Today in my water trough I found . . . .

H

HappyHorses:)

Well-Known Member
Joined
28 May 2010
Messages
890
Visit site
. . . a young owl :(

Never seen or heard of them around my yard before so no idea where it came from or how it came to die in the water trough. Poor little thing.

My friend found two crows in hers last week. What's going on in the bird world?!

So what weird things have you found in yours?
 
Poor owl.
I've had a frog, fished him out and he hoped off. Not much more than that really, unless of course I include the dogs as they leap in for a refreshing dip!
 
Magpie :( he was quite tame and always about a breakfast feeding, I miss seeing him stealing the horses feed.

I have put a stick in the horses trough now, it allows the birds etc. to get out if they fall in.
 
I, too, found a little owl drowned in one of our troughs. I read
something, somewhere about owls and water troughs being a
serious problem. Something to do with reflection off the water.
I think I read it on the Barn Owl Trust website. If I can find the
article I'll post it.
 
Today in my water trough i found a dead pigeon :(

I noticed loads of feathers when i was walking past it then caught a glimpse of the bird :( Scooped it out and cleaned the water out and refilled the trough incase the horses got sick
 
yes I have had this with lots of wildlife and fortuately its usually baby rats! Shame its an owl though they do go for a drink and if they go in thats it I suppose
 
Found my gate keys and a lead rope in mine :D My mare has a new field mate. A real character. She likes to steal things and dump them in the water trough.

Dead beasties......fished out a slug last week. Yuk!
 
Body Parts! the crows (or Ravens really big but not sure which) use it to wash their meals .... duck heads with the spines attached, bones, salmon heads.. totally revolting.
I now use small buckets but their eyeing up those too!:(
 
A horse. :) We had one that used to climb into the water trough (the big Rubbermaid ones you don't see often here) and splash around. :D She used to convince other horses to give it a go and they inevitably got stuck with legs in and out, usually knocking over the tub in the process, but she always got in and out no problem.

She had to go to a vet school once for tests where they had very large drinkers in the stables. We asked if we could have one without or at least cover hers up but they brushed us off . . .next thing, horse standing in huge puddle of water, trough half off the wall, from her trying to climb into it! :eek:
 
On of the girls on our yard found what she first thought was a french loaf in the trough when cleaning it before the horses moved fields after the winter. It was actually a dead grass snake that had been there some time, yuck!!!
 
wow! poor little animals :/ i seem to have missed all the action over here! the other day i found my phone in the trough a few days after i lost it...still works...although it does not like it when it rains in my pocket! strange eh? :rolleyes:
 
One of our own hens :( The silly creature had decided to have a drink out of the trough, rather than going into the run where there was a safe and plentiful supply. At least we assume that is what she did.
 
I found it...Go to the Barn Owl Trust. On the homepage on the right-hand
side, click on "and much more." On the next page, on the left-hand side,
scroll down and find "Prevention of Drowning." I covers more than the
Barn Owl, and gives examples on protection in troughs.
 
LaurenM said:
There was goldfish in the trough at my old yard. Been there for years and every winter we'd have to hack the ice layer off :)
Click to expand...

Gold fish are good for troughs aren't they? Eat any insects and keep it clean or have completely lost the plot? I'm sure I've heard it somewhere? :confused:
 
a squirrel a couple of years ago, in water trough under an overhanging oak tree. Felt awful, what a death.

You've not lost the plot nikCscott - I used to keep a horse at a yard where owners kept a whacking great fish in a large metal field trough. Not sure what it was but not a goldfish. Dark as I recall, a trout? Found it quite freaky myself. Horse wasn't there that long (nothing to do with freaky fish though!)
 
Last edited:
nikCscott said:
Gold fish are good for troughs aren't they? Eat any insects and keep it clean or have completely lost the plot? I'm sure I've heard it somewhere? :confused:
Click to expand...

I've heard that here :) Not too sure how the little wild fish I found in a trough once got in... presume a bird had dropped him, but he was alive and well!
 
Not sure about them eating all the gunk but would assume so. They were only there as someone no longer wanted them I think. I thought it was a yard joke until I seem them a year later lol.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top