DUCK HELP PLEASE

[Amiga]

Not all projects go the way we want.

One thing to consider might be to set up a food plot to attract wild waterfowl. Those work pretty well, from what I read.

 

[liv22]

Wait is wild waterfowl ducks? And how do you do that because origanally they're was just males there a LONG time ago and that's all and then a female mallard just flew in and bred with the males i was hoping that would have happened and it didn't?

 

[Amiga]

Try doing a web search on waterfowl food plots. You can attract wild ducks to the pond Some folks build nesting boxes, too.

 

[liv22]

Ok thanks!

 

[casportpony]

What happens to the domestic ducks on the pond in the winter? Where do they sleep?

-Kathy

 

[Pyxis]

The problem here is that no domestic ducks should be released onto that pond, at all. There's not a good breed for it. Mallards can fly, but since you'll be raising them yourself from ducklings they will not be learning survival skills to live in the wild, which wild ducklings learn from their mother. They won't know how to find food, which is something I have not seen mentioned in your posts. Who's feeding these ducks? Are they supposed to feeding themselves? Because they will have a hard time with that on their own, especially in the winter. Domestic ducks can't fly away for the winter like wild ducks do, so any non flighted breed put on that pond will starve over the winter. If the pond freezes over, they'll have nowhere to go and they'll be easy food for hungry winter predators. Mallards can fly away, but they probably won't come back in the spring and as was mentioned they'll be subject to duck hunters.

If you really love your ducks, find them a new home, and don't get any others to put on that pond unless the neighbor is going to be providing feed, shelter, and protection from predators for them. And by feed I don't mean tossing some bread once in a while, I mean leaving out a specially made duck feed that they can have access to 24/7.

Otherwise do what Amiga recommended and try to attract wild ducks. That's going to be your best bet and is the best thing if you guys just want to see waterfowl on the pond without having to do any feeding or other care that human raised ducks require.

 

[shortgrass]

The problem here is that no domestic ducks should be released onto that pond, at all. There's not a good breed for it. Mallards can fly, but since you'll be raising them yourself from ducklings they will not be learning survival skills to live in the wild, which wild ducklings learn from their mother. They won't know how to find food, which is something I have not seen mentioned in your posts. Who's feeding these ducks? Are they supposed to feeding themselves? Because they will have a hard time with that on their own, especially in the winter. Domestic ducks can't fly away for the winter like wild ducks do, so any non flighted breed put on that pond will starve over the winter. If the pond freezes over, they'll have nowhere to go and they'll be easy food for hungry winter predators. Mallards can fly away, but they probably won't come back in the spring and as was mentioned they'll be subject to duck hunters.

If you really love your ducks, find them a new home, and don't get any others to put on that pond unless the neighbor is going to be providing feed, shelter, and protection from predators for them. And by feed I don't mean tossing some bread once in a while, I mean leaving out a specially made duck feed that they can have access to 24/7.

Otherwise do what Amiga recommended and try to attract wild ducks. That's going to be your best bet and is the best thing if you guys just want to see waterfowl on the pond without having to do any feeding or other care that human raised ducks require.

X2


Ok we have raised mallards pretty much my DHs whole life...lol 50+ years?....

Please don't get ducks with the intent if just letting them go. We raise mallards. Sure some fly away. They get hunted. By coons, coyotes, and HUMANS. human hunters take out probably 90% of our ducks.

They are now domesticated. Wild or not, we feed them, clip their wings, protect them...come spring if wings aren't clipped they leave to go nest and come back in fall. Maybe 10%. They can't survive on their own. They have no idea how to protect themselves, really.

Runners are domesticated. No "wild" in them at all. Mallards are wild, but only if they're raised in the wild. Sure they fly away GIVEN the chance but they don't actually live a full happy life.

That's a pipe dream for a domesticated wild duck.

#2. DISEASE. Your ducks may be carrying pathogens not familiar to the wild ducks. You could wipe out ALL of your neighbors ducks plus the wild ones with one simple pathogen.

Please rehome the ducks...aybe research wildlife areas or possibly helping with reintroduction of native species, if that's what interests you... I help out with Pheasant and Wild Turkey; there are some great organizations that you can actually brood babies for! So rewarding and you won't have to worry about what will happen to them

This is the pheasant organization I work with
http://www.pheasantsforever.org

 

[liv22]

The 3 wild ducks I see where they sleep at night theirs really high brush and when they chase my ducks down, (which they do like everyday) they like swim across the pond and they go into the high brush there's like a little den that they go in so I guess that's where they sleep at night

 

[shortgrass]

The 3 wild ducks I see where they sleep at night theirs really high brush and when they chase my ducks down, (which they do like everyday) they like swim across the pond and they go into the high brush there's like a little den that they go in so I guess that's where they sleep at night

Then you are encroaching another nest, and aggressive males come spring. It's THEIR territory... It would be akin to your parents picking up s few stray kids at walmart and plopping them in your bedroom (to live forever) lol

 

[casportpony]

Quote:

-Kathy