Ducks only go for dirty water

[Plague]

Ok, as the title says, I'm dumbfounded. We now have 16 ducks and 2 drakes. Up until last few weeks at this point we had them a kiddie pool which we cleaned nearly daily, atleast every other day. Also have provided buckets of clean water. Also made a waterer out of a 5 gallon bucket for them. They use to drink and dirty it all daily. We had a hole we dug last year to start a pond. We quickly kind of gave up digging it by hand, so it has sat there for awhile. Until last couple weeks the ducks just took turns in the pool or buckets. Now they have completely stopped using the buckets of clean water, the pool literally sat for over three days clean. They have all decided they prefer the "pond". I figured they would dirty it and move on, but they continue only swimming and drinking the nasty water. I am getting concerned as I'm sure at this point it is just the worst thing for them. We broke down and doubled the size the other day, but even still it really is small I think. Should I really be that concerned, if they have nice clean water and they are just choosing that instead? Only thing I know is to buy a pump and pump it out or something so they can't swim in it until we get an excavator and get some filtration setup or something. They really love their little pond though. They literally had made some mini ponds themselves around their kiddie pool they would sit in and splash and mud it to make it bigger. On a good note we finally have one Duck laying! Attached is a picture of it and another with all but a few that just snoozing in the shade right now.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

My husband calls ducks "feathered pigs". They love muddy sloppy messes to dig, play and swim in. Biologically speaking unless the water is contaminated with something toxic a ducks system is made to drink and swim in just about anything.

 

[ExoticPetOwner]

The ducks are always going to be dirty. They poop every 15 minutes. The water won't be clear when you have ducks or any poultry, in general. You can get a few filters if you desire. However, it's never going to look clean. As long as the water is clean and you don't allow pests to breed and lay eggs in the water, the ducks should be fine.

 

[Plague]

My husband calls ducks "feathered pigs". They love muddy sloppy messes to dig, play and swim in. Biologically speaking unless the water is contaminated with something toxic a ducks system is made to drink and swim in just about anything.

Yeah I mean, it is just a hole that started with clean water, really it is just the fact they seem to now refuse clean water for this water, and I know how dirty they could get their pool. This hole I have no way to just dump it out like we did with the pool. I have the 5 gallon bucket waterer I made for them like the pool they use to use right by their food, yet they literally run past it to drink that dirty water lol.

 

[Plague]

The ducks are always going to be dirty. They poop every 15 minutes. The water won't be clear when you have ducks or any poultry, in general. You can get a few filters if you desire. However, it's never going to look clean. As long as the water is clean and you don't allow pests to breed and lay eggs in the water, the ducks should be fine.

Yeah I know what you mean, we have did at times clean their kiddie pool out two times a day. We kinda gave up on that as you said 15 min later it looked just as dirty, so we just did the daily or bi-daily kiddie pool cleaning, but the issue is the rain filled the hole and since they just refused you get in their kiddie pool or drink from it like all the other clean water we provide. I already know nothing they can get their bills into or themselves into will ever look clean, they showed us that last year lol.

 

[CoMtns]

I watched my husband fill up the kiddie pool for our five ducks. Stand there like a man surveying his domain. Only to turn around and watch the ducks stomping around in the mud. The look of betrayal on his face was absolutely precious. Ducks are gonna duck.

 

[Plague]

I watched my husband fill up the kiddie pool for our five ducks. Stand there like a man surveying his domain. Only to turn around and watch the ducks stomping around in the mud. The look of betrayal on his face was absolutely precious. Ducks are gonna duck.

That sounds about right. I have since closed the "pond" until we can dig it out more, line it and get some filtration setup. They couldn't stand to wait this morning until I had their pool filled up before they was in and trying to splash me ha.

 

[Bubblewrap]

Supposedly you can gley a pond with ducks and naturaly seal it. I would like to give it a go someday but i don't have space for a pond right now.

 

[Plague]

Supposedly you can gley a pond with ducks and naturaly seal it. I would like to give it a go someday but i don't have space for a pond right now.

Yeah, it actually holds water real well, digging looks like a lot of clay in the soil. I figured lining would be better on a filtration setup.