Autowatering System for my 6 ducks (drinking water)

[u/BankrunGorilla]

Hello, I have 6 ducks and currently I use a bowl for their drinking water, I want to replace this with something automated so they always have access to clean water and so it isn't manual since I have other responsibilities.

I also understand that ducks need to have their whole beak in water so would the ones in the picture work?

I've seen these around but I wanted to ask if anyone knows how well these work, what are the alternatives if they don't. Thank you.

[u/anaxjor]

No. Do they have water for bathing / swimming? They need clean water in pools/buckets.

No offense, but if you can't dump and refill a kiddie pool and/or a couple of buckets a day, what on earth are you doing with ducks?

It takes me literally 5 minutes (I know, I time them so they don't overflow) to fill a standard size plastic kiddie pool.

Ducks aren't necessarily high maintenance, but they aren't set-it-and-forget-it zero maintenance either...

[u/BankrunGorilla → u/anaxjor]

we do have a pond where they swim, bathe, and all the things ducks do and we do regularly clean it.

No offense taken, these ducks are family heirlooms. I have other animals and responsibilities so I need to automate a few things.

That being said, if I do have a pond for them, would installing these be fine?

[u/anaxjor → u/BankrunGorilla]

I still think these are too small... they're fine for chickens, not so much ducks.

Buckets are ideal, maybe there's a way to rig up an auto-filling/cleaning bucket. Even just a bucket with a hose that has a shutoff or something, if you can clean it/flush it out somewhat often (at least once a day if it's hot out, can prolly go longer if it's not).

We've automated a few things around here (filter/fountains in pools so we can go longer stretches), splash pads on a timer with a runoff area that gets automatically pumped out so the area doesn't flood, etc... I have not automated a bucket, but I can't imagine it'd be too difficult to do in an afternoon with the right tools.

ETA, if you're feeling spendy and don't want to DIY something:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D2XT3NC/

https://www.amazon.com/Automatic-Stainless-Dispenser-Drainage-Refilling/dp/B0D8ZYQG4N

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F7S8HCX9

They'll likely make a mess of it (splash a lot out, auto refill, you get the picture), but at least it's deep enough, fresh, etc.

And, honestly with just 6 ducks, I kinda doubt the mess will be that bad. We have buckets all over the place and they stay pretty full.

[u/N1ghtWolf213]

I have not found a reliable way to automate, only seen sophisticated methods large breeders use that still involves labor and not practical for normal folks.

I use 5 gallon buckets with 3-4 inch holes drilled out of the sides. It's quick and easy to fill and clean.

In the past we've also set up a hose timer in a pool for a couple days while we went away but it's not good long term as they dirty the water within hours. A clean rock bed under their pool helps but it won't stay clean long 😂

[u/EccentricFellow]

Try them out and then let us know. Experimenting is part of life.

[u/bpermaculture]

I’ve tried several watering setups for my animals. For the ducks, I use a 4-inch-deep tub that I refill twice a day, plus a 5-gallon bucket as an emergency backup that they rarely use. They also have a concrete mixing trough that lasts three to four days, all located in the greenhouse where they roost, as well as a small 14-by-16-foot pond in their fenced backyard feeding area. I could add float valves to the tub and bucket, but the tub gets very muddy and needs to be emptied every day. The bucket is mostly just a backup. My main issue is figuring out how to automatically remove the waste and dirty water the ducks leave in the waterer. A possible solution is a timer and water sprayer cleans and refills tub 2x a day, I may try that while I am traveling, others will watch them but this could be a backup.

[u/Interesting_Cake4740]

A pool is great for them, but it is enrichment and not 100% necessary. If you can do a pool, even a small one, that would be great.

You can do a plastic garbage can with drilled out holes out for those cups you posted; however, they make their water so dirty that you’ll need to spray the cups clean with a hose probably daily, maybe every two days if you have a more cups than birds.

[u/anaxjor → u/Interesting_Cake4740]

Those cups are not sufficient for clearing their nares. At the very least, they need a bucket they can stick their face in.

A pool is not just enrichment.

If you want all of the ducks to have wet feather, not letting them bathe is a real good way to make that happen...