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Do pennies in a birdbath harm birds?

Updated: 8/10/2023
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14y ago

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Copper sulphate is used in the control of algae. Whether dacaying pennies is enough to control the growth on an unknown volume of pond or birdbath is uncertain. Why don't you get two birdbaths, put pennies in one and nothing in the other and see if it works? But, be careful with your results. The birds may like the one with the shiny coins better and poop in it more, because it is more popular and cause it to grow more phytoplankton. note: Only pennies made before 1982 are 95% copper. Newer ones are 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper. Use a piece of copper pipe instead. Copper works as a preventative algecide mostly when the copper is in a dissolved state and floating freely in the water. This is why copper sulfate works well because it dissolves whereas pennies will not (unless the water is acidic). I would expect the pennies would leave a relatively cleaner spot where they lie. I would just buy a small bucket of 3" chlorine tablets and let one slowly dissolve at a time, won't kill wildlife because of the relatively small concentration of chlorine released over time, unless you place them in a spot where water RUSHES by the tablet.

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Q: Do pennies in a birdbath harm birds?
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