Mallards

[Jillove Farnell]

I purchased five female mallards yesterday from Craigslist to add the the three males and two females I have . They seem malnourished. Definitely not as spunky as mine . I have them separated . Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Isaac 0]

Externally, they look in pretty good shape. Nice clean, sleek feathers, alert, look to be preening. If they just seem a little "off", that's more than likely because they're adjusting to their new environment. Put simply, birds tend not to like change.

 

[Jillove Farnell]

Externally, they look in pretty good shape. Nice clean, sleek feathers, alert, look to be preening. If they just seem a little "off", that's more than likely because they're adjusting to their new environment. Put simply, birds tend not to like change.

 

[Jillove Farnell]

Thanks

 

[Ratchnick]

Its good practice to quarantine new arrivals away from your flock.

 

[Isaac 0]

Waterfowl are generally disease-free, so the idea of quarantining becomes less of an issue, compared to chickens. Unless you have been disinfecting your shoes and clothing before interacting with each set of birds, if there was some sort of virus, it's highly likely it's already been transmitted. Several viruses can float in the wind.