Dispelling myths about diapered ducks....

[Duck_feeder]

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Which we're just about due for... I might take pictures to better illustrate the process. It's a pain in the vent but really keeps down the smell.

 

[CityChicker]

Nettie- I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your ducks! We don't have any "house ducks" per se, but we always seem to have one in the house for one reason or another (usually babies/juveniles). We have one Mallard right now that I just know thinks she is human, LOL. She *loves* to be held. I was holding her yesterday and showed her some baby Mallards and she was looking at them like what the heck are those things. She would look at me and then look at them and then look at me. She wanted no part of getting near them though.

 

[nettie]

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One time i brought Victor and Ming Mei over to Claudia's (aka Allaboutdemchicks) house to visit with peter and sammy (two ducks we gave to her as they did not like living indoors). I let them out of the car and let them roam around with the other free ranging ducks and chickens. Victor stood in the run very unsure of his ducky counter parts, almost like he was amazed they had to live outside... Ming mei wanted absolutely no part of it. She came over to me and sat in my lap as if to say, "I'm going by those vermin, i want to be here by us people".

I had trouble in a pet duck group on yahoo last fall/winter. That group is made up of people who diaper their ducks and some who do not and a big argument erupted. I actually left the group because it wasn't worth my time. But i did say something about the eruption here at byc and explained how some person told me i was "Torturing" my ducks. Wifezilla had the best reply with, "My ducks want to know where they can sign up for that torture?" lol.

 

[DuckMamaorBust]

This is a great thread. In addition to getting a peek into Ming Mei & Victor's wonderfully pampered world it is also an interesting chance to reflect on nature vs. nurture. Nice write-up!

 

[nettie]

ducks, and bird in general, are intersting because they imprint and bond... That imprint/bond pretty much decided what their life is gong to be like. A duck can imprint on a human, but bond to ducks just fine if they are around other ducks or ducklings when little. my ducky ming mei didn't have that when she was a baby, her shipmate died after six days. So for two whole weeks, she was by herself in her brooder, with only me to keep her company. by the time victor came, she was too big and pecked him so they had to be separated into two brooders. so they both imprinted and bonded to me. by the time they were old enough to have lived outside, they wanted to part of it. that's how i ended p with ducks in my tub and under my dinning room table begging for a nibble. lol

Peter and sammy were a pekin and a snowy mallard i got last winter. they imprinted on humans, but bonded to each other as they were in the same brooder... They really wanted no part of us humans and prefered being outside. So i did what i had to do, i gave them away to a friend with outdoor ducks... They are much much happier now.

 

[688peterl]

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eek i hope my ducks imprint on me i want them to be friendly duckys

 

[classroomducks]

I dont think they have to imprint to be friendly do they?

 

[KellyandKatie]

great info, I don't know why it ruffles feathers here to have birds as pets
do you have the book "Duck, theres a goose in the house"?

 

[nettie]

it was the first duck book i owned! I've met the author, before she passed away. I had her number in case of emergencies. She was a really wonderful person. It's the only book on the market about indoor duck living. It also focused a lot on indoor geese too.

Ducks can be friendly even if they don't imprint, but it's usually better outcome if they do. Most ducks have an opportunity to imprint on humans since many are incubated and see humans first. but even if they don't see humans first, they can bond to humans by handling them a lot as babies. usually babies who are brooded by mothers and raised by mothers are the least likely to be friendly.

 

[KellyandKatie]

I visit their site a lot, but was debating the book- glad to hear it was useful. All the duck books I own talk about how to cook them, but not so much duck behavior or duck health