How often/how well do you clean ducks' pool?

[Sunny Side Up]

I have a nice sturdy plastic kiddy pool about 4' X 6' for 5 Khaki Campbell ducks & 2 Embden geese. How often & how well does it need to be cleaned?

Right now I drain it (with hoses siphoning the water out to nearby garden beds) every other night. In the morning I *try* to scrub out all the brown residue & the green algae from the bottom & sides & give it a good rinse with the hose before refilling. Over time, however, there seems to be a build-up of algae on the sides & dark brown stuff imbedded in the bottom (the bottom is textured for a non-slip surface for children).

Just how clean do waterfowl need their pools to be? Water-foul is more like it!

 

[Wifezilla]

Sounds like you are doing OK. I only have a few ducks and a 10 gallon tub for them to play it, but that gets emptied every night.

 

[SandraChick]

When my kiddie pool gets too much algae stuff seemingly imbedded in it... I will mix in a couple splashes of bleach.

I do this at night, after I've penned up my ducks. The chlorine will evaporate through the night- so it's safe for the animals in the a.m.

By morning...It's beautiful again and lasts for quite a while.

I also completely scrub it with a brush every weekend.

-Sandra

 

[streemers]

when i used a kiddie pool i would do the same as you. i wouldnt worry 2 much about scrubbing it perfictly clean since ducks also swim in muddy ponds in the wild.

 

[pirtykitty]

I clean my 3's kiddy pool once or twice a week in summer.. Once a week during the winter... More if needed.. we also have it under a drain spout so it gets fresh water inbetween when we get rain.. Have been in drought for months.. but finally getting rain so pool is nice and full with rain water!!!!!

 

[DuckyBoys]

Ditto on the bleach. I don't have as much of a problem in Colorado - but I can imagine it is a constant battle in Florida with all the warm days and sunshine. My bird pools stay pretty algae free - it is the dog pool that gets gross. It is very hard to get off. In the winter I refill water daily (most of the time) and in the summer sometimes twice a day - they get so hot - I like to freshen it up mid day. We have a well, so don't pay for water in case you're wondering how I can afford to do that!

 

[Pretty Pony]

I can't keep the water in the kiddie pool long enough for it to get dirty! By the time the geese get done splashing around, the dogs get in there, too. After a day or two, I have to refill the pool anyway.

 

[Wifezilla]

LOL...good point. I had to check my tub to see if it was leaking. It was just my drake having fun

(Howdy neighbor!)

 

[kees]

I cleaned the kiddie pool every day. It bothered me to see the ducks drinking the same water that they had just soiled.

Suzy

 

[crazy cat lady]

My ducks never had water long enough to get too dirty. I had 7 ducks one time in a small kiddie pool that was hilariious to watch them trying to dunk and clean. By the time they came out of the pool there was hardly any water in the pool. I had to refill thenext day. I usually gave it a good rinse out every 2-3 days, by that time there was a lot of mud in the bottom.