Duck watering solutions?

[Oxymoronica]

I am new to raising ducks. I've got a standard 1 gallon poultry waterer from Tractor Supply and a 5 gallon bucket/cup waterer I got cheaply online. These options work fine for my 2 week old ducklings, but as they get bigger, neither waterer will be nearly big enough for them to get their bills into, let alone dunk their heads. I need something suitable for adult ducks.

Ideally, I'd like a relatively automatic option that I can clean/fill every few days (that way I can take weekend trips without needing a duck sitter). If I just get them a regular bucket, I can see myself needing to change that (or at least check it) several times every day. Even as ducklings I am changing and cleaning their water 3x per day.

Does a solution exist that is large enough to allow the ducks to dunk their heads, has a large enough reservoir or a hose attachment so I don't need to fill it every single day, and doesn't require a masters degree to build? Or should I just hire a neighborhood kid to come change the bucket 3x a day when I have to be out of town overnight?

To clarify, they will have a small pool to swim and play in during the daytime when they're outside when I'm home, but overnight and on the rare weekend I have to leave, I need a solution that won't flood their house/secured run. I imagine putting their pool inside the run would be a disaster.

Edit: Is it a terrible idea to use an automatic horse waterer?? This is kind of what I was picturing. Large, automatic, and simple.

https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=8880817a-2fcf-4ff7-8fbd-aba02e7f8464

 

[ruthhope]

I am new to raising ducks. I've got a standard 1 gallon poultry waterer from Tractor Supply and a 5 gallon bucket/cup waterer I got cheaply online. These options work fine for my 2 week old ducklings, but as they get bigger, neither waterer will be nearly big enough for them to get their bills into, let alone dunk their heads. I need something suitable for adult ducks.

Ideally, I'd like a relatively automatic option that I can clean/fill every few days (that way I can take weekend trips without needing a duck sitter). If I just get them a regular bucket, I can see myself needing to change that (or at least check it) several times every day. Even as ducklings I am changing and cleaning their water 3x per day.

Does a solution exist that is large enough to allow the ducks to dunk their heads, has a large enough reservoir or a hose attachment so I don't need to fill it every single day, and doesn't require a masters degree to build? Or should I just hire a neighborhood kid to come change the bucket 3x a day when I have to be out of town overnight?

To clarify, they will have a small pool to swim and play in during the daytime when they're outside when I'm home, but overnight and on the rare weekend I have to leave, I need a solution that won't flood their house/secured run. I imagine putting their pool inside the run would be a disaster.

I used deep plastic tubs-- the sort that hold 2.5 lbs of nuts from the supermarket--as water tubs for adult ducks. They can get knocked over if the ducks decide to dance on them, but I set them into the deep litter and knock overs rarely happen.

However, I would always get a duck sitter when you are away to check in on the ducks, give them clean water, and fresh food every day. In warm weather, any duck food transferred to the water on bills can quickly ferment. Mine need fresh water at least daily and sometimes twice daily in hot weather

 

[cheezenkwackers]

I pay for a duck sitter to come twice a day. I do not think there is anyway to keep water clean for more than a few minutes. Deep buckets work best.

 

[Oisian]

I put this on a previous thread, but works here too. From TSC. I keep a kids paddling pool for the splashing and playing around, but the fresh water is in one of these duck waterers. You only need to tip out the muck once a day, and the water is not wasted.
I had a runner duck get stuck in a 5 gallon bucket and if I hadn't found her in time, she would have died. It took me two days to warm her through and revive her enough to go back out in the yard. She had been paddling for her life for quite some time. I no longer take those risks.

 

[blklangshandude]

I am new to raising ducks. I've got a standard 1 gallon poultry waterer from Tractor Supply and a 5 gallon bucket/cup waterer I got cheaply online. These options work fine for my 2 week old ducklings, but as they get bigger, neither waterer will be nearly big enough for them to get their bills into, let alone dunk their heads. I need something suitable for adult ducks.

Ideally, I'd like a relatively automatic option that I can clean/fill every few days (that way I can take weekend trips without needing a duck sitter). If I just get them a regular bucket, I can see myself needing to change that (or at least check it) several times every day. Even as ducklings I am changing and cleaning their water 3x per day.

Does a solution exist that is large enough to allow the ducks to dunk their heads, has a large enough reservoir or a hose attachment so I don't need to fill it every single day, and doesn't require a masters degree to build? Or should I just hire a neighborhood kid to come change the bucket 3x a day when I have to be out of town overnight?

To clarify, they will have a small pool to swim and play in during the daytime when they're outside when I'm home, but overnight and on the rare weekend I have to leave, I need a solution that won't flood their house/secured run. I imagine putting their pool inside the run would be a disaster.

Edit: Is it a terrible idea to use an automatic horse waterer?? This is kind of what I was picturing. Large, automatic, and simple.

https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=8880817a-2fcf-4ff7-8fbd-aba02e7f8464

I can totally relate. I had 13 chickens. I could fill two quart sized waterers and most days it still had water left from the previous day. I got baby ducks and that water wouldn’t last an hour. I got one of the gallon waterers and that would last about 15 hours. When they were smaller it was obnoxious but now that they are bigger I fill up one of those kid sized swimming pools. That still requires me to change it every two to three day. Watering ducks is quite a hassle. I prefer raising ducks over chickens. The watering situation is the only disadvantage I have found. I’m not sure there is an easy option for baby ducklings. Just be available every few hours to give them more water. Lol

 

[FrostyMilkshake]

Idk if this counts as  automatic but I saw it yesterday in a VIDEO. It was made by the guy and he talks about how he made it and what inspired him. I thought it was pretty neat.

Basically it is a food grade drum with a hose hookup and you can turn it with a handle on its stand and dump the water out from the pvc pipe sticking out at the top in the pic.

If diy isn't you thing, I saw This waterer on Premier and Amazon for fowl, but idk how easy it would be to clean since it doesn't have a dump function.