Animal Trough as a Water Feature

andrewnewton

I've been asked by a friend if an animal drinking trough would make a good water feature in the wildife area of their garden. I have no knowledge on the subject so looking to tap into the collective experience here please with your thoughts.

Fire

Yes.

Dovefromabove

How much it could contribute to the wildlife in a garden depends a lot on the type of trough … and to a certain extent on the type of garden and wildlife in the area. 

bcpathome

I would think anything that holds water and helps to hydrate birds ,animals etc is a good idea personally speaking .

JennyJ

If it's steep-sided they could put in a plank or some stones so that any creature that gets into it can climb out again.

Dovefromabove

It would need to be sunk into the ground for small crawling creatures to access the water … that was my point … some animal troughs stand two+ feet tall with vertical sides … if it’s not being sunk into the ground it could look very attractive but only be of use to the airborne 😊 

Fire

My pond is not sunk. I have logs and stones stacked around it and stones inside for access.

Dovefromabove

How high above ground level is it? 😊
 I suppose it depends on a persons experience of drinking troughs … this is the sort of thing I was thinking of. 

Allotment Boy

Adam Frost did just such a thing on last week's  Gardeners World.  Worth a look . 

andrewnewton

Thanks everyone for their input. I've viewed last week's GW and also found Adam did something similar from 2020 so definitely feasible