ARE THESE MALLARDS OR ROUENS? Please take a peep... I mean peak.

[QuackerJackFarms]

I got my duckies from the the TSC back in March so they are about 4 months old right now. This pic is when I first got them. Anyway, I purchased them as Rouens... but guess what? Tonight when I let them out they flew OVER my house... circled OVER the neighbors house and landed back in my yard. I would say... probably a good 40 feet in the air.

So I'm thinking.. What's Going On Here!!!???

Did the Tractor Supply mix their Rouen and Mallard shipments?

Any thoughts?

 

[binza1979]

I saw mallards. Rouens have two eye stripes instead of one with a dot.

 

[Kschwartz]

Do you have a recent picture of them? That will help!

Rouens are usually chubbier and around 6-10 pounds full grown, whereas, a mallard only gets to 2-3. Since Rouens are heavier they can not fly AS WELL. It is not unheard of that Rouens can fly, just not very far or very high.

Rouens also have a big "keel" (or chest/belly) that is almost kind of dragging , but it depends on the bird. If you can't get a recent picture, trying weighing your bird and get back to us on here.


Looking at the picture though, Mallards usually have a more "unified" stripe by their eye, where Rouens usually have 2 solid stripes. In the picture, it only looks like one stripe.


I think you may have Mallards but I can't really confirm that until you post a more recent picture.

-Katie





EDIT- darn, while I was typing the first reply beat me to the eye stripe statement. sorry if it sounds like i copied him!

 

[La Mike]

Mallards

 

[QuackerJackFarms]

Thanks guys! You are confirming what I think I already knew anyway. I was just thinking a few days ago, "Man, these Rou's just aren't getting fat. They seem smaller than I remember as a kid." Good grief.

I will post some more recent pics tomorrow and let you have a look-see.
If they truly are mallards.. oh, man.
Thanks a lot Tractor Supply!! My girls are going to be devastated when they fly away one day!!

One more thing... I've never had Mallards. Will they just fly away one day? Will they start flying more and more and further and further away? I live in the city. Should I relocate to my parents farm?


Thanks everyone!

 

[dumb_cluck]

If they are treated nice and fed well, they should stay around, however, if something spooks them, they WILL take flight and may not return. All it takes is one, then they all follow.....

I kept my Mallards in a pen with a cargo net on top. They got used to it and could care less about flying. However, one day my mini horse decided to rub on their pen and he knocked a section over and they took off. One never did come back, but the others waddled back to their pool just like nothing happened.

 

[QuackerJackFarms]

I've heard of a rouen/mallard hybrid? Anyone familiar with this? Oh, and what is it?

I'm having a hard time with the fact that Tractor Supply sold me the wrong duck. I'm working on getting past that though. LOL.

 

[DuckLover2399]

Well there is the option of clipping there wings

 

[Kschwartz]

Quote:
That's just when a rouen is bred with a mallard, thus the hybrid.

 

[La Mike]

I have bred mallards for many years here and have not had any fly away. Mine fly all over the place and from pond to pond but even when penned for breeding or breeders let out to free range they always want back in the pen lol