tow653
Gold Member
Never new that one could spoil a goose,but low and behold,my wife did,unfortunately a fox got it about a month ago when lake froze.
Floating duck house
- Thread starter czechsonofagun
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czechsonofagun
Elite Member
If I make the 4" pipe grid and it leaks, it will sink without warning, separate pipes will make it unsinkable - just like Titanic 
I will start when it stops freezing.
tow653: my wife had a pet goose when she was a kid, the goose would wait for her to get off the school bus. I guess you can tame anything.
I will start when it stops freezing.
tow653: my wife had a pet goose when she was a kid, the goose would wait for her to get off the school bus. I guess you can tame anything.
CurlyDave
Elite Member
If I make the 4" pipe grid and it leaks, it will sink without warning, separate pipes will make it unsinkable - just like Titanic
It will at least give you warning by listing before sinking. Independent chambers is clearly the way to go.
When I was a kid, my grandfather owned a cabin on a lake in PA. A lot of people had "rafts", permanently anchored swimming platforms, made like a wooden deck supported by empty 55 gallon drums at each corner for flotation.
In Oregon, a 55 gallon drum with one head cut out sells for $15. The way the head is cut out does not interfere with the ability to buy another drum head and make an air and water tight barrel. Each drum provides about 400 lbs of flotation, which is about the best bang for the buck I can think of in that department.
The drums were not really attached to the barrels, the wooden structure had spaces to fit the drums in the substructure of the deck. We always pulled them out of the water before the lake froze over for the winter and re-launched in spring. They floated about 12" above the water as I remember, maybe a little more.
* * * * *
Be careful here. A duck is the only creature on earth that can turn a pint of food into a quart of poop, or so it seems. Five ducks on a small pond is OK, but ducks show up from everywhere when the environment is good, and can turn a small pond into a manure pit in very little time.
This may lead to teaching your daughter the cycle of life, with you operating the shotgun...
It will at least give you warning by listing before sinking. Independent chambers is clearly the way to go.
When I was a kid, my grandfather owned a cabin on a lake in PA. A lot of people had "rafts", permanently anchored swimming platforms, made like a wooden deck supported by empty 55 gallon drums at each corner for flotation.
In Oregon, a 55 gallon drum with one head cut out sells for $15. The way the head is cut out does not interfere with the ability to buy another drum head and make an air and water tight barrel. Each drum provides about 400 lbs of flotation, which is about the best bang for the buck I can think of in that department.
The drums were not really attached to the barrels, the wooden structure had spaces to fit the drums in the substructure of the deck. We always pulled them out of the water before the lake froze over for the winter and re-launched in spring. They floated about 12" above the water as I remember, maybe a little more.
* * * * *
Be careful here. A duck is the only creature on earth that can turn a pint of food into a quart of poop, or so it seems. Five ducks on a small pond is OK, but ducks show up from everywhere when the environment is good, and can turn a small pond into a manure pit in very little time.
This may lead to teaching your daughter the cycle of life, with you operating the shotgun...
EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
If you are going to use schedule 40 pvc and end caps, with purple primer and clear cement, I wouldn't worry about adding foam to the pipes. I also don't think I would go to the hassle of separate chambers. Just create a square out of four 90's and put some treated wood on top of it. Keep it Simple!!!
How often does schedule 40 fail when glued together properly under pressure? Rarely to never.
I've been thinking of the pros and cons of treated boards, like 5/4 decking with good sized spacing between them compared to a piece of treated plywood for the platform? If you have gaps, will that result in less debris on the platform?
Are you going to build a ramp that goes into the water so they can climb onto the platform?
Will you put nesting material on the platform or rely on them to bring it? Do ducks make nests or do they just flatten an area and use what's there?
Eddie
How often does schedule 40 fail when glued together properly under pressure? Rarely to never.
I've been thinking of the pros and cons of treated boards, like 5/4 decking with good sized spacing between them compared to a piece of treated plywood for the platform? If you have gaps, will that result in less debris on the platform?
Are you going to build a ramp that goes into the water so they can climb onto the platform?
Will you put nesting material on the platform or rely on them to bring it? Do ducks make nests or do they just flatten an area and use what's there?
Eddie
/pine
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2009
- Messages
- 12,450
If you want to be more environmental friendly...you can use cypress rather than treated wood...FWIW
charlz
Elite Member
Ducks are not like chickens.... if you build them a duck house they may or may not use it. They may or may not nest on/in it. My ducks just sleep where ever on the pond shore. If something comes around that they don't like (e.g. dog) day or night they all swim to the center of the pond and quack like crazy.
My ducks prefer to nest in tall grass. They pull in dead grass from immediately around the nest and then line it with feathers/down they pull from themselves. We usually have some growing at different spots around the pond. Sometimes they have gone to the edge of my hay field and nested there. The problem is skunks or whatever come nosing around and usually eat the eggs. This helps keep the duck population down but it is also good to have a few 'replacements' for 'free'. To that end I have thought of building some type of floating 'island' that rode low enough in the water that you could plant grass on it and it would self water by the roots making contact with the water. Presumably the females would then nest there and be safe since it is out on the water. Haven't really put any more thought into it than that. I will say that anything you build would have to be farily low or have a 'swim deck' that is right at water level to make it easier for them to get on. Unlike the wild ducks mine have a hard time getting up onto the ice in the winter... I think domestic ducks ride a little lower in the water than the wild ones... same thing that keeps them flying just a little too well fed
My ducks prefer to nest in tall grass. They pull in dead grass from immediately around the nest and then line it with feathers/down they pull from themselves. We usually have some growing at different spots around the pond. Sometimes they have gone to the edge of my hay field and nested there. The problem is skunks or whatever come nosing around and usually eat the eggs. This helps keep the duck population down but it is also good to have a few 'replacements' for 'free'. To that end I have thought of building some type of floating 'island' that rode low enough in the water that you could plant grass on it and it would self water by the roots making contact with the water. Presumably the females would then nest there and be safe since it is out on the water. Haven't really put any more thought into it than that. I will say that anything you build would have to be farily low or have a 'swim deck' that is right at water level to make it easier for them to get on. Unlike the wild ducks mine have a hard time getting up onto the ice in the winter... I think domestic ducks ride a little lower in the water than the wild ones... same thing that keeps them flying
just a little too well fed
OP
czechsonofagun
Elite Member
Yes, I plan to give them means to get up on the platform such as board with steps on it.
As of now, they sleep on the end of the pier - safety precaution I guess. There is already pile of guano in that spot - where I usually fish from Seems like they sleep on top of the poop, for heat maybe?
I have a deep dislike of treated lumber, will probably use oak or cedar for the platform, with some kind of a shelter on top - and the rest will be up to them.
Sometimes they even sit on the top of my sugarcreek fountain floater when it is not operational, I believe they will adapt anything floating quickly for the safety of it.
As of now, they sleep on the end of the pier - safety precaution I guess. There is already pile of guano in that spot - where I usually fish from
Seems like they sleep on top of the poop, for heat maybe?I have a deep dislike of treated lumber, will probably use oak or cedar for the platform, with some kind of a shelter on top - and the rest will be up to them.
Sometimes they even sit on the top of my sugarcreek fountain floater when it is not operational, I believe they will adapt anything floating quickly for the safety of it.
OP
czechsonofagun
Elite Member
Well, here are our ducks and what they already built on the pier.
