Do ducks prefer clean or dirty water?

[Madhouse Pullet]

My ducklings live at my mom's so she's learning a lot, falling in love, and asking more questions.
She uses a large plastic kiddie pool, changing it every night but, she was talking to a friend who raises ducks and they told her ducks liked dirty water because they eat the bugs that accumulate in standing water, etc. My mom says the girls do not seem to like dirty water, maybe because I had changed their water so much because... well, y'know they're messy but, I had never heard such a thing but I thought I'd ask here.

How often should you change their water?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Ducks don't seem to mind either way. For human health it's best to change it when we think it's dirty. Stagnant water breeds mosquitoes, and all sorts of other nasty stuff that can cause health problems if left.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Mine sure get excited when I change the pool, the 1 gallon drinking dish, the 8 gallon drinking dish.....any fresh water in the treat dish....yeah peas in water is way better than just peas.

 

[Isaac 0]

I think they prefer clean water, at least the ones here get very excited right after the water is changed in their little pond, and tend to spend more hours in clean water then dirty water, but does it bother them (?) Probably not, given most ducks will gladly spend their time mudding around in the yard.

I think whether they care about it or not, great emphasis should be put on providing them with clean water, for several reasons, one being to reduce the amount of bacterial growth in the pond, as well as algae, also consider feather hygiene. Filthy water may promote several conditions such as wet feather, clogged oil gland, etc.

 

[SuperDuck]

Chuck and Buck prefer their water sparkly clean. That includes swimming water. I have the most pathetic lake/pond ducks. Heaven forbid it’s murky and/or cold.

But they’re kinda spoiled.

 

[KaleIAm]

My ducks prefer clean water for drinking and swimming. They get super excited when I change their water buckets, even though I do it 3 times a day, and when I refill their pool even though I do that everyday! They also like it best when their buckets are scrubbed.

Of course... Playing in the mud is also awesome! And putting that mud into those perfectly scrubbed water buckets is also great fun.

 

[DuckinDonutsBensalem]

Our ducks are 6 weeks old. They love clean water but love to get it dirty. They get any pool, trough, or water bowl dirty in a couple hours. They stick their bills down in the mud around our pool and then stick them in clean water and shake them out. They're funny to watch but messy. We use an old sump pump to help us keep it all clean.

 

[DuckyBoi22]

View attachment 2351055
My ducklings live at my mom's so she's learning a lot, falling in love, and asking more questions.
She uses a large plastic kiddie pool, changing it every night but, she was talking to a friend who raises ducks and they told her ducks liked dirty water because they eat the bugs that accumulate in standing water, etc. My mom says the girls do not seem to like dirty water, maybe because I had changed their water so much because... well, y'know they're messy but, I had never heard such a thing but I thought I'd ask here.

How often should you change their water?

my ducks dont care at all they eat water with their poo they actually get dirt amd place it in the water tray as well so I think they don’t mind but still regularly change their water.

 

[HomesteaderWife]

Our babies pretty much immediately dirty their water anytime we've had them whether young or adult. But I will say this - they sure get excited when it is fresh water time. They splash and play and quack loud and happy when you change the pond. Personally - I think they LOVE fresh water! It's also better for them.

 

[LT71689]

My two got spoiled with clear clean water. We had a rainy day I didnt take them out followed by a day I was super busy with something else that they didnt go out and on the third day the pool was about the color of my avatar... I had to bribe them to get in it, and I KNOW after two days without they desperately wanted to go for a swim. Changed the water the next day and I couldnt get them out of it, 9 oclock at night and they were asleep on their pool, couldnt for the life of me get them to come out and dry off so I could take them in, we'd been out for 6 hours. I learned my lesson and got a pond filter to keep it clearer longer so I didnt have to drive up the water bill so much.

I think the pool having a light blue bottom and clear sides also had something to do with it. a dark pond liner hides how gross the water is and if a duck has only ever known that, they probably dont care much (unless it gets extremely dirty and unhealthy) but my two could SEE their water wasnt right, they couldnt see the bottom as clearly as usual, etc and that probably spooked them a bit. What you cant see/what you're not used to triggers fear in prey animals.