I agree, sounds like algae. And yes, keeping it out of the sun is huge for minimizing such issues as algae are a plant that uses photosynthesis to help make their food.
Vinegar in their water should help to suppress the algae growth if you find it still is a problem after cleaning the waterers and moving them to shade. Lots of people on permies swear by raw/unfiltered
apple cider vinegar in their animal's water, so I'd go with that, rather than something like distilled vinegar. I've not used vinegar in my animals water, so I'm not sure on the appropriate dosage, but I'm sure someone will be along to explain that shortly. If not, the search function is bound to turn up a ton if information.