Ideas needed for pond

[Chick_in_Indiana]

Okay, I have 2 mallards and 3 runneres getting ready to come out in a few weeks. How big, how deep, what about a filter? Should I set something up w/ a waterfall type to keep it moving? What about putting sand or pea gravel in the bottom? I dont want to spend alot of money maybe $200 or so. Any ideas, any short cuts? Thanks, Krista

 

[LinckHillPoultry]

I don't know about you, but I am purchasing one of those huge black pondlike tubs from tractor supply... I mean huge! Going to put it in the ground and run a pipe off it down hill, so all I'd have to do is pull a plug to empty it when I want to clean it.

 

[Chick_in_Indiana]

My husband was wanting to do that, too. How much are they?

 

[Moonwalker]

The big rubber/hard plastic stock tanks are great. I am planning to get one, but am trying to figure the logistics of maybe half burying it so they can get in on one end and yet I can still have a drain at the other. Whatever I finally figure out will drain into the garden. I may just NOT bury it and have some sort of ramp they can use to get in.

 

[cgjsmith]

I have the tub like thing theres a spout at the bottome where you can screw in pvc pipe I buried it almost all the way and dug out a trench on the down hill side so that the pipe can flow out of it. works really well. When i need to clean it out I empty it out and let it dry then scoop all the yuck out my geese love it. Crystal

 

[KingsCalls]

Quote:
Why not add a ball valve to the end of your pipe and that way you just turn the handle and let the water drain! You don't have to get in the pond to pull a plug or nothing.
If you are keeping the ducks penned in, I'd go buy a watering troft from your local farm store, run a pipe out of the drain hole on the back side and out thru a hole in the wire, add a ball valve and then you can drain it to clean it as needed. If you are letting them be outside without being penned in, I'd do what I suggested to LinkHillPoultry.

 

[Chick_in_Indiana]

Thanks for the help guys

 

[Frosty]

If you use the tubs, make sure there is a way for the ducks to climb out easily or they CAN drown. You can also just get a kiddie pool, I don't recommend the huge ones because they are hard to dump the water and yuck out of.

 

[SueNH]

Honestly a plastic kiddie pool is plenty. Unless you can dump it and rinse it out regularly you will have green peas soup in a couple days during the summer heat.

I've got 4 kiddie pools and I dump them daily and rinse out. If not it's a mess with just 10 ducks and 5 geese. They seem to poop more in the water than out.

Notice Crystal said she's scooping out yuck. There will be a ton of mud and poo at the bottom in no time. Make sure you have an easy cleaning plan.

 

[cgjsmith]

I put a PVC plug on the end of mine might change it to a ball plug though. I put cement bricks in the bottom of mine because we have Pygmies and babydoll sheep, didn't want anyone falling in and drowning. C