Water problems

[idk]

I have a flock of chickens + 2 ducks and currently, their water source is some stagnant water in one of those oval stock tanks. The water is rarely changed or topped off except for when it rains. I want to put some better water out for them and I've heard of those container ponds so I'm thinking about turning the stock tank into a small pond with some fish (because there is also a rampant mosquito problem) but I've heard that bacteria can get in there and cause some problems for the animals that drink it. If I turn the stock tank into a pond, will the water be better or worse than just stagnant water? PS no animal on my place has died as a direct result of the water as far as I'm aware
Picture below is what the stock tank looks like right now

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

So all the water in this tank is from rain? Do you water them in a different waterer? I wouldn't be so concerned about using rain water, I personally do all summer. I would worry about having the ducks especially using the water because they will foul it up.

 

[Tortoise]

That's nasty looking water for anyone too drink. Get a water pump or a wet vac and clean it out every couple days.
Then use some sort of smaller container for additional drinking water. Animals need clean water too drink just like you do.

 

[idk]

Oldhenlikesdogs, yeah, it's from rainwater and there's another tank that catches the rainwater from our gutter right beside it. No, that's their waterer. They drink out of that unless they find a puddle somewhere. That tank is a little too high for the ducks to get into but they can drink from it. The ducks have a kiddie pool they can play in.

Tortoise, Yeah, I absolutely agree but it's very heavy and big + my dad isn't the most compassionate of people so he won't waste the water to clean it every few days neither will he let me.

 

[Fishkeeper]

An aquarium filter might help some. Not only will it filter out some of the gunk, it'll agitate the surface of the water, and mosquito larvae will drown if the water's surface is constantly moving. You can also buy hornwort or anacharis at an aquarium store and put that in, they're plants that grow in the water column and will clean things up a bit. No extra care required.

Do any animals actually get in the water? If it doesn't have feces in it, I wouldn't be too worried. Ponds look nasty, but animals drink out of those all the time, and they're fine.

What animals drink out of the stock tank? Can you just dump it out and not have it, provide water somewhere cleaner?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

If there was a way to cover this tank with netting or a screen it would keep out mosquitoes, and keep it a bit cleaner. A fish pond comes with it's own problems and isn't as easy to keep as a tank of water. So I would work on trying to keep some of the yuck out.

 

[idk]

Fishkeeper, I'll try to see if I can get a filter and some plants set up. No animals get in the stock tank, it's too tall. A deer, 6 chickens, 2 ducks and 1 cat drink from there. Unfortunately, I can't, my dad is a huge penny pincher so he won't throw out a tank that still holds water. I had a waterer in the chicken coop but we have some new chicks so I use the waterer for them.

Oldhenlikesdogs, I'll see if I can't get a screen or something to cover it but I don't know how to stop the algae and everything that grows in it.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

A fish filter and plants won't stop algae either which just needs sunlight to grow. You need to cover the tank to prevent algae growth. Why can't you occasionally dump and clean the tank? Than refill with fresh water?

 

[idk]

Because I can't do that every week or so. It'd be more like once or twice a year. My dad won't let me do that because it takes a lot of water to fill it up. It'll cost money and my dad doesn't like spending money. Covering it will also prevent my animals from drinking from it. I'm just hoping by putting plants in the water, I can starve the algae.

 

[imnukensc]

Stagnant water is stagnant water whether it's in a stock tank above ground or in a stock tank sunk into the ground. Open stock tanks are also an excellent mosquito breeding ground. I'd suggest making or buying your chickens/ducks a dedicated waterer so that you can more easily change the water to keep it fresher and free from stagnation.