Keeping the water trough clean..

[yorkshiregal]

I use Saturday lime too. Just a dusting on the surface!! It’s a great product. I use it for my ducks and some bigger alpaca buckets

 

[Stephine]

It is city water. No, they are not dropping anything in it. We get crazy winds out of the south sometimes, so hay gets blown in there, or grass, or chicken feathers sometimes. I have a fish net I am going to use to get that type of stuff out. Its only 50 gallons and I only have 3 goats.

For three goats you can probably get a much smaller trough and just clean it with a brush - I have one of those 5 gallon horse buckets with clips to fix it to a fence and keep them from knocking it over, and it works a treat. Or better yet, get one of those automatic waterers from Premier1, with two small shallow bowls, and connect it to a hose. I am using a white marine hose and the water comes out nice and cool even in the sun. Just give it a quick wipe every morning and you‘re good! (My sheep are on pasture during the day with the automatic one and locked in the barn overnight with the bucket). Would not want to bother with a big gunky trough for a tiny herd!

 

[farmerjan]

I wouldn't have a 50 gal trough for only 3 goats either. Too much to clean out like you said. I like @Stephine 's idea of a 5 gal bucket. 3 small goats like that are not going to drink so much that a 5 gal bucket would not supply their daily needs.

 

[TXMissy]

For three goats you can probably get a much smaller trough and just clean it with a brush - I have one of those 5 gallon horse buckets with clips to fix it to a fence and keep them from knocking it over, and it works a treat. Or better yet, get one of those automatic waterers from Premier1, with two small shallow bowls, and connect it to a hose. I am using a white marine hose and the water comes out nice and cool even in the sun. Just give it a quick wipe every morning and you‘re good! (My sheep are on pasture during the day with the automatic one and locked in the barn overnight with the bucket). Would not want to bother with a big gunky trough for a tiny herd!

yeah, I hear you. The trough was here when we bought the house. It's one of those black Rubbermaid ones. I am assuming it is 50 based on others I have seen that are similar. I also have a small kiddie pool I fill up that is on the porch for when they are out running around.

 

[Baymule]

I have 19 sheep and I use buckets. Since they have the endearing habit of pooping in their water, dumping the bigger tubs is a pain. A bucket is much easier and I can add or take away according to how many sheep I have in the pen or pasture. I take a wad of hay, twist it and scrub the buckets with it, toss the hay, rinse the bucket and refill.

 

[Affacat]

How big of a trough is it? If it is at least 100 gallons, go get a half dozen feeder goldfish at the pet store and put them in there. They will keep the algae down some, will eat all the mosquito larvae, clean up any feed that gets spilled in there... as long as you add water daily or every other day or if it is on an automatic fill, they will be fine. We keep goldfish in all the water troughs as long as it doesn't get so hot as to "cook them". If on an auto fill of some sort, they will be fine. If moved to the side of a building for some shade they will be okay. I put a "cinder block" in them for a place to get out of the sun and to hide from the miserable blue herons that sometimes decide to go fishing....

I joined this forum today to ask about algae, and found this thread on the homepage. Great timing!

I like the idea of goldfish, my only concern is that we currently clean our troughs by dumping and scrubbing... I think managing goldfish on top of that would be a pain (unless they stoped the algae quickly).

 

[Affacat]

1/8 tsp household bleach to 2 liters of water will also keep algae from forming. We used it in our rabbit bottles before I installed the auto waterers.

Does anyone know if any of these solutions (bleach, Saturday lime, and other named etc) are safer/better than the next? We have sheep and alpaca that share water sources. Plus we have poultry so there is some low risk of one of them fouling / fowling the water.

We have well water, use the large black tubs.

My wife also wants to start adding apple cider vinegar, but I don't think that will address algae (it's to help prevent worms).

I don't mind adding bleach if that's perfectly safe in low quantities, and I don't mind buying something tailor made if that's a better solution, but we definitely need to figure out something, our water gets severe algae quite quickly lately.

 

[Finnie]

Does anyone know if any of these solutions (bleach, Saturday lime, and other named etc) are safer/better than the next? We have sheep and alpaca that share water sources. Plus we have poultry so there is some low risk of one of them fouling / fowling the water.

We have well water, use the large black tubs.

My wife also wants to start adding apple cider vinegar, but I don't think that will address algae (it's to help prevent worms).

I don't mind adding bleach if that's perfectly safe in low quantities, and I don't mind buying something tailor made if that's a better solution, but we definitely need to figure out something, our water gets severe algae quite quickly lately.

Hi, welcome!

 

[TXMissy]

I have 19 sheep and I use buckets. Since they have the endearing habit of pooping in their water, dumping the bigger tubs is a pain. A bucket is much easier and I can add or take away according to how many sheep I have in the pen or pasture. I take a wad of hay, twist it and scrub the buckets with it, toss the hay, rinse the bucket and refill

I have 19 sheep and I use buckets. Since they have the endearing habit of pooping in their water, dumping the bigger tubs is a pain. A bucket is much easier and I can add or take away according to how many sheep I have in the pen or pasture. I take a wad of hay, twist it and scrub the buckets with it, toss the hay, rinse the bucket and refill.

What do these buckets look like that you use?

 

[TXMissy]

What do these buckets look like that you use?

Like a feed bucket?