Anyone experience this with a Mandarin duckling?

[chickensioux]

I had 5 out of 7 eggs hatch last Thursday out of an incubator. 4 calls and 1 mandarin. I sold 3 of the calls and kept one to keep the mandarin baby company. They have been together in a brooder since then. The call baby is as calm as can be with me handling it but the mandarin is a maniac. I know these are little wild ducks but wouldn't you think under these circumstances it would be calmer? Can its wild instincts be this strong? It's parents don't want me to touch them but they aren't spastic........

 

[thechickenguy]

from what ive red wild ducks such as mallards,wood ducks, mandarins, so on and so forth will always have some bit of fear from humans. they are a wild breed of duck. in some ducks its different but with most of your wild breeds they will always have that natural fear of humans. instincts is a very strong thing in any animal.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Yup, they are always maniacs.

 

[chickensioux]

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Dang......

 

[bemba]

Well dunno if its because of a different species or not, but I found 2 Australian wood duck eggs on the bank of a dam about a year ago, had a broody duck shoved them under her and they both hatched! Any ducklings that have hatched with mum and stayed with her, as ducklings were very jumpy, skittish and feral....... but the little woodies.... even being with mum were the tamest ducklings I have ever had, they would run to me whenever they would see me! and you would be constantly trying not to stand on them HAHAHA.

 

[giffy]

As a general rule they retain their skittish nature and rarely are affected by human imprinting. With a ton of work you could gain some form of trust/bond (good example Bemba) but generally both the Mandarin and Wood ducks avoid their keepers. I always had a few that would allow me close enough to take some good photographs but never hand feeding or letting me pick them up. Of all the wild breeds I have raised, the Green-winged Teal have been the most trusting of me.

One more thing, I think Geese are more prone to human imprinting (by this I mean the duck/goose believing/seeing itself as a human rather than duck) than ducks are.

giffy
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www.giffsfarm.com

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

They do calm down though. Back in 08, I think, I purchased a 2 pairs of mandarins, and they were nuts. Couldnt even get close to them. Now I can get within a foot away from them and they are fine with me being there.

 

[tplummer]

We had a pair, but the male recently died. We could be outside and get about 5 feet or so away. We had just better to stay away after that. We have had them almost a year. They still wanted no part of us.

 

[chickensioux]

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Yeah, that's the way my pair is. They don't mind me coming into the enclosure but......don't touch!

 

[Flying_Beaver]

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It is very unfortunate to read this. I was wanting to purchase a pair of wood ducks but wanted them to let me touch them. It is kind of disappointing to read that they won't let me hold them. Are there any ducks in the higher price range that are trusting?