Just a little warning about ducks, pools and winter time.

[mstricer]

So my BF went out to let our ducks out. Weather was supposed to be I'm 40's . Do we think we will let them swim. Well their pool was frozen a little. Do BF breaks up ice to make a hole to put the de-icer in. He came back in and went back out 30 minutes later. As here was rounding corner noticed ducks outside of pool quacking. He found our little female under the ice dead. We never thought the would get stuck under the ice. So please if your pools aren't all the way thawed, don't let them near it. My was a call duck.
Michele

 

[Smiles-N-Sunshine]

Oh, no!!!

So sorry to hear that, Michelle! But thank you for sharing this important information.

Bryan

 

[newbyduckmom]

Sorry about your loss, Michele. We too had freezing weather and a frozen pond last week. The ducks decided to take an unplanned trip to the pond. I followed them...found out it was indeed a danger. One end was frozen, one was not. In their frenzied happy-to-be-in the pond play, had one duck swim under water and under the ice. I as standing there with a long bamboo pole and broke the ice, so she was fine. But had I not been there.....

 

[Imp]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

Imp- such a timely reminder

 

[JulieNKC]

I am so sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing, hopefully it will help prevent someone else going through the same thing.

 

[Oregon Blues]

You are putting de-icer in the ducks' swimming water? Water that they are going to be drinking?

 

[mstricer]

You are putting de-icer in the ducks' swimming water? Water that they are going to be drinking?

It is an electric de-icer.
Newbyduckmom, I'm glad you were there. I think that is what our girl did.. thank you to everyone. Ducks are crazy. Ours hadn't been I the water for two days and wanted to get cleaned up.

 

[Going Quackers]

oh how sad

I don't have any de-ice heaters for my pools.. if they really have to swim.. they sneak into the horse water trough

 

[Sweetfolly]

Oh, how awful!

I give my Calls shallow pans of water to swim in during the winter, and we refill them twice a day so they have a chance to get clean and preen themselves and keep their feathers in tip-top winter shape. The water freezes up fast when it's as cold as it is right now here in WI (last week, pretty much every night was below 0, highs in the teen and twenties during the day), and I've had a couple of my Calls get their breast feathers frozen into the ice, trapping them in the water pan until we check on them and get them unstuck. Just so thankful that the worse damage we've suffered so far is a few lost feathers!

Winter sucks with birds. I'm sooooo looking forward to spring!

 

[Miss Lydia]

So my BF went out to let our ducks out. Weather was supposed to be I'm 40's . Do we think we will let them swim. Well their pool was frozen a little. Do BF breaks up ice to make a hole to put the de-icer in. He came back in and went back out 30 minutes later. As here was rounding corner noticed ducks outside of pool quacking. He found our little female under the ice dead. We never thought the would get stuck under the ice. So please if your pools aren't all the way thawed, don't let them near it. My was a call duck.
Michele