Difference between Rouen and Mallard.

[Tlmcq]

OK..My lil duckling had 2 eye stripes when I got it at 2 days old but it's about 2 weeks now and only has one stripe..Other has faded to just a dot...What do y'all think? Rouen or Mallard?

no reply? :C

 

[tcmarie]

OK.... sorry this took so long...had to find my pics.

I had two that were similar to yours. They are domestic mallards (one could fly- the other died as he couldn't escape a hawk ). I've also had a wild mallard that I hatched (the mom abandoned her eggs outside my office-only one hatched). I've got photos below that should help explain but I'd say yours would be pretty close match my domestic mallards.

These are my domestic mallards. When you go through the pics you'll notice the stripe slowly fading into something resembling a little spot by the time they get their feathers. This photo is them just a few days old.

...and here's his tween self....

and here is both once they were almost completely feathered...everything but neck and head (these are both drakes/males)




this is my wild mallard. He's much smaller but he had a REALLY rough start. It took me 10 days to get this guy out of his shell... lot of blood sweat and tears... he was so thin and starved by the time he got out of his shell he couldn't move. The first two pics are right after he got out of the shell... they don't show his eye stripe though but they do show his small size

Just to show how small/skinny he was... at a normal healthy weight he would be quite a bit bigger







this shows his eye stripes. this is him a couple days old







this is him about 4-5 days old

 

[Tlmcq]

OK.... sorry this took so long...had to find my pics. I had two that were similar to yours. They are domestic mallards (one could fly- the other died as he couldn't escape a hawk ). I've also had a wild mallard that I hatched (the mom abandoned her eggs outside my office-only one hatched). I've got photos below that should help explain but I'd say yours would be pretty close match my domestic mallards. These are my domestic mallards. When you go through the pics you'll notice the stripe slowly fading into something resembling a little spot by the time they get their feathers. This photo is them just a few days old. ...and here's his tween self.... and here is both once they were almost completely feathered...everything but neck and head (these are both drakes/males) [rule]this is my wild mallard. He's much smaller but he had a REALLY rough start. It took me 10 days to get this guy out of his shell... lot of blood sweat and tears... he was so thin and starved by the time he got out of his shell he couldn't move. The first two pics are right after he got out of the shell... they don't show his eye stripe though but they do show his small size Just to show how small/skinny he was... at a normal healthy weight he would be quite a bit bigger this shows his eye stripes. this is him a couple days old this is him about 4-5 days old

Thanx so much...I don't mind if it is a mallard just hope it doesn't fly and have urge to migrate as it will be in a covered run and wouldn't want him/her to be left out of natural instinct when it sees other wild mallards migrating

 

[Tlmcq]

Also, I have an extreme water lily overgrowth in small garden pond. Do you know if it is safe for them to eat water lily. I have no problem with them destroying them as it will be there's, since I no longer keep goldfish in it.

 

[tcmarie]

My smallest of the two domestic ducks was the flyer. I had a few acres that the duck would go on short "flying practices" around the house but he never showed interest in migrating. He was just playing around. He would never leave me or his best bud (the bigger duck). Normally he would fly off around the house but just that little distance was enough to wear out his wings so he'd land in various locations and wait for his "turned hostile from worry" best bud and me to wander over and and reunite them wherever he'd landed.

I recently moved away from their favorite/perfect home though and it's been a different story since. I brought them into the city with me and we have required some adjustments to life like it was out in the country. I ended up chasing them down a very busy residential street during one of their attempted escapes to go back to their old home. I ended up clipping one wing of my flyer which has done enough to prevent him from clearing my privacy fence.

Long story short, if you purchased this duck, it's most likely domesticated enough to not have the migrate instinct burned into its brain. That being said, I spoil my two ducks and treat them like spoiled rotten human children. They think I'm mommy and they have no interest in escaping from myself or my company. Clipping the wings, although the first time is incredibly intimidating and scary, was super easy and very helpful in limiting him vs. stopping all flight.

I don't know from experience on the water lilies but have heard and read that those make for a very happy duck. Not aware of any problems coming from a duck eating them. I'm pretty positive that my ducks would be in heaven if they found a few of them floating about; they'd be gone in a heart beat.

 

[Tlmcq]

That lil teeny is so sweet.

 

[Tlmcq]

Have another question could I use a cup type chicken waterer for my ducks while in coop at night. They make such a mess with a pan was thinking this may help but still allow them access to water at night, especially in winter when the tubs freeze and they spend more time in house

 

[QuackSpeak]

Have another question could I use a cup type chicken waterer for my ducks while in coop at night. They make such a mess with a pan was thinking this may help but still allow them access to water at night, especially in winter when the tubs freeze and they spend more time in house

Is it deep enough for them to dunk their heads in all the way? And does it hold enough water that they will still have some when you are not there to refill it? A picture would be best, but if it meets those two criteria, you might be good.

 

[Tlmcq]

Here is a pic of them..Not sure if they will be deep enough to get bill all way in or not..May have to go to store and see actual size. They screw into a bucket, or PVC pipe system

 

[QuackSpeak]

Here is a pic of them..Not sure if they will be deep enough to get bill all way in or not..May have to go to store and see actual size. They screw into a bucket, or PVC pipe system

I've seen that before... You have ducklings, right? For ducklings it could work; I'm not sure about adults. Yes, I'd go to store and see actual size; hard to judge from the pic..