Making a diy duck waterer

[wtusa1718]

I use a bucket with hose secured to it. The hose is on a timer that is programmed to run for a few minutes every six hours. It flushes the water mostly clean, but it does waste some water and soak the area.

How do you set a hose on a timer?

 

[bibi87]

How do you set a hose on a timer?

Use a gardening water timer. Get a programmable one. It will have a digital display and run batteries. They are around $20-40 at any hardware or garden supply store.

I use this one. It's great. https://www.amazon.com/Orbit-62061Z...d=1588912704&sprefix=water+tim,aps,342&sr=8-2

 

[wtusa1718]

Use a gardening water timer. Get a programmable one. It will have a digital display and run batteries. They are around $20-40 at any hardware or garden supply store.

I use this one. It's great. https://www.amazon.com/Orbit-62061Z-Single-Programmable-1-Valve/dp/B004INGS8S/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3U31MQIFVW39X&dchild=1&keywords=water+timer&qid=1588912704&sprefix=water+tim,aps,342&sr=8-2

Ok thanks. That’s definitely something to consider if you are leaving for vacation

 

[CindyinSD]

Ducks and geese get their faces all dirty by drilling in mud and in their food. You can do the five gallon bucket with the holes in the lid if the ducks are tall enough to reach down inside. I made one out of a plastic coffee container yesterday for my hatchling geese. They think it's pretty cool. I buried it about halfway in shavings so that it's not too tall for them. They do get it dirty, because their bills are dirty from sticking them in the food. There's nothing short of giving them running water that will fix that. It won't hurt them. It's just their food and a few shavings that made their way in, what with babies climbing all over it.

My adult ducks and geese drink out of buckets. They don't climb in them, but they dunk their heads. The buckets get gunked up fast with mud (they like to drill their bills down into any mud they can find, then wash off in the buckets.) IMO, a lid for the buckets, with holes in, would only make it harder for me to clean the mud out. I swirl the water around to pick up the sediment, dump it out, then dip out new water from a tub under the downspout. It's tall. Not even the geese like to drink from it (though they can), so it stays fairly clean.

They also have a wading pool. I spray it out, fill it up if I have time and feel like doing it. They enter with joyous abandon, splash most of the water out and make the remainder filthy with mud and poo. There is a little seasonal brook and they have fun in that, but they don't make it filthy because the water is running through. Running water is the only clean water around any waterfowl--from the most regal swan to the lowliest ugly duckling. It's the way of ducks and their kin. For this reason many people choose not to raise them. I like them, though. We're on 12 acres. If we were more crowded I might feel differently.

 

[cmobley]

Ok so you are saying it can work for ducks?

Works fine for mine

 

[DuckyDonna]

Ducks and geese get their faces all dirty by drilling in mud and in their food. You can do the five gallon bucket with the holes in the lid if the ducks are tall enough to reach down inside. I made one out of a plastic coffee container yesterday for my hatchling geese. They think it's pretty cool. I buried it about halfway in shavings so that it's not too tall for them. They do get it dirty, because their bills are dirty from sticking them in the food. There's nothing short of giving them running water that will fix that. It won't hurt them. It's just their food and a few shavings that made their way in, what with babies climbing all over it.

My adult ducks and geese drink out of buckets. They don't climb in them, but they dunk their heads. The buckets get gunked up fast with mud (they like to drill their bills down into any mud they can find, then wash off in the buckets.) IMO, a lid for the buckets, with holes in, would only make it harder for me to clean the mud out. I swirl the water around to pick up the sediment, dump it out, then dip out new water from a tub under the downspout. It's tall. Not even the geese like to drink from it (though they can), so it stays fairly clean.

They also have a wading pool. I spray it out, fill it up if I have time and feel like doing it. They enter with joyous abandon, splash most of the water out and make the remainder filthy with mud and poo. There is a little seasonal brook and they have fun in that, but they don't make it filthy because the water is running through. Running water is the only clean water around any waterfowl--from the most regal swan to the lowliest ugly duckling. It's the way of ducks and their kin. For this reason many people choose not to raise them. I like them, though. We're on 12 acres. If we were more crowded I might feel differently.

X 2 on everything you said!

 

[Eggstatic ChickyDoo]

I installed these on a big 20 gallon bucket. They tilt down when full and raise when empty. Its deep enough for the ducks to get the bill and nares into it does get dirty but always filled with water. I also have a 5 gallon waterer with a trough at the bottom they use it get it pretty nasty. The 3rd thing I use is a small rubber maid container and it sits on the outside of their pin so they stick their heads through the rabbit wire and dunk. View attachment 2128164

I use similar cups and about half the water they drink goes out the back of their bills into a wide plant saucer underneath (2.25" x 14"). They use that water for cleaning their nares, searching for/nibbling on tidbits that fell out of their mouths, and an occasional head rinse. They still go over to their kiddie pool to bathe and play, but this way they have water right next to their food. The water in the cup is also always pretty clean, comparatively, and they seem to prefer drinking from it, rather than their dabble water. I top off the bucket daily, but it's usually about 1/2 full still. The tray and pool get dumped and refilled daily.

 

[wtusa1718]

I use similar cups and about half the water they drink goes out the back of their bills into a wide plant saucer underneath (2.25" x 14"). They use that water for cleaning their nares, searching for/nibbling on tidbits that fell out of their mouths, and an occasional head rinse. They still go over to their kiddie pool to bathe and play, but this way they have water right next to their food. The water in the cup is also always pretty clean, comparatively, and they seem to prefer drinking from it, rather than their dabble water. I top off the bucket daily, but it's usually about 1/2 full still. The tray and pool get dumped and refilled daily.

Ok thanks. So it would work or? If I did it I would definitely put the tray under bc they are messy so it would catch a lot of water. Should I just use e relatively shallow bin and cut holes in the top so they can’t get in?

 

[Eggstatic ChickyDoo]

Ok thanks. So it would work or? If I did it I would definitely put the tray under bc they are messy so it would catch a lot of water. Should I just use e relatively shallow bin and cut holes in the top so they can’t get in?

I can't say whether or not that style would work (mine's gravity fed instead of toggle), but the ducks should be strong enough to work the toggle. I would try it. Let them see you working the toggle or, if they're tame enough that they won't freak out, hold their heads to show them that when they push it water comes out. If one duck understands how to work the wateree, the others will eventually copy it.
The bin idea looks like it works fine, too, I think it's just a matter of preference.

 

[wtusa1718]

I can't say whether or not that style would work (mine's gravity fed instead of toggle), but the ducks should be strong enough to work the toggle. I would try it. Let them see you working the toggle or, if they're tame enough that they won't freak out, hold their heads to show them that when they push it water comes out. If one duck understands how to work the wateree, the others will eventually copy it.
The bin idea looks like it works fine, too, I think it's just a matter of preference.

Ok thanks. I’ll chose the one I think is best fit for me