# Apple Cider Vinegar to help keep water tubs clean?



## Cotton Eyed Does (Oct 26, 2007)

Don't some of you put apple cider vinegar in your goat's water tub to help keep it cleaner longer? If so, does it really work? How much do you use?


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## Caprine Beings (Sep 19, 2008)

We use either white vinager or ACV they both work. I put in about a quarter gallon in each tub (one of those Wal-Mart laundry tubs). It does take care of algea.
Tam


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## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

So does copper sulfate!


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## dragonlair (Mar 24, 2009)

I use the ACV in the goat and goat tubs and buckets to keep algae to a minimum plus it helps to keep the mosquito larvae away also.

Copper sulfate? How much would you use before you ran into toxicity problems?


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## Robynlynn (Jul 2, 2010)

We have always used ACV in our animals water especailly in the summer as the smell the cider gives off when you drink it that seems to repel mosquitoes.....there are some that swear it helps you acheive more does than bucks at kidding time??


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## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

We use 60 gallon cast iron porcelain bath tubs salvaged from old houses.
I treat the water at 1 tsp per 5 gallons. It stays clean forever and I just add more water as they drink so it is increasingly diluted. I only have to clean the tubs when I neglect to remove debris from them like when leaves start to fall. I have no copper tox problems only shiny goats but we are in a iron rich environment so there is antagonism there. You are changing the PH with all these methods to discourage things that are very ph sensitive. Like algae and larvae. Baking soda will do the same- just in the other direction of the ph scale.


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## doublebowgoats (Mar 6, 2008)

I have used copper sulfate also. It works great.


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## stoneyheightsfarm (Jan 19, 2008)

I do 5 gallon buckets in the barn for everyone, so lots of cleaning and refilling twice a day. But, I also use big tubs outside the fences for the dogs and one in the does' new big pen when I ever get gutsy enough to lock them out there. I put copper sulfate in the big ones to keep the algae down. They do stay really clean. I dump them and hose them out when a chicken decides to dump in there, but it's not the scrubbing that my buckets are, and my buckets get changed a lot more frequently! I hadn't thought about baking soda, though... Lemon juice?


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Since hearing Lee say this several months ago, I do have 3 with copper sulfate in them. With vinegar they are sort of cloudy, with copper sulfate they are dirty looking  In our deep shade the pretty blue it actually is looks dark green and stagnant. I am going back to the cheapo vinegar. When standing out in the pens with company this week I got that tinge of embarassment looking over at them, like they were dirty. Vicki


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## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

> tinge of embarrassment


I guess the dif here is the white porcelain in the sun- they look like clear water with tinge of bluegreen.

I am rofl Vicki- Miss Martha Stewart of Goats! I guess I should have known after Jana said she saw no poop. Don said you fed them chocolate and constipated them in her honor! What makes them look dirty? Do you have dark tanks?

Our large stock tanks out in the grazing areas (the tubs are at the barn paddocks) are dark grey and they are a natural habitat. Frogs and tadpoles take care of the mosquito larvae so I just add more water to them- no ph adjustment and the goats actually prefer them. This may be because they are a large surface area of water where they can get the right angle to really suck down the water.


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## Dana (Dec 7, 2009)

Has anyone really noticed a difference in percentage of does born with ACV in the water? 

Also how much copper sulfate do you put in the water? I have a pack of it I purchased from Hoegger's and have been afraid to use it. I copper bolused my herd twice but haven't seen a change yet. It's been 8 months. Maybe I should add copper sulfate to their water too


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Lee they are in the shade, white, they are actually 50 gallon plastic drums that cola comes in, they are cut in half. They just have that dark look to them like the water is algea laden  Vicki


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## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

Keep in mind algae is veeeeeery nutritious stuff!
Actually sold as supplements- algae contains many vitamins, minerals and nutrients and actually has amino acids and proteins in readily available forms.
Maybe those murky water tanks are better for them than clean!


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## Cotton Eyed Does (Oct 26, 2007)

buckrun said:


> Keep in mind algae is veeeeeery nutritious stuff!
> Actually sold as supplements- algae contains many vitamins, minerals and nutrients and actually has amino acids and proteins in readily available forms.
> Maybe those murky water tanks are better for them than clean!


My husband has said this for years. He said if we had a pond behind the house would you try to clean it? There is crud as I call it in a pond and it doesn't kill the animals.


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## dragonlair (Mar 24, 2009)

My big issue is mosquito larvae in the water tubs. I don't mind the algae, but I do the skeeter babies.


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## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

The thing I hate about algae is that is stinks! At least to me it does. I've bought it by the quart and downed a lot of it...maybe I should just scrape my water troughs and eat that?


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

there is different types of algae. 
I don't mind algae in the water tanks but hate the thought of just plain dirty looking water. I used ACV but mostly dumped my water every other day or so. My goats wouldn't even touch the pond.


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## jdranch (Jan 31, 2010)

good info- my dd love to use algae is healthy as an excuse not to scrub! ")


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