Ducks need quite a bit of clean water. However, because of how ducks operate, it is challenging to keep the water clean without some sort of system set up. You can sometimes find commercial duck waterers designed to help keep the water clean.
With that said, it is often cheaper and easier to build your own. Commercial waterers don’t always work well or fit your needs. However, DIY waterers are often much easier to build, and you can adjust them to fit your needs.
There are many different ways to build a DIY duck waterer. Here are some of our favorite options:
Th 4 DIY Duck Waterer Ideas
1. Plastic Container Waterer by Metzer Farms
| Materials: | Plastic bucket |
| Tools: | Something to cut with |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
With just a plastic container, you can easily make this DIY container. Simply put the lid on the container, cut holes along the side, and then fill it with water. The ducks can stick their heads through the holes to drink, but the water stays clean otherwise. The ducks also can’t dump it, which is a nice added bonus.
The instructions aren’t very detailed, but they don’t need to be. This plan is pretty straightforward.
2. Self-Filling Waterer by Perma Culture News
| Materials: | Bucket, tubing, float valve |
| Tools: | Something to cut with |
| Difficulty: | Medium |
This duck waterer plan is a bit more complicated. However, it is entirely self-watering. Therefore, it requires a bit less maintenance. Depending on the number of ducks and the size of the containers, you could easily leave the ducks for 2–3 days without difficulty.
This plan is exactly like the previous plan. However, it has a few more steps to allow for watering. You will need two buckets—one to act as the waterer and another one for refills.
3. Freeze-Resistant Waterer by Backyard Chickens
| Materials: | PVC pipe, float valve, caulk, scrap wood, zip ties |
| Tools: | ½” bites, power drill, hacksaw |
| Difficulty: | Medium |
This plan works a bit better than others if you live somewhere cold. It constantly has the water moving. Therefore, it will keep it from freezing and keeps the water clean. It doesn’t keep stuff from getting in the water but because it is constantly moving, the dirt and debris shouldn’t spoil the water.
However, because this system is a bit more complicated, it requires more know-how. The instructions are pretty straightforward, though, so even someone without much experience should be able to follow them.
4. Open-top Waterer by Life is Just Ducky
| Materials: | Automatic waterer, PVC pipe, tape/connectors |
| Tools: | Basic home tools |
| Difficulty: | Medium |
This waterer plan is excellent if you’re going on vacation. However, it doesn’t help keep the water clean or anything like that. Therefore, it isn’t as good an option as other plans discussed. The plan is pretty straightforward, but you’ll need to use a lot of pipes and likely adjust the plan to fit your needs. The PVC path will need to be adjusted depending on your setup.
Conclusion
Giving your ducks clean water is vital. Without it, they will quickly perish. While ducks use water for drinking, they also use it for various other reasons. For instance, ducks often clean themselves with their water bowl. Therefore, providing them with clean water constantly is vital for their health.
We provided four plans above for creating your own waterer and they are a fabulous option for those that can’t find something on the commercial market to fit what they need.
Featured Image Credit: Papaya45, Pixabay
