Will my domestic waterfowl drive away native ones?

[rich__]

Hey there!!

I want to get 5 welsh harlequin ducks and a chinese goose, maybe more ducks in the future. I just moved to some wooded land with a few acre lake. However, I see one native female duck already there with some other critter (black, white head, dives in water when spooked, fairly large).

Since I plan to let my ducks+goose to forage in the woods and spend time in the lake, I'm worried bringing in my additional waterfowl may drive out the two waterfowl(y things) already there, whether because resource competition, fighting, or any other reason.

Does anyone have experiences of their waterfowl interacting with wild ones? I'm curious to hear. I don't know if I'll drive them out, if there will be fighting, or if they actually become friends. But the last thing I want is to drive away the native wildlife.

Also, if anyone has their ducks on / close to natural water, I'd be curious to hear how that is, and if it might help them stay out of predators way.

Thanks!! - Rich

 

[nuthatched]

I would be concerned about disease that can be transmitted back and forth for one thing, you can pen a large area and install a pond for them. They would also be exposed to all the predators that wild fowl can out mounever.

 

[Thunder1961]

Well my house looks like a duck and goose club house,they are opportunists so if they know there’s food they will come they even go in the pen and sleep aggravates my ducks they are to the point if I’m not out the door at 6am they start yelling they wait until i open the coop door to let my ducks out So they can go in and eat they are funny little guys.