Buying ducks soon (first time), have some questions

[JadeComputerGal]

The question of imprinting is highly debatable, with staunch proponents of both sides.

Are you saying that there is an argument that ducks can't imprint on humans? If so, do you have any links? My initial thought would be "malarkey," but I'd still like to understand the reasoning.

 

[JadeComputerGal]

If you can provide me with a link to some instructions on how to clip their wings safely, I would prefer that method.




The ducks would rarely be waiting for someone to come home, and when they do end up waiting, it would be no more than 2 hours at the most in their pen without diapers on. I wouldn't even consider getting ducks if we didn't have enough time to be with them now or in the distant future.

If this means you've decided against pinioning or at least leaning against it, bless you. I know some people do this, but I can't help thinking it's a cruel process. That's not related to only physical pain, but also to emotional distress. Pinioning is permanent. The wings do not grow back as the feathers do when you clip, and pinioning is not reversible by any means I've ever heard of. I just don't believe that the ability of flying birds to fly should be permanently disabled. If these birds ever go outside, which I assume they at least occasionally will, pinioning could be a death sentence because you've removed their best chance of escaping predators. If you're terribly concerned about flying and see pinioning as your only viable option, I strongly encourage you to opt for the Cayugas.

As far as wing clipping goes, there are many videos on the web, some better than others, that demonstrate it. If you do decide on the Mallards (Cayugas wouldn't need it), I'd also encourage you to make one visit to an avian vet with both your new birds so he/she can demonstrate on one, then supervise you doing it on the other. It isn't at all difficult if you know what you're doing, but you can hurt the bird if you don't. I've seen it done many times, but I've never clipped any of my own birds wings despite the fact that our female cockatoo used to fly across the street and perch in a particular tree in our neighbor's yard. Even though I'm pretty confident I could do it correctly, I'd still take a couple of my birds to the vet for supervision of my attempt, the same as I'm advising you to do.

I hope I'm not coming across as sanctimonious because it's really not my intention. I don't think you'd find many proponents of pinioning in this forum, for the reasons I mentioned above and others.

This-->https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/754458/mallard-thread-not-rouens-mallards is a long thread dedicated to Mallards in particular. You should take a look at that and ask your Mallard questions so you can find out what others who own them do about the flying. If you decide on Mallard house ducks, they're obviously not going to fly off into the wild blue yonder, but it's possible that they could flutter around your house and knock over vases and stuff. You just have to weigh the pros and cons.

Hope this helps, and best wishes for whatever decision you make.

 

[av8torcrj]

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[JadeComputerGal]

Right on re: the yahoo cut and paste. I'm not going to tell anyone that they should pinion, but in some cases it is an effective management practice. I'd rather someone pinion an entire flock than keep a single duck as a house "pet".

Not me. I'm not even on the fence about it. At least you aren't permanently mutilating the animal if you keep it as a house pet.

 

[av8torcrj]

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[dave was here]

@JadeComputerGal
Thanks for the information on the pinioning and clipping. I will certainly stick with clipping over pinioning for sure. I will talk to my local vet down the road and see about how its done safely, or better yet, have the professional do it for me so I don't harm my "kids" on accident. Also, thanks for linking me to the Mallard thread, I will begin looking through it tonight. I appreciate the input!

 

[dotporter]

It is an established and accepted practice. Much like the Chinese eating dog. You can disagree with it amongst those who share your view, but if you go to China, you might want to keep your opinion to yourself.

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[JadeComputerGal]

When we speak of "natural" environment in the context of domestic ducks, that would be one as close as possible to that of wild ducks. That would mean they were able to wander a farm/field/yard, have a water source to swim, have a place to take cover during dark hours, and retain any ability they have to escape predators. For ducks, since they can't "run," that means escaping to a large body of water or flying unless it's a pack of rabid snails that are chasing them. You really aren't anyone to preach to others about "normal" or "natural" or "best interest" environments since you keep your ducks penned 100% of the time. While that's closer to a "natural" environment, the difference is contained part time indoors and contained all the time outdoors. I have no doubt that your ducks would prefer to get out of their contained environment and roam around freely, but that is the choice you've made.

While I'm not a proponent of house ducks, that's because it's simply not my thing. The only time my ducks are in the house is when ducklings are in brooders. I've seen every video of Wobbles that Amykins is allowed to make available to the public, and I swear Wobbles sometimes looks like she's smiling, and she without question seems very happy with her situation and all the loving attention she gets.

Dave came here looking for advice and opinions. We did not seek him out. We offered our opinions as you offered yours, albeit much less politely than we expressed ours. If someone had a nasty fungal infection that caused their fingernails to fall off and asked me if they should have their hand amputated, I'd point out the permanence of that decision even though it would resolve the immediate problem, and I'd advise them to get the condition treated and let the nails grow back. Considering that Dave's second experience with this forum has been like stepping into a hornet's nest, I wouldn't blame him if he never returns, which is sad since it's the best one on the Internet (IMHO).

I know many people don't read forum rules before they join a board, so I politely ask that you take a look at the rules for this one before you do any more posts that could be construed as offensive or degrading since you've already broken more than one of them. For your convenience, here is a link to the ToS-->https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/terms-of-service.

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[av8torcrj]

I was asserting that just because a practice is commonplace within a group, it doesn't necessarily make it morally or ethically right.


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[JadeComputerGal]

I don't think that's what Dot was saying. I think she was, politely I might add, pointing out that "norms" differ among societies and among groups of individuals.

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