I was thinking of 2 50 gallon stock tanks for spring, summer, and early fall for 8 ducks and 4 geese. I'm worried about the cleaning time; water will go to the garden. Do you do one mixing tub per bird? I'm wondering about ice.

Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
I was thinking of 2 50 gallon stock tanks for spring, summer, and early fall for 8 ducks and 4 geese. I'm worried about the cleaning time; water will go to the garden. Do you do one mixing tub per bird? I'm wondering about ice.
Yeah when it's really hot I do refresh Waters more often.I only do that in warmer weather. I refresh with cold clean water. Not all of their waterers, just one or 2. I feel like bacteria could build up in the hotter weather. But, maybe I'm just being too cautious.
We have 8 ducks. I made a pond for them really simply, its about 3ft x 6ft and only about 1ft deep. I built it over a couple of soak away boxes a d put a plug in the bottom so emptying it just means pulling the plug, and I have 2 big water butts that collect rain water from the house to fill it. Takes about 130gallons. I also got a pump and filter kit, pontec 10000. Works really well, water only stays really clear for a couple of days but it's not bad, and certainly doesn't smell even with 8 of them in there all day and night. There is very little left in the bottom when I do empty it. I empty it once a week and have to clean the filter housing out, but doesn't take very long, to empty the pond, refill it and clean the filter. Ducks all in good health. 1 thing I have not tried yet is just cleaning the filter out and topping up the water, the ducks probably kick 1/4 of the water out in a week between drinking and messing about, and seeing what happens. May try that and post results. It may be that I could get away with emptying it once every 2 or 3 weeks, but as its winter here and the water buts are filling in a week its not really an issue.I change one of my pools everyday and the other every other day. And yes it is a lot of water. I tried to conserve water in the beginning, but with the number of ducks I have they really need the cleaner water. I have seen feather quality drop before because they didn't wash as much. So I started to change it more often. My ducks make a beeline for the clean pool. I can't really say if three days is too long, but it feels long.
Since you have just five, you could try using a concrete mixing tub for the winter and not necessarily give it to them everyday. That would cut down the amount of water. They certainly don't need a bath every single day, but they certainly do love it.
This is fantastic! I will look into doing this. I just need a few days more to save water. Thank you for sharing!We have 8 ducks. I made a pond for them really simply, its about 3ft x 6ft and only about 1ft deep. I built it over a couple of soak away boxes a d put a plug in the bottom so emptying it just means pulling the plug, and I have 2 big water butts that collect rain water from the house to fill it. Takes about 130gallons. I also got a pump and filter kit, pontec 10000. Works really well, water only stays really clear for a couple of days but it's not bad, and certainly doesn't smell even with 8 of them in there all day and night. There is very little left in the bottom when I do empty it. I empty it once a week and have to clean the filter housing out, but doesn't take very long, to empty the pond, refill it and clean the filter. Ducks all in good health. 1 thing I have not tried yet is just cleaning the filter out and topping up the water, the ducks probably kick 1/4 of the water out in a week between drinking and messing about, and seeing what happens. May try that and post results. It may be that I could get away with emptying it once every 2 or 3 weeks, but as its winter here and the water buts are filling in a week its not really an issue.
Pleasure. I forgot to say the pump and filter kit I got also has a UV light so kills alot of the bacteria as it goes which also help longevity of the water. I am also trying to work with a company to develop a system specifically designed for duck ponds. Will post on here if I have any successThis is fantastic! I will look into doing this. I just need a few days more to save water. Thank you for sharing!