Salt Water Pool???

[treldib]

Our small flock of 4 ducks (they are 4 weeks old: Black Swedish, Golden 300 Hybrid Layer, Khaki Campbell, and White Layer) LOVE to splash around and play in our salt water pool. Is drinking /playing in this, bad for them? Basically we let them out of their pen in the morning and they go straight to the pool, then a *while* later

when they get bored they go off and free-range for the rest of the day. Sometimes we toss peas in for them to eat/splash around even more and have tons of fun. Is accidentaly drinking some while preening and eating their peas detrimental to their health?

 

[CityChicker]

I don't know. That is a good question. I would be more worried about it for your sake than theirs since ducks can spread things like salmonella to people. Aren't they getting your pool just disgusting? I don't know enough about the salt systems to comment on the safety. We actually have a salt generator for our pool that we got as a gift over a year ago and still don't have it hooked up! Everyone tells us we will love it. Do you have a number for the manufacturer that you can call and ask about the safety factor with pets?

 

[treldib]

Quote:
We do love our salt water pool, whenever anyone in the family swims in a regular pool (like at a friend's house) they always complain about how much harder it is to float! Our Laborador has been swimming in it all her life so it seems fine for pets in general but I was unsure about ducks because of how much of it they actually drink while preening and clearing their nostrils.

 

[secretquail]

Animals are sometimes smarter than people. I bet that when they feel dehydrated, they know to drink up the fresh water. I'd watch for signs of dehydration, but otherwise, they are like everyone else and love the salt water. Ducks live along the coast line and do fine, so I wouldn't worry. -but take that with a grain of salt *

* -hehe sorry- this advice IS coming from a quail girl.

 

[Snipes]

I see ducks on natural salt water bodies, but they are of course more common on freshwater ones. I am curious too if salt water is harmful to them?

 

[katharinad]

Ducks can live on both salt and sweet water, regardless of their breed. Their system can handle the salt, even as drinking water. I would still offer then sweet water in addition to their daily fun.

 

[CityChicker]

A salt water pool though is not like a natural body of saltwater. The water passes through a filter and the bond of the salt molecule is broken, releasing chlorine into the water.