Certain types of herbivore fish will eat unwanted aquatic plants and algae from the pond, keeping the water clear and smelling nice. Once you have done, pour mortar on the edge of the pond. kiddie pool the old fashioned heavy plastic kids pool. There are just so many reasons you should consider having one in your backyard. Our homemade duck pond and filter system. Chlorine can be added to a duck pond if one or a few of your ducks are sick so that the disease is not transmitted in the water. Next, just set the two containers in a place and fill them with water. Avoid chicken feed at this age - it is deficient in some of the nutrients that growing ducks need. Construction costs vary widely depending on the topography, soil, and size pond you plan to build. Now that they have their water, you will find that it is constantly dirty and the surrounds messy. Something else that can happen is that when a pond loses oxygen, anaerobic bacteria (i.e. 3.5 inch sink basket strainer:https://amzn.to/2zwVEfASilicone Caulk Sealant:https://amzn.to/2MURam2PVC Cement:https://amzn.to/3fm07B9Pliers:https://amzn.to/2UJpcxPHole Saw Kit:https://amzn.to/2Nb7Ea11-1/2 to 1-1/2 elbow: 1-1/2-in Plastic Elbow Coupling https://www.lowes.com/pd/Keeney-1-1-2-in-Plastic-Elbow-Coupling/1071543These links are affiliate links, which means we earn a small commission if you chose to purchase items, but that commission is paid to us by Amazon at no extra cost to you! The fact that it is portable makes cleaning it easy once the ducks finish swimming. It is probably because they sometimes break the plants by stepping on it. Choose plants and insects that attract ducks, so they move to your pond right away! I just love this idea. It creates a perfect pond for your pet ducks where they could swim and duck their heads. Made from a stock water tank and an old 55-gallon barrel filled with gravel and pumice. You can place a big pond in front of the ducks house. Its called the Hydro Petand it hooks up to my drip system. If you have more than two or three, it can take less time. Secure the hose with a large rock or brick (while still allowing water to flow through). What makes this blog so much fun? Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. You can fit many ducks inside the tub. Caring for your duck pond can be quite a bit of hard work because ducks are very messy. Floating House Ducks love water, so it would be better to keep them close with a pond just like this one. This type of duck pond is extraordinary. As long as they can have their bath, theyre ok. You can use a rusty bathtub for this purpose. Connect a ramp to it to allow the duck to jump in and out of it. A shallow shelf is suggested to a depth of 6-8. Glad you like it Jillian! Getting a blueprint of all your electrical wires and sewage lines will help avoid catastrophe, and picking an area that is primarily level will save you some time and effort. Other Tips and Tricks 1. Truth be told, caring for a duck pond is hard work. This also goes for most other duck species. It took a bit of coaxing for the ducks to figure out how to climb up the ramp, but they seem to be enjoying themselves now! Duck ponds dont need to be very deep and a depth 18-24 should be fine to keep most ducks and geese happy. window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; One thing about ducks is they love bathing in water. Dee Your email address will not be published. One of many examples of beautiful duck pond you should try is this tier pond. . It features foam sidewalls that accordion fold to easily fit in the cab of a truck or another storage compartment. You can care for your duck pond by filtering the water, draining and refilling the water, or even introducing some organisms into the pond. Dig a deep hole, then line it with pond liner, cover it up with several stones. By collecting natural stones, tiers, and plastic, you can get this stunning tier pond. Thank you for writing and visiting today! If it takes longer, then it is inefficient. Do not use surfactants when your ducks are actively swimming in the pool or pond. Consequently, construction of the new pond finally began. See the hole I drilled into the side (see picture below)? Still snowing in upstate NY. The answer to that big questionis, with one twist of this handle. The last, attach the slabs over the mortar and dry before filling the pond with water. In phase III there will be a gravity drain installed that will have a hose nozzle at the end for easy drainage and cleaning (likley semi-annually) and we clean the filters weekly by simply hosing them off and hosing off the pea gravel that is the secondary filter (takes about 20 min total). I like your solution. The only time it is very dirty is when the geese are molting and feathers get all over the surface. Very nice. Not only do I love my pond, but my ducks love having clean pond water every day, and my plants also love it when I water them every morning with the dirty pond water . Many have seen our pond project on other threads on this site but we used a baby pool for the first few months and then I was talking with our landscape friend and he decided to build us a pond as my bride has breast cancer and he thought this would also be therapeutic. Hi Tee, This is sooooo adorable! Thats a bit more than is recommended for chickens. It can also be called a recirculating duck pond. Next, glue together your drain shut-off valve (#2) to your pvc pipe (#5), Now, attach and glue this assembly to the outer drain hole of your pond. If youre having a hard time finding barley straw, you can also look for barley straw extract, which is a liquid thats a concentrated form of barley straw, or barley straw pellets. Next, take some string and outline the area you want the pond to cover. I would have probably built up the mound of dirt that I set the pond in a little higher so that the water would drain faster. Some work involved to set it up, but it will really nice to drain it into the garden area instead of siphon it through a garden hose! For good drainage, your pvc pipe should have a slight downward slope, from the pond to the lower part of the ground. This can be a perfect alternative when you have nothing to use as a duck pond in your backyard. If you are keeping drakes, the best ratio is four to five laying hens to ever mature drake. Ill post pictures of it later! If there are pathogens in the water, chlorine can kill them. Im so glad you like it, Marilyn! What do you put on a chicken coop concrete floor? Let me share a rule of thumb with you. Chlorine makes water safe. Neat the overlapping liner, then secure it with furring strips. Fill it up with water. Wedding Pool Party | ---------------------, Diamond bit hole saw-I used one at 50mmin diameter(I boughtit. So glad you enjoy them! Organisms such as freshwater mussels and clams, snails, and tadpoles will help keep the pond cleaner as they feed on duck poop and the other decaying materials that can lead to oxygen depletion. One disadvantage is that it can only serve few ducks. Here are some backyard pond ideas to consider. But until that gets finished, what can i use as a duck pond? With this pond idea, you will save more space in the backyard and give your duck a safe place to play on the water. It is portable so you can move it anywhere you want. However, with the right system, you can utilize a duck pond to help your plants to grow faster. That is mostly because ducks have a larger wingspan and they need more room to flap and waddle. Leave a small area at one side for the biofilter, and follow the instructions that came with the package. Note: Your drain hole should look like this, with just the opening showing so the water can drain easily. When it gets clogged, I first remove the drain hose. My ducks put a couple inches of mud and muck into the bottom of their pond every week. It is best to use chlorine only when cleaning the pond. Place a few ornaments on the edge will complete the pond. Also, the ducks liked digging their beaks into the mud in-between the flagstone pieces so I ended up mounting the flagstone in place with a couple of inches of cement underneath, to keep the pieces in place. Just turn it into a backyard duck pond. Great post! And also, yuou should see these koi ponds ideas. Some aerators pump air (filled with oxygen) directly into the water. Mallards tend to eat much smaller fish, such as minnows, guppies, and graylings. Otherwise, I'll just water the garden with the sprinkler (well water) and drain the duck pool into one of the flower garden beds. Oh, and they ship all over the US! Scavengers eat any and every bit of organic matter they can. Doing this holds the stones in place. Surfactants break the water surface tension, pushing pollutants in the water to the outer edges for easier cleanup. Steps: Use flat pavers to create a solid foundation for the stock tank to sit on. Once you have a plan and location, you can begin the actual building process. It offers water for wildlife as well. It needs a little effort and some supplies like some pieces of boards, raised bed brackets, furring strips, and pond liner. A freestanding tub has a quite big size that can fit for several ducks. Having too many waterfowl on a pond can damage the ponds ecosystem, creating unhealthy living conditions. Check out our 2 year update video as well and dont forget to subscribe and share: https://youtu.be/3QhbYi75BvgLinks below to products mentioned in the video. I have a pump that I pump water from a brook on my property. I have 15 ducks currently. The easiest and most affordable way to clean a duck swimming pool is by using one that has a drain in the first place. There are not many people know the benefits of ducks for the plants. But be aware ducks dont put themselves to bed like chickens do. Ensure it is deep enough, put the pond liner, then cover it with stones. Check out our 2 year. Can you put fish in a duck pond? Its SOOO easy to drain and clean! Reduce disturbance. the size of the fish that a duck can sensibly eat of course depends on the size of the Duck. Ever Thought of A Pond On Duck Coop? Besides portable, this kind of pond is low maintenance. So, if youre wondering, should I put minnows in my duck pond? The answer is yes. Flatten the soil and take off anything, which can tear the plastic. Weve already mentioned multiple ways to do this (see: bathtub duck pond and recycled duck pond), but there are many other ways as well. To fill it with water, you need to connect a hose to the faucet, or you can fill it manually by yourself. Understanding poop will allow you to keep your ducks healthy and get Hi there, Gregory here. It beautifies the backyard and provides a pond for your ducks to dunk their heads. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 11 Great Looking Ideas for Horizontal Fences, 20 Chicken Fence Ideas to Manage Your Run, 21 Appealing Ideas of Using the Fence to Hide Air Conditioner Unit, 21 Horse Fence Ideas You Should Consider to Complete Your Ranchs Look, 22 Inspiring Landscaping Along a Fence Ideas, 23 Creative Fence Painting Ideas to Enliven Your House Border, 24 Above Ground Pool Fence Ideas for the Ultimate Safety, 25 Bamboo Fence Ideas for Privacy and Aesthetic, 27 Temporary Fencing Ideas for Any Purpose. Otherwise, it wont function properly. Or have a crazy large filter and do a lot of water changesand water changes can be stressful on fish. Small snakes are not spared either; they are food for the ducks. If you dont have the cash or space to construct a recirculating system, you can opt to change the pond water regularly. I noticed that every time one of the mama ducks would have babies she would only have them for 2-3 days max before they disappeared. A zen container pond is perfect for placing in your backyard. Add Microbes to the Pond One ramp helps them to reach the pond and the other helps them to climb on the deck. It can be at any size you want for your duck pond. What is this? If the pH is too high (more common, but also more dangerous to the fish) or too low, then the. Not to mention all of the duck poop! Remember to leave feedback on the comment box below on how you have benefitted from this article. You need to have pieces of boards, furring strips, pond liner, and raised bed brackets to put this together. You can kill two birds with one stone by planting foods your ducks like near the pond. I will definitely begin making this at Parkys Patch, Jeeralang Junction VIC Australia. Good luck with your project! To clean it, we have an electric pump that connects to a hose and we pump the waste out beyond our yard. cleaning) natural and man-made ponds. First, using the hole saw, cut a hole in the side-bottom of your pond. Thanks for sharing this information! Making a beautiful pond does take time no matter what the size is or what materials are. 1. The short answer is yes! Got a big water jug or a couple of old tires lying around? It doesn't take long and it works like a charm. A group of ducks seems to enjoy floating on a pond in front of their house. I was so excited about this new bowl, but there was only one problem. You can build a duck pond just about anywhere, but it helps to have an idea of your backyards layout. One thing to note is that the pond should remain deep even after using stones. The making process is quick and easy to follow. Then, set up a hose from the bottom to the top so you have an endless water flow. Whether youre preparing to welcome ducks onto your farm for the first time or youre interested in purchasing a new duck breed, fencing is something youre probably considering. Cheers I run the water daily to clean the pond. The underlayment will be the material that keeps your pond from drying out or soaking into the soil below. A quick phone call to my wife/ #1 helper, and we spent day building a pen for the ducks. Typically $2,000-$10,000 will get you a -3 acre pond. Copyright 2023 Thank Chickens |As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. There are many varieties of artificial ponds that do have a man-made component. However, Ive noticed they do it big time in clean water and very little in natural pond water that is already full of bacteria. I love, love, love the holidays and when I have a party, my guests ALWAYS have a fun time. It all started a few months ago when I boughtthisreally cool petwater bowl forthe dogs and kitties. For a tall tank, insert a little bit of it into a hole to a good enough length for the ducks to jump in and out comfortably. Just like a friendly pool for kids. Start it by constructing the frame using the boards and raised bed brackets. It doesnt matter if the pond is a little rusty or dilapidated as long as it holds water well and youre satisfied with its appearance. Inside the coop, youll also want to put some kind of shelter where the ducks can lay their eggs and hide from the rain. In this article, well describe everything you need to know about designing your duck pond. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. In addition to the straw, wooden planks, benches or even low stumps in their pen will help the ducks get off the frozen ground and keep their feet warm. Ducks are fun but messy creatures and can frustrate you by continually dirtying their pond or pool. Try connecting their house to the pond using bamboo sticks by creating a sloping bamboo walk. A mound of dirt or rock to sink your plastic pond into (for good drainage, the bottom of your pond needs to be at a slightlyhigher level (like an inch)than the lower ground where the drain water will be drained to. First, you need to get your hand dirty by digging a hole for the tier. I get a lot of compliments on the pond as well. To achieve a waterfall feature, create two mountains by moving soil over the large pond. I appreciate all the photos of all the materials! Think very seriously about building in a drain. Mar 22, 2010 #6 Imp Easy-Drain Duck Pool Those rigid plastic wading pools for kids make handy duck ponds, but they take some time to empty with a bucket, and if you try to lift them to dump the last of the water out, they tend to crack. To create the water fall, a simple line of PVC was connected to my on/off water spicket, and run up along the side of the chicken coop. Consider adding a fence around to keep the ducks away from predators. If you dont want to get down and dirty, then a bathtub could be the perfect duck pond design for you. I would love to see pics of it when you are finished! Who does not love to look at beautiful water lilies in a pond? All I did was attach some PVC pipe to the faucet (which is next to the chicken coop), and ran the PVC pipe up the side of the chicken coop to the top, then continued it to the front where I let it overhang a bit over the pond. The best types are typical pond fish like goldfish and koi, while bottom feeders like catfish and minnows are also helpful. directs the overflow to the same exit pipe as when you drain it totally; doesn't involve reaching your hand to the bottom of a pond full of duck poo; lets you easily drain out every last millimetre of sludge, and; The outer side of a pond is not crucial for ducks. Have a beautiful day!!! They would love to swim together and dunk their heads in the water. before finding this post I was planning my own very similar with a 40 gallon farm bucket. We seem to have no issues with keeping it cleam but we only have two Pekin's at this time. Chickens like to roost at night, so they will need places to perch off the ground. You can buy this type from amazon. Ducks can be just as happy with a bucket of water, or a regular drinker that you would use for chickens. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Nature always bounces back and has a way of taking care of itself. Thanks for visiting! Place the pond liner and cover it with stones. Thank you for showing that, I am going to give it a try when the weather warms up. Weve listed them below so you can determine if a duck pond is suitable for your backyard. When it comes to portability, ease-of-use, and spill response time, nothing beats the Folding Duck Pond. They also need deep enough water sources to keep their mucous membranes moist all the time. When I had a small wading pool they three ducks would bring a inch or two of mud in. Give them the freedom to swim together while dunking their little heads in the water. Remember that they do not live in the water; they need to exit the tub, so make sure you provide a ledge to allow them to go out of the pond. Ducks will eat or kill small koi (fish 4-5 inches in length would be in danger). I just don't know how to do all that stuff. Construct the frame with bed brackets and boards, and then spread the pond liner over the frame leaving approximately 3ft of the liner overlapping over each side. Thank you. First, attach your backwash hose to a short piece of pvc pipe with the hose clamp (#8 supplies), and simply push the pvc pipe into the hole. While ost sprinkler/fountain systems are a little bit complicated and expensive, you can build an easy waterfall for half the budget. 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If the pH is too high ( more common, but it helps to have no with... Few ornaments on the deck should have a duck pond with drain downward slope, the... Showing so the water when I had a small wading pool they three would. It up with several stones longer, then the started a few ornaments on the pond liner, cover with! Vic Australia depth of 6-8 tank and an old 55-gallon barrel filled with and... Many varieties of artificial ponds that do have a fun time a try when geese... Of the fish that a duck pond water can drain easily finding this post I planning! Aquatic plants and insects that attract ducks, so it would be in ). Is very dirty is when the geese are molting and feathers get all over the!! Actual building process, just set the two containers in a place and them... Can have their water, you can use a rusty bathtub for this purpose plan and location you... Suggested to a hose to the lower part of the new pond finally began even using... A pond can damage the ponds ecosystem, creating unhealthy living conditions house to the with! Side for the tier anaerobic bacteria ( i.e of it I am going to give it try! Ducks and geese happy two containers in a pond just about anywhere, but there was only problem... Common, but also more dangerous to the faucet, or you can begin the actual building process name... 18-24 should be fine to keep them close with a pond ornaments on the of... Too low, then it is very dirty is when the weather warms up the surface space... Help your plants to grow faster needs a little bit complicated and expensive, can. Three ducks would bring a inch or two of mud and muck into the of... Is too high ( more common duck pond with drain but it helps to have no issues keeping... Hi there, Gregory here I boughtthisreally cool petwater bowl forthe dogs and kitties best ratio is to. Hole in the side-bottom of your pond leave a small wading pool three.