Water treatment

Question
Hi Corlina,
I have heard that clorine bleach could be added to the horses drinking trough
during the summer weather to help keep algae down. Do you think this is a
good idea, and if so, how much? I use a regular people's enameled bath tub as
my horses outside water supply. Thanks, Debby

Answer
Hi Debby,

Great question!  There are a lot of people who use bleach to disinfect both outside water tubs and indoor pails, and some add it back to the water to keep algae at bay.  I can honestly say that I am not a fan of this practice from a nutritional stand point.  The bleach can be very harmful to bacteria...which is great for disinfecting, but not so great for the good bacteria that live in the horse's hindgut.  The bleach can readily make it to the cecum of the horse without being broken down, and kill the bacteria that the horse needs to break down and subsequently use forages for energy.  Once the forage digesting bacteria has been destroyed, it really is difficult to re-establish them and the end result can be horses that can not maintain body weight.  

But algae in water tubs sitting out in the sun really can be an issue.  My solution (besides regular scrubbing and rinsing of course) is copper sulfate.  Copper sulfate can be just as effective in destroying both algae and bacteria, but in the horse's body it is readily broken down into valuable nutrients.  That's not to say that you should use lots of it (because too much copper can be toxic to mammals as well as bacteria), but it is safer than the bleach.  About a teaspoon full per tub of water is plenty, and will keep it spotless.  In fact, copper sulfate is the blue powder that swimming pool companies will sell to add to your pool to keep algae down.  It can be purchased in feed stores in little packets or 40lb bags...probably best purchased there than the pool store just to be safe.  It is not overly expensive yet very effective...and safer.

Thanks, Corlena