Hi..

K Byers wrote:

It's kind of ironic that I'm *trying* to grow daphnia
in some buckets, but haven't had much luck with them
because I don't really have time for them either....

C'est la vie..! :-)

Anyway, I'm guessing they arrived in the birthbath on
the feet of birds as eggs, but that's just a guess.
Any other speculations?

Feet while standing in mud or shallow water, beaks while drinking, feathers
while bathing in egg-rich water or just in dusty sediments of dried-out
bodies of water where waterfleas temporarily exist..

Waterfleas can be raised intensively or extensively - I prefer the second..
--
cu
Marco