Every year, I have a problem with birds - I guess they go to take a dip in the water trough (or maybe they just fall in; IDK), and they can't get out so they drown. This leaves a disgusting mess for me to clean up, but worse yet it breaks my heart!
This year, I tried floating a couple pieces of wood in the trough for them... and this evening I had yet another drowned stiff corpse.
Anyone have any ideas to keep the birds from drowning?
2009-06-08T15:48:31Z
Another dead bird this morning!
The first one drowned in a very full tank, the second in s 3/4 full tank. The wood may actually have tempted them in, so I'm removing that and instead sticking a tree branch in, in the hopes that the horses won't disturb it and the birds can climb out by grabbing it under the water line.
I'll also add the bird bath, as suggested.
Thanks for the suggestions, everyone.
Finley2009-06-07T17:59:58Z
Favorite Answer
Put a STICK in your water trough. It's an old cowboy trick.
I had the same problem with poor little squirrels. They'd drown and I'd have to pull out the bodies and clean out the trough.
Til I tied a big enough stick to the edge of it.... so if they fell in, they could swim to the stick and climb back out. It works perfectly. No more drowned bodies.
Simply tie the stick to the edge of the trough....do it in a way that the horse can't pull it out or move it out of place.
I think the only solutions are to either keep the trough really, really full so the birds can hopefully swim over the edge (but this works in theory, but who can keep the trough that full) or else put a couple of pieces of wood in the trough. That really is all you can do. I think birds are like humans when they struggle, they often panic and stop thinking and don't go to the wood. I don't think there's anything you can do to prevent this short of posting an experienced lifeguard at the trough! A percentage likely do manage to claw up onto the wood, dry off and fly away, but you don't know about those because they leave no evidence behind. A swimming pool scoopy works well to get out yucky stuff like that! Lastly, a bird bath in a nearby area might attract some of the birds and save them trying the trough.
I used to work at a stable and we had the same problem! We tired so many different things and nothing seemed to work. We would fill the troughs up to the top and that seemed to help a little bit but every once in a while we would have a bird in their. If it was filled to the top most of the time the birds would just land on the edge of the trough. Which they cant do if the water is too low causing them to land in the water and drown. Good luck, hope you find something that works for ya.
I have never had a problem with birds drowning but rabbits and squirrels are another thing. There is a one legged crow that lives here and he balances just fine, i feed him because i feel sorry for the thing. I think what your doing may be the safest thing, if you put something on the edge the horse could scrap their nose.