Living with Ducks

If you plan to relocate a family of ducks, you must first catch the mom. Without the mom, the babies are orphaned. To catch the mother, since she can fly, you have to either net her or trap her in a sheltered area. Once the mother is contained, catch the babies. When you go to release them make sure you let the babies go first then let the mother go so she is facing the babies and sees them.

Baby ducklings cannot survive if they get wet from swimming in a bath tub or swimming pool or big container of water without their mother to regulate their temperature. This is the number one cause of death in orphaned ducklings since people think this is the thing to do for them.

12 Simple Tips for Keeping Ducks Away From Your Pool

Updated on May 17, 2019

Most of these tips are not only effective, but they're cost efficient too. You shouldn't have to break the bank to take back your pool.

Are you having problems with wild ducks or geese hovering around your pool? Sure, they may be cute to look at or fun to watch, but problems can arise when you start to find bird droppings or can't enjoy your pool in peace and quiet. Plus, if you see a pair of birds swimming, chances are they will soon begin mating and laying eggs in your yard. Before this happens, you need to scare them off. Here are some simple tips that anyone can do to prevent birds from ever landing in your pool. Some of these tips will also work for keeping them out of your yard/garden.

How to Keep Ducks out of Your Pool

1. Put out Some Animal Pool Toys When You're Not Around

Wild ducks do not like predator-infested waters. Keep certain inflatable animal toys—alligators, killer whales, snakes, and dolphins—in the pool when you're not using it to scare off ducks. However, this method does not always work. Once the ducks learn that the floating thing is not really a threat, they will come right back.

2. Invest in a Solar Cover

Solar covers are usually used to prevent water evaporation and trap solar radiation, which increases the water temperature by up to 15 degrees. They come in all shapes and sizes, so you can find one that best fits your pool. Make sure you buy one that actually fits so ducklings don't manage to sneak in and get stuck.

Using a solar cover will not only make your pool warmer and prevent leaves and debris from falling into it, but it is also a great way to prevent wild ducks from swimming in the water and pooping in it.

3. Own a Dog

If fake predators don’t work, then use a live predator. Having a dog will easily solve your duck-infestation problem. Ducks are easily scared, and dogs are one of their predators. Just seeing or hearing your pet will have these ducks fleeing out of your pool. This is more of a reactive method, but it can still be effective.

It is important to remember though that not all dogs readily chase and bark at ducks. And not all ducks are easily scared of dogs, so you may need to train your dog to chase away those quacking ducks every time.

4. Install an Automatic Pool Cleaner

If your dog is too lazy, you can always rely on a machine to do the job. The principle is the same. Since ducks are easily scared, having an automatic cleaner will prevent them from ever landing in your pool. Even the sound of a vacuum can easily scare them off.

5. Buy Duck Off

Though using unwanted chemicals may seem a bit discouraging, Duck Off is actually safe to use and works. It is a product by the Lo-Chlor company that breaks the surface tension of the water, making it uncomfortable for ducks to swim. For those of you who don't want to put extra chemicals into your pool, use this as a last resort.

6. Use a Motion-Activated Sprinkler

These sprinklers will spray water once they sense motion around them. This is a great way to scare off the birds since the sudden spray of water will catch them off guard.

7. Plant Tall Shrubs and Avoid Planting Fruit-Bearing Plants

Ducks avoid areas with tall vegetation where they cannot easily spot predators. So instead of planting short perennials around your poolside, plant tall shrubs. Also, avoid planting fruit-bearing plants like berries and nuts because the trees and bushes will provide the fowl with a food source.

8. Set up Scary Eye Balloons

These balloons float in the water and are designed to look like large eyes. Wild ducks usually hate those eyes as they represent a predator’s eye on the watch. This might just do the trick and add some ornament to your pool. You can either buy them or make your own.

9. Remove Anything That Might Attract Birds

While bird feeders and flowers make your yard look more attractive, they are likely resulting in birds taking up residence in your backyard. Another reason for this is that if you feed the ducks with a bird feeder, you're just giving them more reason to return.

10. Use an Ultrasonic Pet Repellent

If you're dealing with other creatures besides ducks, it might be worth it to buy a pet repellent. These inexpensive machines emit a high-frequency sound that humans can’t hear but that is highly irritating to birds. The sound effect is harmless to wildlife and simply works to shock the animal into flight so it doesn’t get too comfortable.

If you don't maintain your pool, you're just asking for birds to make a home in it. | Source

11. Maintain Your Pool

If you don't ensure your pool always has enough chlorine and isn't full of floating debris, you're more likely to have some new residents. Clean water doesn’t have the same appearance or smell as pond water, which is what ducks prefer. You should also upkeep the area around the pool.

12. Set up Plastic Owls

Since owls are a natural predator of ducks, set a few plastic decoys up around the pool to scare them off. For this to effectively work though, it's best to invest in a decoy that hoots and makes simple physical movements like head turns.

Why Do They Like Pools?

Since ducks migrate north for the warmer months, they are looking for a body of water to nest. Pools provide a great sanctuary since they both provide an adequate amount of water and appear to be "safe" from predators.

Why You Need to Keep Ducks out

• A presence of wildlife, including birds, increase the risk of germs and disease such as Crypto, E.coli, Salmonella. Fortunately, most types of bacteria die quickly once they come into contact with the chlorine—this is why it's so important to maintain your pool and its chlorine levels.
• While nitrates and phosphates are naturally occurring contaminant to pools, ducks and other birds can contaminate them even more.
• Once these animals take up residence, it will be hard to get them to leave.

Is Pool Water Safe for Ducks?

• They'll naturally want to drink large amounts of the chlorinated water, which can, in turn, cause irreparable damage to their kidneys.
• Pools are especially dangerous for ducklings since they have no oils in their "down" when they hatch. This can cause them to become waterlogged and drown in the water if they have no way to escape. If you are unable to scare away the ducks, you might want to give them a ramp to avoid the above situation. Once the little ones are old enough to leave, guide them to a local pond or lake.

Warning

Under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, when birds are migrating, you are not allowed to shoot or harm them.

If you have ducks visiting or staying in your pool, just scare them away. They are just looking for a place to swim, feed, and reproduce. There is no reason for you to kill them just because they are swimming and pooping in your pool. It is always best to prevent them from being there in the first place.

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