Mallard Duck Regulations

[DanAndQuails]

JJRS I totally understood what you meant about clipping the mallards' back toes. Maybe I should just do that, as you hit it spot on: to relieve my apprehension.

My only concern here is that because they are 3-4 weeks old already, the removal of the toe would cause unneeded pain.

DenverDucky, that's a good point about how people may just take ducks from the wild and try to mark them.

jdywntr, I'm thinking that since the ducks are not six weeks old yet, the ducklings do not need to be marked unless they are being sold over six weeks of age.

kswaterfowl, that makes sense about how some domesticated mallards would obviously look different from standard mallards, proving that they were bred, born, and raised in captivity.

It's a tough issue, and even though laws are meant to help, in the case of concerned and responsible duck owners, I think the laws just cause confusion and take away from the fun of duck ownership...

 

[DanAndQuails]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/391824/difference-between-mallard-and-rouens-6wks

Also, read the last post of this. There is a possibility that my ducks are rouens. It seems hard to believe that a hatchery would not follow applicable laws. And back to what jdwntr said, maybe the hatchery has a permit? I'm just trying to answer all these new questions, forgive me for complicating my original post.

 

[DenverDucky]

There is a possibility they could be rouens, did Tractor Supply have a label for them? Mallards are usually identifiable by their eye-stripe. And of course their size when they are grown. Maybe if you posted a pic ot would help. Sadly, as one of the breeders stated above, not everyone knows, understands, or cares to follow the law. I'm not about to presume that someone simply doesn't care but ultimately it is the responsibility of the breeder/hatchery to mark their mallards before sale so customers are reassured they are purchasing a legal, domesticated mallard regardless if they are buying from a feed store or hatchery.

 

[DanAndQuails]

I'll see if i can get a picture up soon. But no response from FWS yet.

 

[DenverDucky]

It's the weekend

 

[BradyFarm]

What if your adult mallards were not marked as babies? I have an adult male mallard who was found on he side of the road. We took him in and h's been with us ever since. He suffers from angel wing syndrome so he can't fly. My femail mallard is not marked either. We clip her wings. We got her from a farm that took her in after the previosu owners didn't think she was cute anymore (after Easter). How do you mark an adult? Can you remove their hind toe as an adult?

 

[Jcarroll123]

The "mallards" in the case I am referring to originated at Tractor Supply. I am NOT providing a criminal suggestion because the birds came from a department store in the first place (not "the wild") It is unfortunate you decided I was "encouraging anyone to be able to just take a mallard from the wild and mark it themselves" by taking my comment completely out of context (the thread it addressed). The suggestion was provided IN THIS THREAD ONLY merely to relieve someone's apprehension. The concept of fraudulently marking wild birds that are property of the United States was never expressed or implied...on my end.

I wonder what exactly is definition of Mallard Duck under some of these regulations, from what I’ve read lot of these captive bred Mallard ducks or Mallard looking ducks have been interbred with other ducks over the years, are they really going to do a DNA test if you have receipt your duck is captive bred???

 

[Jcarroll123]

I wonder what exactly is definition of Mallard Duck under some of these regulations, from what I’ve read lot of these captive bred Mallard ducks or Mallard looking ducks have been interbred with other ducks over the years, are they really going to do a DNA test if you have receipt your duck is captive bred??

I wonder what exactly is definition of Mallard Duck under some of these regulations, from what I’ve read lot of these captive bred Mallard ducks or Mallard looking ducks have been interbred with other ducks over the years, are they really going to do a DNA test if you have receipt your duck is captive bred???

 

[Jcarroll123]

Asking because I was considering purchasing some baby ducklings, I also don’t want any issues and do right thing, but don’t want to open can of worms asking wrong agency or whatever, When I was a kid many years ago , things were lot simpler, everyone had all kinds of pets, and I don’t remember one issue

 

[Jcarroll123]

Asking because I was considering purchasing some baby ducklings, I also don’t want any issues and do right thing, but don’t want to open can of worms asking wrong agency or whatever, When I was a kid many years ago , things were lot simpler, everyone had all kinds of pets, and I don’t remember one issue