Hi,

Does anyone know how to keep water in troughs clean for stock to drink? We've got a series of old bathtubs and concrete tanks set up for our sheep and alpacas to drink from, with a float system to keep them full (bore water). But they get pretty slimy fairly quickly and we're wondering how we could keep them clear without having to clean them out so often. Maybe a few fish?

-- Rebecca Hicks (kindredhill@bigpond.com.au), October 08, 2001

Answers

Slime rules OK.

Filamentous algae, or slime has always been a feature of my troughs, the cattle don't seem to mind. I used to scrub out the chooks water trough, but stoped after a freind questioned the nessecity of this, now I just change the water occasionaly. I feel that slime may well exclude, or compete with cianobacteria (blue green algae) which can be toxic, but I have no impirical evidance to support this. Has anyone else any info on this??

-- Simon CC (CCjjas@bigpond.com), November 14, 2001.

Clean Stock Water

Dear Rebecca

In response to your question about cleaner stock drinking water, the problem you have is that the stock are not drawing enough water per day to ensure continual flushing via the float system. All troughs will however require cleaning continually to ensure good stock health, as a large majority of health issues arise from bad water. We suggest that smaller troughs may be a solution for you however they cannot be so small that on hot days the water becomes too warm for drinking or yuo may have to place the troughs under a tree in the shade. I don't know what the climate is like where you live?.

Cheers Angie and Tim O'C

-- Angelene & Tim O'Callaghan (angelene.oc@hotkey.net.au), March 16, 2002.

Keeping Stock troughs clean

Erecting a shade over the water trough will certainly reduce the cleaning time to once/twice a week. I have alpacas too and this is the best solution.

-- Ann Fenton (fenton@senet.com.au), December 17, 2002.