Algaecide & wet feather!

PicklesMom

Songster
Jul 28, 2018
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Central MA
Hello,
The filter on our pond broke, and when the helpful repairman came to fix it last week he dumped a bunch of some algaecide in without asking. He assured me it was safe for the ducks, obviously I wasn't convinced. I think it was just way too much, as the pond has been cloudy and foam since. Anyway. Over the last week I've drained about a foot of water off of it twice and refilled it but it still looks cloudy. Today I felt so badly for my poor ducks, locked inside for a week, that I tried to let them out and they were in the pond before I could stop them. I got them out ASAP but they're drenched! Soaked through! I'm assuming whatever was in the algaecide stripped their feathers.
I'm totally draining the pond now, and I plopped each one in a trough of fresh water right away to rinse them off. Luckily it will be in the 90's all week so cold isn't an issue.
I don't even know what I'm asking, I'm just so frustrated.
Do I just treat this like regular wet feather? Has anyone else dealt with this situation?
I'm trying not to freak out about whatever other health effects this could have...I have no idea what algaecide it was. This was the pond right before they jumped in.
 

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Thanks Miss Lydia - they look normal when dry and the ducks are acting ok. I've seen @Isaac 0 mention on other threads that Dawn is best only when ducks are visibly dirty, so not sure if I should just leave them be for a few days. We left a message with the pond guy to figure out what on earth it was, but no returned calls.

Still waiting for ducks to be easier than chickens as I was promised :rolleyes:
 
Thanks Miss Lydia - they look normal when dry and the ducks are acting ok. I've seen @Isaac 0 mention on other threads that Dawn is best only when ducks are visibly dirty, so not sure if I should just leave them be for a few days. We left a message with the pond guy to figure out what on earth it was, but no returned calls.

Still waiting for ducks to be easier than chickens as I was promised :rolleyes:
I guess I also wonder if the algaecide, which I'm thinking was a "surfactant" type based on the foamy pond water, has done what the Dawn would have normally done anyway? Remembering back to my soap = surfactant in biology class.
 
Keep them out of the pool, of course. But, do not take away clean bathing water, as that is the main stimulation for preening, which is what you want right now so they can redistribute the lost oils back onto their coat.
I agree with @Miss Lydia , and would also leave them be for a few days
Thanks so much @Isaac 0 & @Miss Lydia, you're both so generous with your time & knowledge. They have their drinking water pans that they love to sit in and I've seen them preening, and I'm going to let them out in the yard with a small kiddie pool now (the pond is 100% empty).
 
Thanks so much @Isaac 0 & @Miss Lydia, you're both so generous with your time & knowledge. They have their drinking water pans that they love to sit in and I've seen them preening, and I'm going to let them out in the yard with a small kiddie pool now (the pond is 100% empty).
Feathers look ok, but they don't want to hop into the water so I can't say how waterproof they are.
 

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