How hard is it to rehome unwanted birds?

[rainplace]

pekinduck<3er :

Quote:
THATS A HORRIBLE IDEA REALEASING A DUCK?if its a duck you took care of imagine you dropping it oof in a pond or lake you dont know seeing the person who took care of you drive away and never see them again?And so many predators and mean ducks nipping at you and treating you like dirt?
Postcard from your duck
"Dear Mom and Dad, . This is your duck, I just wanted to send you an update since I last saw you. Remember that day you said it was time for me to be grown up and you took me to the really safe neighborhood and left me? I remember when you drove away from that strange place waving from the car, I chased after you but my legs just weren't fast enough. I was so scared but I want to show you how good I am so you'll want to come visit me. I keep thinking I have done something wrong but I know your just really busy. I am really learning a lot so hopefully I can come home soon. . Well, my first lesson as a grown up was that all dogs aren't nice. I know our dog at home was always around so I thought I could trust this one too. I soon learned a lesson in what pain was and I thought I knew was being scared was but boy I was wrong. . I learned if you stick your neck out to help someone it just might get cut off, or in my case just lose all its skin and some bones too. I am tough though mom and dad. I don't want you to worry about me. I am a good duck, if you come back for me I promise to always be a good duck. . I was hurting pretty bad but I hid from everyone. I knew you were coming back from me. I waited for three days bleeding and in pain and I am not sure why you haven't come back. I haven't gotten to eat either, but I am a good duck. When i go home with you I wont be any trouble I promise. . Its day 4 Mom and dad I tried. I did the best I could but I couldn't hold out any longer. The other ducks chased me away and passed out from pain and starvation. I woke up in the hospital and I struggled to get back to you. I told the lady my mom is coming back for me, she promised to visit every day and feed me and take care of me. Just sending this note in case you come back and cant find me. I sure miss you mom and dad but I think I am safe now and it sure feels good to be loved. (whatever was in that pill helped a lot too! ) Sincerely, Your Pekin"
By Jennifer Gordon
THATS SO SAD ONLY AN EVIL PERSON WOULD DO THAT!!!!!!!!!

You forgot to post the link so others could see the pictures of what Jennifer sees: WARNING GRAPHIC PHOTOS IN LINK BELOW

http://www.carolinawaterfowlrescue.com/duckpostcard.htm​

 

[Wifezilla]

Releasing a domestic duck in to the wild is like turning a toy poodle loose in the arctic and expecting it to become a wolf overnight.

If I can't sell excess ducks, they do in to the freezer. I have at least 6 drakes that will be food by fall.

 

[sonew123]

I just want to vomit at the losers who do this or would even think of doing this....Those photos make me ill and turned my guts inside out. The story of the pekin did me in

As much as I am sad I have 4 males and 2 females-they are separated out to prevent over mating. 1 male large duck to the 2 large females and the 3 male call ducks together in another pen...I would LOVE to rescue or adopt but the space and my ratio cannot allow me to take on any more males..

People ...

 

[EweSheep]

Sometimes if you can find them, Asian markets would take them off your hands for meat.

 

[pekinduck<3er]

Quote:
THATS A HORRIBLE IDEA REALEASING A DUCK?if its a duck you took care of imagine you dropping it oof in a pond or lake you dont know seeing the person who took care of you drive away and never see them again?And so many predators and mean ducks nipping at you and treating you like dirt?
Postcard from your duck
"Dear Mom and Dad, . This is your duck, I just wanted to send you an update since I last saw you. Remember that day you said it was time for me to be grown up and you took me to the really safe neighborhood and left me? I remember when you drove away from that strange place waving from the car, I chased after you but my legs just weren't fast enough. I was so scared but I want to show you how good I am so you'll want to come visit me. I keep thinking I have done something wrong but I know your just really busy. I am really learning a lot so hopefully I can come home soon. . Well, my first lesson as a grown up was that all dogs aren't nice. I know our dog at home was always around so I thought I could trust this one too. I soon learned a lesson in what pain was and I thought I knew was being scared was but boy I was wrong. . I learned if you stick your neck out to help someone it just might get cut off, or in my case just lose all its skin and some bones too. I am tough though mom and dad. I don't want you to worry about me. I am a good duck, if you come back for me I promise to always be a good duck. . I was hurting pretty bad but I hid from everyone. I knew you were coming back from me. I waited for three days bleeding and in pain and I am not sure why you haven't come back. I haven't gotten to eat either, but I am a good duck. When i go home with you I wont be any trouble I promise. . Its day 4 Mom and dad I tried. I did the best I could but I couldn't hold out any longer. The other ducks chased me away and passed out from pain and starvation. I woke up in the hospital and I struggled to get back to you. I told the lady my mom is coming back for me, she promised to visit every day and feed me and take care of me. Just sending this note in case you come back and cant find me. I sure miss you mom and dad but I think I am safe now and it sure feels good to be loved. (whatever was in that pill helped a lot too! ) Sincerely, Your Pekin"
By Jennifer Gordon
THATS SO SAD ONLY AN EVIL PERSON WOULD DO THAT!!!!!!!!!

You forgot to post the link so others could see the pictures of what Jennifer sees: WARNING GRAPHIC PHOTOS IN LINK BELOW

http://www.carolinawaterfowlrescue.com/duckpostcard.htm

thank you for the pics! see never release ducks!!!! its sooo stupid people who have chickens its like releasing your chickens at a park and think theyll be alright!its stupid. but the poem made me so sad......

 

[bayyjayy]

I would never, ever release a duck. Ever. When I saw that post, "A LAKE", I was wondering if it was going to be ignored or not. The pictures were completely horrible, and it is sad that anyone would EVER consider releasing a duck. I posted a while ago about what to do with unwanted drakes, stating that I am not a disposable pet owner. When I get a pet I am in it for their life. So, having ducks, this is a hard thing for me. Just as hard is thinking of these birds as food. Someone posted a reply back to my last post about that, and she helped me realize something by stating that these birds are livestock, not pets, so it helped a little, but I still can't sell them as meat--it would be so much easier for me if I could eat them. If someone wants to buy them and then eat them WITHOUT me knowing, so be it. I know there is nothing wrong with it, but....I couldn't even have a cow in my pasture and then have it slaughtered and eat it. My girlfriend's husbands brother raises cows and gives them meat all the time, she shares with me, and I have NO problem eating it (believe me, that meat is soooo much better than the grocery store!).

A part of me is regretting falling in love with ducks and owning them. Seriously....what am I going to do with all these ducks that are mean or just happen to be boys? I have three Cayugas and some kind of baby in a brooder right now, and I am PRAYING that they are all girls (yeah, right, like THAT will happen, but still!).

When I am outside watching my three original mallards get chased off and raped by the bigger Pekin and Rouen, I wonder about all the birds that are in the wild and this happens to them all the time and it makes me sick for them. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess, but ducks are mean little twerps when it comes to mating and I hate it. During the spring, again, I was questioning my new addiction.

I really, really, reallllllly don't want to put up a fence and seperate them. That means that my mallards will not have access to my pond. The pond was dug especially for THEM. I know they will be happy enough with a pool, but then they won't have access to the willows, they will have to use a dog house for shelter. There is loooong grass along the fence, so they will be fine, but it seriously makes me soooo mad!

This post made me laugh: The way you advertise them can also help. Advertising boys as " A QUIET BACKYARD PET - NO LOUD QUACKING" Is sometimes enough for me to sell off some extra young drakes. Because, before they were bullying my other ducks, I was thinking of rehoming them because they are LOUD! Funny, huh?

Thanks so much for all your replies. Just know that I will keep them before they are let go in the wild. Even if I find them a home in someones freezer, they will not be set free. One reason beyond the responsibility I feel for them is because they are both UN-flying ducks. Never.

 

[bayyjayy]

The other thing I am worried about: The three mallards that are being picked on....ONE is a girl, which means TWO are boys. So.....another can of worms pretty soon, huh?

 

[sonew123]

Quote:
yes another can of worms Im sorry...

 

[Oregon Blues]

Something that helps with the re-homing problem: do not allow any eggs to hatch. Gather them all up as soon as they are laid.

If you want to purchase new birds, only buy sexed ducklings. Yes, there are places that sell sexed ducklings. You don't have to purchase straight run. Then you don't have males that need homes.

My ducks are extremely well cared for, but they are livestock. My excess males go into the freezer. If there are buyers, they want to pay much less than it has cost me to feed them and I prefer not to sell for less than they have cost me. For those of you whose ducks are pets, position yourself so that you never have excess males to deal with, because available pet, life-time homes for drakes are very close to being non-existent.

 

[bayyjayy]

Quote:
I would love to buy all girl ducks, but the breeds I want don't come sexed! At least the hatcheries I have looked at.


Don't let eggs hatch......I would love to try my hand at incubating some, but again.....the reason I haven't yet is because then what? How do I find homes for them?

Decisions, decisions.....