Putting ducks in dirty pond?

[AlbertaChickens]

I am going to be getting some saxony ducks that our friends want to get rid of,. This will be my first byc/d experience. Now, we have kind of a slewy pond/(still) stream, it has lots of algae, but we are planning to get it moving around a bit with some pumps. Anyways, would it be ok for the ducks to go in there? Or should I just put a kiddy pool in the ground and some garden hose water? Does it have to be filtered r anything special? We have lots of wild ducks around where we live, although even more canadian geese. They swim in murky water, so could my ducks?

 

[Amiga]

I would go with the kiddie pool. In really hot dry weather, such ponds can harbor illnesses like botulism.

 

[LivinOnLove]

In my experience, even though they have a nice clean kiddie pool to 'play' in, if they have access to a pond (even a dirty pond) they will prefer the dirty pond. Last year was our first with ducks and they used their pools well, but had not ventured far enough to find our ponds. This spring they were in their glory (and recently with all our rain again). They have found our pound, and even mamas and duckling prefer to use that. They have actually cleared up/cleaned our pond to some degree! Just thought I'd share another perspective

 

[desertdarlene]

You might want to consider cleaning up the pond if you can. Also, check for and remove snapping turtles or anything else that can hurt your ducks. Other than that, you can use a kiddie pool and block access to the pond. Like previously said, once they find the pond, they will want to use that instead of the pool.

 

[AlbertaChickens]

I think the only danger is tiny little frogs in there. So should I just keep em in the kiddy pool? Oh and I am afraid to free range my poultry because there are hawks and owls and coyotes and such around.

 

[claytonjoyner15]

they will eat and love the frogs. they will also eat the algae and stuff in the pond. they're still ducks, it doesnt matter if its "dirty", they will like it and they should be fine in it