What's the deal with dirt?

[reluctant farmer]

First time duck owners, we have 2, 5 weeks old. When I fill their pool they take dirt in their beaks and put it in the water over and over again. The next day when I change the water there's an inch of mud in the pool. Just seems like a weird thing to do. They eat fine and look healthy. Very active and loud. We were wondering if it's normal activity. Sallie and Knight

 

[sylviethecochin]

Completely normal. Ducks are feathered pigs in more than one sense of the phrase.

 

[DuckyDonna]

I found a way around that! See my avatar? I put down landscape cloth, then the pallet the pool is on, surrounded by rocks and then little river rock pebbles. I get no mud anymore, just poop! Hey, it's a step in the right direction!

 

[reluctant farmer]

I found a way around that! See my avatar? I put down landscape cloth, then the pallet the pool is on, surrounded by rocks and then little river rock pebbles. I get no mud anymore, just poop! Hey, it's a step in the right direction!

Very good idea! Did you install a drain? I can do something like that.

 

[DuckyDonna]

Very good idea! Did you install a drain? I can do something like that.

Not in that pink pool but I will have when they graduate to a bigger pool. I just bail the water out the back of the run with a bucket and with a pool that small it only takes a few minutes to do. The water pretty much stays outside the run so we don't have mud. I've got Leyland cypress trees out there that love the water so it's not a complete waste for sure.

 

[City Farmer Jim]

They are blinded by the neon pink and trying to stop the need for sunglasses by covering it in mud. To para phrase Jaque Coustoeu(very loosely) "why do ducks do what they do" lol. I'm still trying to figure out chickens LOL

 

[Guernsy]

I found a way around that! See my avatar? I put down landscape cloth, then the pallet the pool is on, surrounded by rocks and then little river rock pebbles. I get no mud anymore, just poop! Hey, it's a step in the right direction!

I love your idea. We have a similar setup while we are in the process of researching a better pond with a filter system solution. We actually dug a hole in the ground and inserted the kiddie pool, placed rocks and stepping stones around it. How did you build your ramp? Do you have a ramp inside the pool too? Right now, my ducks (2 runners and 2 pekins) can just plop in, getting out seems a little more difficult. I put a couple of large rocks on one side, however, they seem to miss them or want to get out on another side and struggle sometimes. The pool is not deep so I am not really worried about them drowning, they can stand up but it would be nice if they can get in and out.

 

[Guernsy]

To continue the original question. I was actually wondering the same thing.
My 4 ducks are mud eaters. They have everything they could possibly want, a pool that has a mud barrier (explained above, so they can not put mud in it), several other water containers so they have fresh water to drink (also on stone) and several food containers. However, the pekins, which are white ducks, always have muddy heads and beaks. Can't figure it out. First thing they do, when I let them out, eat mud, run over to one of the water containers and drink. Run back to the mud, eat, run back and drink. Rinse and repeat. Stone protection or not. Despite the different clean water options, they still prefer to drink out of the muddy one. At the end of the day, I have two black runners and two white pekins with black heads due to mud. Why is mud so tasty to them? They mud up their food too.

 

[416bigbore]

As a Newbie I have wondered that very same thing myself. I am guessing it's a normal duck behavior?

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

I call my ducks, "my little piggies".