Chickens and Kiddie pools

[CoffeeCow]

Sorry if I am asking too many questions here, but my chicks should have hatched/shipped today.

(Happy birthday chicks!!)

My question is, when they are old enough to go out in their coop/run, they will have a run mate. I have a white pond duck, (and 3 rescued wild ducklings that should fly off before the chicks are ready) and he has a kiddie pool that he likes to play and swim in. I know that chicks can drown very easy, but what about adults? I have placed a concrete block in the pool so the ducklings can exit easier, this seems to work very well for them. Would a chicken be smart enough to go for the block to exit the pool should he find himself in it? or should I re-locate the pool (and Mr. 5 Duck duck) to a separate location?

I would hate have a lonely duck, but a duck without a pool... well, aint a happy duck..

 

[CoffeeCow]

Forums are a bit slow this evening =/

 

[slickchik]

I had an adult chicken drown... well, she was a modern game bantam so she was pretty small but it was HEARTBREAKING and I won't EVER take any chances with buckets, pools, ponds, fountains, etc again. It isn't worth it.

 

[CoffeeCow]

So, I should separate the duck from the chickens? Poor Mr. Duck

 

[yotetrapper]

I've lost one adult in a pool. But I've seen numerous others get out of the pool as well. I think the majority will get out. I dont know what size your pool is, but you could go with one of the $10 ones Kmart sells and I'm almost positive any adult chicken could get out of that. The one I saw one drown in was a pretty big, deep, kiddie pool.

 

[CoffeeCow]

Its your classic hard plastic kiddie pool. Its about 6" deep or so I have a flat (1/2 size) concrete block in it so they can have something to stand on to get out.

 

[MuranoFarms]

I have the bottom of a rain barrel in the ground by the coop and I've seen full grown standard chickens run right through it. I've even seen a silkie jump onto the brick inside it to get a drink. lol However, the full sized pond is in the duck enclosure where the chickens can't get to.

 

[spish]

just this week i lost an adult hen to drowning, she fell in the container my donkeys water goes in and couldnt get back out. it was about 50cm deep yet she still drowned.

now i keep the chickens away from any open water containers

i think its not the depth, but the fact once their feathers are wet the weight drags them down

 

[slickchik]

I also think they drown because they get really freaked out. Chickens can actually float like ducks but they panic and struggle to get out, become exhausted and drown. I am just saying that I won't take ANY chances with open water containers. Once is enough.

 

[carrlr]

We have chickens and a duck in the same coop/run. We use a fourty gallon stock tank that the duck swims in and the chickens drink from. This doesn't seem to be a problem for them. I have cinder blocks leading up to the sides so the chickens could get up to the water starting when they were young. Now they fly up. Many farms have stock tanks and ponds and it's a rare site to see an adult chicken drown.