how often should i dump a large kiddie pool?

[Sunny Side Up]

Those plastic pools will last longer if you siphon out the water instead of lifting it to dump. Your back & arms will last longer too!

An easy way to siphon is to place a hose with one end at the bottom of the pool, the other somewhere so the end is even a few inches lower than that. A good way to use the dirty duck water is to have it siphon out into a garden or flower bed. Take another hose connected to a faucet and start water flowing through the end of the other hose in the pool. Keep the ends under the water, when the siphon has begun you can remove the hose that's connected to the faucet.

If you have the time, energy & resources to change the water every day that's great, otherwise you can get away with doing it every 2-3 days without too much trouble.

 

[wpalmisano]

I have 16 mallards. What I did was buy a concrete mixing tub at Home Depot for about 10.00. I put it up next to a pallet and they are happy hopping from the pallet to the tub and back again. I clean and fill it every 24 hours, but it is much smaller than the kiddie pool. They love it, and it keeps them cool in this heat. July 5, it was 105 degrees here and they were fine. I am going to install an overflow pipe to run outside the pen so the mess is less.

 

[dumb_cluck]

I don't dump mine until the water is green. After all, ducks in the wild swim in much more filthy water than we would like.
I know this might seem gross, but I believe in a "natural environment" just in case one or two want to leave.

Besides, they need the "junk" in the water to be happy. They don't want crystal clear swimming pools like us humans.

 

[sydney13]

i found a kiddie pool that is 8 ft and in the pictures it looks huge

im definitely thinking of buying that one for my birds because i know they will love the extra room. its 3 ft deep and i think i remember reading it has a drain. if i dug a ditch and sunk it in to be level with the ground, then when it was time to drain and refill could i just unplug the drain and it would drain out. has anyone tried putting a kiddie pool in the ground?

 

[Katy]

Quote:
Ducks will swim in filthy water if that is all they have, but anyone who's ever seen how they react to nice clean water in their pool would have a hard time saying they prefer poo water over clean water. They don't need "the junk" in the water to be happy.

 

[sydney13]

Quote:
Ducks will swim in filthy water if that is all they have, but anyone who's ever seen how they react to nice clean water in their pool would have a hard time saying they prefer poo water over clean water. They don't need "the junk" in the water to be happy.

i agree

my goose gets excited when she sees me refilling her kiddie pool and will run around flapping and honking.

 

[Big Dreamer]

Quote:
My grubby ducks have a large plastic pool and a small one and it got nasty quick- we also let them use the large drainage ditch behind us, which they loved and THEY got nasty quick (from the mud).
My husband and I worked very hard all weekend and dug out a 10 foot by 8 foot pond, made it about three foot deep in the deepest end, and then shallow on the other.
I spent all day waiting- and the ducks wont go in it. They will finally drink from it- but no way, nope, nada, they are NOT going in.
I even dumped their plastic pools out. Took them away. Still wont go in my new pond.

Maybe try and intise them to go in throw their favorite treat in there or put some fish to make them chase it, or just put them in and let them see its a safde and fun place to be, it may just take a couple of days to get used to. like when my ducks went into the big pen they just kinda stayed in 1 corner for a couple days and then finally they alll sprawled out, and they even put themselves to bed tonight with big momma being the guard infornt of everyone else. but just try everything, like i said it might just need time to get used too because its abigger body of water they might not be used to it being so big, or it might frighten them, just try different things like what i told you and maybe they will warm up to it, just make sure you have a pole or something because if they like it too much then you have to herd them outta the pond, thats what i had to do with my ducks in my pool!!

 

[kathydoolittle]

Quote:

 

[Mom 2em All]

They went in!
Yesterday evening, one of the wild mallards took the plunge..the others waited a few minutes to make sure he didnt get eaten- and then there was NO stopping them! They dove, dashed, "flapped and thought they were flying", and jumped in and out of the water. We really enjoyed watching them.

They have decided they never need to leave the pond. I do have a huge branch/stick that has little branches sticking off the end, like a big scoop, that I use to herd them in when I need to.

They hate that branch. They run, and the brave ones try to jump between the littler branches on the end- doesnt work..

The store was out of feeder fish, but I am going to try today to get some to stock their pond- they will actually have to work to catch the fish in this pond- not like the swimming pool where it was easy. I imagine the little fish going to the bottom saying, "neener neener neener"...

 

[Mom 2em All]

Quote:
Ducks will swim in filthy water if that is all they have, but anyone who's ever seen how they react to nice clean water in their pool would have a hard time saying they prefer poo water over clean water. They don't need "the junk" in the water to be happy.

I agree here! My ducks used to get so excited when I would dump their pool and refill it. They love grabbing at the water as it is coming out of the hose- and when I would fill it fresh, every one of them would quack and flap and run around, then they all would get in. Happy ducks. They love fresh clean cool water.