Duck pond

[HelplessHomeSteader]

http://www.koiphen.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?211-DIY
My favorite site for pond ideas and diy so far.

 

[cjoffutt]

I'm probably late to the party, but here are some pictures of the duck 'pond' I made earlier this year. Parts list is also below for anyone interested.

Liner:

https://americantilapia.com/product-category/16x/

Bulkheads for filter:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0079JU91A/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Barrels:

Came from a local guy, $10.00 each for the plastic with screw on water tight lids.

Misc plumbing items:

Menards as Home Depot is useless IMO.

Railroad ties:

Local farm store was the cheapest. Ended up being $5 each after store sale and price negotiation for purchasing an entire 'bunk' of them.

The ties are screwed together on the ends with 12" lags and 1/2" rebar vertical through the layers. The fence posts really aren't even doing anything in the pictures, they were there to just help stack the items.

There is a sump pump rated ~850 gallons per hour being used to pump the water through the (3) barrels. The first barrel has 1/2" hardware cloth stuffed into it to catch the larger item (leaves, small cut up branches, oak tree droppings etc). The second barrel has rock in it ranging from 1/2" to 1.5" to filter through more items. The final barrel has landscape fabric in it to catch the fines. Each barrel's inlet pipe goes from the top clear down to ~4 inches off the bottom of the barrel so it will fill from the bottom up. The outlets are where you see them on the barrel.

The only thing I would change is to use 3" bulkheads as the sump pump I'm using will overrun the barrels. I solved this by adding a bypass valve after the check valve on the pump to let some of the water blow back into the pond.

With having 9 ducks using this pond almost every hour of the day, it is not crystal clear, but in no means is it nasty. The timer-outlet is set to run for 2 hours a day from 2 AM to 4 AM and does a darn good job at removing all the poo and what nots.

Now as for what people care about. The pictures. And a video, forgot I had this on my phone.

 

[CrystaBub]

I'm probably late to the party, but here are some pictures of the duck 'pond' I made earlier this year.

WOW that's quite a set up - nice job!!!

 

[cjoffutt]

WOW that's quite a set up - nice job!!!

Thank you much. Wife thought it was an insane idea/build until she saw how much the ducks enjoyed it. Now she keeps trying to hire me out to her chicken friends, lol.

 

[CrystaBub]

Thank you much. Wife thought it was an insane idea/build until she saw how much the ducks enjoyed it. Now she keeps trying to hire me out to her chicken friends, lol.

A fun second income!

 

[Miss Lydia]

That is an awesome set up I love it. But was wondering why no pics of the ducks in it. Funny there are chickens in the pic. lol

 

[cjoffutt]

That is an awesome set up I love it. But was wondering why no pics of the ducks in it. Funny there are chickens in the pic. lol

Ask and you shall receive! I really need to organize my photos better on my phone. So many pictures taken but they are just all over the place as for a timeline or content, lol.

I'll get some more tonight since the actual animal pictures are a couple months old and those birds have changed A LOT since those duckling pictures.

 

[cjoffutt]

A fun second income!

Thought of that actually, but I have a hard time charging friends outside of material costs.

 

[CrystaBub]

I'll get some more tonight since the actual animal pictures are a couple months old and those birds have changed A LOT since those duckling pictures.

Wow they have really changed - one looks like a human!

 

[Miss Lydia]

I absolutely love that pic of the child I reckon yours? so cute. What an awesome place for the ducks My birds would be in ducky heaven with a set up like that.
Do you travel?