Mallard and instincts

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acriswell4

acriswell4

Chirping
Jul 24, 2016
162
8
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So my friend had some domestic ducks but his land is open to other wild ducks long story short i now have a 6 week old duck that imprinted, I don't know if she is domestic or wild so I did not take her to the wildlife place, but as she is getting older she is venturing off more, runs from me when I try to catch her, and has started flapping her wings when I am holding her. She still follows me and snuggles and yells when she can see me, Does this mean she is a wild one are her instincts kicking in
 
If I take her to a wildlife rehabilitation will she be ok? She has never been away from me,been around other ducks or slept outside. She is not scared of people at all she swims up to different people all the time and she lets them pet her. I'm also scared if I do keep her that she will fly off and not be able to survive.
 
Domestic Ducklings get to an age of fear also....Bratty. Mine were sweet till about 3 weeks old and then ran from me like I was a monster. Now at 14 weeks old they sleep at my feet out in the yard but I have never held them since.
Might be a wild Duck? Send photos.
 
I had 2 Mallards and one will flap when I am holding him (if I wasn't holding his wings down) and is generally squirmy. The other one never minded being held. My squirmy one settles if I hold him in close to me and support him under his feet. I make sure to wrap my hands over his wings, my thumbs pointing toward each other, when I pick him up, to keep him from flapping and hurting himself. Or me for that matter. I got smacked in the cheek once... They're stronger than you'd think
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chickens really said:
Domestic Ducklings get to an age of fear also....Bratty. Mine were sweet till about 3 weeks old and then ran from me like I was a monster. Now at 14 weeks old they sleep at my feet out in the yard but I have never held them since.
Might be a wild Duck? Send photos.
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I thought she might have been domestic but now I'm thinking she is wild. There was a chance at both
400
 
Cherib603 said:
She is NOW a domestic duck.

She was raised by a human. She is a domestic duck. It no longer matters where she was born or who her parents were.
Click to expand...


So am I suppose to clip her wings or should I take her to a rehabilitation wildlife center?
 
acriswell4 said:
So am I suppose to clip her wings or should I take her to a rehabilitation wildlife center?
Click to expand...


If you are keeping her as a long term pet, and keeping her in a penned or fenced yard, clip her wings.

It's a little too late to take her to a wildlife center. That should have been done as soon as you found her so she could have been raised in a wild flock and released.

She's your responsibility now. She is either your pet, or give her to someone who raises ducks as pets. You can't just release her. She won't survive.
 

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