Watering trough

[Pet-magnet]

Hi! I saw a water trough at Big R in my area. It had an opening at the base of it for animals to drink. Inside the trough appeared to be a filter. (I should have asked a clerk.) Anyway, my spouse and I had a basic trough for our goats outside their pen with no cover and either birds would poop in it or we would find insects in it. So we went to taken a gallon bucket and filling it up and putting inside the shed. Just wondering if there was a better way. Tia.

 

[Baymule]

I use buckets.

 

[SageHill]

Buckets here as well. Since I can pick the color all the water buckets are blue! That said, it's a lot easier to clean a bucket than a trough.

 

[featheredhomestead]

Hi! I saw a water trough at Big R in my area. It had an opening at the base of it for animals to drink. Inside the trough appeared to be a filter. (I should have asked a clerk.) Anyway, my spouse and I had a basic trough for our goats outside their pen with no cover and either birds would poop in it or we would find insects in it. So we went to taken a gallon bucket and filling it up and putting inside the shed. Just wondering if there was a better way. Tia.

Hi there!

You’re not alone — open troughs are like magnets for birds, bugs, and everything else. A couple of things that have worked for us:

• Trough covers + floats: You can buy or DIY a cover that leaves just a small drinking gap. It keeps debris out while still letting goats drink. A simple board with cutouts can work.
• Automatic waterers/nipple setups: Goats catch on quickly to push-down nipples or bowls fed by a hose. It keeps the water fresh and much cleaner than a wide open surface.
• Placement matters: Moving the water inside their pen or under a roof cuts down on birds using it as a perch/bath.
• Extra bucket rotation: Keeping 2–3 buckets you swap daily helps — while one’s in use, the others are scrubbed and drying.

If you want something close to what you saw at Big R, those troughs usually have a float valve and sometimes a filter screen. They’re nice because they refill automatically, and you don’t have to worry as much about contamination.

Goats are picky with water, so anything that keeps it cleaner will pay off.