| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| percypony |
Duck PondsDo all you duck keepers have ponds for your ducks?We use a large container filled with water at the moment and they just float about a bit but I would love for them to have more space for a good swim. Plus it is a nightmare having to keep emptying the stinky water out and replace it with fresh! If we were to dig a pond does anyone have any tips? What to do / not to do? It would only be able to be small so woudl we still have the same problem regarding replacing the water? Any thoughts appreciated. Sarah |
||
| beth |
We just have a baby bath. They seem happy enough with it. I'm sure they would be Over the moon with a proper pond, but in our garden it just aint going to happen.
Any pond will have to be big enough that whatever mess they make will be insignificant and easily handled by the vegetation and oxygenating plants also in it. Katie Thear's book has some guidelines. Beth |
||
| Treacodactyl |
When my parents had about 6 ducks they made a mess of quite a large area around the pond. I'm not sure how much room you need or if some breeds are worse than others.
Ducks loved the pond though. 
|
||
| Bugs |
We have ponds, Treacodactyl 
|
||
| Treacodactyl |
They would have no frogs, toads, newts, fish or any other wildlife if we had ducks. 
|
||
| Bugs |
I know, I know...one day though. I love ducks. | ||
| percypony |
So, do you generally think it would be a good idea or a waste.
I have the room for a small one and a husband willing to help with the digging but I don't want to build something that is going to be vile after a couple of weeks? I can pave around it so it doesn't get too muddy and plant some nice plants around it (duck safe ones of course!) Are they any good books I could refer to maybe? |
||
| sugarplumhalle |
yup, understand completely. Would love to have a duck pond but dont think its necessarily a good idea in my inner city hell of a yard.. 
|
||
| Marigold123 |
I read somwhere that if you are going to keep ducks for eating, not just eggs, you should not allow them access to a pond.
Is this because they may get parasites, or swim in other ducks' poop, or what? It seems a bit rough on the ducks. |
||
| Smallholder |
I have about 20 ducks and I sunk an second hand bath into the ground and cemented a small area around it to contain the water which they splash out.
Dig a sump at the plughole end and fill with rubble as a soakaway..Don't skimp on this, as the bigger the soakaway the faster the water drains out. Where the overflow is, plug by removing the grill and bolt in a bit of rubber to stop it leaking. I hung abit of old carpet at the one end so they could get a grip coming out. It works well and it's easy to keep clean. Forget plants..they will rip them to bits. All ducks need water.You can get away with a washing up bowl..but would you like it? |
||
| percypony |
Smallholder, that sounds like a good idea as I could then drain the water. Does the plug hole not get all bunged up though!? LOL!
How often do you find you have to empty it? Thanks! Sarah |
||
| DarrenG |
if you only have space for a small pond dont bother, it will foul in a few hours, ducks dont need water but its nice if they can have it | ||
| Treacodactyl |
Whatever you do they should be given fresh drinking water and keep an eye on it, especially in the summer, as they tend to know it over unless it's one of the suspended drinkers. | ||
| percypony |
Maybe it's not such a good idea then. 
I was so looking foward to seeing them both having a paddle about and not having to fill their 'box' with water every few days. They always have a filled drinker so do nothave to rely on the 'pond water' to drink. |
||
| Gertie |
I thought ducks were happier if they had water to have a bit of a plodge around in?
I have seen articles from animal welfare organisations who say that farmed ducks are miserable - because as well as their cramped conditions they are deprived of water to splash around in. |
||
| sofaloaf |
Smallholder, does this mean that the pond is continually emptying itself, or do you leave the plug in apart from when you want to empty it? Thing is, a bath wouldn't be big enough for my geese to swim in, especially not the fat one! 
Aha! I could use on of those corner baths- yeah!!
|
||
| Marigold123 |
I read that ducks should have water deep enough to immerse their heads because they need to bathe their eyes. Don't know if that's true, or whether it's just an instinctive behaviour that they need to perform to be happy, like chickens being able to scratch for food. | ||
| JonO |
We have 4 Indian Runners and I was considering building them a pond in the next few weeks. I notice someone mentioned that it's not worth building a small pond. What is a small pond ? I was going to build one which would cover an area of about 3.5m (Squared, though not a square pond !) is this classed as small ?
Also I was trying to figure out a way of draining/cleaning etc and notice the soak away idea, I had considered putting in some kind of filter but hadn't gotten much further into investigating this idea has anyone else got any ideas abour trying to keep the water clean ? I haven't really got a clue about filters (Or ponds in general) so any help is appreciated ! Jon.
|
||
| mrsnesbitt |
Welcome JonO..hope you enjoy it here.
We have a pond for our geese and when we had ducks they used it too. At it's deepest it's about .5metre I would say. We use a filter pump and long wide bore pipe thing to empty/clean at regular intervals. Hope this helps. D |
||
| Treacodactyl |
And there is a picture here: http://www.downsizer.net/Projects/Poultry_and_Livestock/Keeping_Geese%85..easy_as_pie!/ |
||
| mrsnesbitt |
|
||
| JonO |
Is the filter able to handle all the waste OK then ? I was unsure if it would block up or fill up too fast ?
Does the water look in anyway clean or is that asking too much ? And thankyou Mrs Nesbitt I'd love to take you up on the offer of doing your garden as well, but my chickens/ducks would know I've cheated on them if they could sense I was digging worms for other poultry ! |
||
| mrsnesbitt |
The filter manages will check the specification etc and get back to you JohnO...I am a blonde you know and will speak to hubs about the technical side of things ...you know which end goes in the pond type of thing and get back to you!
|