Create A Water Barriers
Ducks are waterfowl, so youll see them come to your property if you have a pond, a pool, a lake, or any other water source available.
If you could remove access to any of these places, you would be able to successfully remove ducks from property spaces.
Naturally, to keep ducks out of the pool, you might not be able to rely on the same methods as that would restrict your access to it, too.
But in a pond, you can install fences or a variety of other physical barriers, including hedgerows.
Ducks are known for loving to land on water, so if you make things difficult for them, they arent going to feel comfortable and they will want to leave.
You can cover your pond or pool with chicken wire so that the birds have no means of landing on the water source. Typically, ducks prefer to go rest on land once theyve spent a little time on the water.
So if you use both tricks, meaning the chicken wire and some sort of high fencing, you will force the birds to leave the place by flying.
This combination is very effective when it comes to controlling the duck movement. Plus, fencing can be used around the pool, too.
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.
Read our article on Swimming Pool & Hot Tub Safety
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
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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.
Put A Plastic Owl In Your Pool Area
Owls are one of the known duck predators. Good thing that owls are often stationary. It might not be easy for ducks to figure out that the owl they see lurking around the pool area is fake.
Having plastic owls lurking around your pool area can be enough to scare them away. For this methods success, you should consider putting up decoys that move their heads and make a hooting sound. Having several of these around your pool area wouldnt be a bad choice either.
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Get Rid Of Bird Attractions
If you dont want ducks in your yard, you might have to make some sacrifices. For instance, if you have a bird feeder, it may be time to say goodbye. They might be sticking around your yard even after you get them away from your pool. Its unfortunate to have to take this action, but it can be the best decision.
Making The Pool Unattractive To Ducks
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Will Cayenne Pepper Keep The Ducks Away From The Pool
Many people tend to prefer homemade solutions to problems.
Cayenne pepper is one of those solutions.
This pepper is usually used to deworm animals.
Yes, it gives an extremely high burning sensation.
Therefore, you can say that a dash of cayenne pepper can keep ducks out of the pool.
However, this method is not effective in the long run.
After a few hours, you will observe the ducks return to the pool.
Chemicals To Keep Ducks Out
There are some chemical treatments that you can try to keep ducks out of your pool, but this should be the last resort since you do not want to pump your pool up with chemicals and other toxins. But if all else fails, you could give certain mild chemicals a shot.
For example, there are chemicals you can find at pool stores that reduce the surface tension of the water, therefore, making it difficult for the ducks to land.
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Is It Bad To Have Ducks In Your Pool
If you are not afraid of birds, then when you first notice ducks in your pool, you might not see the harm in it.
After all, they are just ducks, right? Well, like we said earlier, ducks can actually be pretty harmful to humans, so yes, it is bad to have ducks in your pool.
After all, ducks are wild animals, and because of this they are carriers of germs and bacteria that human beings usually wouldnt be exposed to.
Ducks also carry diseases, and them landing in your pool could cause you to become unwell.
A lone duck in your pool would not be as much of an issue, but ducks usually fly in flocks. Due to this, you are much more likely to end up with lots of ducks in your pool, rather than a single duck.
So, not only will these ducks be a nuisance, they will also spread germs, and potentially spread diseases such as e.coli, salmonella, and bird flu.
With that in mind, lets take a look at some of the best ways to keep ducks out of your pool.
Why Keep Ducks Out Of The Pool
Ducks and geese carry different diseases that people can get. They can be introduced to your pool when they defecate in the water. Chlorine, at the recommended ranges, can easily destroy many of these waterborne zoonoses, but others can be quite resistant. According to the CDC, duck and goose droppings may might contain germs such as E. coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter, or Cryptosporidium . Cryptosporidium is the same protozoa associated with a human diarrhea incident and is one of the most chlorine resistant zoonosis we see in recreational water illness treatment/prevention. The CDC recommends treating your pool the same for bird poop in the water as you would a human solid stool: CDC Fecal Incident Response Procedures
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Pool Domes And Enclosures
For most people, these arent going to be the right options. Floridians have to be extra cautious because we have a lot of alligators and crocodiles. Also, the occasional hurricane can make quite a mess. Over here, most homes have pools and most of those pools have a tent enclosures. However, that is a crazy spendy option if you just want to keep a few ducks out of the pool. It is the ultimate solution if you are willing to pay for it.
- Pool Enclosures
- Average cost is between $4,000 to $10,000.
- Keeps out all wildlife, and it greatly reduces the ability of insects to access the pool area.
- The need for maintenance goes way down. Leaves and dirt cant blow into the area.
Pool Covers
There are many types of pool covers, and their prices and quality can vary significantly. The good news is that all of them can keep the ducks out, so you dont need to be picky. Heres a super brief rundown of what covers are available to you:
- Tarp
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The Problem With Ducks In Swimming Pools
Duck and goose droppings are a significant health hazard to humans. E. coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter, or Cryptosporidium are a few of the germs contained in duck feces. While chlorine kills most bacteria within minutes, however, Crypto can survive for up to a week, even in the most well-maintained pools.
Theres also a danger to the ducks to consider. Drinking chlorinated water irreparably damages their kidneys, and they often drink water while they are swimming.
Protect your family and the local wildlife by keeping ducks away from your pool and spa.
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Ducks In Swimming Pool
Do you have issues with ducks getting into your swimming pool? They may be cute to watch waddle around and swim in local ponds, but they can quickly turn a pristine pool into a disgusting one.
Not only is there the issue of duck droppings, but many ducks carry parasites. Keep reading to learn how to keep ducks out of a swimming pool because clapping your hands and yelling Go away is not a sustainable solution.
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.
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Use Duck Off In Your Pool
As ducks are seen to be a common annoyance for pool owners worldwide, there is no doubt that there is a product readily available in the market to specifically address the duck problem.
Duck Off is the name of this product that breaks the waters surface tension and makes it uncomfortable for ducks to swim in the pool.
For this product to work its purpose, you should consistently use it so the ducks would figure out later on that the pool is no longer suitable for them to use. Once they realized that, you wont see any duck droppings in your pool area and you can enjoy your outdoor space in peace.
Put Floating Animal Toys
As mentioned above, one of the reasons why duck visits your pool is that they see no threats around. To make the pool less appealing to them, you can place some toys on your pool. It can be the first attempt to scare them off.
- Find some inflatable toys that float on the water.
- Choose the ones which mimic scary predators like snakes, crocodiles, or sharks.
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Use An Automatic Pool Cleaner In Your Swimming Pool
Ducks are pretty easy to scare. Though the automatic pool cleaners appearance will not scare them away, the loud and noisy vacuum sound would do the trick.
A robotic pool cleaner can be pretty expensive, but the double benefit of keeping the pool clean and keeping the ducks away is a great investment that you can pursue.
Be sure to check our guide here regarding the best robotic pool cleaners available today.
How Do You Stop Ducks From Nesting
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Similarly, you may ask, what will keep ducks away?
How to Keep Ducks out of Your Pool
- Put out Some Animal Pool Toys When You’re Not Around. Wild ducks do not like predator-infested waters.
- Invest in a Solar Cover.
- Own a Dog.
- Install an Automatic Pool Cleaner.
- Put up Fishing Line.
- Use a Motion-Activated Sprinkler.
- Use Bird Netting.
Similarly, should I feed a nesting duck? And a word of caution: Don’t feed a nesting duck. It does not need food, because she bulked up in advance of laying the eggs to prepare for the incubation period. It’s actually not uncommon for nesting mallards not to eat for the entire time they are sitting on their eggs, the Toronto Wildlife Centre reports.
In this regard, how do I get rid of ducks around my pool?
Keep the ducks out the pool
Will moth balls keep ducks away?
Nothing does it like one of the duck’s natural enemies. Try sprinkling a few handfuls of mothballs around the area. Once they get out of the habit of coming there you can dispose of what is left of the balls.
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Get A Dog In Your Pool Area
Having a dog in your household is another successful way to keep the ducks away from your pool. It can also help keep other wild animals away. As mentioned earlier, having a predator within the vicinity will definitely scare the ducks away. A fake one might not work, but a real one like a barking dog is a guarantee to keep them away for good.
The trick is to have a dog that is known to bark and chase the ducks. Some of the best breeds that come to mind are beagles and Labrador retrievers. Keep in mind that your dog should be able to do this without actually hurting the ducks in the process.
Put Some Animal Toy Around Your Pool Area
Wild ducks do not like to be near their natural predators. If the water they wanted to swim has predators in them, they will look for another place to float and swim on.
If you cannot cover your pool entirely, try having inflatable animals in your pool to keep these types of birds away. There are plenty of inflatable animal toys to choose from, such as alligators, snakes, or dolphins.
For this method to succeed, the ducks should not figure out that the floating animals are not moving. Otherwise, they can be aggravating to penetrate the pool and defy the inflatable animal toys presence.
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