Since temperatures are starting
to rise, you’ll start to see an increase in algae growing in your horse
tank. Algae needs three things to be
successful. They are water, sunlight,
and a nutrient source. The nutrient
source could be from any organic material that has blown or gets dropped into
the trough such as manure or horse saliva.
While most
algae don’t pose a direct health concern, certain types of blue-green algae release
toxins that can lead to colic and scours.
Large amounts of algae might make the water less palatable to your horse
which could lead to reduced water intake.
Keeping algal blooms to a minimum in your troughs is always a good
idea. Some solutions to your algal
problem could be shade, chemicals, barley straw, biological control, or
scrubbing.
Placing a shade structure
over troughs can help reduce sun exposure, therefore slowing algae growth. However, this incurs a cost and time and
might not work in all trough locations. For
chemical control, unscented chlorine bleach can be added to troughs at a rate
of 2 to 3 ounces per 100 gallons of water.
Chlorine burns off gradually in the heat, so you will need to repeat
this weekly. You can also add copper sulfate
to reduce algae growth. It comes as a blue
crystal and often needs to be dissolved in warm water before being added to the
trough. For a 300-gallon trough,
dissolve half a teaspoon in 1.5 ounces of warm water, and then pour the solution
into the trough. You’ll want to mix it
up really well just like with chlorine before the horses are allowed to drink
it. If your horses share their water
trough with other animals, you want to remember that copper is very toxic to
sheep! Do not use copper sulfate if your
horses share their water source with sheep.
Zinc sulfate is another option.
You can dissolve 1 cup in 1 gallon of warm water before adding to a
100-gallon trough. There are other commercial
additives to kill algae in troughs. Many
include copper sulfate as an ingredient.
Always follow the label on any chemical, not only because the label is
the law, but also to keep your animals safe.
Although not
fully understood, when submerged in water and exposed to sun, barley straw
emits a chemical that slows algae growth.
It won’t kill existing algae, but will prevent new growth. How quickly it works depends on the water’s
temperature, with it taking several weeks at 50o Fahrenheit but
only one to two weeks when water temperatures rise to about 70o Fahrenheit. University Researchers recommend using about
10-25 grams of barley straw per meter of surface area. Don’t add more straw than this if fish live
in the trough, because it can deoxygenate the water, and will kill your fish. Place the straw in netting and anchor it at
the bottom of the trough. Premade balls
are available for purchase from most pond supply stores.
Adding gold
fish to your troughs can help reduce algae, although in areas with abundant
bloom the fish might not be able to keep up.
Regular gold fish are fairly cheap and work well. Some people like to use plecostomus, which
are known algae eaters. If you’re using
fish, keep in mind that oxygen availability in a trough is often low and might
not support very many fish. Troughs need
to be deep enough so the water does not become too hot, and ice will need to be
broken daily in the winter. You will
need to check your trough often for dead fish that might release toxins into
the water. Don’t forget about them when
you turn your trough over to clean it by hand.
They are also sensitive to the chlorine found in county water. You will need to put them in another
container and let the chlorine dissipate from the fresh water for several days
before returning the fish back to the trough, so that you don’t kill them.
Emptying and
scrubbing troughs is very effective, although time consuming. Use a scrubbing
brush or old stiff grooming brush for best results, and rinse out before
refilling. This is my personal choice
for algae removal on my farm, because it is cheap. Whatever method you decide is best for your
situation, working to maintain algae-free water will help keep your horse
drinking this spring and summer as the temperatures continue to rise.
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