Duck Pool Heater Alternatives?

[jvls1942]

I did not read all of the posts, so this might be a duplicate answer.
I went to our local building supply center
(Menard's) and bought a mud mixing boat.
that is the contractors' term for it.
what it is , is a rectangular rubber tub.
about 2 feet x 3 feet by about 8 inches deep.
It holds about 15 gallons of water. I fill it daily. the next day I dump the slab of ice out and put fresh water in it again..
no need to heat it because the water is above freezing .. I used this for geese for over 10 years.. the tub is still in good shape.
I have watched geese splash in it when the temperature was below -20F. the water drops froze and beaded on their backs and rolled off like BB's. they loved it.
by letting the water freeze in the tub it prevented ice on the ground if when you dumped the water..
by the time they got finished bathing and splashing, most of the water was out of the tub so there would be only about a 3 inch thick slab of ice in the tub.
I just tipped the tub upside down and gently thumped the bottom with my foot and the whole piece drops out whole..

 

[shawluvsbirds]

I did not read all of the posts, so this might be a duplicate answer.
I went to our local building supply center
(Menard's) and bought a mud mixing boat.
that is the contractors' term for it.
what it is , is a rectangular rubber tub.
about 2 feet x 3 feet by about 8 inches deep.
It holds about 15 gallons of water. I fill it daily. the next day I dump the slab of ice out and put fresh water in it again..
no need to heat it because the water is above freezing .. I used this for geese for over 10 years.. the tub is still in good shape.
I have watched geese splash in it when the temperature was below -20F. the water drops froze and beaded on their backs and rolled off like BB's. they loved it.
by letting the water freeze in the tub it prevented ice on the ground if when you dumped the water..
by the time they got finished bathing and splashing, most of the water was out of the tub so there would be only about a 3 inch thick slab of ice in the tub.
I just tipped the tub upside down and gently thumped the bottom with my foot and the whole piece drops out whole..

Ya those things are great aren't they!
The water they splash all over the ground freezes though

 

[DuckyDonna]

Last year I used a floating stock tank heater in my pool. It worked great as far as keeping it thawed. . but draining it and refilling it is the problem.
This winter I've opted to cover the big pool. I use a bird bath heater in a cement mixing tub, partially covered just enough so they can drink and dunk their heads. On days it gets a bit nice out I remove the cover, fill a second tub and let them take a bath.
They don't have to have swimming water full time, But it's good to let them get cleaned up as often as possible for their happiness as well as feather condition. View attachment 1607753 View attachment 1607754

OMG your set up looks like the "bomb"! You have the luckiest ducks in the world!

 

[shawluvsbirds]

OMG your set up looks like the "bomb"! You have the luckiest ducks in the world!

Awh thanks.
All thanks to my hubby the contractor.

 

[Kkrista123]

Cheapest option is to run a fish tank heater into the pool. They're relatively cheap and the ones to heat a pool don't need to be large so they will be very cheap. They're water proof so you can stick them straight into the pool. You might want to cover electrical components in some sort of casing but the heaters work great and most of them allow you to set the temperature of the water. If not it's preset between 72-78 degrees. You can find them at any pet store that carries fish, walmarts pet section or online. Hope this helps!

 

[CherpNPeep]

I did not read all of the posts, so this might be a duplicate answer.
I went to our local building supply center
(Menard's) and bought a mud mixing boat.
that is the contractors' term for it.
what it is , is a rectangular rubber tub.
about 2 feet x 3 feet by about 8 inches deep.
It holds about 15 gallons of water. I fill it daily. the next day I dump the slab of ice out and put fresh water in it again..
no need to heat it because the water is above freezing .. I used this for geese for over 10 years.. the tub is still in good shape.
I have watched geese splash in it when the temperature was below -20F. the water drops froze and beaded on their backs and rolled off like BB's. they loved it.
by letting the water freeze in the tub it prevented ice on the ground if when you dumped the water..
by the time they got finished bathing and splashing, most of the water was out of the tub so there would be only about a 3 inch thick slab of ice in the tub.
I just tipped the tub upside down and gently thumped the bottom with my foot and the whole piece drops out whole..

Thats a very good idea! I'll keep thst in considerate.

 

[PattyNH]

I did not read all of the posts, so this might be a duplicate answer.
I went to our local building supply center
(Menard's) and bought a mud mixing boat.
that is the contractors' term for it.
what it is , is a rectangular rubber tub.
about 2 feet x 3 feet by about 8 inches deep.
It holds about 15 gallons of water. I fill it daily. the next day I dump the slab of ice out and put fresh water in it again..
no need to heat it because the water is above freezing .. I used this for geese for over 10 years.. the tub is still in good shape.
I have watched geese splash in it when the temperature was below -20F. the water drops froze and beaded on their backs and rolled off like BB's. they loved it.
by letting the water freeze in the tub it prevented ice on the ground if when you dumped the water..
by the time they got finished bathing and splashing, most of the water was out of the tub so there would be only about a 3 inch thick slab of ice in the tub.
I just tipped the tub upside down and gently thumped the bottom with my foot and the whole piece drops out whole..

I use the same thing and love it! Perfect size as I only have 2 Pekins.

 

[Runner duck mom]

Cheapest option is to run a fish tank heater into the pool. They're relatively cheap and the ones to heat a pool don't need to be large so they will be very cheap. They're water proof so you can stick them straight into the pool. You might want to cover electrical components in some sort of casing but the heaters work great and most of them allow you to set the temperature of the water. If not it's preset between 72-78 degrees. You can find them at any pet store that carries fish, walmarts pet section or online. Hope this helps!

Can you use aquarium heaters outside? We have a patio pond with 3 goldfish and I've been looking for something to keep it from freezing over when it gets really cold. We used to bring the fish inside in the winter but they have gotten so big.
Would be nice to find something I could just get 2 of to keep the ducks and the fish thawed this winter

 

[shawluvsbirds]

Can you use aquarium heaters outside? We have a patio pond with 3 goldfish and I've been looking for something to keep it from freezing over when it gets really cold. We used to bring the fish inside in the winter but they have gotten so big.
Would be nice to find something I could just get 2 of to keep the ducks and the fish thawed this winter

I was wondering that also.

 

[CherpNPeep]

Can you use aquarium heaters outside? We have a patio pond with 3 goldfish and I've been looking for something to keep it from freezing over when it gets really cold. We used to bring the fish inside in the winter but they have gotten so big.
Would be nice to find something I could just get 2 of to keep the ducks and the fish thawed this winter

I'm pretty sure! I've seen people on youtube use it but never took it in consideration.