Duck Dilemma!!

[Kaitie09]

We have 2, 6 week old Mallards that we got from TSC. We had planned on keeping them, but my uncle made a better offer. He has just recently built a medium pond near their barn (empty) and none of their wild ducks or pet dumpees come up that way. They all live down at the big pond across the "street" (little tiny thing) that is about 1/2 mile away from the new pond. He asked if when they get old enough, if he could take them and let them live in the medium pond so that they are close to their house. They already feed the wild ones so they don't care about feeding our girls, and we are planning on building a duck house (or buying an igloo) so that they have somewhere to go. They would have a home where they could spend their days on a real pond, chasing the little fishies, and getting some attention every once in a while. However, they will not be penned up at all so their is a danger with that. They do have racoons and opossums, and every once in a while a fox, and they got rid of their stray cat population, but nothing has ever taken the other group of ducks (they have been hit by cars before)

If they stay with us, they will be housed with the chickens (17 hens, 1 rooster), free-roam with the chickens and goats( almost 1/4 acre), and only have a kiddie pond to swim in. We will have to clip their wings so they do not hop the fence and go into the neighbors yard. They are not that social with us now, and they tend to stick together a lot. They are both females so we do not have to worry about a drake getting aggressive during mating season.

I would like thoughts on whether to give them to my uncle when they about 10 weeks old, or to just keep them.

 

[tia]

What do you want??? If you want ducks I would keep them.

 

[Kaitie09]

It does not really mater to me either way if we keep them. They are fun to watch, but I know they will never be very social and "pet like". Hopefully I could work with them to the point where they do not bolt every time I get near them. I am just trying to figure out what would be the best situation for them.

 

[DurhamDuck]

Quote:
I'd ask your uncle if he could create an 'island' in the center of the pond and I'd put a duck house there. They would be perfectly safe from most things except hawks and predators willing to swim to get them.

 

[dumb_cluck]

"Releasing them" is a death sentence. Ducks have different personalities. I had 6 mallards and all had a special personality.

They will make good pets as long as you are not asking them to dress-up or go for a car ride, etc.