Ducks, Duckpond, and an Old Billboard Sign

What do billboard signs have to do with ducks or ponds? 

Billboards signs material is tough, rugged and waterproof and measures 14'x48'.  The best part,  old billboard signs are FREE!   This makes it a great liner for a shallow pond. This idea did not originate with us, so we really can't claim any credit, but we are very happy to utilize this great concept and repurpose some "trash".

The dimensions of this pond were determined by two factors.  The size of the billboard/liner and the dimensions of the bucket on our tractor.  Beneath the rather shallow layer of topsoil lies some very solid clay and digging this by hand wasn't an option.
You can see that when these photos were taken, only one side has the edges finished.  This has been completed now and the pond filled.  We added a good portion of water from our aquaponics system to jump start the proper bacterias and last week we stocked it with Bream from a small local fish farm.

We will be growing duck weed, kangkong and some other water vegetables/plants to work as a natural biofilter and uptake the waste produced by the fish.  These items will either be fed to animals, or we will harvest it for ourselves.  What you see floating in the pond now is some kangkong starter plants.

Kangkong is a very mild water spinach and we all love it!  Rabbits, goats, ducks, chickens, and pigs think it is quite a tasty treat, as well.  I doubt that we will ever be able to grow too much.

Our next plan is to fence in this back area around the pond and then open up the smaller duck pen which will attach to the new fenced in portion.  This area will include the the new pond, the five fruit trees we already have planted and we hope to add additional fruit trees in the coming months. The ducks will work as a natural insect/pest control for our small orchard.