Backyard Duck Pond | A Comprehensive Guide

What is a Duck Pond?

A duck pond is a small body of water with the ideal environment and food opportunities for ducks. Almost any pond or pool can become a haven for ducks if it meets the criteria that a duck needs and desires.

A duck pond has sunny and shady areas. It also has small fish or critters for ducks to eat. The water in the duck pond must be clean for drinking and bathing.

Do Ducks Need a Pond?

Ducks need ponds for many reasons, spanning from diet to enrichment and even hygiene! Duck ponds are crucial for supporting their natural behavior. This includes foraging, play or enrichment, and mating and competition. Ducks center their diets around small animals and insects as well as aquatic plants from water sources like ponds.

Another reason a pond or pool for ducks is necessary is that it keeps them clean. Ducks use water to wash away parasites and remove mud and other debris that might get in the way of preening. Preening is the secretion of a duck’s natural oils. Preen oil is a necessity for ducks to stay waterproof and keep warm.

A duck’s life is often centered around ponds; without them, the population would not be consistent. Ducks need ponds to not only survive but to thrive and live a happy, healthy life.

Do Indian Runner Ducks Need a Pond?

Runner ducks do not have an inherent need for a pond; however, they are quite fond of them. Because of runner ducks’ foraging skills, providing a pond adds variety to their diets. This species also loves bathing in the waters of ponds and streams.

So, although they do not need one, Indian runner ducks benefit from having a pond.

How to Build a Duck Pond

1. Select the location. Keep size in mind: each duck you anticipate needs 6-9 square feet of space.
2. Plan the shape. Marking the area with paint or stakes with twine can be helpful in marking the boundaries.
3. Call 811 before excavating. Calling this number at least 2 days before digging helps prevent accidents and damages and is often law.
4. Start digging. The center should be deeper than the edges with a minimum central depth of 2-3 feet. Also, create access points for the ducks that slope more gradually than the rest of the area.
5. Place underlayment into the hole to prevent the liner from tearing. This can be concrete cloth, or in some cases, old carpet.
6. Place the waterproof liner on top of the material from the previous step.
7. Prevent erosion by adding rocks along the edge. This will also hold the liner in place.
8. Cover the liner with a thin layer of sand, pebbles, or dirt.
9. Fill with water. Use tap water, hose water, or rainwater.
   1. Tip: If using tap or hose water, consider adding in water conditioner. This removes chlorine, making your pond more natural and safer.
10. Add life to your pond such as native vegetation and small fish or invertebrates.
11. Consider aeration. A fountain or water pump system will help the water stay clean and open.

How to Keep a Duck Pond Clean

Do as many of these points as you can to ensure a clean pond:

• Change the water. Draining and refilling is an option better for mini duck ponds.
• Add a filtration system. Filtration can be biological or mechanical; a good mechanical filter option is a pond skimmer.
• Add aeration. Fountains are a great option because they not only aerate, but also make your pond beautiful. Aeration reduces the likelihood of large-scale algae blooms.
• Stock the pond. Adding certain fish such as mosquitofish or grass carp are great at helping maintain a pond’s cleanliness. Mosquitofish have the bonus of eating mosquito larvae, reducing the number of mature mosquitos coming into your area.
• Include plants. Some plants help clean the water by removing excess nutrients or preventing shore erosion. Plants include water iris, water mint, or water lilies.
• Add beneficial bacteria, like SparKlear, to remove excess nutrients. This will help combat the preening oil and waste that ducks produce and improve your water clarity.
• Maintain the weed growth with herbicides and algaecides. Don’t treat the whole area since ducks still rely on some plants for food.

How to Attract Ducks to Your Pond

These tips help motivate ducks move into your pond:

• Have adequate food sources in and around your duck pond, such as small fish or water lilies.
• Keep away natural predators such as racoons, snapping turtles, and coyotes. Predators can be scared away by owl decoys or motion activated lights.
• Add duck houses for nesting. While some ducks will nest on the ground, others prefer to be up in trees or nesting boxes.
• Gradually slope some edges of the pond so the ducks can easily come and go as they please.
• Don’t make your pond too deep, ducks prefer shallow water. Shallow water allows them to forage at the bottom of the pond.
• Limit activity around your pond. Build your pond away from roads or buildings, and if possible, cars and pets.
• Add duck decoys. Ducks are social creatures, feeling safety in numbers. They are more likely to visit if they see other ducks at the pond or on the surrounding shore.

What Do Ducks Eat in a Pond?

A duck’s diet is diverse. Being omnivorous, they will eat almost anything they can digest. Ducks will go after many small animals such as insects, invertebrates, and fish. They tend to be opportunists and there is no limit to the animals and plants they will attempt to eat.

Some vegetation they eat includes seeds, tubers, and berries. Suggested plants include wild celery, widgeon grass, water lilies, and duckweed. Check with your local Department of Natural Resources before adding plants to ensure the waters’ safety.

Duck Ponds are a Necessity

Ultimately, most duck species need cleanliness, food enrichment opportunities, and more. With these tips, you can provide for the duck population by creating and maintaining your own duck pond.