BUILD A POOL

Since pictures are worth a thousand words, I'm going to load all of them first and then come back and add the narrative. Most of you will be able to figure out what I did from the pictures anyway. Uploading pictures takes a LONG time with a dial-up connection, so please bear with me. Also, you may have to "refresh" several times to load all the pictures.

Well, you’re probably here because you feel bad that you either have ducks (or want to have ducks) but you don’t have a pond or lake for them. Fear not! You don’t have to have a pond to keep ducks. In fact, not having a pond or other natural water source can be an advantage since the likelihood of infection from wild waterfowl will be greatly reduced. I have had ducks for almost 7 years as of this writing (2006) and have yet to see any wild birds in with my flock. While I would like to watch my birds frolicking out on a big pond, I am pleased that I have one less potential source of illness to worry about. So in order to give my birds the swimming water they need to help keep their feathers clean, and also to play in, I have provided them with various pools over the years.

My first purpose-built duck night pen included a 50 gallon Rubbermaid tote with a drain (a small plumbing cleanout) set in the side at the bottom. It had wooden cleats on the sides to attach it to the platform that surrounded it. The ducks used the wood to get a toe grip on to climb out. That led immediately to a steep ramp and the rest of the tiny pen. They loved it and it was deep enough that even a small goose could dive out of sight for a moment. But the side-mounted cleanout meant that I needed a wrench to drain it and I could never truly get all of the “duck yuck” out. Also, the steep ramp was just too steep. And I eventually built my current, much larger, night pen over and around that location. So the swimming water had to move out of the nighttime arrangements.

I started with the classic “kiddie pool” set on the ground. The birds had to climb in and out. For some, this was a struggle. A brick here and there helped. But it also meant I had to dump the pool every day. That hurt my back and always soaked my feet as well as the ground immediately around the pool. So I started looking for ways to put pools in-ground. I experimented on my kiddie pools (2 of them nested together for strength) first to see if my plan would work. And it did. So I set out to do a serious job of installation with a pool that would be more permanent. Kiddie pools have always gotten brittle in about a year here. And I had one that had pictures on the bottom that peeled off. If the pool had been in use by my birds (it was for my dogs) that could have been lethal. They will pick at anything that looks out of place. Had they picked at and swallowed a piece of that plastic, they could have wound up dead. So keep an eye on the materials you use around your birds. I have also used a mortar mixing tray. That only holds about 10 gallons, but even very young ducks can get out if they try the vertical sides.

Now all my plans are based on Tuff Stuff brand livestock troughs. They are thick black plastic that are smooth on the bottom and the sides and are easy to cut down or drill. While they may not hold up well against large livestock, they are wonderful for ducks and geese. I have one pool that started out as a 35 gallon tank but now holds about 15. And I have two, including the one featured in this series of pictures, that started out as 100 gallon tanks but now hold only about 40. I should point out that these are NOT cheap. The tank alone was $75. And the drain assembly could cost about $20 as you usually have to buy the complete kit just to get the few parts I used. (I will be eternally grateful to a local plumbing shop employee who gave me not 1, but 2! of the tail pieces that were just laying around collecting dust under the counter.) But you can reuse the top of the tank as a raised bed planter. I have heavy clay soil that isn’t good for roses, but they do just fine now in my leftover tank tops.

We’ll begin with the necessary parts and then move on to what I did to install the pool and, finally, a few words about hoses.

I guess I should mention that this pool is NOT for those that can't bear to put their hands in duck yucky water at the end of the day. The drain will get stopped up from time to time with the residue of the day's playtime. Or maybe just from an egg that was deposited in the pool instead of the nest box. Whatever the case, you may have to reach into the unseen depths to fish out something and get things flowing again. Also, it would be a good idea to read this over several times before you decide to try to follow in my foot steps. This design might not be right for your situation after you think about from all angles. But I hope it will give you some ideas that are useful.

Here is one of those mortar mixing pans beside the 100 gallon Tuff Stuff water tank. In front is the drain system that was formerly in the mortar pan when it was in-ground for the babies.

A close up of the the bath tub tail piece that makes this system work so well with a minimum of height. Remember, the lower your drain is the more fall you need to drain the pool. Or in other words, the higher you will have to set your pool relative to where your drain discharge is.

Another close up, this time with most of the parts laid out in order. We’re looking at the bottom of the mortar pan. The drain basket and one washer go on the inside of the pool, while all the rest of the parts go on the bottom.

Here’s the ball valve. The truly sweet part of this system. IF you get a good one! Try them out in the store no matter how stupid you feel doing it. They will never work better than they do the day you buy them. They don’t “break in” like a pair of shoes. You’re going to live with this part every day for years to come so take the time to test it out before you buy. Again, these aren’t cheap either - at least $12 for the 1-¼ inch one shown here. I have used both 1-¼ and 1-½ inch pipe. Some manufactures make ball valves in 1-¼ inch that take 1-½ inch pipe. That would be my preferred size combination. The valve is a little cheaper, and the water will have just a bit more room to flow within the drain pipe with all that “duck yuck” in it.

Here’s my big new tank laid on its side with my masking tape cutting guide laid out at the chosen height. In this case, I went with 8 inches and 10 inches. That will give the pool a nice slope to one end to make it drain quickly as well as giving the birds a slightly deeper end. Since I have ducks and geese, I thought I would do this pool deeper than my other big one that is only 6 to 8 inches deep. (I didn’t want to go too deep for fear that a duck might get trapped on the deep end by a goose with an attitude and have no way to escape.) Also, the deeper the pool - the more water you need to fill it. If you’re on a well, that’s critically important to consider. You will have healthier birds if you go with a smaller pool size and change it everyday rather than trying to cut corners and go with a big pool that you only have the water to clean every couple days. Once you’ve cleaned a duck pool or two, you will know what I mean! They can make a disgusting mess of their water in just a short time! There is no way I would allow them back in that same water the following day. This coming year, we’ll be trying that duck yuck tea on our garden to see if it’s good fertilizer. Hope it’s not too “hot”. We always try to recycle water any way we can.

Measure three times and cut once! The beauty of masking tape as your guide is that you can write on it. Yes, that was my auto body man husband’s idea. Put an arrow pointing to the side of the tape you want to cut on after you’ve double and triple checked it. That way, when you get distracted between measuring and cutting, you might actually cut it where you intended. This is an expensive project, so take your time.

Well, I did it. I cut up that brand new tank! Now I have one duck pool and one raised planter. We’ll be building a frame to support the duck pool in a minute since the top edge lost all it‘s rigidity with the removal of the heavy lip. But first we have to install the drain so we can work our framing around it’s location if need be.

Set the drain basket in the pool where you want it and mark the center. By the way, you might want to shop around for the exact style you want. Note that this one has 6 “legs” in the interior. I never use the hair strainer that comes with them because I’m afraid the ducks will get the center screw that holds it down loose and swallow it. But, also, that would make more obstructions for the duck yuck, feathers, leaves, grass and whatever else your little lovelies put in their pool . My favorite one only has 3 legs, but you may have to settle for 4 or 6. Then again, if you have gravel around your pool, the bigger the gaps in the drain opening, the bigger the size piece of gravel that can go down the drain and potentially stop it up. So you have to size your ball valve, drain pipe and this piece according to your particular situation. I’ve never had a complete stoppage yet, but I do occasionally have to use a plunger to knock things loose and speed up the drain. It is amazing what all they put in their pools. Thankfully, it’s rarely the remains of a frog or toad that didn’t quite get completely eaten.

Finished pool surrounded by pavers and river pebbles and covered with tarp tent for shade.

If you look closely, you can see that the wooden cleats on the sides of the pool have been eliminated. I just used twice as many screws instead. This change came about when one of my geese hung her foot repeatedly on the cleat on the older pool whose wood had deteriorated and exposed a screwhead that I hadn't noticed. She not only broke her toe, she cut it wide open. No one else ever had a problem. But I changed all my pools to be on the safe side. Now they have no obstructions to bump into while swimming and playing. And the wood isn't harboring bacteria like I'm sure it had to be since it was wet constantly. I thought they needed the cleats to climb out, but they do just fine without it. Any plan has room for improvement!

A closer view of the parts that matter on the air pump. On the far left is two female quick-connectors screwed end to end so that I can put it on the end of a hose that has the male side on it. Then a male side connector screwed to a custom made adapter. It is a solid end cap (like for a soaker hose) that has been drilled out to accept a tire valve stem. That, in turn, will connect to the pump. So I either use the whole assembly or just half of it depending on which way I need to blow out a hose.

This page last updated August 1, 2006.

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