[kipper]

Was wondering if i was wasting my time making a pond with a liner for geese and ducks without a filter ? will it just go smelly with there waste or is there an alternative ?they seem happy in a sand pit just now and easy to clean every week but have the space for a pond,thanks for any help

[Clansman]

ours has no filter, it goes green and smelly in the warmer months, ok in the colder months, they still love using it though whatever its like.

Its only a 8 foot moulded job and we do empty it now and again and refill

[clydesdaleclopper]

Have you thought about making one without a liner using clay to seal it then you can put oxygenation plants in it and plant around it.

[kipper]

thanks would plants make it cleaner or just healthier for them ? I could use a liner and put a ledge with plants .What would be an ideal size and depth for them ? 

[Fleecewife]

We lined our duck pond with concrete, which of course makes it a bit permanent, but that works for us.  It can get green and smelly so we run an overflow pipe from one of the water butts, which washes it through - the 'beach' is lower than the sides, so the manky water runs out that way.  Obviously that doesn't work in a drought, so we sometimes scoop all the water out with buckets in summer and use it to speed up the compost heap, or directly around fruit trees and bushes - great stuff.   Ducks will tend to pull up any plants in the pond itself, but you can plant lots around the edge.

In fact we don't have ducks any more, so the pond is reverting to nature a bit, in spite of the concrete lining - a bit of silt has settled on the bottom and it now has yellow flag and water mint in.  The hens use it for drinking, and the frogs and toads breed in it.

For depth, I would suggest it needs to be deep enough for the ducks and geese to reach the bottom when they upend themselves.

[kipper]

Brilliant thanks

[Clansman]

The plant thing might work with a larger pond but with a small one and a few geese and ducks they just destroy it! 

[madchickenlady]

I invested in a small electric pump which gets most of the water out and then I use an aqua vac which I picked up cheap on ebay. The pump has a hose attached to it and I use the water on my fruit trees. My ducks only use this pond in the mornings the rest of the time they use a natural pond that I am lucky enough to have.