Water Trough for 2 Swan

bdfive

Crowing
13 Years
Jul 11, 2010
852
113
271
South of Blanco, TX
Gunther, 4 months and Gracie, 2 months old are outgrowing their kiddy pool. I'm thinking for now to get a large water trough 8 or 10 feet across. One would hold about 550 gallons, other 1,100 gallons. Wish I could find one only a foot deep but the large ones are 2 feet deep. Please tell me if I'm thinking correctly. The more water the less I'd have to empty and refill to keep clean. Is that right?....but how long would it take botulism or something else harmful to grow in the water? Maybe having a smaller trough and changing it more often would be better. Have you had experience with swans in troughs? How much water and how often did you empty and refill? I need to do a lot of research before considering having a pond built. I've read kiddy pools are ok for the Black Australian swans but I know they need more water by their actions. There is also a 6 foot across that holds about 330 gallons. Any suggestions or input................Please!!!!!
Thanks Much.
 
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Kiddy pools...we do have 450 gallon stock tanks but those we use as fish pond for the waterfall ...


Stock tank (blue) as pond, nestled inside a metal culvert ring...we have frost that heaves the pond outta the ground, so culvert ensures it stays put

And one stock tank (green one) will be a water plant grower in our orchard when we get around to hiring an excavator to do a few diggy dig projects (this being one of the more fun frivolous type ones).
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See the metal culvert arcing over the tank

We put a kiddy pool inside a kiddy pool to get them to stand up better. Keep in mind, a ridge tub also is something them swans can bag limbs on...there is a certain amount of give and forgiveness in the kiddy pool's construction.



Plus under some pools, put a rubber horse stall mat (or pickup truck liners) under it too and that works well...keeps the swans from dabbling in the sand we put under the ponds and messing the water quality up.
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Pearla Girlat thinks the hose is some snaky thing...gonna leap out and GET her! Even Piper is looking at her like "Really, you seen this done a millions times before and today you decided to have an issue with it?"
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Ah summer, time to be pool side...
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Black Pearl & Stove Pipe in foreground, Fire Ember and Smoke Stack in background - the pond players.


Not sinking no big deep tanks in the ground here for the bird birds and quite thankful we never thought we required some "natural waterbody" like a pond or lake for the waterfowl...love we can change water without the hassle of pumps and issues on draining the water out. Believe we have way healthier birds because we can so simply control the water quality--better water = healthier conditions for waterfowl. Our opinions of course!
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Yeh, we won't do a bigger pond because by the time the waterfowl FOUL a kiddy pool on up in the summer time (crapola birds!), the area around the pond needs a drink anyhoo. Caring for the land so the critters benefit by it...oh watch the grasses/clovers GROW! What's a little moisture and fertilizer gonna do...help the lawns grow GREENER, eh.

You get into a boring old routine about pond fills...any daily or weekly chores have you regimented into slavery repetitive tasks that need constant doing. Suck her up Buttercup...like housework, begin and by the time you think you reached the end, needs beginning all over again...lovely being needed, eh?
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Takes a bit to fill each pool and kinda boring but heck, C E L E B R A T I O N time when she's full again...
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Usually the wannies are less than patient and even at a distance, I can judge from when they go IN that the pool may be reaching capacity...my reliable regulators!


Bottoms UP, they're IN

Time to move that hose.
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So obviously, day one on water quality...hose is filling it up as pic is clicked.

Botulism, rotting plants would be my thoughts in causing that, so dumping a kiddy pool would get rid of that nasty crappy poop too along with any food scraps that could go bad.

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So there is Romaine lettuce torn in chunks floating on the waters...


See the paddy feets? There may be a green tinge beginning but still not opague

Ever keep fish? You are instructed to feed enough food they clean it ALL up in minutes...kinda like that with the Wannies too. Rotting uneaten food = nasty possibilities.


This is the kiddy pool with fourth day water quality...yeh, I am feeding them more Romaine (tie a pork chop to moi, eh) but you can already see the water quality is rapidly declining.

Can't see the webber foots paddling about, probably good time to dump and refill with water.
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Hmm, one last thought...how big a kiddy pool did you get? We have two sizes and the swans would indeed have outgrown and not be good in these widdler ones (was for the Ruddy pair but we switched theirs out to the bigger size too--all uniform one size keeps it simpler).


I just took the two littler pools we had and used them as covers on my puppy playground equipment to keep the rains outta the sand diggy dig pit and keep the pups' splash tub UN-fulla things like creepy bugs that would muck up the waters.

Doggone & Chicken UP!

Tara Lee Higgins
Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm, Alberta, Canada
 
CanuckBock, you have no idea how happy I am to get all this information from you and the pictures are wonderful and so helpful. You are in Canada so assume you get some really cold weather.

HOW COLD DOES IT GET?

WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THE BLACK SWANS IN THE WINTER? Do they get to roam around on the property or are they kept inside a building where it's warmer? (I was told by a swan rescue person that Black swans should be kept in a garage or closed in building with ventilation if colder then 40 degrees).

DO THEY GET TO USE THE KIDDIE POOLS IN THE WINTER?

Have so much more to comment on regarding your pictures and information and I'm sure more questions but need to get busy on my chores. Been gone all day and didn't finish morning chores. Will be dark soon. PLEASE, PLEASE, can you answer the questions above. I so want to know how to take care of Gracie and Gunther properly and need to plan for it. The habitat is going together slow. Person working with us has other jobs he has to attend to. I'm not crazy happy about how small the swan house is, only 7 1/2 feet by about 11 feet. My husband gave me such a hard time about making it any larger I finally gave in. There will be a good size area adjoining it that will be roofed and wired in so predators can't get to them. During the day they can come out into a large yard where their trough and/or kiddie pool will be. They will be put into the safe house with adjoining wire encased area nights. We're doing all this so it enhances our home and property. Costing more then we'd like to be spending but it looks really nice. Same with peafowl aviary and peachick house. I love spending time back there enjoying the birds and how it's all gone together. I'm slowly introducing plants and flowers. Your grounds are beautiful and the swans look so happy. What is the nice building used for? Swans in winter maybe???

Thanks again......sooooo much!!
 
CanuckBock, another question. Do I need any kind of ramping for the swans to get in and out of the kiddy pool? I'm assuming no with what I see in your pictures. Tractor Supply had a 10% off whole purchase a week ago and I bought 2 of the large rubber horse stall ramps thinking I would try one under the pool so they can't pick up sand, dirt, etc; mouthing it into the water. When I pump out the pool every other day I also remove sand by the hand full.

Do your swans have access to the stock tank (picture #1)? I had plans to get one soon but from what I've learned here I'm sticking with the kiddy pools. Will pick up a couple while still available and have thought about leaving one inside another and trying to install a drain. It's a lot of work to use that pump to empty it. How do you empty yours?

Thanks, thanks, thanks again!!!
 
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Glad to be of some help a fellow wanny owner...
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I have lots of answers for you in my Oz Black BYC post...here is the link thar.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...rat-ranch-conservation-farm-in-alberta-canada

Post number three shows winter accommodations for our Oz Black pairs. NO, the swans do not wander around our property at any time. The birds and animals all have designated areas, this is a Conservation Farm, not a park where creatures wander about at will on their own terms. We have had no predation losses since 2007 and attribute that to having safe containment areas for all the species we choose to keep. There is an excessively large predator population in this area of the world.


Temperatures here in Central Alberta run -53C to +45C...and nope, we don't have kiddy pools on offer in winter for swans since the water freezes solid right to the very bottom easily. The only waterfowl that gets fluid swimming water in winter every day is the Mandarin Ducks because their preen glands can seal shut and then they cannot apply oil to their plumage to insulate themselves. I bring water out at noon and the water begins to freeze over within minutes, but them duckers learn real quick to get in and get her done in time to dry out for nightfall.

You may see our Mandarin setup at this link.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...r-aix-galericulata-mandarin-ducks-mega-photos


The building in question is our greenhouse.


Greenhouse on right side in New Orchard


We do not use the greenhouse to house birds, we use the Waterfowl Barn (30' by 16') to winter oneof the pairs of Black Swans.


And use half the Taj Mahal (Mandarin Duck building below) to accommodate the other swan pair in one half in winter. We provide heat lamps for the Mandarins and the one pair of swans in the Taj when the temps are around about -15C or so. We were told the Black Swans would thrive in -25C and that was a lie...I caught them shivering at just -20C and immediately rectified that by moving them and installing a very safely hung heat lamp so they could choose to use it at will.


Taj Mahal - Mandarin Duck building


My spouse has constructed over thirty buildings for us here in Pear-A-Dice. We do not lack building space in any shape or form. In fact, I have empty ones that might require filling should I dwell on that for long...one of the reasons I fire up Buster the 'Bator and get cracking on making more...
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Eden - Summer Swan home

The swans live here in their Eden building in the summer time where they all have their own private lawns to forage about on, kiddy pools and just all round fun summery quarters to enjoy...summer vacation land for the wannies.
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You are quite correct, the swans require no ramps to access and leave their kiddy pools. They have non-slippery footing for their webbers and POP, in they go.


I do not find it any bother to five gallon pail out their kiddy pools. My spouse bothers with pumps and pipes, I do the (womanly) manual labour because I don't mind. Waters the grass around the ponds and encourages the clover to get growing.


The Swans (in fact any and all waterfowl) do not have access to our fish pond and waterfall.



You will note that swans (waterfowl in general) will use oil to coat their feathers to make their feathers waterproof and for better insulative purposes. That same oil fouls up the water something fierce. You can see this oil residue almost immediately when your waterfowl gets into a newly filled pool. Kinda a grey cast I suppose.


Pearl and Piper are barely in the pool for a few minutes and the crystal clear water is already tinged with waterfowl preening oil!
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Gummy gooky...hee hee...oh them wannies!



We are running a rather pricey UV filter in the fish pond so you may see the fish better which is part of enjoying the hobby of having the fish, being able to SEE them. This special filter system helps tone down the healthy pond environment of algae which makes the water pretty solid green...I doubt the filter could handle waterfowls' gooey oils too...blick!

Another aspect you must consider is that swans EAT aquatic plants...we have two water lilies, cattails, arrow grass, forget-me-nots, and an iris in the fish pond around the perimeter of the fish pond...these would be considered FOOD to the swans and who could blame them! I have much nicer things to feed the swans with like romaine and spinach...not our fish pond plantings thanks. Be like letting my Jacob Sheep dine on my flower beds. Sure they could do that and portably enjoy how exotic it is, but the point would be??
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I kinda like that when the water lilies begin to bloom which they are right now...


We get to enjoy the blossoms for three to six days...watch the shut up for the evening and reopen each day.


Not see the lily blossoms nipped off and consumed as some Swanny delicacy...no discredit to the swans, all the waterfowl we have here would snack on water plants in the fish pond should they be given unlimited access...it is what they would do if not contained (besides I don't relish slip sliding in bird poo in my human yard!!). They don't call some plants DUCK weed because ducks don't like eating it.
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I don't see any "room" here for the addition of swan bodies, do you?

Would sorta be like letting the chicken flocks loose in our Veg Garden, thinking the chooks would leave the young lettuce seedlings alone and only snack on weeds...HA!


Like that's never gonna happen now is it!!
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There are no economics to consider when you measure how much pleasure and entertainment the critters we choose to acquire bring us. Be like saying our own kids cost us money...how much do you value love and appreciation of keeping your beings well? The rewards have long ago dashed any sensible bottom line figures in my world. I just suck it up, breath it all in and know the pursuit of happiness is right behind my eyes...or in front of me when I view some of this first hand.

Doggone & Chicken UP!

Tara Lee Higgins
Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm, Alberta, Canada
 
WOW, I am so enjoying your pictures and valuable information. I know my peafowl but have been searching practically daily seeking knowledge to care for my 2 Black Swans properly. I know what you mean about the cost. We've spent a fortune on our aviaries. I'd post pictures but I don't have the BYC tool bar showing to do so. This old computer is so outdated and now lacks memory. We have a new one we can't figure out. The swan habitat is going to cost quite a bit. Already a few thousand and it's not finished. We have a wonderful carpenter we hire to help.....being seniors curtails what we can do. It's turning out really nice with a house and attached carport that will be wired keeping Gracie and Gunther safe from predators. That's where they will be nights. They will have a large yard to frolic in during the day with kiddy pools, grass and other healthy growing greens.

Question:
How do your Black Swans bathe in the winter? Mine love love love the water and I can't imagine them not being able to access it during really cold days. Our winters are nothing like yours but it can get down to 20 degrees. In your opinion at what temperature should they not be allowed to get in the water?

Question:
Can you please give me directions and what product to use to worm them. I worm my peafowl every 6 months with Ivermectin or Safeguard.

Question:
Do you give them any vaccinations? If so, what?

I'm researching for a certified Avian Veterinarian but am hoping I won't need one other then an emergency. Had my dog vet treat a peahen about 4 years ago. She broke her wing at the body getting caught up in cedar tree branches on the neighbors 5 acres next door.

I've glanced through your pictures and information way to fast due to being so busy. I'm sure I'll have more to say when I get the time to study it well. Thanks for all your help. It's very much appreciated.

Darlene in Texas Hill Country
 
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I retired when I turned forty and that was quite some time ago; my Hero is even older than I (older than dirt--Terra Firma) but he still keeps himself employed...someone has to pay past what my part time job brings in. Our blessings here are that one of the hats my husband wears when not employed under his other many employable caps...he is a cabinet maker, so he does all the construction here so we do not have to hire someone to build the facilities. As far as counting beans, my past profession as accountant makes it so I choose not to tally up the costs of having my hobby farm. Have a rough idea but if money meant that much to me, I'd never have done any of this financial foolishness, period. I will not put a price on living happily ever after. They call it "hobby" in farming because it is a black hole you pour resources into, so "we suck it up, Buttercup." Revenue Canada sums it up quite well..."no expectation of profit" seals the deal, eh.
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Let's jest say if you acquire any birds like swans...kiss your $ in a bank account away...the easiest and cheapest part to swan acquisition is the cost of the actual birds...by FAR! It brings a sadistic grin to my face when people start whining about the "purchase" price of one swan since they have no clue whatsoever about where this all goes. Downhill quickly indeed--the initial cost of just the bird is meant to sift out those who can from those that should not. It is simple, don't get swans if you balk at just the cost to buy them...that in itself should clue one in that she's going to be expensive. Not everyone that breathes & walks the Earth should be able to afford owning swans. It is a bona fide luxury likened to being given a white elephant (historically done to a competitor to financially ruin them)...these Black Swans just happen to be more black than white.
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I never had to worm my swans, our climate has winter kill that takes care of many noxious things but in Texas, I suspect your wormload is never checked too much by freezing weather. You may take a fresh sample to your vet (when I had five dogs, I would take a stool sample on one dog, seeing as what one had, likely all five had...think it ran about fifteen bucks, could be way more now) or do them yourself.

On my swan page, I say:


I did my fecal floats on our two pairs and found nothing in their crap...nada but GREEN residues left on my slides...good show!
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Pearl, just greens...otherwise CLEAN--NO eggs, no worm load! Yee haw and slop the Chookers!!


If you wanna do your own fecals...go to this link...this is a goat site but she tells you exactly the process to go thru. Your issue will be to acquire a reasonably priced microscope. I have two, three of them, so was not the bottle neck to me doing my own fecals.

http://www.fiascofarm.com/goats/fecals.htm


I am not a vet and do not even profess to be even a vet tech. For deworming advice, you go to your vet and pay them to tell you what is safe or not safe because they sell the products and should be advising you on this topic. I will not be giving any medical advice over the Internet...it is not my place to do that or my responsibility. Each geographical location will host its own kind of parasites, even from setup to setup (I don't have liver flukes, but a place on a swamp, may)...it is up to you to figure that out for yourself with the experienced advise of a professional vet you have hired to guide you. Keep in mind, whatever you do use, you run the risk of killing your birds thru stress of some sorta of physical reaction to the addition of chemicals into their systems, making the parasite population resistant to a product, etc...so not to be taken lightly and certainly not to be done off hearsay...no writing down a suggestion found scribbled on some gas station's bathroom walls. First step in any worming regiment is to know thine enemy...if you have no worms, great, if you have worms, you need to identify them first and use the prescribed chemicals to target those parasites to keep them in check and then go by a systematic regiment of repeat dewormings followed with fecal floats to see if you are knocking the worm load down any. There is no reason to deworm if there are no parasites...right?


Vaccinations for what? Black Swans are a wild waterfowl species and as far as I know, the wild populations are not inoculated for anything. They live or they die sooner than later and only the fittest survive; these are the savage rules of Nature. I do vaccinate my canines, ovines, camelids...we have proven noxious diseases to prevent for those species. I use medicated starter on chickens and turkeys but none EVER for waterfowl (NO ampro). I have never EVER used antibiotics on any poultry here EVER. Anything antibiotics would keep in check (besides potential injury infections), is something I feel the bird should be culled as in humanely killed for; that tough love syndrome of responsibility for the good of the masses. No weaklings of that sort here and it keeps my operation healthy and vigorous. If a bird turns up sick, it gets quaratined...I contact my vet who has a hands on approach to what we do here and yes, I have antibiotics that expire from not being used--fer decades now I probably have a cabinet that is more full than the local vet clinic has on hand...jest in case one day, my vet nods and tells me, "TREAT it." So far, not done that and happy for it.
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Do watch out for botulism. NO rotting food stuffs left around for them to bill. What they don't clean up (green treats) in a few minutes, you remove and toss as soiled and ready to be rotted.

I read that botulism is a real concern but moreso I figure for those keeping waterfowl on lakes and ponds--big bodies of water with areas you cannot clean and maintain by having control over what kind of vegetation and the quality of the "greens" your birds have access to. Kiddy pools are AWESOME as a solution to keeping water quality high without the unnecessary exposure to rotting greens. You can even keep a fish net to filter out uneaten greens and keep the pool meticulously clear of debris if you wanna. Have an educated look at a natural pond or lake where rotting vegetation is pretty much a given part of the risks your waterfowl may be exposed to! Plants grow well in natural bodies of water...they also degrade, die and rot as part of the "natural" cycle.
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October 2013

As stated, the only waterfowl we allow to bathe is the Mandarin Ducks...and that is done by me bringing them fluid water at noon and them jumping in, fluttering & fluffing, getting out and drying off, and oil preening before evening. Water freezes absolutely solid by evening during some winter days (in some cases, ice begins forming within minutes). I pound the solid ice out of the rubber tub with a small mallet every day at noon to refill.



Oct 26, 2013 - Fall cleared out pen...note water bath in right foreground

I am at a loss as to what temperature would be considered too cold for your swans to be bathing in. I bring our swans fluid water every day year round for their rubber drinking pails and as you may see on my swan thread (the winter accommodations) what the pens contain. They will dip their bills and rub water on their chests, butts, necks, heads, etc., so have a splash bath (virtual bird bath?) I suppose, every day all year round when not dipping in an actual water source to body bath.
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You need to not skim that swan thread of mine and read and understand it. This is now your homework to be absorbed by you, for you.
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Feb 22, 2013; Taj Mahal; pen cleaning for the Mandarin Ducks...

Photo above shows one of the Mandarins "bathing" tubs...rubber tub inside a car tire...we use all sorts of sizes of rubber tubs nestled inside vehicle tires...rubber less hurty and definately de-iceable with a mallet to punch the ice outta. Even use an old ATV tire in a rubber bucket for a ruminant salt/mineral dispenser.


Summer is a busy time for all of us; way too much fun fun to be had, eh.
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Shivering, white cast to feathers, sluggish movements; those items tell me immediately the birds are chilled down to a life versus death temperature. If you don't do something immediately your birds will freeze to death. We have never had a single bird here EVER freeze to death BTW. For the Oz Blacks here, dangerous temperatures with no heat lamp to warm up under is -20C but I don't have them on kiddy pools when that happens...basically the water in the pool would be frozen up solid at minus twenty. I am not into having various kiddy pools laying around full of frozen water. Some years, the frozen water (iced in) stays frozen till spring, around May, sometimes to June...yeh, not into tripping on hidden iced up pools in deep snows. Imagine snow blowing into a frozen up kiddy pool much less snow shovelling into one...hardly thrilling, eh!
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I can't tell you what to do with Aussie Swans in Texas...that would be for your fellow countrypersons to tell you. They need to step up and be accountable...I have contributed my part.


So where are the people that allowed you to become an owner of these Black Swans from eggs? You have questions they should be answering for the swan's and your benefits. Where is the producer of your Black Swans when you obviously need them for feedback in how to keep their Australian Black Swan lines well and happy? I know what we do here and you would not be left to "discover" and figure all this out by yourself. I feel for your situation.
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Doggone & Chicken UP!

Tara Lee Higgins
Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm, Alberta, Canada
 
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As said, we installed the other 450 gallon stock tank last September.


One of two pallets of blocks


We chose the expensive blocs...we ordered and brought home two pallets of them in October and one of the last projects we did before the green season went over to the white one...
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Oct 22 2016


If your pair of swans don't like the shallows of a kiddy pond...you'll need to upgrade your set up to a deeper water body.


We ran out of season for construction...so come the spring, we'll do the finishing landscaping on this pond. This pond is a water garden for the successfulness of our first pond...the water plants we selected have grown exponentially AND we had this tank...so we decided to put the extra tank in the greenhouse and orchard area. We will NOT be allowing waterfowl to bath or use this pond...the oil off their plumage would gunk up the water. This is a water plant pond.

I have replied to you as to how to go about installing this pond and off my Pear-A-Dice thread (page 199) and I will post it here...

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Put water plant pond in New Orchard for water plants in September...if'n you want a larger pond for your Australian Black Swans...skip concrete and go with...


450 gallon poly stock tank (you said you have 100 gallon kiddie pool and believe this is not deep enough for your pair to breed in) rule of thumb USE TO BE $1 per gallon but no idea now and besides, yer in a whole different area and country than I...you'll hafta price out the stock tank.
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Since you reside in Texas...you may be able to skip the metal culvert (about $300 to $450 for one) as we installed the culvert because we freeze...15 to 25 feet down...and this frost helps work a stock tank out of the ground. Culvert stabilizes the tank sitting in the ground. I am not from Texas, so you can check with others if you need the metal culvert...I think perhaps, not.



Anyhoo, metal culvert around plastic stock tank.



Sep 13 2016

Culvert bolted together and ready to go in.




New Orchard...construction well underway.


Hole dug by tractor, inspected by dogs.


Hole widened by tractor.

Fabric cloth inside.


Tractor bucket of sand and hosed the sand down to level it ...


Tip stock tank INside culvert...


Another full inspection by girls...


Add water and voila...



Second pond is in and filled!
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We shall see how far the landscaping around pond goes, but for now, top sides by culvert up with gravel.


May wrap wood around tank and culvert (to inhibit rock falling between tank and metal) OR
buy fabricated rock blocks and snug up

Want a limerock perimeter and debate goes on each day over buying expensive fabricated rock blocks OR do octagon in landscape ties OR ... I personally don't care one over the other...see what we end up doing--maybe this spring. So far, blocks range in price from $1.78 to $3.49 plus five percent Tax...cheap price, thinking about $500 in bricks to do perimeter against tank and then step out three or so feet and another run of bricks with limestone border inside bricks contained...works out to half a grand. Add in the fountain I just bought at $350 (luckily at half price since it is the OFF season for those items--its in storage as I type), another grand on a filter system (to keep the green gook down with a UV light), there's hoses, clamps, this and that...need some blocks to stand fountain on, shims to level it...we'll need to run power out to run the pump/filter system (greenhouse needs fans to open vents if next summer is actually a summer) and yeh...project mighta included tank and culvert bought near ten years ago...but she's not a cheap project...fur us anyway.

As a breeding pond for a pair of Blacks...could be just a stock tank, fabric cloth, sand, something to dig hole with (yeh, I contemplated digging it by hand--near every spring I figured I might jest get to it...dang tractor did it in two days and only because we needed to flip tank and make a smidgen of a bigger opening...so less than a day, eh). Yer getting off easier than we are. Tee hee...
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Fur now...water plant pond is IN the ground. So me be happy, eh.
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Doggone & Chicken UP!

Tara Lee Higgins
Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm, Alberta, Canada
 
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Here I am again and just want to say from my heart how much I appreciate all the time you've taken to educate me. Bless you, bless you. I stay so busy caring for about 25 peafowl consisting of 2 breeds, 6 different colors, a dozen ornamental pheasants, 2 Mini Aussie dogs weighing about 30 lbs each, 2 feral cats (now tame) wanting to be loved on daily, Gracie & Gunther the Black Aussie swans and a husband that pretty much fins for himself, LOL!!!! I'm not a young senior so all the above is a chore for me. Husband doesn't participate...he thinks I'm crazy, haha!!

Swans are still using a 300 gallon water trough, 21" deep. I change the water every 5th day, sometimes sooner. Hoping to someday find a contractor I trust to build a proper pond filtrated for swans. Have friend that took the plunge having one built for $10,000 which ended up costing her $26,000. She had to hire a second contractor then a third to clean up the messes of preceding contractors. Took her a year before it was adequate enough but still not what it should have been.

Gracie could care less about cygnets. Gunther is the one that wants a family. He's built 2 large high nests and sits on them often. They are going on 4 years old. I sometimes wonder if I should put some goose eggs in one of the nests, LOL!!! Do love them but they are a lot of work. I often believe I'd give them up if I found that perfect home for them.

Once again I'm emailing this thread to myself so I can thoroughly read and enjoy all the pictures you've been so very kind to share with me.
 

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