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Author Topic: Duck Pond  (Read 3818 times)

HesterF

  • Joined Jul 2012
  • Kent
  • HesterF
Duck Pond
« on: July 03, 2012, 12:44:36 am »
I'm sure this has been covered before but I can't work out how to search the forums by topic?

I'm getting a poulty run set up that will be about 10m by 25m with fox proof fencing all round. I was thinking of getting a pond dug within the enclosure at the same time as they're doing the fencing so that the same digger can do both jobs (and it'll be hard to get a digger inside the enclosure later). But that means I have to think about ponds rather sooner than I was planning to.

I'd originally planned to just have a little plastic paddling pool for the ducks but I gather the bigger ducks need something deeper for mating hence the pond - but then how do I clean it? It is a little uphill from the vegetable garden but probably 100m away - is it reasonable to assume I can drain it, syphon style down a slight slope with a hose? And in terms of trying to promote self cleaning, would it be better to have a stamped down clay base or a liner or will it make no difference? Would a clay base allow for more planting? And is it possible to set up some sort of self-cleaning system with reed beds or is that just not going to keep up with ducks? And for Silver Appleyards, how big/deep should the pond be? I was thinking of 2m by 3m and about 1m deep at the deepest point but should it be bigger? I do have some more space to play with. How often does it need to be cleaned? I know they're supposed to have fresh water every day but realistically I'm not going to be cleaning out a pond every day and there are plenty of ducks swimming around in mucky ponds. Could I just give them a smaller tub of clean water somewhere else for them to wash themselves in?

The inflow is another big question mark. We do have a big nissan hut just above the enclosure so I might be able to get that guttered somehow to feed the pond with run-off in times of rain but what happens at other times? (yes, I know, most of you can only dream of other times).

Hope you can help!

Hester

goosepimple

  • Joined May 2010
  • nr Lauder, Scottish Borders
Re: Duck Pond
« Reply #1 on: July 03, 2012, 08:43:36 am »
Hi Hester, we made a pond about that size in our last place - I cleaned it once a week but it was a big hassle after a while.  I wouldn't do it again. 


You really need to secure some running water for a pond so it doesn't become a pest - perhaps even a few rain water downpipes channelled to the pond - the ducks using the pond tend to get rid of a lot of the water in their frolicking around so you shouldn't have to bale any out. 


The idea of a bath type affair for ducks is not ideal.  Part of the reason for moving to our present place is that it has a huge mill pond and river - once you see ducks on a proper pond you know how 'make do' a bath affair is, they love swimming not just dabbling. Collecting rain water in butts is a good idea too.


OH put in a reed bed on a steading conversion job - the reeds do become invasive - think you may end up with a mud bath.


The base of our mill pond (which we recently had de-silted with a big digger) is gravel but the water into it comes from the river so there is a constant flow through.  Really it's a flow through you need or eventually your pond will lose its charm.
registered soay, castlemilk moorit  and north ronaldsay sheep, pygmy goats, steinbacher geese, muscovy ducks, various hens, lots of visiting mallards, a naughty border collie, a puss and a couple of guinea pigs

clydesdaleclopper

  • Joined Aug 2009
  • Aberdeenshire
Re: Duck Pond
« Reply #2 on: July 03, 2012, 10:33:33 pm »
Is there somewhere else you could put the pond so that they could maybe use it during the day and then go into the enclosure at night to keep safe so that you could build something bigger? There is a really useful book called "Earth Ponds" with lots of info on how to build.
Our holding has Anglo Nubian and British Toggenburg goats, Gotland sheep, Franconian Geese, Blue Swedish ducks, a whole load of mongrel hens and two semi-feral children.

HesterF

  • Joined Jul 2012
  • Kent
  • HesterF
Re: Duck Pond
« Reply #3 on: July 04, 2012, 09:55:39 am »
It's certainly something to think about. If our other - natural, potentially bigger - pond is now out of action due to newts, I'd want to have geese up there too which would need more room and a bigger pond. Which means it would get gunky in no time. I've thought about getting a borehole made which was originally going to be in the veg garden but maybe I could get it sited so it could feed the pond and veges, with the pond feeding onto the veges too. All gets a bit complex on the plumbing though!

I'll check out that book - it sounds good.

H

 

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