Duck wont use new pond

[rkinley]

A duck adopted us a week or so ago. We love her! She found our TINY old water pan and uses it for her bathing needs. OBVIOUSLY this is unsat, so we bought a small stock waterer and buried it, filled it up and she won't go near it.

Help!! I hate to remove the old small one as it's all the "pond" we have.

We figured out she came from a neighboring property. The people have moved away. They had bought a bunch of chickens and ducks but didn't protect them and bob cats got them. We suspect she is the only survivor, poor baby. Her name is Millie

 

[Miss Lydia]

So sweet of you to keep her. Maybe that’s all she had were she lived before maybe move it over where you made the pond for her. Then she will see the new pond won’t eat her. It’s nice by the way. Had she gone over into that area before you put in the pond for her. Ducks don’t care much for change it takes them a while to accept anything not their norm. I’d like to rec. maybe trying to find her a duck friend too. Another female so she doesn’t get over mated.

 

[sourland]

Try placing the water pan adjacent to the stock waterer for a couple of days, and then empty it, but leave it in place. Hopefully she will become comfortable with the stock tank and necessity will cause her to use it.

 

[quackiemama]

Awww Millie is so cute. Have you tried luring her with mealworms to the new pond. When I added 2 small kiddie pools all of the ducks were huddled in the farthest corner of the run away from it. I made a trail of mealworms and then threw some in the pools and went inside and watched. It took them about 30 minutes but before I knew it they were eating worms from the pool and one by one they started warming up and getting comfortable. After that they accepted the new pools. Snacks make everything better. I don't know if that will work for her but it did for my small flock. I do agree with @Miss Lydia she needs a friend.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Sweet! Could there be a snapping turtle in the pond?

 

[ValerieJ]

Do you have a way to get the stock waterer out of the ground for cleaning? I understand ducks can foul their water in a hurry. I don't have ducks, but my neighbor does and her pools look dirty all the time. She says she changes the water every other day, and if that's true then they are messy indeed.

 

[quackiemama]

They are quite messy indeed but oh so much fun. I have 2 kiddie pools and a stock tank. Kiddie pools get changed every day but tank only every 3 or 4 days. They poop in thier water pretty much just as soon as they get in it. I have a drain hose connected which goes directly to my garden soil. ACV helps keep the water from getting too funky btw in that short of time. And it is good for them anyway. How are you planning on draining your inground tank? That was a good question.

 

[thumper650]

Yes ducks dirty their water in no time!
To get mine to use the larger pool a while back I picked one up and put him in. He hates being picked up but was happy once he hit the water. The others followed suit eventually. I don’t know if you can catch Millie, but that might work.

 

[rkinley]

So sweet of you to keep her. Maybe that’s all she had were she lived before maybe move it over where you made the pond for her. Then she will see the new pond won’t eat her. It’s nice by the way. Had she gone over into that area before you put in the pond for her. Ducks don’t care much for change it takes them a while to accept anything not their norm. I’d like to rec. maybe trying to find her a duck friend too. Another female so she doesn’t get over mated.

Over mated? You mean by our rooster?! I didn't know they would do that.

 

[rkinley]

Yes ducks dirty their water in no time!
To get mine to use the larger pool a while back I picked one up and put him in. He hates being picked up but was happy once he hit the water. The others followed suit eventually. I don’t know if you can catch Millie, but that might work.

So have not been able to catch her.