Duck Ponds/Pools

[gretch.nace]

Was wondering if anyone had any good tricks or ideas on how to keep duck water clean???? We have a plastic pet pool that we use for our ducks and it gets nasty quick! Does anyone have any good ideas on how to keep it clean other then draining it out every couple days? Are there any good filtration systems that might help? (This is our first time having ducks... we currently have two, 9 week old Pekin Ducks)

 

[TheYLWFlock]

Regular maintenance. Same as a cat litter box, cleaning the coop, picking up dog poop. Clean it up before it gets bad, and frequently refresh the water. Maybe you could put in an air bubbler to keep the water moving around. Poop tends to sink to the bottom so I don’t know. I don’t have any “diy no maintenance” ideas, sorry. Good luck with your ducks!

 

[True Patriot]

Duck water is always dirty. It doesn't harm them, I think they do it intentionally. the amount of junk a duck puts into the water would be taxing to any filter. Maintenance on the filter may be more trouble than water changes. Especially if it is a small pool. Adding a thick layer of sand around the pool may help reduce how much dirt is brought in.

 

[snow5164]

Hi!
Ducks don’t need clear pool water , just not rotten smelling poop water. These two picture show you what happens to the water , but if you have a clean area ( deck, grass, boards ) around the pool that helps but anything that sticks to their feet is in the pool .

We build this pallet deck , they poop all over it , step in it then jump in and out of the water

I’d just get a pool or two that you can dump every few days , with my 6 I need to dump every 4-5 days ....

Pictures of your babies are always appreciated and admired

 

[True Patriot]

We build this pallet deck , they poop all over it , step in it then jump in and out of the water

Great idea.

 

[NoahSully]

CrystaBub and I use this pump filter

 

[gretch.nace]

This is Susie and Lucie, our two Pekin ducks!

I guess I won’t worry about the water too much anymore then. I do change it out and hose everything down 1-2 times a week. After doing more research on the filter thing, I agree it’d end up being more maintenance then worth it.

What do you guys do with your ducks in the winter? Or with their pools? I was planning on getting a water proof heat pad or something to put under the pool, but I haven’t looked into it too much yet.

Thanks for the advice guys!

 

[snow5164]

They are so cute !
This will be my first winter ,
I won’t keep a pool available but I’m in a cold climate . I might buy a heated bucket /bowl but I’m not sure they make them big enough for my pekins

 

[gretch.nace]

Here’s our chicken run before we added the “duck addition”. I plan to stack straw bales around the chicken coop and duck area and cover with a tarp to help block the wind and retain heat. Our chicken run is too large to cover, so it’ll be left open. Our winters the past few years haven’t been too harsh, so I’m hoping it’s the same this year since it’ll be their first winter for both my chickens and ducks. Just trying to figure out how to keep the water from freezing...

 

[onaharley]

Here's what I did with my little pool once I figured out that they just stand there to eat the grass and mud, only to muddy up the clean pool in seconds! I put fencing (plastic coated hardwire) around it and only left an opening to enter the pool. It kept the mud at bay for a few days.