Do wild ducks leave their mom? If so, when?

[ktrayn]

I'm located in Tampa Florida and the ducks are Muscovy. I'm such a huge animal lover and to think something bad happened to him is breaking my heart.
I have noticed as the 4 males got older they would get a little more aggressive with each other.
I love to watch them. I have fed them corn on occasion but want to be very careful not to make them dependant on me for food. Is that bad? Should I not give them corn as a treat?

Is it OK to feed them corn?

 

[junebuggena]

Corn is not very nutrient dense, so don't make it a regular thing. A better option is black oil sunflower seeds. And the Muscovies in you area are likely escapees from a domesticated flock. They are not native to Florida.

 

[ktrayn]

Wow, thanks for all the information, I really appreciate it. I'm definitely going to buy them some alternative treats besides corn. I did give the peas a few times but they didn't really like it as much as the corn. I'm going to try to find some crickets and mealworms at the pet store.

They do seem really friendly and sweet, not really wild but since they don't belong to anyone I thought they were wild. I really enjoy them, my little shin tzu Chloe and I go out and look for them every morning. Sometimes we have to check several times before they show up.

Thanks again for the help.

Here's a link to my you tube, a few really short videos of the ducks:

Kristin

 

[junebuggena]

Those were definitely owned by someone at some point. You may want to start giving them some feed.

 

[ktrayn]

ok, i definitely will. Do you know what kind i should buy and where is the best place to buy it? should i search local or buy online?

any information and help will be greatly appreciated.

also, i'm not sure where they sleep at night, is there anything i should be doing to help keep them safe?

regards, kristin

 

[ktrayn]

Well, guess what? i ordered some dehydrated mealworms for the ducks and couldn't wait to see their reaction. They didn't touch them. i don't know why, but there was no reaction at all. then i threw some corn down on top of the mealworms thinking maybe they can't see them in the grass and they picked through and ate the corn but never touched the mealworms.

Do you think it's because they are dehydrated, they are not as appealing? Can they see them? i noticed when i gave them peas they didn't react either, do they have are hard time deciphering colors with the ground/grass? Can they smell?

I'm going to buy them a bag of feed today and i'm wondering if they will even eat it. Any ideas?

 

[junebuggena]

Well, guess what? i ordered some dehydrated mealworms for the ducks and couldn't wait to see their reaction. They didn't touch them. i don't know why, but there was no reaction at all. then i threw some corn down on top of the mealworms thinking maybe they can't see them in the grass and they picked through and ate the corn but never touched the mealworms.

Do you think it's because they are dehydrated, they are not as appealing? Can they see them? i noticed when i gave them peas they didn't react either, do they have are hard time deciphering colors with the ground/grass? Can they smell?

I'm going to buy them a bag of feed today and i'm wondering if they will even eat it. Any ideas?

Live bugs are a lot more appealing than dried ones. They will probably like the feed.

 

[ktrayn]

I bought them a bag of feed today, a 50lb bag of water fowl maintenance. My poor little ducks are so confused. They came running and I threw some feed on the ground and they just stood there a looked at me like, what's this lady, where's the corn? Since it floats, I threw some in the water and the still just stood there and looked confused. Finally the smaller females got in the water and some of the ate it but they definitely were not excited about it. LOL

I'll still treat them to corn every now and again but i think this 50 lb bag us going to last a loong time.

 

[PINOAK RIDGE]

Ducks can be reluctant to try new things, but usually once they get a good taste of new food stuffs they do eventually come around. Consistency and patience may pay off yet. Yes, live bugs are much more appealing than dried ones. These ducks have been "living off the land", as nature intended and have been eating lots of live, natural, food sources which is yummy for ducks. Crickets, earthworms, minnows & etc are favorite treats for ours ducks. I think most of us would prefer a piece of fresh juicy fruit over shredded wheat cereal "biscuits". Think of dried foods and pellets as an acquired taste, developed over time.

We often explain different foods to folks in this manner. Think of ducks as kids, corn as candy and pellets (commercial feed) as veggies. Yes, ducks would rather eat the corn than the pellets, but the pellets are more nutritious for them. Plus, that shiny yellow corn is more attractive than dull tan/brown pellets. Many live insects have that shiny look. Maybe put out a dish, aluminum pan or etc and put a mixture of pellets top dressed with corn. You may also wish to sprinkle some of the dried meal worms as well. This is one way to introduce them to pellets and can sometimes entice them to try new food.

Good luck and we look forward to reading updates.

 

[ktrayn]

I threw out some feed in the water this morning, they were just swimming over so I was able to get the food in the water before they actually got out and on land. They all ate it pretty enthusiastically so I'm thrilled. I'm happy they like it and will get some good nutrition unlike the starchy corn.

Now I have this small bag of dehydrated meal worms, I don't know what to do with. Would you want it, would your chickens/ducks eat them? I can mail them to you if you want to send me your address: [email protected]

I'll get some more videos and post on YouTube real soon.

Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and expertise.