Rebuilding the Duck Pond

I have decided to rebuild the duck pond. The earlier duck pond had a constant issue of water not circulating due to clogging. I totally underestimated the amount of dirt and poop the ducks produce. Even after switching the filter to a quality Eheim filter, the water channel kept clogging.

Later, as I disassembled the series of 5-gallon buckets, I saw the full extent of the muck that the ducks produced. The bucket was full of muck.

Anyway, the new design uses a simple tote, which costs $10 from Home Depot. I added a pipe with a ball bulb so that whenever I want to clean the duck pool, I can simply drain out all the water. I used a pipe with a large diameter to prevent clogging. The pipe will be extended so that the water will be led away from the duck area, where the vegetation is thick.

Whenever I clean the pool, I should be able to just wash it off using a hose. Well, that is the idea, at least.

The new duck pool is basically an elevated tub, where a PVC pipe is connected with a UNISEAL rubber grommet. The materials used are recycled cedar and new cedar 2x4. What is really amazing about the cedar is that even the timber from several years ago that I was using as a compost pile post is still quite usable. When I saw it in half, the interior is still fresh and intact.

I will see if the ducks will use this new pool (hopefully, they will once they get used to the idea). Moreover, because of the design, I should be able to add a water heater to keep it from freezing in the winter. I have been wondering, where do ducks swim in the winter in the Midwest? If they have access to a big lake or pond, the water may not be frozen. But many small ponds will be frozen, so do ducks not swim until spring?

I added a lamp so that the ducks can use it to climb up. I hope they will like this new pool. The total cost of the materials is around $35.