Scummy pond

[humblehillsfarm]

Can I let ducks go in a scummy pond? It stinks like sewer water due to stagnation and leaf debris. I don't plan on letting them go in... but just today a friend told me they got a pair of swans to manage their pond algae.... Can ducks do the same thing?

 

[KaleIAm]

I would imagine all the duck poop would make the algae situation worse, as algae is a plant and plants eat poop. I don't understand how it would be different with swans, but I don't know much about swans.

If you are experiencing an odor from your pond I would avoid allowing your ducks into it. I would be worried about bacteria and fungus. My ducks drink lots of their swimming water.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

I would imagine all the duck poop would make the algae situation worse, as algae is a plant and plants eat poop. I don't understand how it would be different with swans, but I don't know much about swans.

If you are experiencing an odor from your pond I would avoid allowing your ducks into it. I would be worried about bacteria and fungus. My ducks drink lots of their swimming water.

My intent was to keep them fully enclosed in a run. I never even wanted ducks until we could fix the pond, but here we are lol. The pond wasn't maintained for a good 20+ years so it is surrounded by trees that need cut down. All the sludge needs dug out, and it's underground spring fed so we need a pump for it.

 

[Suprasoup]

Though somewhat rare there is an increased risk of avian botulism in stagnant anaerobic ponds. The danger increases as we move into warmer weather. I would recommend you clean up the pond before introducing ducks. Remove the organic debris, replace the water with fresh and heavily oxygenate the water via a pump or a large air bubbler. That should make the pond safe again for your ducks.

pics would be helpful