OK, this question is for those who seem to know too much about ducks!
In the duck yard, I have 2 kiddie pools and a few short 5-gallon bucket like waterers. The other day I put in a small 'channel'-like water tank. It was left over from last year's failed hydroponic garden and is a whole 6 inches wide & tall, and 8 ft long. I put water in it, thinking it would make a good dabbing tank (for them to make mud).
Well, after a couple of days, yesterday I drive home & see 3 ducks in the channel, & the other couple at its side. Have they lost their little minds?
I mean, it's not as deep as the kiddie pools, and barely wide enough for their bottoms (these are mostly Ruoens). It's not wide enough for them to turn around without standing up. The water wasn't 'clean' by any means, & about the same as the kiddie pools.
So what attracts them to it? Is it that it's nearly as tight as a nest, but filled with water? Do they like the tight fit? It's not even deep enough to 'dip' down! I guess it might still be 'new'.
If they keep spending as much time there, I will look at making a bigger/longer version. It sure would be easier to drain/refill a channel vs the kiddie pools.
It reminds me of those swimming tanks made for people. They have big pumps that offer the resistance so a person can swim, but ends up being stationary because of the water flow through the pumps. Maybe people are as goofy as ducks!
Oh, a bit of bad news. With the horribly hot weather we've had here in central Texas, my pond 'turned over'. Full it's maybe 1/3rd acre, but it's more like 3000 sq ft now with the drought. 'Turn over' means that the water on bottom comes to the top, & the top water goes to the bottom. But more importantly the water loses most of its dissolved oxygen & the fish drown. I counted 50 dead catfish about 2 feet long dead on the banks. Every darn vulture in the county was here (100+) eating the dead fish. I managed to run a line down there from my compressor, & basically made a giant bubbler right in the middle of the pond. The other fish who were gulping air at the edges have gone down back to the deeper water & should survive. But it sure stinks, & it's a shame to lose all those fish. Oh well.
Tony
In the duck yard, I have 2 kiddie pools and a few short 5-gallon bucket like waterers. The other day I put in a small 'channel'-like water tank. It was left over from last year's failed hydroponic garden and is a whole 6 inches wide & tall, and 8 ft long. I put water in it, thinking it would make a good dabbing tank (for them to make mud).
Well, after a couple of days, yesterday I drive home & see 3 ducks in the channel, & the other couple at its side. Have they lost their little minds?
I mean, it's not as deep as the kiddie pools, and barely wide enough for their bottoms (these are mostly Ruoens). It's not wide enough for them to turn around without standing up. The water wasn't 'clean' by any means, & about the same as the kiddie pools.
So what attracts them to it? Is it that it's nearly as tight as a nest, but filled with water? Do they like the tight fit? It's not even deep enough to 'dip' down! I guess it might still be 'new'.
If they keep spending as much time there, I will look at making a bigger/longer version. It sure would be easier to drain/refill a channel vs the kiddie pools.
It reminds me of those swimming tanks made for people. They have big pumps that offer the resistance so a person can swim, but ends up being stationary because of the water flow through the pumps. Maybe people are as goofy as ducks!
Oh, a bit of bad news. With the horribly hot weather we've had here in central Texas, my pond 'turned over'. Full it's maybe 1/3rd acre, but it's more like 3000 sq ft now with the drought. 'Turn over' means that the water on bottom comes to the top, & the top water goes to the bottom. But more importantly the water loses most of its dissolved oxygen & the fish drown. I counted 50 dead catfish about 2 feet long dead on the banks. Every darn vulture in the county was here (100+) eating the dead fish. I managed to run a line down there from my compressor, & basically made a giant bubbler right in the middle of the pond. The other fish who were gulping air at the edges have gone down back to the deeper water & should survive. But it sure stinks, & it's a shame to lose all those fish. Oh well.
Tony
