Pond and Enclosure Size for Mandarins

[Wifezilla]

I think my next pond is going be filtered with some sort of barrel sized filter!

The large container on the left is actually a filter

The plan is to put duckweed in the top, but the stuff I bought a couple of months ago froze.... repeatedly

Here it is with the spill off being used as a water feature...

It is based on this...
http://www.skippysstuff.com/minime.htm​

 

[cawooduck]

Quote:
It was pure trial and error, the first pond i built was kidney shaped and in the ground with the liner, no drain. I used a sump pump to drain it................an extra large P.I.T.A!!! It was time consuming and if anything plugged it, which leaves and other stuff did, i had to go back into the pen and unclog it and so on, and of course it never got all the poop either, so i would have to scoop it out.

So i sat in Home Depot brainstorming and came up with the idea to install a PVC drain. I built it and it worked!! So when i built my new pen (had to expand for more birds!) i used the concept and made the pond a bit bigger. Its still a pain because every other week i have to scrub the algea off the bottom and sides, now if only i could come up with something for the algea i would be happy!!

And your right, i to would love to have a natural pond, my retirement property will have one and i will just fence it in and top it and let the ducks and myself enjoy!!................Jason

 

[ridgefire]

Speaking of keeping water clean. Would it hurt to add a small amount of chlorine to the water? Not as much as you would for say a pool, but enough to help cut down the alga?

 

[chickenwhisperer123]

Quote:
The large container on the left is actually a filter

http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/6906/1002499.jpg
The plan is to put duckweed in the top, but the stuff I bought a couple of months ago froze.... repeatedly

Here it is with the spill off being used as a water feature...
http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/345/1002512.jpg

It is based on this...
http://www.skippysstuff.com/minime.htm

That is awesome!!!

 

[Wifezilla]

The whole thing cost me less than $25

The barrel was $19. The stuff inside is a cut up biodegradeable furnace filter.

 

[Lil_Chickadee]

Quote:
The waterfall runs off two superfalls pumps http://www.pondshop.com/catalog/pumps.htm#SUPERFALLS SUBMERSIBLE POND and FOUNTAIN PUMPS

I only have to drain the pond about every two years. By having a drain that can drain out so much and have fresh water coming in as needed there is very little maintenance. The filter at the top needs to be changed about every three months and the leaf traps on the pumps need to be changed about every three months. The water you drain off the pond is great by the way for watering and fertilizing plants or your garden.

 

[Anny]

This thread has been very very useful for me, as I'm in the planning stages of designing my own pond. Which will house two ducks. And i have no idea what I'm doing.

 

[Wifezilla]

Neither did I, but so far so good. My runner loves the pond and the rouen is enjoying it too. My little mutt even went in yesterday, but then got mad when she couldn't get out...LOL

 

[giffy]

Quote:
I use the sewage pumps because the location of my pen is not high enough for a drain setup like Jason's. I also have the upstate NY winters to deal with.

Since you live in CA, if your area you have your pen located in is high enough, I would try a pond like Jason's.........above ground with a drain. It could either be done using a frame with the EPDM liner or you could use an ordinary kiddie pool with a drain. Try to place it in the shade as the water gets too warm. If your pen is off the side of a building, think about diverting your gutters/downspouts to the pond and place a drain/overflow hole at the top of the pond to drain water away when it gets to full. If this way is not practical, a sewage pump, that will handle solids is your next option.

I will say that the waterfall/pond pictured is one of the best backyard ponds I have seen but when you add ducks they just don't stay that way.

Like I said, start with a small number of birds.............make the pen as large as you can................make it easy for you to maintain. Once you see how much work is involved with a pair of birds and what your pen can handle, then you can start adding more birds to it.

On the wire, not sure what predators you have to deal with but I have also used the pvc coated hex wire that has held up very well.

giffy
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[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Quote:
Hey Nancy - i think i have reached or exceeded the number of animals i can handle before going completely bonkers.

The baby goat adds that added dimension of having something nibbling on or slamming into your legs while you try to do anything outside. The goats are good, though. Having a friend put together a shed this weekend as their barn and then we're going to add another kennel so they have twice the space. They'll like that.

Thanks for the referral to cawoodduck. Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan (our drakes) are going to need a couple of girlfriends.