Mandarin Duck thread ( for posting pictures and discussing)

[Sanna]

Hey guys,
I'm a total newbie to the Mandarin Duck (ducks in general). I find them absolutely beautiful and fascinating!
Would a duck of this breed do well in the Connecticut climate? If not, are there other colorful duck breeds that would?

 

[chickenlisa]

They do fine in NJ and NY climates...I'd think they'd be fine in Conn too....I give them hay and shavings in a big dog house connected to the end of their run so when we have all that lovely freezing rain, they have someplace to go to get out of it (and mine do!) I also give them scratch grains or cracked corn when the weather starts cooling down to build up a little fat layer on the younger ones so they can make it thru our looooonggg cooooold icy winters. (after learning the hard way a few years ago when I found my 3 youngest ones all dead the morning after a particularly cold, icy, rainy storm.) Someone told me when they are hatched later in the summer or fall, they don't build up enough fat for that cold of a climate, so since I've done that, I haven't lost any due to that. (I did have one get out and my barn cats got him.

)
Good Luck!
Lisa

 

[Sanna]

They do fine in NJ and NY climates...I'd think they'd be fine in Conn too....I give them hay and shavings in a big dog house connected to the end of their run so when we have all that lovely freezing rain, they have someplace to go to get out of it (and mine do!) I also give them scratch grains or cracked corn when the weather starts cooling down to build up a little fat layer on the younger ones so they can make it thru our looooonggg cooooold icy winters. (after learning the hard way a few years ago when I found my 3 youngest ones all dead the morning after a particularly cold, icy, rainy storm.) Someone told me when they are hatched later in the summer or fall, they don't build up enough fat for that cold of a climate, so since I've done that, I haven't lost any due to that. (I did have one get out and my barn cats got him.

)
Good Luck!
Lisa

Thanks!
The only place I could put any new ducks in right now is our big "duck & geese pen". It's all covered and we have a bunch of different types of ducks and a couple of sebastopol geese. Oh, and our rescue canadian goose, Candy. The ducks, there are a couple of crested ducks, indian runners, a couple of females that look an awful lot like khaki campbells (I googled for images lol), a pair of muscovys and some other breeds I don't know of. They have a pond, a big building to go in with a couple of tree like structures.

My concern is, how would the mandarins do with all the others? Especially the geese? Even though all our ducks and geese get along great. I haven't seen one being picked on yet...other than the normal picking to maintain the pecking order. None of them have ever been hurt.

Mandarins are a medium sized duck, correct?

 

[chickenlisa]

I would NOT mix domestic ducks (geese, etc) with Exotic ducks....Mandarins are small and can be easily manhandled by the rougher larger birds. You can mix Wood Ducks, Teals, Mandarins,etc....search for some of the waterfowl, ornamental bird threads and read up on advice from far more experienced keepers than I am. I just know my Mandies are happier now that I don't have my Aussies in the same pen anymore (and they were pretty close in size too.) { I sold all of my Aussies in fact.} I'll only have the eye candy birds in that pen with my Mandarins (when i get the other ones I want)...the domestics I keep together in a different pen. Hope that helps. Good Luck!
Lisa

 

[Sanna]

I would NOT mix domestic ducks (geese, etc) with Exotic ducks....Mandarins are small and can be easily manhandled by the rougher larger birds. You can mix Wood Ducks, Teals, Mandarins,etc....search for some of the waterfowl, ornamental bird threads and read up on advice from far more experienced keepers than I am. I just know my Mandies are happier now that I don't have my Aussies in the same pen anymore (and they were pretty close in size too.) { I sold all of my Aussies in fact.} I'll only have the eye candy birds in that pen with my Mandarins (when i get the other ones I want)...the domestics I keep together in a different pen. Hope that helps. Good Luck!
Lisa

That's what I was guessing. I wouldn't want anyone getting hurt just because I wanted some pretty ducks and didn't have a proper place for them. Maybe in the future I can get some sort of a set up for Mandarins only. For right now, I think I'll stick to my silkies and cochin bantams.
Thank you, this was very helpful!

 

[dylan duck man]

All you have to do is make another pen

 

[Sanna]

All you have to do is make another pen

I wish it was so easy. I work and live on a non-profit farm. Even though I get to do pretty much whatever I want, building a new pen is not possible at the moment. Possibly in the future, but not yet. I guess that'll give me some time to gather up a bunch of money for a new pen.

 

[chickenlisa]

it doesn't have to cost much...I have mine in between 2 sheds (that act as 2 of the walls), connected it to one side of my chicken pen for the 3rd side, then just fenced in the 4th end, plopped an old doghouse at that end, cut a hole in the fencing so they could go in the house in bad weather, covered the whole top with aviary netting. We put a homemade pen door at the accessible end, made from scrap 2X4's and more small pieces of fencing. Our biggest expense was the netting. I pick up baby pools from freecycle, I got the dog house there too, I bought pond de-icers for wintertime, made a homemade cookie tin water heater for their water bowl, hubby made nestboxes from scrap wood too.
In other words, if it had to cost lots of $, I wouldn't have them now.
Good Luck!
Lisa

 

[Sanna]

it doesn't have to cost much...I have mine in between 2 sheds (that act as 2 of the walls), connected it to one side of my chicken pen for the 3rd side, then just fenced in the 4th end, plopped an old doghouse at that end, cut a hole in the fencing so they could go in the house in bad weather, covered the whole top with aviary netting. We put a homemade pen door at the accessible end, made from scrap 2X4's and more small pieces of fencing. Our biggest expense was the netting. I pick up baby pools from freecycle, I got the dog house there too, I bought pond de-icers for wintertime, made a homemade cookie tin water heater for their water bowl, hubby made nestboxes from scrap wood too.
In other words, if it had to cost lots of $, I wouldn't have them now.
Good Luck!
Lisa

Well, the way we have things set up here at the moment, I would have to start from scratch. And of course being a non-profit farm, we have to go by all different rules and regulations when we build things for animals. And me being a perfectionist, I want it done right.

We probably have most of the lumber, definitely netting. I'd just have to find a little building for them and a place to put everything.
Some day! This is definitely a project that I'd like to do. I'm sure I can find a cost effective way to get everything done. The kid pools are great. We have one for our 5 ducks that do not live in the big duck & geese pen. We even have a kid pool for our alpaca! He lays in it for hours in the summer when it's hot.

Here's Chewie in his pool. lol

 

[3BirdGirlz]

I got 7 Mandarin eggs today! I am so giddy and hope they develope!!! I've raised call ducks, but this is my first experience with the Mandys. And yes I will be putting them under my broody Cochin for the first few weeks. I've been reading tons on BYC to make sure I have the best chance....thanks everyone