Why you need to keep the duck pond clean

 Ducks produce a great deal of mess but they need to be kept clean. The secrete an oily, wax substance which they spread over their feathers to keep them waterproof. If they get covered in muck and mud, they are no longer able to keep their feathers in good shape and this can cause them to die. We have recently had to replace the paddling pool in the duck run as it had developed a leak but the ducks loved the replacement. Given the confined circumstances at the moment (all poultry by law had to be caged or in runs to tackle avian flu), the paddling pool and the bath that is in the run, which we use as a pond, need to be emptied and cleaned regularly. Job for today is the empty the bath, clean it and refill it. There is a layer of sediment which I will scoop out and put on the raised beds. Nothing wasted.