# Duck pond help please? (Show yours off!)



## bc2poo (Feb 3, 2006)

Hey everyone.
I've been really interested in building a little pond for my ducks and geese to enjoy. I don't want to just put one of those tubs you get at home depot in the ground, I want an actual pond. SO! I was wondering how exactly I should go about this? I have two Tufted Buff geese, and seven ducks, and might be adding a couple new additions, I would like the pond to be spacious enough so that they will all be able to swim at the same time if they so choose. I really have no idea where to start, so any advice would be lovely. Pictures are wonderfully accepted as well. Thanks in advance!

Cheers!
Maddie


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## trimpy (Mar 30, 2011)

Mine are just the puddles that form in our heavy clay after it rains. Ducks seem to like them well enough!


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## Wintergrower_OH (Sep 21, 2010)

The biggest thing you got to worry about is algae . You can either have fish that eat the algae or have someway of moving the water (i.e water fountain) . Also , some type of cover against animal that prey on them . i.e cattails .


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

I think the main consideration is how are you going to clean it? I use the wading pools and I know ducks poop in the water all the time and bring mud into it. You'll need a way to clean the water, unless you build a huge pond and keep your numbers of ducks and geese down. I'm considering putting in a built in pond, but will line it and get a dirty water sump pump to empty it (and water my apple trees), so I can put in fresh water. Ducks are pretty dirty.


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## Beowulf (Aug 27, 2010)

I have been trying to figure out how to clean a duck pond that is a part of an aquaponics setup. A swirl filter works great for cleaning a fish tank, but a duck pond would tend to be at the lowest point in the system - doubling as a sump. The water would get pumped out of it, so any filth in the water would have to go through the pump and pipes. I am less worried about it being in the fish tank - hell, Tilapia may thrive on it - than I am worried about it building up and clogging the pipes or pump.

Unfortunately, when I asked my local aquaponics expert about this, his answer was "That's a great question! You should set up a system like that and find out the answer!" :viking:


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## BamaNana (Dec 31, 2004)

We have a duck pond... well, actually it is more of a glorified mud hole. It started out as a big puddle which the pot bellies pigs claimed as theirs. we would add water to it now and then.

When we got ducks they pushed the pigs out and claimed it for themselves. My DH has over the years hand dug it so it is now almost 12x15 with the deepest area about 3ft. 

It is a constant battle to keep it algae free. We buy an algae remover chemical from the feed store that is meant for fish ponds and does not harm the ducks. He sprays it once a week and almost every time after it rains.

Then the real fun.... once a month he drains it with a marine bilge pump, which gets 90% of the water and a very small amount of the gunk... but the worst of the gunk , he has to shovel it out.

If he didn't like the ducks so much, I think he would fill in that hole w/rockseep::hysterical:


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## eclipchic (Oct 24, 2010)

ours use a retired sandbox filled with water. 3 ducks, 1 goose. Nothing special. We'd like to put in an actual pond for them though, it'd make them really happy but it's going to be a while with a toddler running around (safety issues) Probably this year we'll just upgrade them to a kid's swimming pool.


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## lilachill (Apr 2, 2006)

Our geese use a low Rubbermaid livestock trough and the ducks have a smaller bin, about 8" high I bought at the hardware store. I refill the troughs daily and wash out the mud. In the winter when the troughs freeze over I am sure to give them afternoon water in a bucket. In the summer the troughs are in the field where the birds are pastured. This year we plan on making welded wire covered sleds to put the troughs on so the ducks and geese will do less damage to the pasture.


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## spud (Feb 3, 2007)

First you will want your pond to hold water so I would suggest a pond liner. I have have ten foot round decorative pond two foot deep for my two silver appleyard ducks. I think this is good ratio, ducks to surface area. My pond stayed cyrstal clear (Could see the bottom) all last year starting in spring. For me the key was having way too many plants and a good bio filter (skippy filter). I used a pondmaster pump and made a home inlet screen using vinal soffit.


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

once back home in KS a friend of mine had a big hole in the side yard just behind one of their coops where they had dug alot of fill dirt out for other projects, we were sitting talking one day about ponds and such, i told her she should just put some water in the bottom of the big hole and let her new ducks have their ducky ways in there untill it holds water long term, i dont know why but 6 ducks useing a water hole in sandy kansas soil made the thing hold water when it never had before, it wasnt long and they had a nice decorative pond where there was only a 15ft crator, we took the ducks out and put gold fish, water lillys, cat tails and other plants and flowers in, they had a windmill for water when the summer heat would dry it up,


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