As long as they can have their bath, theyre ok. You can use a rusty bathtub for this purpose. Use a filter. By the way, I start the siphon by placing one end of a hose (usually a reclaimed hose from someone's . You will have to come back and post a picture of your duck pond when you are finished with it! Thanks so much for helping to heal my back which no longer can empty little blue swimming pools! This duck pond looks so pretty among the green grass. To drain, simply twist thedrain shut-off valve. ), 1 Hard plastic pond liner (I used a 30 gallon one, which worked just fine for 3 ducks, but you can go as big as you want) I bought mine at Lowes, 1 Plastic 1-1/2 inch diameter shut-off valve (this will be your drain valve), 1 Coupling (1-1/2 inch diameter) with threaded male end (drain), 1 Coupling ( 1-1/2 inch diameter) with threaded female end (drain), 1 PVC pipe (1-1/2 inch diameter) the length depends on how far away you want your dirty drain water to be carried away from the pond (I used a 4 foot piece). Bi-Annually. The pond size is big enough for several ducks and ducklings. Take a couple of large plastic containers (at least 50 gallons) and place them above your pond in a tiered system. They eat frogs eggs too; this minimizes the number of frogs in the pond. It can also be called a recirculating duck pond. Ducks Must Be Trained to Come Home at Night. It can be a key component in maintaining fertile and productive wetlands. NOTE: If you're using your garden pond to keep koi fish, grow lotus flowers, or garden watercress, you may want to use a clean water filtration system to make sure the water you are using is safe and balanced for success. There's no way to help keep it clean without one, but do drain off at least 50 gallons of that water each week to use in the garden, more in the summer. For large backyards, you have the opportunity for more complex duck pond designs. Some bacteria in the genus Nitrobacter and the genus Nitrosomonas can convert ammonia (which is highly present in duck poop, you can read more about it here) to nitrate, which is beneficial for the growth of aquatic plants. They will still splash and play with a bucket as much as they can. The internal island might also become a popular place for the ducks to lay their eggs. Total cost, under $50. There are many ways to clean a duck pond and this article has highlighted some of the best, easiest, and most practical ways to clean and maintain a duck 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 dirty water rinse from the duck pool is great for watered orchard. Weve listed them below so you can determine if a duck pond is suitable for your backyard. Fill it up with water. Because of their pond, our ducks are much cleaner, healthier, and happier than they'd otherwise be. If you dont have the cash or space to construct a recirculating system, you can opt to change the pond water regularly. Decomposition is the process of biologically breaking down organic materials into nutrients. The pond is right under their home, but they will not fall into it as they are walking out. You have entered an incorrect email address! To fill it with water, you need to connect a hose to the faucet, or you can fill it manually by yourself. Make sure you use surfactants only when cleaning the pond prior to draining so that your ducks do not drink the treated water. Comes with drain for easy cleaning While this is marketed as a. Youll definitely have to give it a try! Start it by constructing the frame using the boards and raised bed brackets. Floating House Ducks love water, so it would be better to keep them close with a pond just like this one. To be secure, housing needs to have solid sheeting or welded mesh (with wire at least 1.2mm thick) on the roof, floor and walls. It may not display this or other websites correctly. I thought about one of those large step 2 pools with the drain, then i would just bury that in the ground. Other Tips and Tricks 1. Without oxygen, the pond will become dystrophic. A project like this requires you to have a specific objective and set aside time and money to get it done correctly. I really like the information you have provided. The best way is to build a wooden ramp next to the pond for entry and exit. Duck ponds dont need to be very deep and a depth 18-24 should be fine to keep most ducks and geese happy. 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. Hi Rich, What temperature should I winterize my chicken coop? Consider implementing barley straw when you first set your pond up. It requires very little maintenance and only takes a couple of hours to set up. 25+ Awesome Backyard Duck Pond Ideas and Designs, 90+ Small Patio Decorating Ideas on a Budget, 31+ Repurposed Old Door Ideas For Your Backyard, 10. This also goes for most other duck species. But until that gets finished, what can i use as a duck pond? Im sure 1 day they will leave but I enjoy watching them. Remember to add a ramp to make it easy for them to climb in and out of the pond. The cost for individual ducklings ranges from about $5-$10 each, depending on the breed. Try to get the critical dimensions and features so they can help guide you while building. How do you make a chicken wire chicken pen? Keep on reading these 21 clever backyard duck-pond ideas you can build yourself to find what design of backyard duck pond suits your ducks and your yard. The size does not have to be large, like this one. Would you like a white male duck? Most aerators act as water fountains, pumping water out into the air under pressure so that the droplets fall back down with more oxygen. They seem to love it here, Im sure it doesnt hurt that I feed them peas, green beans, corn, & unmedicated chicken feed every morning. If you want to recycle, then try using a large truck tire. It features foam sidewalls that accordion fold to easily fit in the cab of a truck or another storage compartment. Do you love keeping ducks, but you lack space in your backyard? Construction costs vary widely depending on the topography, soil, and size pond you plan to build. Copyright 2023 Thank Chickens |As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Ducks can be just as happy with a bucket of water, or a regular drinker that you would use for chickens. Very nice. The pond only cost $25 to make, and it looks terrific. gtag('config', 'UA-42359827-2'); Make sure to watch my little Duck Tale about Momma Duck and her new DIY easy drain duck pond! You dont want to track them inside. 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. You can start by choosing the place for this pond. Good luck building! Added to my list of useful BYC and Duck links. You can float some bundles of barley straw in the pond or buy the extracted liquid and use it as a water additive. You are right about the ducks quickly making the water a mess. For the best pond, youll also need about $1,000 and some brute strength coupled with amateur building know-how. If, however, you have a lot of ducks and are noticing problems with the pond, follow the suggestions below: Aerators help to increase the oxygen level of any water body. Next, just set the two containers in a place and fill them with water. Many pebbles surround this pond dividing the water from the ground. I just love hearing from my readers and Ill be seeing you soon in my next post A planted zen container duck pond is typically used for small backyards. Videos. The owner built a coop-like pond with some pots of plants above it. Your email address will not be published. You can add bacterial pond cleaner to your duck pond, and it will get to work digesting decomposing organic material such as algae, waste and weeds. Your pond will be free of nutrient buildup and stagnation, and the water quality wont be compromised. You can get those friendly microbes from any pond accessory store or even a gardening store. Ensure there is no dirt or lump underneath when laying it down. Time to fill everything in with dirt to cover up the plumbing and the sides of the pool. What types of ponds are there? A perfect location for a twins waterfall pond is under trees. If the tank is quite tall, you need to dig a hole to drown a little of it so the ducks can enter and exit easily as they please. window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; I breed chickens, rabbits and ducks for meat. Marine-grade silicone (for sealing off drain), Flagstone or decorative rock (to make it nice for the finishing touch! Once you have a plan and location, you can begin the actual building process. We have very sandy soil here so there is no problem with water standing. Choose plants and insects that attract ducks, so they move to your pond right away! This way will create a natural look as well. Thats a bit more than is recommended for chickens. A Kano duck pond can work quite well. Fowl Guide is a place where I share my knowledge about caring for ducks and other fowl. Just ask Tony Soprano, the famous fictional mafia boss emotionally moved by the ducks in his backyard. Yes. Think of it as the ducks making an excellent, organic fertilizer for you. Remember to leave feedback on the comment box below on how you have benefitted from this article. Over the course of my life I've owned ducks, chickens, guinea pigs, cats, dogs, reptiles, amphibians, and more. Improvements? If it freezes, you cant drain. They need a lot of water and they quickly get dirty. We built a pond for our 4 geese. The making process is quick and easy to follow. Why would ponds need aerators? Feel free to comment! 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; Chickens and ducks can be housed together in the same coop or you can try to keep them separate. The short answer is yes! All ducks mentioned in this article fall within that range. I would love to see it when you are finished! You can also try lovely swamp milkweed to match the aquatic setting. If you have limited space and want some small duck pond ideas, then try placing plants on the top of your duck coop. Alas, this only worked for about a week as the groundstopped taking inthe water, and mypond stopped drainingUGH! Material 1 1/4 to 1 1/2-inch PVC pipe with threaded end and threaded cap 4-inch perforated pipe for the French drain, how long is based on where the drain field will be filter fabric to wrap perforated pipe pea gravel drain rock - enough to cover the pipe and to use as a drain field Besides portable, this kind of pond is low maintenance.