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I'm sorry to those who disagree, but I'm with Clint on this one.
I too have dealt with migratory waterfowl my entire life, both captive raised and in the wild. These hens will defend their young yes, to an extent. but they'll bail on them in a hurry too if they feel the need such as a predator or a human getting too close.
I also agree 100% with the medicated feed is a myth on waterfowl. That was started decades ago when we used harsh med in the fed. Todays feed is 100% safe for all waterfowl.
You can use it, or you can let your ducks get coccidia. I have raised virtually 90% of all the captive species of migratory waterfowl out there over the years, everything I have ever hatched has been on 100% medicated feed. Those that tell you they lost all their to it, well they may have lost them but it was from disease or something not the feed I assure you of that.
for the post saying you cant get in trouble for picking them up. Well that's a myth too, you are not under and circumstances allowed to remove any animal from the wild, period.
If you see an animal in need you are supposed to contact you local US Fish and Wild Life Service or Dept of Natural Resources. If they permit you to, then you may remove them and carry the directlt to the closest atorized rehab facility. Removal of healthy un injured birds will get you in trouble too though.
Removing birds, especially migratory waterfowl is illegal under and conditions other than hunting.
There are a couple thread like this going on now and 75% of the folks keep telling the OP just to keep them, or it'll be fine etc etc.
well folks yall are going to end up getting the people in a lot of trouble, the Feds regulate migratory waterfowl, so it will be them that gets you.
They dont care if you knew or not about the laws. Our local Game Warden has a sign on the side of his truck door that says
"it's a good thing for you that ignorance isnt painful"
cause that's all they ever hear, people playing dumb on them. The law is the law, it is our responsibility to know it. At this point in this thread, everyone who has read it now knows it, so.... My advise is dump them back where you got them, or call you local DNR and turn them in. Things have a way of getting out, and before long if you keep them, trust me, a local Game Warden will be knocking on your door.
Do I think this is fair, no not really, but I do agree with some of the reasons why they do this.
Like I told the fellow in the other thread, one of the reasons they do not allow this is my main area of agreeance with the law, spread of disease to wild flocks.
Our captive poultry are riddled with various diseases. From centuries of keeping them in close quarters, most have become immune or just out right resistant to most of them.
Wild fowl on the other hand are, well wild and out in the open. They are not in mass communities in close quarters like or domestic fowl are, therefore have never been exposed to a lot of these ailments.
Now here comes the problem.
you collect your own birds from the wild with the best of intentions. Think it's a good idea to house them with or near various domestic stock. Hey they seem healthy (you didnt know they were carriers) Now these birds with no immunity are exposed, you later want to do the right thing and turn them back in the wild, you did your good deed, or they just escape on their own. Where do these new sick birds go, right back to the rivers and lakes where all the other wild waterfowl are.
Now your good deed have possibly infected the entire flock of native wild birds.
Sound far fetched? well really it's not.
This is why the US Fish and Wild Life Service would rather a few birds die of natural causes than allow a free for all with people "doing good in the eyes"
Government , good - bad, everyone has their opinions, but some times they are there to protect us from ourselves. They dont just make wildlife protection laws on a whim, there are countless biologist and researchers behind every law passed. We may not agree with them all, but they are in fact there for the protection of the species, from who, US!
but not if you don't know what you're doing. (I mean that in a nice way.) 
