 4-5/1 slope. Then I hydro-seeded it with Rye/Bermuda mix.

If you want a good looking pond, let alone a healthy Pond, you are going to have major issues with 300 head having their way.

I'm waiting until I get some grass growing on my slopes to post the whole project. We needed something that was mowable and less dangerous. We think we fixed it.

Crossing fingers for the Hydro-Mulch to sprout!

Dan1962,

I live in a multi-state area where we have been trying to keep cattle out of streams and waterways to prevent erosion and other problems that are slowly killing the Chesapeake Bay.

Many in this area have fenced their ponds and streams. Many now provide pond water for the cattle through tanks that fill below the ponds.

300 cattle anywhere near a 3 acre pond will surely cause algae issues and other problems.

I wish you luck,

Ken

Hey dan1962...good ta have ya here.
I see nothing in your posted question about the actual contents of the pond, ie; fish. Is it nothing more than a tank for watering livestock, or is it also stocked with fish?

The owner wants to stock it with catfish but he does not know what kind or how much to stock it with.

OK, dan-man...
This is where I step aside; my work is done. I'm only the host. The main act should step in shortly.

Channel cats are one species that can do fine in clouded water. The excess fertilization may still cause problems, however.

Is he planning on feeding?

Agent, I had the same problem in Montague County but found that it was the neighbors problem and not mine. However, he couldn't seem to getting around to fixing the fence. I solved the problem by removing my front gate. I am not responsible for keeping anybody elses cattle contained. He fixed the fence.

Dave,nice shot.I needed a good laugh this morning

Oops,where are my manners.
Hi Dan,welcome to the forum.I dont have an answer for you but Im sure you'll get one here.I can tell you that I fish a lot of ponds that have cattle on them and catch a lot of both CC and LMB in them.Good luck

Used the "nucular" option. Priceless Dave!

As my better half pointed out, "it's all about your goals". The landowner may be more concerned with watering and cooling off his 300 cattle than with a fish population, and if so, that is his business.

P.S. I am not married to Greg Grimes, but Mrs. Gallus has spoken with him on the phone.

A friend of mine got severe pyrexia and had to be hospitalized. He had been swimming in a stock pond that cattle had access too. The condition was directly related to bacteria that was introduced by the cattle into the pond.

i live next to a ~4-5 acre cattle ranch pond and the lmb fishin is great, but the cattle are only in there seasonally (through the winter/wet season). we dont eat any fish out of there though, and Sgt's point about the bacteria is a good one.

I had that choice, too Dave. And believe me, I thought about it! Thing is, the fence was in disrepair all the way around, not just on his side, so I bit the bullet and fixed it all the way around.

The legend has it, the guy who put in the fence, was tipping quite a few and was responsible for installing 6 20 acre partitions. My property was the sixth one done, and from what I understand, by the time he got to mine, it was a mess...both him AND the fence!

Leaving my gate open would have put two different neighbor's horse's in jeopardy, so I'm glad I fixed it. The fact it looks a 1000 percent better is good, too!

Dan 1962, of course the goals of the owner are paramount. Assuming he simply wants to clean up the pond (i.e. reduce algae & odors, increase clarity) these cattle need to be kept out of the pond. As mentioned above, the simple churning of the sediments by the cattle will create tutbidity. Furthermore, because they would be stirring up bottom sediment, this material would likely be high in nutrients which in turn could create algae problems. Finally, cattle relieving themselves in the pond is another source of nutrients. I heard or read somewhere that 1 pound of phosphorous will create 500 pounds of algae (wet weight). I'm not sure if this is true or not but it certainly puts things into perspective if it is.

It's important to realize that having a nice looking pond is just as much a function of your watershed management as it is your actual pond management. I've seen small changes in land use make significant changes in water quality. Some of these changes include creating vegetated buffers around the pond, riparian exclusion for cattle (at least 15' from shore), and aerated buffer strips around the outside the of pond for better water infiltration on land to name a few.

And then theres the simple solution.Always overlooked and the obviously easiest way to remedy the problem.All you have to do is tell the cows to quit peeing in the pond

Of course. Why didn't I think of that? But if the cattle are anything like me, once they hit the water it's the first thing they want to do.