ducks in my swimming pool

[debcampbell]

I have 3 young pekin ducks that are free range in my large yard (8 acres). My problem is that they insist on swimming in my pool which is a salt water pool rather than the chlorine pool. I have provided them a kiddie pool that has fresh water. How can I stop them from entering the pool, Im concerned with their health, I am hoping that they will not drink the water but how can I be sure of that???

 

[Lazy Farmer]

welcome to byc. In Fl, it is required to have a fence around any in ground pool. To prevent drowning.
Your pool is not fenced in and your are not in Fl. obviously.

I hope you enjoy the site as much as I do. Good luck with keeping your pool clean..

 

[debcampbell]

Thanks but I am worried that they may drink the salt water which is lethal if they do.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Thanks but I am worried that they may drink the salt water which is lethal if they do.

I don't think it is. If it is safe for humans to swim in it, it can't be.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Fencing is the only way to keep the ducklings out or pen them up. I don't see any other option.

 

[gilbert2]

Hello, Deb. Nice to meet you.
In my experience with live animals, especially ducks, they all seem to know if something is horribly wrong to eat. Of course this is not a solid rule; my dog would probably eat enough chocolate to kill him, if given the chance. But the drinking of salt water seems pretty un-doable, simply due to its bad taste.
If you want to be absolutely sure (and safe), the pool needs to have a fence around it.
I assume that your kiddie pool is sitting on the ground. This presents a barrier to entry, since they would have to get over the height of the pool's wall to enter. Your chlorine pool does not have this vertical barrier, right? I can't help but wonder if the kiddie pool would be more inviting to them if it was sunken into the ground. I know--that's a lot of digging. Still, most of us would dig the hole, if it meant making the kiddie pool more inviting. Besides, when your big pool gets a fence around it, you'll have to make some changes to the kiddie pool anyway--like digging it into the ground.

 

[imnukensc]

I think making a small ramp for the ducks to get into the kiddie pool would be much easier than digging a hole.

 

[gilbert2]

Imnu, I agree, except when I tried that a couple of years ago, my ducks just could not comprehend the ramp!!! Even when I put a line of peas going up the ramp, not a single one of them could grasp the answer to getting in the pool. I tried it for two weeks, then gave up, and went back to tossing them into the water by hand.
They all learned how to exit the pool (a horse watering bowl, about 4' in diameter) by flapping and sort of tumbling out. If not graceful, at least effective.

 

[gilbert2]

For Miss Lydia: OK, I finally took some photos of my new outside coop. They like it there. Some day soon, I will open the door on the outside of the roofed house, and let them go outside, under supervision. Their pool is outside the coop, too, and they have used it already, if I pick them up and put them in the pool. Man alive, do they ever love to be in the water!!
The pictures of them in the sink were taken one week ago. Amazing how fast they grow! If you look at the turbulence of the water, you can tell how much "swimming" they are doing, and splashing! The Cayuga drake specializes in swimming underwater. He goes for two laps around the sink at a time! Theat's him in the bottom sink photo, standing up in the water.
In the very bottom photo, look at the crop on my Welshie!! She just ate, and she looks like someone blew up a balloon inside of her. She is in profile.

Thanks for looking!
Gil

 

[Miss Lydia]

Never ceases to amaze me how fast they grow. They are beautiful Gilbert Very healthy and happy by looking at pics.