If your feeder just happens to dump a lot of corn or let’s say all of it and a cow comes up and eats all of it and bloats or founders and dies the owner of the cows will not be happy !!!!! Just fence it off and be done The price of his cows can be priced out of this world !!!

Im gonna chime in quick on this one cause I figure about 95% of the responses are gonna disagree with me. We have never fenced feeders and never had a problem and yes we have cows. I don't know that it matters where but we have hunted in NW Tx and run 25 to 30 broadcast feeders year round for corn for 10 to 15 years. Protein would be different but we don't feed it and that wasn't your question. We run tposts down at least 3 legs and usually 4 and wrap each high and low. No cow or hog has ever damaged one. Hogs will eat the corn but even though we have hogs they are nomadic and rarely monopolize any feeder long. But you didn't ask about hogs either and a lot of guys don't want to fence out hogs cause they like to shoot em. We have never had a problem with the cows eating the corn to any extent at all. My thinking is that their tongues are not designed to pick up each little kernel and its not enough bang for a cows buck to bother with it. Maybe if you dump a lot of corn in a small area they could get used to it and then have a problem. Every situation can be very different but bottom line in the real world in our situation its never been a problem. If you factor in the time and expense of the fence it is well worth trying it with out the fence. Anyone that has ALWAYS fenced may not know what they don't know. I know for sure that most are gonna disagree but Sick Train just consider trying it at first and you can always add it later. It you fence it first thing then you will never know if it was necessary. My 2cents.

A cow's mouth is too big to pick corn off the ground very well. They may stomp it all into the dirt but they can't actually eat much. But they can hang around and bother your targets and they can eat it out of a pile, such as if they knock the feeder over. Only time will tell but IMO better safe than sorry.

I guess it depends on the cows. On our lease in San Saba they would have gone right through that or the smaller ones under it. Simple solution if it works though.

My solution the past 10 years has been a 14' TRIPOD FEEDER! Sure, cows and pigs stop and eat the feed, but they don't eat it all. Deer learn to pattern when the feeders go off, and you will often see them standing around waiting for the that bubba to go off and feed them!