How Do You Relocate A Baby Duck
Gradually move the crate of ducklings to the shed and put them just inside the open door, facing toward the opening so the mother can see and hear them. Once she is focused on them and pacing near the shed door, move the crate deeper into the shed and then leave the shed. Always move slowly and quietly, no eye contact.
Hang Some Shiny Objects
Some birds love shiny, sparkly objects and will steal what they can when they can if its shiny and able to fit in their little pockets. Some birds are scared of shiny things.
Shiny, sparkly, reflectors have helped some people deter ducks. As ducks and birds are quite skittish, reflections can make them jump and hop right out of the pool.
This doesnt mean you put glitter in the pool though, please dont do that. Instead, try putting shiny metallic objects, like CD discs and mirrors, around the pool. In trees, on the fence, wherever you can. Again, the only downside of this option is that it wont often work at night.
Make It Difficult For Them To Swim With A Water Surfactant
Its not inhumane, but dont use this if theres ducklings about in the area. Using a water surfactant makes the water harder to swim in and can cause smaller ducklings to drown. We dont want this.
This surfactant acts to push all the dirt and debris to the side of the pool, essentially creating a surface tension layer in the pool which makes it harder for birds to swim in because it reduces the effectiveness of floating.
Birds will not have an enjoyable time in your pool with this water surfactant and when they eventually realize theyre not enjoying themselves, theyll leave to find somewhere they can relax a bit more in the water.
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How Do I Get Rid Of Ducks In My Pool
Finding any bird in your pool is unsanitary as all birds can carry a wide range of diseases such as salmonella, E. coli bacteria and bird flu. The ducks will be shedding disease and dropping faeces in your pool. When your pool is correctly sanitized with chlorine or another sanitizer the contaminants are destroyed and your pool is still safe for swimming. However, you dont want animal faeces, bacteria and viruses in the pool.
Its obvious that ducks are attracted to the water in your pool but if they drink too much water for too long it may kill them. Remember your pool water contains chlorine, cyanuric acid, algaecide and maybe salt. All of those chemicals will eventually poison the ducks.
Never try to harm the ducks as mostly they are a protected species in many jurisdictions and they serve a useful purpose in our waterways by eliminating other pests. Dont try to capture the birds and move them somewhere else as this will only be stressful to the ducks.
Try some of the following tactics to encourage the ducks to move on.
Pool Cover
The best solution to the problem is to install a pool cover so the birds cannot access the water. A basic floating solar pool cover will keep out ducks and keep your pool water warm and free of debris.
I always recommend a pool cover for an inground pool because it prevents so many issues and saves money for pool owners.
Automatic Pool Cleaner
Inflatable Pool Toys
Loud Noises
Keep Your Dog Outside
Entice the Ducks to another Location
Ways To Keep Ducks Out Of Your Pool And Yard
Sure, the sight of a few ducks swimming around in your backyard pool is pretty heartwarming, at first. But if you dont intend on running a backyard zoo, then you already know that they cant stay for long. Yes, theyre small, fuzzy, and cute to look at, but your pool isnt a local pond, and therefore no place for a duck to call home.
And lets not forget about the other big reason ducks cant stick around:
They poop, a lot. Wherever they land.
And like most birds, ducks can carry parasites in their droppings, which can spread through contact and even be harmful to humans.
So with that said, what steps should you take when you find ducks swimming in your pool?
Well in this post, we share a few great tips on how to keep ducks out of your yard and swimming pool. And while ducks flying south for winter is inevitable, if you follow the tips in this post, you can prevent them from calling your pool their home.
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How Should You Safely Handle Ducks That Simply Will Not Leave
It is important to note that The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 and State laws protect all native
waterfowl in the United States, including migratory and resident Canada geese. That means you have to be very careful about how you attempt to banish these birds from your pool.
To keep the ducks and geese safe as well as you, dont attempt to handle them or even shoo them. What I have found to work are floaties. Pick up a bunch of beachballs, large floating sharks, alligators also work well. And if you dont have access to those, simple donuts and floating mats will do.
Leave the floaties in the pool, anchor them if needed. The floaties will naturally move around as the breeze shifts and this will disrupt the ducks ability to float and preen and eventually they will vacate. You will likely need to keep up the floaties for a few weeks until the ducks have found a new location. In the case of migrating birds, you may have to put the floaties out for 1 or 2 migrations until the next generation has been trained to go to another spot.
If at the end of all your efforts to evict your unwanted feathered tenants, you may need to hire a professional or consult your states wildlife agency. Call 1-866-4USDA-WS 1-866-487-3297.
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Scare Ducks With A Sonic Cannon
Using a duck cannon can be another method of keeping ducks off dock places and even one of getting rid of ducks in swimming pool spots.
The way a sonic cannon works is that it releases very loud sonic blasts, which scare off a variety of bird species, not just ducks.
Of course, this technique can have its drawbacks, since if you want to attract songbirds to your garden but ensure that no ducks come around to steal any of their food, you will, unfortunately, deter all birds.
Sonic cannons can be customized so as to release their sonic blasts at specific times during the day or according to a cycle that you have complete control over. Most models come with a timer, but there are also random modes available.
The reason that ducks are so easily scared by powerful sounds like the ones released by a sonic cannon is that they feel like they are being hunted down with a rifle.
You can use this information to your advantage to deter ducks from your water sources.
Unfortunately, the sonic noise cannons make can sometimes be too strong even for people, so you might not be able to use such a machine in your backyard.
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How Do I Keep Ducks Out Of The Pool
The first thing is dont feed them. They will feel safe and secure in your backyard and be more difficult to get them to move on.
One or more of the above methods to frighten off the ducks will keep them away. However, when not being used by your family, a pool cover is the only truly useful deterrent to ducks using the pool.
If the ducks cannot land in the water and float around in safety they will go somewhere else.
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Making The Pool Unattractive To Ducks
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How To Get Rid Of Wild Ducks
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During spring, it seems like wild ducks are just about everywhere, from ponds to parks to swimming pools. Even places that would seem to be duck deterrents, like busy streets, can sometimes attract these feathered friends. Unfortunately, ducks often end up wandering into places like this where they are not safe, and they can even hurt people and private property.
Tips To Keep Ducks Out Of A Swimming Pool
Sending Fido out to bark at the ducks and scare them away may work temporarily, but you can expect the waterfowl to return. Avoid the major health hazards of ducks in swimming pools with these tips.
Do not feed ducks or geese. You are rewarding them for coming to your pool if you give them food.
Reduce the grassy areas around your pool. Grass is a food source for many types of ducks and geese. Eliminate easy access from grass lawns to your pool by adding fencing or natural hedges.
Use an automatic pool cleaner. The movement of the pool cleaner under the waters surface is likely to frighten ducks from landing in your pool. You may also want to try leaving inflatable animal floats in the water.
Install a pool covering. Blocking access to the pool with a Katchakid pool net helps our clients prevent ducks from entering their pools. Ducks may land on the net, but quickly understand they are unwelcome and generally do not return.
Prevent Ducks from Entering Your Swimming Pool with a Katchakid Pool Net
Contact us if you need any help finding the right defense against wild ducks.
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Add Inflatable Pool Toys To Your Pool
It sounds almost too good to be true, but the fact is, a duck is not going to take a dip in any water that has unfamiliar figures floating in it, so, adding some inflatable pool toys into your pool may be one of the easiest ways to deter ducks, and without having to change your outdoor space!
When your pool is open, adding small inflatable pool toys that float atop your pool water especially with bright colors will deter ducks and may discourage them from stopping by your pool.
If youre looking for some fun pool toys to deter ducks you should check out this Animal Head Split Ring Pool Floats Bundle!
Tips To Keep The Ducks Away From The Pool:
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Solar Pool Cover
Pool covers are often used to avoid water evaporation, leaves, and other debris to your pool. But it can also prevent ducks from coming to your pool.
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Automatic Pool Cleaner
Ducks get easily alarmed when they see or hear any alarming sound or movement. And because they get easily scared an automatic pool cleaner can prevent them from landing into your pool.
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Inflatable Pool Toys
Have certain inflatable pool toys like an alligator, killer whale, snakes, and dolphins in your pool. Especially when youre not using your pool, you can leave this inflatable to scare ducks away. But sometimes when they learn these things are only toys they will or might come back again.
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Get A Dog
Ducks hate dogs and so as dogs hate ducks as well. Dogs are one of the ducks natural predators and their bark alone can scare them away.
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Duck Off
There is a company called Lo-Chlor who makes a pool chemical called Duck Off. This breaks the surface tension of the pool water. This chemical makes the ducks uncomfortable so they cannot float in the pool water. But even if its not good for ducks it is safe to use for your pool. And some may not like the idea of putting unnecessary chemicals in the pool, you can use this as your last resort.
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Make The Landscape Less Attractive To Ducks
You will be able to prevent any wild ducks nesting if you make several modifications to your landscape.
Dont worry, theyre not significant and they arent going to change how your property looks in a negative way.
Since ducks are waterfowl, they thrive in open water and large grassy spaces such as lawns, parks, and even golf courses.
They dont really like to go into the tall grass as there could be predators lurking there, just waiting to attack them.
You can plant shrubs in your garden and around your pond if you want to deter ducks naturally.
A scared duck will not want to spend too much time in an unsafe place.
As disappointing as it might sound, you should refrain from planting fruit trees and berry bushes, simply because ducks will eat them if they cant find anything else available.
However, if you dont want to give up growing berries, you can at least cover the bushes with netting so that the birds have no way of eating them.
You should also consider installing a fake coyote decoy next to the water source since ducks dont really like canines. Planting strong-smelling herbs can also deter ducks from potential food sources.
How To Keep Ducks Out Of Your Pool
While your kids may find it pretty amusing to walk out and find a small flock of ducks hanging out in the pool, you know better. You know its a problem youre going to have to solve before the kids start naming them, feeding them, and asking if they can keep them forever and ever.
If youve never encountered this before, you may be stumped about how to keep ducks out of your pool. Luckily, its not really that difficult, and it wont cost you a lot of money. And you wont end up with a bunch of ducks as pets.
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Try Predator Toys And Scarecrows
Ducks fear their predators a lot. They are easily scared by them. Using predator toys and scarecrows can help deter them from accessing your pool.
Alligator Toy or Floaters
An alligator is one of the ducks predators that they fear most. Using an alligator toy as a floater in your pool can help keep the ducks off while also providing the young swimmers with fun.
The sizing doesnt matter, but you might want to get something that they can see even when theyre flying to prevent them from landing.
You can also use a snake, killer whale, and bobbing dolphin Toy.
Scarecrow kite
You can hang a hawk kite realistic or style can help force them not to land. The ducks will try to avoid your property and search for a safe place.
Most of the kites come with an adjustable rope and pole with a sharp end to allow you to install them without much effort. Since the ducks tend to fly high, itd be best to use the maximum length
Swan or Owl Decoys
A swan is another predator featured a lot by ducks since they can be pretty aggressive towards the ducks since they are territorial. Using a swan or owl decoy can also be effective in keeping the ducks off your pool. Use the swan decoy sharp anchor to stake at the bottom and use it for positioning it safely near the pool.
How Can I Deter Wild Ducks And Other Birds From My Swimming Pool
The following information provides some tips about how to deter ducks and other birds from pools:
- Change the landscape to make it less attractive to the birds
- Geese and ducks are attracted to areas with open water and large expanses of grass, such as golf courses, parks, and large lawns. Eliminate or break-up some of the large expanses of lawn by planting shrubs and other visual barriers.
- Water birds generally dont like tall grass, because they cant see predators well. Letting vegetation grow taller and keeping native vegetation along pool edges can assist. Consider alternatives to short turf grasses and try planting trees and shrubs in the flight path between the pond, pool and lawns.
- Install barriers. Waterfowl prefer to land on water and walk onto adjacent grassy areas to feed and rest. The most effective tools for controlling waterfowl movement are fences, hedgerows, and other physical barriers.
- Consider fencing the pool/yard.
- Avoid feeding geese and ducks and try to remove any food scraps that may attract the birds. Many types of ducks and geese are grazers and eat short grass and reducing the area of grass lawns around the swimming pool or putting up barriers that prohibit movement between swimming pools and grass lawns, such as fences and hedges, might also help.
- Remove plants that produce edible nuts, fruits, and berries. Remove any bird feeders that may be in the area.
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