ducklings and pond (new filter pics pg2)

First things first, here's a couple of pictures of my ducklings two weeks ago. I'll get some recent ones as soon as my camera battery charges



the yellow one is a fawn/white runner, the gray one is a blue runner, and the black/yellow ones are black swedish



these are the two I got on wednesday another fawn/white runner and a white chinese gosling.


The gosling seems much stronger these last two days than she did before. The older girls still pick on her, but she's started putting her head down low and stretching it out. It makes them think about it. Also when they pick on her, she'll only move a little bit, unless they all get in on it (i.e there are peas, or she's in their favorite spot too long).

It's been warm enough that I've been able to keep them out most of the day. The 3 week olds spend most of their day in the kiddie pool. It feels like they have already outgrown it.

I've kept tabs on Wifezilla's pond thread with interest. It has been amazing watching her learn and share about her pond. It has actually given me the courage to go ahead and make my own pond. I talked a friend into helping yesterday for the price of a pizza and after 8 hours this is how far we'd gotten:



My cat, Hooli, thinks we dug all that just for him!


I've had the stone laying around for far longer than something should be hanging around a yard, so it was the perfect material for the deep end (I'm digging into a slope). Unfortunantly it didn't go as far as I had wanted it to so I think we're going to dig a bit deeper. I have enough stone for another one or two more rounds, but the pond liner will be on top of this here. After I started it, I wondered how to keep the ducks from going over the top of the deep end, so there's a plant shelf there where I will keep some bog or water platns in pots... I'm thinking about permantly attaching the pots to the liner to keep the ducks from knocking them over.

If you notice the foreground part of the pond it's on a gradual slope so there's easy in and out access.

I'll be making a skippy like filter in a lined wine barrel that's been up upside at the back of the property for I don't know how long. I was glad to read the latest update to the duckponix post since I was wondering about the pressure problem. I like that Wifezilla figured it out!

Anyway, that's all I have for now.

Nice. Keep us updated with fresh pics.

I am glad I was able to help you by doing the goof ups myself and telling you all about them

Quote:
Oh, I'm absolutely sure I'll make my own goof ups.

The current problem I'm working on is how to prevent runoff from their run heading into the pond. My husband pointed out to me yesterday that the slope I have everything on is actually slopier than I thought... i.e the highest point is higher than I can dig to make level. I'm thinking of maybe keeping the compost pile closer to the pond and digging a channel filled with gravel from the run to the pile. My son thinks I should find a used gutter and use that... the guys are great with the ideas, not so hot with the digging

There's been progress! First things first though. Pictures of my gals at 3 weeks (the ones in the pool) and 1 week (the ones in the separate pen. The black swedish have since gone over to Streemers flock:



Aren't they cute!

Now to the pond. It has lots of issues at the moment, but it is up and running.


this is everyone in the pond. They were sleeping so I had to bribe them with floating lettuce.


here you can see my skippy like filter. I'm using a wine barrel half.


and here's just the filter. note that it is leaking... a lot. i wouldn't mind so much 'cept it's leaking below the filter. sorta defeats the purpose

I have a fix for the leak in the barrel. I had used pond liner in the barrel, but had to use liner tape to get a good shape. obviously that didn't work. today i went and bought some contractor trash bags (3 mil) and will use that instead. however, i like the way it leaks (i like how it spreads the water... can't really see in the pictures) enough that i might put a trash can inside the barrel and let that overflow into the barrel.

I still have lots of landscaping rocks to set out and pond liner to cut (I confess I have always been unable to cut things in fear that it's the wrong cut... funny huh?) But really that's secondary to the problem of run off from the top. I'm thinking about getting some landscaping plastic edging and running the liner underneath it and putting small gravel on top. I'll probably work on that problem after I get the filter sorted out again.

The other problem I'm having is the slope that I built up for the ducks to get in and out of the pond. It's too slippery for them to use. Currently I have a few towels there for them to use. Obviously this isn't a long term solution. I might adhere some dark colored shelf liner to the slope, so they can get some grip.

I molded some plant shelves because I didn't want the ducks to pop over the high side and drop down, hurting themselves. I thought I could put in some potted bog plants. But if you look in the second picture, you can see my runner Molly using it. They all love the shelves to stand on so now I'm wondering if I should just let them keep using it.

My other thought, running with Wifezilla's duckponix idea, is to put the wine barrel into a depression, filling the drepression with gravel and growing stuff in the gravel. I'd have to wire that area off, but it could be pretty cool. I think that would add another level of filtration also, especially if I do a tier system? Hrmm...

Anyway, that's the update.

Nice start. Keep us updated.

Today or tomorrow I'm going to fix the filter. I have another and I think better idea. Inside the wine barrel I'm going to put a garbage bin I have. I'll run the water from the pump to the inside of the bin where most of my filtering will be. I'm having the water filter up instead of down. When it reaches the top of the bin it will spill over into the wine barrel where I'll have more filter medium tucked between the barrel and the bin. I'll take pictures as I'm putting it together.

The leaks in the wooden barrel may go down as the wood swells. also If you have someone that knows what they are doing the hoops can be driven toward the center to tighten up the staves. "Someone that knows what they are doing, I tried but just managed to break the barrel head, the part on the bottom in a half barrel" and had to get a new one.

oh goodness, I'm having a huge sediment issue. I might just need to change out pumps entirely. Because I'm lazy and didn't feel like heading out to home depot, I went with the pond pump I had. It's rated to pump 3.5 times more than the size of my pond, but it doesn't seem to be doing the trick. Maybe I should get a sump pump.

So far there's been minimal swelling with the wine barrel.

I am also thinking of upgrading my pump.