Ducks are playing in our waste ditch..ugh!

[MyMonsters91]

Okay, so for the last few days I've been allowing my ducks and chickens to free-roam. We had almost a week straight of rain and bitter cold and now the sun is shining so I've been letting them go wild. I was fine with the idea of my ducks slopping around and drinking mud water (honestly, I'm surprised they haven't ran over to my neighbors field, he has a low part of land that tends to flood when it rains, but they've never tried leaving our yard boundries). However, I'm out with my kids playing in the back yard for the first time since the weather went cold and I'm watching my ducks.. and they're swimming in our rain-filled waste ditch. Now, I know, most of it's probably just rain-off, but it is the waste ditch, so yeah.. ew!

Should I be concerned? I honestly don't know how I can prevent this except to keep them in the run.. I haven't been filling their pool because our hose tends to freeze and I'm stuck lunging the bucket of clean water out each morning for the chickens and ducks to drink. I think I'll have to figure something out, though, if this is their idea of water playing... But even still, how could I get them to play in the pool vs the ditch if they have their mind made up?

Any help would be appreciated. lol. There's only 4 of them, all drakes. They really did look happy, lol.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

Probably nothing to worry about. I would start keeping their pool filled and hope they choose it over the ditch, if they do not I doubt their is anything to be done.
To continue using your hose in the winter. Fill your pool as normal, once full unscrew the hose from the faucet. Take your hose and put one end up on a tree branches or hook (My husband screwed a hook into the side of his shed for this. Then pull the hose through the hook. This ensures the hose gets completely drained and no water in it to freeze.

 

[MyMonsters91]

Probably nothing to worry about. I would start keeping their pool filled and hope they choose it over the ditch, if they do not I doubt their is anything to be done.
To continue using your hose in the winter. Fill your pool as normal, once full unscrew the hose from the faucet. Take your hose and put one end up on a tree branches or hook (My husband screwed a hook into the side of his shed for this. Then pull the hose through the hook. This ensures the hose gets completely drained and no water in it to freeze.

Great idea with the hose

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

Great idea with the hose

Thank you it is how we keep our cattle watered in the winter.

 

[TheDan]

I guess it depends on what sort of waste we're talking about. Some waste is yuckier than others lol