Thanks for the kind words, Mike.

Yours sounds like it will do the job. I wrestled wiht the idea of size. I discussed this with the folks at Petersen. Basically they are right. If you have a larger waterer (so 7-8 head can drink at one time) you really need a LOT of cattle to keep the water flowing or you need a large electric heater especially in the north.

The cattle have different patterns they use to make sure everyone gets enough water, depending on which pasture they are in and how far away from it they are. Sometimes they come all at once for water. At other times they come individually. Often two cows can use each side at the same time.

I'd estimate that this waterer uses about $8-10 worth of electricity a month in WI in the winter months. I have the switch on from about Nov 1 to April 1. Not a bad investment.

If you put your hand in the water in the winter it feels "luke warm". I think its about 50 deg F. The thermostat is adjustable. I think I'll stick a thermometer in it tomorrow and see what the water temp really is. Thanks for the info on feed and water temp. That sounds like it agrees with what I see.

Regards,

Jim at Dawn