Is it cruel to keep a house duck indoors all the time?

[mynameisjustjen]

I am struggling with what to do with my beloved pet Mallard I have raised from a small flock a year ago. Her flock mates migrated the first fall, but she chose to say with us/humans. She must have loved the handouts of bell pepper and lettuce too much.

Our solution was to bring her indoors and she wears her diaper like a champ. She sleeps in the bed with me till daybreak, then she swims in our bathroom tub and lays her eggs in the bath closet on her nest of sheets. Then hops back in the tub till I diaper her and she hangs close by me all day. She likes to graze in the yard only if a human is out there with her, otherwise squawks at the door to come inside to be with us.

This has worked well since I have been able to be at home with her most of the time. When I do have to leave her for 6-8 hours here and there she was happy to swim away the day in our bathroom tub. The problem is now I have taken a full time job and wonder if it would be cruel for me to do this to her 5 days a week.

My instinct with animals tells me this is not an ideal situation, although she loves being inside so much, I am not sure if it is more cruel to move her to an outside coup with other birds when she is so used to being a house duck. I want the best for Missy but really am afraid she will not like being outside, as she has adjusted to being indoors. Or am I just being selfish and just let her need to adjust to a more natural environment outside. Please help me make this difficult and heart wrenching decision

 

[Miss Lydia]

I am struggling with what to do with my beloved pet Mallard I have raised from a small flock a year ago. Her flock mates migrated the first fall, but she chose to say with us/humans. She must have loved the handouts of bell pepper and lettuce too much.

Our solution was to bring her indoors and she wears her diaper like a champ. She sleeps in the bed with me till daybreak, then she swims in our bathroom tub and lays her eggs in the bath closet on her nest of sheets. Then hops back in the tub till I diaper her and she hangs close by me all day. She likes to graze in the yard only if a human is out there with her, otherwise squawks at the door to come inside to be with us.

This has worked well since I have been able to be at home with her most of the time. When I do have to leave her for 6-8 hours here and there she was happy to swim away the day in our bathroom tub. The problem is now I have taken a full time job and wonder if it would be cruel for me to do this to her 5 days a week.

My instinct with animals tells me this is not an ideal situation, although she loves being inside so much, I am not sure if it is more cruel to move her to an outside coup with other birds when she is so used to being a house duck. I want the best for Missy but really am afraid she will not like being outside, as she has adjusted to being indoors. Or am I just being selfish and just let her need to adjust to a more natural environment outside. Please help me make this difficult and heart wrenching decision

So you don't have any other ducks? she really does need to start getting use gradually to being outside and the transition would be easier if she had a buddy to swim with and hang out with. all of this needs to be done slowly, being introduced to a new friend and also going outside to stay. I don't think she'll be happy spending all day 5 days a week alone in the house they like to be with their flock.

 

[Amykins]

I disagree that it's cruel to keep her alone, although being gone 40 hours a week is a problem. Keeping them inside the house isn't the issue, the fact that she was raised in a flock is. I've seen perfectly happy solo pet ducks that were raised alone, never saw another duck in their life. But that's not the case with you, sadly.

You could try a few things out and see how it goes, at this point she seems MUCH more comfortable being in the house than in a coop! You could get her a realistic decoy, that's what I've done and it's worked well in the past. Then again, those were adult wild ducks I was rehabilitating, so take my advice with a grain of salt. You could also set up a webcam to monitor her and see her behavior. If she starts to sulk or refuses food, it's time to get her a buddy.

 

[DUCKOBSESSED]

Or you could get one more hen as an inside duck. I feel like she would be even less happy outside than inside alone. She seems like she has become a house duck.

 

[islandgirl82]

I had a chicken who figured out how to use a pet door and though she slept out in the barn with the rest of the flock, in the mornings when she wanted breakfast she would come into the kitchen to let me know she was ready...would you be able to install one that leads out to a small run attached to the house so she could have the best of both worlds and still be safe while your gone?

 

[DUCKOBSESSED]

That's a really good idea.

 

[mynameisjustjen]

Thanks for all the advise. We are getting her an outside coup and some duck friends.

 

[islandgirl82]

Thanks for the update! Wishing her (and you) the best during her transition to becoming part of a bevy!

 

[mynameisjustjen]

Missy and her new runner mix friend Maggie! She was the smallest of the flock we got her from so is super submissive. Missy had a couple neck bites and pokes at Maggie at first, but they seem happy together after just an hour!!

New coup is awesome!

 

[islandgirl82]

Missy and her new runner mix friend Maggie! She was the smallest of the flock we got her from so is super submissive. Missy had a couple neck bites and pokes at Maggie at first, but they seem happy together after just an hour!!



New coup is awesome!

What a great setup! So glad it's worked out for Missy!!