Tadpoles in the Water Trough

[4LeafCloverFarm]

This has been a banner year for frogs and toads with the nearly continual rain we’re getting. We have three ponds on our property, so lots of aquatic life - which is great. They feed the Great Blue Heron and the Green Heron that visit our farm and other birds as well. However, this year, they have really taken to this one water trough in my back paddock. Never had this issue in previous years that I can recall. They are laying eggs in there continuously.

Its not that I think the tadpoles are a danger to the horses, but for whatever reason, I just don’t like seeing living things in my water troughs. :lol: They do eat algae, so that’s good… but those wiggling little bodies kinda creep me out. And I really don’t like killing them by dumping the trough out either (plus doing this frequently wastes a lot of water). So there in lies the conundrum.

Anybody have any special hacks to keep the little frogs and toads from procreating in a trough? Or do I just need to suck it up, and let them go on their merry way?

[Bombproof]

I very much doubt there’s any way to keep them out which would be safe for your horses, but I haven’t actually tried it. I’ll be interested to see if anyone has any helpful tips. There are chemicals you could put in the water which would keep them out, but then your horses couldn’t drink it. A screen over the trough would keep the frogs/toads from getting in to lay eggs, but again the horses then couldn’t access the water. It might be helpful to put an aerator in the trough since frogs don’t usually lay eggs in fast-moving water (assuming the aerator wouldn’t spook your horses). Beyond that, I can’t think of anything other than dumping them out or ignoring them.

[Wanderosa]

It happened last year when I was taking care of someone else’s horses. The water was gross & then bam tadpoles! My kids didn’t want me to dump it and I frankly didn’t have the stomach to either. FortunatelY, the lady’s stepson did it when he came down with the hay delivery!

One thing I do ( more for the sake of general cleanliness than avoiding tadpoles - that was a first for me!) Is not filling the trough all the way. It’s easier to dump and clean if it’s only half full and you’ll be more inclined to do it. Granted, I’m a paranoid weirdo that checks water several times a day. But realistically, two average sized horses don’t need a full 150 gallon water trough. Just fill it 1/3-1/2 and commit to refilling more often. It’s healthier for the horses, too. They drink more if the water is fresh.

[crosscreeksh]

@Wanderosa

It happened last year when I was taking care of someone else’s horses. The water was gross & then bam tadpoles! My kids didn’t want me to dump it and I frankly didn’t have the stomach to either. FortunatelY, the lady’s stepson did it when he came down with the hay delivery!

One thing I do ( more for the sake of general cleanliness than avoiding tadpoles - that was a first for me!) Is not filling the trough all the way. It’s easier to dump and clean if it’s only half full and you’ll be more inclined to do it. Granted, I’m a paranoid weirdo that checks water several times a day. But realistically, two average sized horses don’t need a full 150 gallon water trough. Just fill it 1/3-1/2 and commit to refilling more often. It’s healthier for the horses, too. They drink more if the water is fresh.

This…exactly…horses deserve and expect clean water without “animal life”! Our rule…“If you don’t want to drink out of a tub…WASH IT!!”

[beowulf]

Can you move the trough somewhere else? I wonder if the frogs are getting to it because it might be in a shady area not easily visible to predators. Maybe your trough is in just the right spot.

I feel your pain OP! We had tadpoles in one of the mud areas that always seems to pool up any time there is rain. of course it happened to be the area horses like to roll/stand in. :eek: We got hit with all this heat and that water pool just shriveled right up. Not sure all of the tadpoles made it… :no:

They can lay eggs in water regardless if it is clean or not. If you really like them, maybe transfer their water to a kiddie pool near the trough and refill trough as needed?

As an aside, this year I am having this one very persistent water bug that keeps getting back into my trough. It is dumped and scrubbed at least every five to six days because we have four horses off of it - every time I dump it, within an hour of fill up the bug is back in… I have no guilt about dumping it because the bug’s able to fly out; anyone have any idea what kind of bug it is? It’s the one that is aquatic/terrestrial, black, swims upside down and will bite the dickens out of you if you pick it up. I only did it once, learned my lesson!

[4LeafCloverFarm]

Well, I did try the “don’t fill it all the way up” method. But Tree Fogs, you see, have these incredible little sticky feet and they can cling to anything (including a rubbermaid trough evidently) no matter how far down the water goes.

The water is clean, not dirty or ooky. I don’t let it get that bad - I do dump and scrub when it the water starts to get not crystal clear. Its a 100 gallon Runbbermaid tank. Thankfully, neither the horse or the pony in the paddock are serious hay dunkers and don’t stick their muddy feet in there and because its in the shade, stays fairly algae free.

The trough is in the shade most of the day (maybe a bit of sun in the very early AM) - wedged between the gate and the short side of the run-in shed (it fits perfectly there). Practically anywhere I’d put it, it would be shaded - the whole paddock is surrounded by large mature hardwoods - well, except in the center of the paddock out in the open (like 40’ from the fence).

Interestingly, it is the only Rubbermaid trough that gets tadpoles (I have three of them). But the other two are near/under cedar trees in front pasture and get small amounts of shed cedar needles in them. Perhaps the cedar is a deterrent? No cedar trees though in or around my back paddock, strangely enough.

[beowulf]

@4LeafCloverFarm

Well, I did try the “don’t fill it all the way up” method. But Tree Fogs, you see, have these incredible little sticky feet and they can cling to anything (including a rubbermaid trough evidently) no matter how far down the water goes.

The water is clean, not dirty or ooky. I don’t let it get that bad - I do dump and scrub when it the water starts to get not crystal clear. Its a 100 gallon Runbbermaid tank. Thankfully, neither the horse or the pony in the paddock are serious hay dunkers and don’t stick their muddy feet in there and because its in the shade, stays fairly algae free.

The trough is in the shade most of the day (maybe a bit of sun in the very early AM) - wedged between the gate and the short side of the run-in shed (it fits perfectly there). Practically anywhere I’d put it, it would be shaded - the whole paddock is surrounded by large mature hardwoods - well, except in the center of the paddock out in the open (like 40’ from the fence).

Interestingly, it is the only Rubbermaid trough that gets tadpoles (I have three of them). But the other two are near/under cedar trees in front pasture and get small amounts of shed cedar needles in them. Perhaps the cedar is a deterrent? No cedar trees though in or around my back paddock, strangely enough.

Not the cedar… the things living in the cedar. Birds love tadpoles. :yes:

A stock tank is the perfect place for an egg clutch - you have smart tree frogs. Very little natural predation, no fish and likely no insects…

[4LeafCloverFarm]

I have a little fish net (aquarium variety), so I suppose I could collect them in a bucket and then hike up to my big pond and dump them in. At least that way I wouldn’t be a murderer! lol

[Guilherme]

You could empty the tank and refill with a low dose of chlorine. In general it won’t harm the horses and will kill/deter at least some frogs.

G.

[4LeafCloverFarm]

@Guilherme

You could empty the tank and refill with a low dose of chlorine. In general it won’t harm the horses and will kill/deter at least some frogs.

G.

I have always been very concerned about adding chlorine or any chemicals to my water troughs (I don’t even like to use dish soap when cleaning one - just water and elbow grease). I realize my fear is probably unfounded - after all, city water is shocked to kill microbes (we are on a well).

Do you buy a pool-specific product, use Clorox or what? And exactly how much do you add? Does it get more concentrated with evaporation?

[Texarkana]

How frequently do you dump your trough or let the horses drink it down? It takes about 1-3 weeks for frog eggs to hatch into tadpoles; in this warm weather, things like spring peeper eggs might hatch in less time, but it still takes a few days.

I’d recommend only filling the trough with what your horses will drink in a shorter time span. :yes:

I’m pretty OCD about water troughs being scrubbed and refilled frequently, which is why I use smaller troughs as much as possible. Usually I try to work it out so they drink it down to a level where it can be dumped and get a once over with a scrub brush daily. I might go 2-3 days before dumping it if I don’t get my timing right and have to top it off. With my large 100 gallon trough, I rarely fill it up more than 1/3 of the way in the summer-- I really only have one that large a trough for running a deicer in extended cold spells in the winter where I fear my hydrant freezing.

[Wanderosa]

@beowulf

Can you move the trough somewhere else? I wonder if the frogs are getting to it because it might be in a shady area not easily visible to predators. Maybe your trough is in just the right spot.

I feel your pain OP! We had tadpoles in one of the mud areas that always seems to pool up any time there is rain. of course it happened to be the area horses like to roll/stand in. :eek: We got hit with all this heat and that water pool just shriveled right up. Not sure all of the tadpoles made it… :no:

They can lay eggs in water regardless if it is clean or not. If you really like them, maybe transfer their water to a kiddie pool near the trough and refill trough as needed?

As an aside, this year I am having this one very persistent water bug that keeps getting back into my trough. It is dumped and scrubbed at least every five to six days because we have four horses off of it - every time I dump it, within an hour of fill up the bug is back in… I have no guilt about dumping it because the bug’s able to fly out; anyone have any idea what kind of bug it is? It’s the one that is aquatic/terrestrial, black, swims upside down and will bite the dickens out of you if you pick it up. I only did it once, learned my lesson!

I believe the Latin name for such a bug is a “No Thank You” . :eek:

[4LeafCloverFarm]

How often I dump really depends on water quality. I dump it and scrub it when the water isn’t nice and clean/clear looking - or if I see a massive and sudden growth of algae, which stops once shade is established in March/April). So I don’t have a set schedule of every X days. There is only 1 small horse and a very small pony using the trough - horse 24/7 and pony 1/2 that, as he goes out to pasture 10 hours a day.

I have some small molded rubber ones from TSC that are like 35, maybe 40 gallons. But I stopped using them years ago as a primary source of water because it seemed they had to be emptied/cleaned every other day (sometimes daily) and used so much water. They are very low to the ground - maybe just a foot high? And stuff/mud/grass gets in them that would never get in the high Rubbermaid. For all I know (though I never witnessed it) they might have been standing/playing in it sometimes, based on the contents in the bottom. :o

On the bright side, the Mosquito Dunks are working perfectly and I’ve no larvae this year at all. Too bad they don’t work on frog/toad eggs. They seem to work well at keeping the water clearer too, as the bacteria in them eat junk in the water to survive.

[Simkie]

This is probably a no go suggestion based on your sticky feet comment…but would making it taller help at all? Put it up on cinder blocks?

Copper is pretty toxic to aquatic life, right? I wonder if a copper pipe in the tank would be enough to keep things from growing.

[4LeafCloverFarm]

@Wanderosa

I believe the Latin name for such a bug is a “No Thank You” . :eek:

:lol: Those water skating bugs are just odd creatures. Able to skate around on water without breaking the surface. We have them here, though I’ve never seen them in a water trough. Maybe there is something special about your water trough @beowulf . Either that, of you just have a little friend!

[Simkie]

@beowulf

As an aside, this year I am having this one very persistent water bug that keeps getting back into my trough. It is dumped and scrubbed at least every five to six days because we have four horses off of it - every time I dump it, within an hour of fill up the bug is back in… I have no guilt about dumping it because the bug’s able to fly out; anyone have any idea what kind of bug it is? It’s the one that is aquatic/terrestrial, black, swims upside down and will bite the dickens out of you if you pick it up. I only did it once, learned my lesson!

Maybe these?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belostomatidae

Toe biters! :eek:

[Twisting]

You might try vinegar or citric acid powder. Won’t harm the horses and even small changes in acidity can put off creatures like frogs.

[4LeafCloverFarm]

Ah - apple cider vinegar. Hadn’t thought of that! Good idea @Twisting. Might give that a try, because now that I think of it, using chlorine might very well undo the good the Mosquito Dunks are doing because they are a type of bacteria (and even a small amount of chlorine might kill them).

[Guilherme]

@4LeafCloverFarm

I have always been very concerned about adding chlorine or any chemicals to my water troughs (I don’t even like to use dish soap when cleaning one - just water and elbow grease). I realize my fear is probably unfounded - after all, city water is shocked to kill microbes (we are on a well).

Do you buy a pool-specific product, use Clorox or what? And exactly how much do you add? Does it get more concentrated with evaporation?

We buy Clorox from Walmart!!!

One way to approach the problem is don’t fill your tanks full. Maybe put 1/3 of the capacity to start. Depending on stock loading, temps, etc. you will see the tank get really low in a couple of days. You can refill back to 1/3 for a bit, then let the tank run dry/really low, dump it, rinse it good (with or without chemical help), and then refill it. And repeat the process. I know a LOT of people put a 110 gal. tank out, fill it, and then keep topping it off for days, or even weeks. If you do this you WILL have tadpoles, algae, dead critters, mosquito larvae, and Bog knows what else over the course of a summer. To really clean out a tank use your pressure washer.

IIRC The Book says 1/4 teaspoon Clorox per gallon. That’s not much. I’m sure you can find a conversion site on line to “scale that up” for horse troughs. Over time the chlorine actually will evaporate back into the air. This is what happens in swimming pools and why it has to be re-added from time to time.

I’m of an age where I remember the old DuPont motto of “Better Things For Better Living Through Chemistry.” Clorox is a safe, rational product for helping to make water safe for consumption and preserve it’s quality. It may not be the only thing, but it’s a good thing for horses. For people, I recommend program developed by our cousins in the Royal Navy: RUM!!!

G.

[pony4me]

During the summer, I dump the tank and scrub it every three or four days. I don’t fill it up all the way, so the three horses drink it down to a level that I can handle comfortably. That gets rid of any possible eggs before they hatch.