Ducks or No Ducks in the Swimming Pool

[sesa]

Pools are for people, ponds are for ducks

 

[TriciaHowe]

Me personally I would not swim in the same pool my ducks swim in. Duck feces can carry disease and it's just unsanitary in general. I clean out my ducks kiddie pools every day and I am just AMAZED at the amount of mud and poo in there every day.
To each their own though, and if it works for you I certainly won't tell you how to handle your ducks....

I would certainly be worried about the 1st 2 on this list....
The EPA documented the following things in domestic duck poop:

- Fecal coliform bacteria

- Fecal streptococcus bacteria

- High pH

- Suspended solids

- Settleable solids

- Dissolved oxygen

- Potassium

- Phosphorus

- Nitrogen

 

[CityChicker]

I think your pool company is 100% in the right. You should defer to them since they are (at least in theory, LOL!), the experts. I have a pool and the chemistry is always a delicate balance. I can totally see your ducks contaminating their equipment and possibly causing other people problems.

It is so unsanitary. I understand that you don't use your pool, but God knows what it could get in other people's pools. There might even be laws against a company using the same equipment to clean a pool/pond with livestock and then one for people.

The other thing is that they may not seem like much of a mess now. Just wait.

 

[HennysMom]

I agree with your pool company..

I wouldnt swim in my pool (yep..we have one too) if birds swam in it regardless of what type of bird. Birds are dirty, period. Pools are for people to enjoy not birds.

If you're so bent on having them have their own pool - then get them a baby/kiddie pool and let them have that to play in. I wouldnt even let our dog in our pool, he had his own kiddie pool to play in as well. Chemicals arent good for animals - heck, they're barely tolerable for humans.

ETA: I dont even like when little kids are in my pool (like baby ages) because I'm worried they're going to pee in it / poop thier diaper/swimmie LOL let alone a duck pooping in it

 

[Chickenmaven]

It is a really GROSS idea - gross!

 

[English Chick]

Quote:
Ditto!!!!!!

 

[ruth]

Ducks are absolutely filthy - I wouldn't swim in a pool that ducks had been in. If I don't clean my ducks' kiddie pool every couple of days it gets so filthy that even they won't swim in it and wait for me to clean it. I have to scoop out the foul-smelling mud and muck and I put it on the vegetables in my garden, which grow beautifully thanks to all the duck poop.

Duck poop is NOT like leaves, just floating on the surface waiting to be skimmed off. It sinks to the bottom and dissolves in the water contaminating the entire pool.

 

[Davaroo]

Simple: Get the ducks their own little pool and fence off the people pool so they cant get to it..

 

[ruth]

Quote:
Yep, what he said. Or, fence them in their own little pen with kiddie pool and just let them out when you can watch them. If you live on a golf course, with an alligator filled lake, and have a people pool, you really don't want ducks running loose anyway. There will be nothing stopping them from getting in the alligator filled lake.

Oh wait....I think I hear a xylophone playing.

 

[sugarbush]

I would swim in a pool that ducks swim in, no problem.... The filter medium will take care of the organic matter and the chlorine will take care of the bacteria...the chlorine will take care of the ducks too though...

The pool company is not really worried about contaminating their equipment...they just don't like cleaning up after the ducks...They get a set fee to maintain the pool...if they can walk up to one pool, turn on the vacuume, shock the pool and leave, but the next one they have to spend extra time vaccuming and have to hose off the deck for the same money as the first......Pool companies don't ever have a problem with babies in diapers in pools and god knows baby diapers are worse than a few ducks....