[sion01]

I have been keeping chickens for about 5years now and fancy keeping ducks but I don't have a pond and after seeing the mess and smell that 2 ducks did in a small pond that a friend of mine had I don't intend putting a pond in either.
 
I was thinking that putting a couple of shallow troughs fore them might be OK as one book tells me that tthey are quite happy if they can put their heads under water.Then I read another book that said that ducks need a pond.

I was bought up on a smallholding many moons ago and the commonly held opinion at the time was that ducks needed water but ducklings should be kept from water while they were being fattend.

I don't want to keep them if they won't be happy.What do you think

[daisy1990]

my friend is an RSPCA re- homer and she has a small childrens paddling pool sunk into the ground and her three ducks are very happy

[orchardlady]

I've been keeping ducks since this late Spring. I've found that 5 ducks are perfectly happy with a children's rigid plastic sand pit. I empty it each night as they foul the water within a day. The excitement each morning even in this freezing weather as they find their freshly filled 'pond' is wonderful. I'm fortunate that I have a large field and am able to just tip the water onto the ground and move the sand pit each day. If you have limited space you will need to think carefully about how/where you dispose of their dirty water. I have kept hens for donkeys years and this is my first steps into duck keeping and I must say they are just charming birds, who don't seem to have as many social issues as hens. Good luck with your new venture and I know we would all love to hear how you get on.

OL

[CluckyChicken]

I am also thinking of keeping ducks, and I have a childs plastic sandpit.  I think that would be fine OL says, but I only have a small garden and so would have to empty it in my flowerbeds- they get a nice water but a LOT of poo!

[Sassy]

I know there are experts out there that say it is not necessary to have a pond and I'm sure it isn't as long as they can dunk their heads. However, mine love their swimming area (wheelbarrow minus chassis - recycled of course). During this cold weather I have only been able to provide a bucket of water, but we did have 3 days when the temperature climbed above freezing and we were able to 'pop' the massive chunk of ice out of the barrow. The ducks were overjoyed when it was filled with water. It is worth the effort and does not have to be massive or a proper pond. I think a moveable swimming pool is better as it can be cleaned out easily and moved to prevent wear and tear on the ground around it.

As one of my ducks, all born this year, started to lay in the middle of the big freeze - amazing - and has continued to lay bless her, they must be happy.

[sion01]

Its heartening to hear so many say that a pond isn't necassery BUT my one great memory of having ducks on a smallholding when I was a child is taking a duck and her chicks to the pond when they were a couple of days old.it was amazing .they just dived in with no hesitation and played for ages until mum gave a quack and led them away from the pond again.

Is it right of me to deprive a duckling of this joy.Then again they would have a better life then they would on an industrial farm Oh i don't know

[orchardlady]

You can still do this with a plastic paddling pool. I started with three ducklings when they were very young and still only had baby down. I was told not to let them get into the water until they were feathered as they get chilled, I assume this is not a problem if they have a Mum. I gave them a chicken feeder oblong trough and covered it with square mesh galvanised wire. They were so diddy that they could get their heads in but not their bodies so they were fine for preening. I then moved onto a black potting tray with a little up down affair made out of two roofing tiles so they could get in and out. Finally I moved onto a rigid plastic paddling pool. I used the little rolls of logs you can buy from garden centres for edging flower beds for them to get in and out. I weighted the water side down with a brick and built up the land side with a few graded bricks. Finally once they were near but grown they had a half breeze block to get in with. By that time they could get out easily by themselves even when the pool was full to the brim. They still have the breeze block but they rarely use it preferring to flop themselves in and out. I think the paddling pool is excellent although aesthetically not very pleasing. Being able to move the pool each day as commented means the ground around doesn't get over used and they certainly use the ground around a great deal. They like to dabble in the mud created by spillage and they remove a great deal of water by themselves to. Duck ponds unless enormous get mucky and muddy very very quickly plus they are a lot of work to dig!

[jinty1911]

They sound great fun  but hubby has already said that we cant go on holiday ever again cos nobody would look after the chicks properly and we cant have the 6 grandaughters round in the summer cos the chicks poop everywhere. Lol can you imagine his reaction to couple of ducks swimming in the kids paddling pool Ha ha. It would be worth borrowing a few just for his reaction   

[Pertelotte]

Would it be OK to have a sandpit on a patio?

I'd love ducks but I've only got a back garden. Would
a) that be feasible, and
b) could they still trash the place?

I have sons so I know that even the most innocuous environment can be transformed into a post apocalyptic nightmare.

[orchardlady]

I would say that a patio is fine to have a ducks sand pit pool but you will of course need to think about the disposal of the pooped in water. They muck it up within a day. Also to think about is can you offer the ducks an area to roam and forage as the hard standing of your patio will quickly become very unpleasant? I know it sounds obvious but ducks are very wet birds in all that they do. A duck poop is a very wet article and perhaps not the most pleasant thing to stand in in bare feet.

OL

[CluckyChicken]

ugh, I did that when I was three- going outside where my dad was visiting his friend and splat! At least it didn't smell too much...