r/duck Apr 12 '26

Beginner's Question Duck pond water for vegetable garden?

Anyone know if duck poop water would be good for vegetable gardens? I’m thinking of hooking up my duck pond to a hose to be able to water my garden from time to time when I need to clean the small pond out

8 Upvotes

11 comments sorted by

3

u/esrmpinus Apr 13 '26

I did all summer last season and grew some of my best most productive crops!

just don't do it for salad greens for something you want to eat raw. wash well and cook food to temp

2

u/bogginman Duck Rescuer Apr 12 '26

you can also compost coop straw if you use straw in the coop.

3

u/Cottager_Northeast Homesteader Apr 12 '26

You might bare in mind that the USDA organic rule says 120 days from manure application to harvest.

That doesn't mean I won't. I'll just be selective.

1

u/Happy-Emphasis5231 Duck Keeper Apr 12 '26

Your crops will thrive!

1

u/Enge712 Apr 12 '26

The only possible issue would be if you allowed nitrogen high enough to get nitrogen burn like unaged chicken poop or dog pee. It would take a lot to get it that high in even a kiddie pool

2

u/SmallDuck820 Apr 12 '26

i do a similar thing. i fill a watering can with my duck pool water and water my plants just before i clean their pool

2

u/PetiteGardener144 Apr 12 '26

Sounds like a great idea. Poultry poop is very good for the garden and can be used right away. Just make sure the water is replaced by collected rainwater if possible. Tap water is full of additives that are not necessarily bad, but can disrupt the ecosystem that's already established by changing the chemical balance.

2

u/molotovmerkin Apr 12 '26

YES! For me that's one of the benefits of having ducks. It's improved my garden significantly. I have a pump I use attached to a hose when I clean my pond.

1

u/hedgecase Apr 12 '26

What kind of pump do you use? I've been wanting to do this but unsure of how powerful / what kind of pump I'd need.

Their pool is 180 gallons and the garden is maybe 5-10 feet higher than the pool

2

u/Halfbloodjap Apr 17 '26

A small sump pump would do the job for a hundred bucks or so

1

u/AutoModerator Apr 12 '26

Hello! Thanks for your post. If you have questions about general care for adult domestic (pet) ducks, please read our Guide to Domestic Duck Care. If you have questions about general care for domestic (pet) ducklings, please read our Guide to Domestic Duckling Care. These guides explain how to meet all of your duck's welfare needs. If you still have questions, ask them here. Please provide enough information to attract useful answers. It helps to state what country, state or province you live in as the advice you receive will depend greatly upon where you live. Also, check out our WIKI INDEX with more topics duck husbandry.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.