Re: Non swimming ducks

Nicholas wrote:
Jill wrote:
Thinking of some of the more unusual queries I get here I have one
that I wonder if anyone can come up with a solution to.

2 Domestic ducks who do not want to swim!!

- lovely large garden
- lovely vast pond which is clean and inviting
- easy access
- no disturbance
- happy healthy birds
- love to splash in a shallow dog bed

but they do not want to go on to the water.

- been fed in the shallows
- had their dog bed taken away
- had their house moved to the water side

????

I don't have a solution, but a similar situation. For almost the past
two months my 12 ducks and 3 geese refuse to swim in our steam. I
used to have a hard time getting them out of it in the evening to
roost. The only thing I can think of in my situation is that the
water may be nasty because of all of the farm chemicals running off
the fields now. Lately the farmers upstream have really been
spraying fungicides, before that they were really laying on the
herbicides and fertilizers.

hmm - that might do it in a running stream -- have you considered asking the
local authority to do a sample test?
Say yiou have seen some unsual algal blooms in warm weather or some such <g>
They can be fairly paranoid about water quality !!!

This scenario is not flowing in the same way and the body of water is mini
lake rather than stagnant water which was something I wondered.

How about trying a floating decoy?

hmm - interesting idea!

thanks

--

regards
Jill Bowis

Pure bred utility chickens and ducks
Housing; Equipment, Books, Videos, Gifts
Herbaceous; Herb and Alpine nursery
Working Holidays in Scotland
http://www.kintaline.co.uk


Nicholas


.

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