I'm pretty sure i avoided a big mistake "rescuing" some ducks today. I was on the way to a friends house when I saw a couple of ducks (pekin drake, mallard hen) on the side of the road, and when i preceded to get out and check out the situation they came right to me looking for feed (pekin bit my finger). they even allowed me to get close enough to catch both of them, and i could have easily took off with them, But i have been watching these ducks for weeks now and they seem to be doing fine until now, they are on recently "cleaned up" mined land where there is several new ponds not more than 15 yards from the road and as i looked around for a sign of there owner i saw that there was a bush-hogged path from a far off house leading to the new pond. So i figured that they had been let loose to free range and so i placed them back on there pond. Hopefully they will stay on there pond and won't venture close to the road again now that i have given them a little scare. I guess it's just a lesson that before "rescuing" anything you should take in all considerations and view points before taking them. I'll still be keeping an eye on them just to be sure that there not going to venture back to the road and if they do i think ill go and talk to the owner to see what i can do for them. Just thought i would share
It's good that you're monitoring the situation...for me, "free range" means ranging in my own fenced in property, not ranging out to the road where the animals can get hit by cars or hurt someone by causing them to panic to avoid hitting them. It wouldn't hurt to mention it to the property owner...they might not even belong to them, they might be ducks someone dumped there because they saw the ponds. They might really be in need of "rescuing".
I would check on them and perhaps bring some treats and feed them away from the road. Sooner or later the owner might come out to talk to you and you could mention that you didn't know they were his/hers because they were so close to the road. Maybe that might get them thinking about the situation. I agree with Duckluck, it's possible that the ducks were dumped off there and the property owner might not want them around.
I guess Im going to go to talk to the owner tomorrow. for me free ranging is ranging out in the open, and can go anywhere they want to, mine do this during the day and get fenced in during the night.
i saw give em a home! and even if you dont want them then find a home fro them! since they are so friendly anyway!! i had rescued one duck also like that except a snapping turtle bit off one of his toes and broke his whole leg
these ducks have also been there ever since ENCON (mined land cleaning CO.) dug the ponds and for the first 2 weeks they stayed real close to the north end (direction of the house and path) so most likely they own them but i have a feeling they will like to no what there ducks have been up to, so tomorrow i guess im going talk to the owner tomorrow i guess. hopefully everything goes well.
