I started keeping goldfish in my water trough about five years ago. I was researching about permaculture and animal husbandry practices and came across the concept of introducing goldfish into the barnyard. It sounded off-the-wall at the time, but after some research I headed to the pet store and bought a small bag of fish. I decided on four for my 100-gallon tank. About five or so years in now, I can honestly say that they definitely make a difference. Why do I keep them? Mosquitos.

Mosquitos are readily present here in central New Jersey, especially in our wooded and agricultural pocket. They eagerly populate in standing water—anything from standing puddles, to buckets, to still ponds and troughs… water that is not moving or flowing is fair game for egg laying. In just 24-48 hours mosquito eggs hatch into wiggly larvae. After only four days to a couple of weeks (species depending) mosquitos mature and are ready to put a damper on that summer evening magic I wait the rest of the year to experience.
​
Here at the farm we use several practices to reduce our mosquito numbers and it shows; a walk across the street to chat with the neighbors leaves us covered in bites in mere minutes. On our own property, however, attacks are minimal. This is thanks to keeping guinea fowl, maintaining a healthy bat and frog population, and planting loads of fragrant companion plants in my food forest guilds that mosquitos supposedly despise. But every little bit helps and so enter the goldfish.

I currently have the same four fish who started out as quite small 9-cent babies in my 100-gallon stock tank. I have another two goldfish in my 35-gallon sheep stock tank. The fish overwinter well in the troughs, especially because they have the added comfort of a submerged trough heater in the winter time which I use for the horses (the troughs are not in the barn). That said, they live in the stock tanks year-round. Here’s a few answers to other commonly asked questions I receive:
​
Do you feed the fish?
The fish require no supplemental feed; they eat the mosquito larvae on the top of the water, and also eat the bits of hay and forage that fall from the horses’ mouths when they drink.

What about aeration or a bubbler?
Because my draft horses are so large and require 35 gallons of water each per day—and I also have five sheep to one 35-gallon tank—I’m refilling water troughs constantly. The continuous refilling generates clean water full of bubbles, and the animals only add more as they play with their water before they drink. The fish get the aeration they need without a pump, the food they require, and a large tank for swimming all while keeping our mosquito population down.

Do the horses ever eat the fish?
No—they swim to the bottom when the horses approach.

Do any other animals or birds of prey hunt the fish?
Nope—not once here on our farm. We have a healthy population of fisher cats, raccoons, heron, bear, etc. and haven’t had an issue. We also keep livestock guardian dogs to keep wildlife traffic away which helps.

How do I know they’re healthy and thriving?
My vet friend says as long as they’re eating, creating manure, growing, and swimming they’re doing great. He says their color is super vibrant and he thinks they’re very healthy and happy.

Do they help with parasites?
I’ve heard this theory but haven’t really looked into it. I undergo other efforts for natural parasite prevention, and the fish are just for mosquitos.

Do they clean the trough and reduce algae?
No, they don’t. They are purely for mosquito control.

Do you use the fish manure?
Fish manure is loaded with nutrients. These troughs are drained for the greenhouse on a gravity fed system when we want to fertilize crops. I simply outfitted my troughs with a spigot on the bottom.

How do you clean the water trough?
I scrub my troughs once a week. To do so, I dip a 2-gallon bucket into my trough and make sure it’s half-full of water. Then I carefully tip over the stock tank, allowing water to drain out slowly. When there’s about an inch of water left in the tank, I grab the fish. I use my hands or a small net can work too. I place the fish into the reserved water previously scooped from their trough. Once all fish are deposited I move forward with scrubbing the trough as usual.


Lots of goldfish-rights activists out there believe this is a poor habitat. I firmly believe it’s much healthier than a glass bowl as they have daily water changes, loads of bubbles, no forgotten feedings, and 100 gallons to swim around in.
You can find my full video with everything you want to know from my YouTube channel below:

Time Stamps: Sacrifice Plot 0:13 / Winter Pasture Management 1:44 / Pasture Division and Rotation 2:37 / Winter Seeding 4:21 / Sacrifice Rehabilitation 6:11 / Dry Lot 6:33 / Foggage 7:02

A well managed pasture is an integrated plan—a series of efforts working together to create a grazing space that doesn’t detract from Mother Nature through unnecessary carbon loss, tillage, compaction, and erosion. Rather, several initiatives can be implemented to maintain the integrity of pasture spaces year-round without sacrificing quality of life and forage on the part of the animal.

In this video I’m sharing the several different efforts I make to keep four draft horses, five sheep, and a flock of ducks and geese thriving on my six-acre farm without ruining my land. Through winter pasture management, implementing dry and sacrifice plots, winter seeding, foggage or standing hay growth, and proper pasture division and rotation in the warmer months, we can continue to keep our animals healthy and happy while remaining ecologically sound.

Several relevant content sources to support this video

• My video on On Feeding Cover Crops
• My video Why No-Till
• My video on How to Divide a Pasture
  
• My book, The Sustainable Homestead, which includes detailed information on dividing pastures, cover cropping, animal management

There is something magical about horses in the snow. However beautiful, the cold season increases the risk for colic in horses. The fluctuations in the cold cause horses to “forget” to drink as much water as they should (or not have access to it due to a frozen water trough). The lack or decreased intake of water slows motility in the gut and causes stomach upset—ranging from gas and bloating to serious complications like twisted intestines.

Dozer (my black mare in the front) almost died two years ago from a horrible colic episode... she had had previous episodes before I even brought her home. So now I do everything I can to keep these babes safe and healthy, especially since one horse is recurrent. Here’s my tips:

• Heated water troughs because horses prefer warmer water. Keep troughs out from under roofs to eliminate risk of fire. This also causes the horse to walk to water.
• Ensure movement. Horses aren’t physically meant to be stall bound. They need to walk. Give them opportunity for turnout if 24/7 pasture access isn’t available.
• Our horses are never stalled unless the vet or farrier is here. They can come and go from their shelter as they please.
• Hay or quality forage should be on the ground to mimic natural grazing positions; not up on a wall. We use hay feeder boxes to keep their hay low without risking it mixing with manure.
• Salt blocks are always provided in stalls and out to keep the horses thirsty and drinking.
• I add roughly one cup of warm water to each feed ration. It softens the feed allowing the food to better pass through the horse’s cecum, colon and jinunum—an inconveniently designed intestinal system that makes sharp 90° turns inside the body. Watery food means better flow through these GI pathways.
• Pre- and probiotics help to maintain a healthy microbiome within the horse’s gut. We feed both to our horses via supplements from @strideanimalhealth (side note: use code AXE&ROOT for 5% off).
• We no longer feed grain since we learned Dozer doesn’t digest it well. We now feed @purinafeedgreatness Enrich for vitamins and MannaPro Renew Gold for fats, omegas and acids.

​
I'm happy to say that since implementing these practices we've managed to completely avoid colic cases thus far. I hope this information is helpful!