CuddleNest
Songster
In the fall and winter, wild ducks and pheasants love the in-ground pool in our back yard...I love watching the ducks float around in the pool and having the chickens stare at them in some kind of panic. It's somehow hilarious. However, in the winter, we just leave the pool as it is, no chemicals, no cover, so that animals can get out if they fall/swim in. In the spring and summer, we clean it heavily (debris removal, adding fresh water) and use chlorine to get/keep the pool clean enough for us to go in.
My muscovy duck(ling)s (9.5 weeks old today) were really eyeing the pool up last weekend...even standing on the edge. They didn't go in. Then for a few days, I saw them doing some scouting around the pool, duck-style reconnoitering...and I began to get concerned. Still, I thought it would be safe now that it was rather rainy and because just yesterday, I put a pond in for them...a deep POND right where the kiddy pool was that the lady duck so loved....
but alas...
Today they were guzzling the water out of the pool!!!! I just put fresh chlorine tablets in on the weekend, and surely with the cloudy weather, it hasn't degraded under the sun, meaning..I'm rather sure the chlorine levels are still people-swimming-pool high. Somewhere I read that if ducks drink that kind of water, it could cause kidney damage. Is it dangerous for ducks to ingest chlorinated pool water? It's impossible for me to believe that they would go into the pool and not be guzzling the water...so I guess that it just the next step. I suspect they will case it tomorrow for exit strategies and other features. It's supposed to rain, as least someone would enjoy the pool. But I'm very worried about the toxicity of the pool water. I would appreciate any advice! If it is indeed dangerous, I probably need a solution, either for making it safer for them by using different pool chemicals (not ready for salt water pool yet, though) or somehow barricading it. The prospects of barricading them from my pool, especially as lady duck is now making a literal duck runway down the yard and attempting to take off into flight, seem futile.
My muscovy duck(ling)s (9.5 weeks old today) were really eyeing the pool up last weekend...even standing on the edge. They didn't go in. Then for a few days, I saw them doing some scouting around the pool, duck-style reconnoitering...and I began to get concerned. Still, I thought it would be safe now that it was rather rainy and because just yesterday, I put a pond in for them...a deep POND right where the kiddy pool was that the lady duck so loved....
but alas...
Today they were guzzling the water out of the pool!!!! I just put fresh chlorine tablets in on the weekend, and surely with the cloudy weather, it hasn't degraded under the sun, meaning..I'm rather sure the chlorine levels are still people-swimming-pool high. Somewhere I read that if ducks drink that kind of water, it could cause kidney damage. Is it dangerous for ducks to ingest chlorinated pool water? It's impossible for me to believe that they would go into the pool and not be guzzling the water...so I guess that it just the next step. I suspect they will case it tomorrow for exit strategies and other features. It's supposed to rain, as least someone would enjoy the pool. But I'm very worried about the toxicity of the pool water. I would appreciate any advice! If it is indeed dangerous, I probably need a solution, either for making it safer for them by using different pool chemicals (not ready for salt water pool yet, though) or somehow barricading it. The prospects of barricading them from my pool, especially as lady duck is now making a literal duck runway down the yard and attempting to take off into flight, seem futile.
