Mandarin Duck thread ( for posting pictures and discussing)

[dylan duck man]

You can house them together ,but I wouldn't because sometimes calls tend to bully the mandies.

 

[The Farm]

Ok for now I think I might and when breeding season comes separate them. Thanks I'm new to Mandarins

 

[Koekoek]

Hi, I need help with my Mandarins please.
I have one pair which I bought about 2 months ago.
I need a lot of advice please - this is my first time keeping them.
I'm housing them in an enclosure 6m (l) x 3m (w) x 1.8m (h).
I have two Pekin hens in their with them.
They get on ok but the Pekins can sometimes be a bit pushy and I'm thinking of separating them.
I was hoping the Mandarins would settle down to some breeding but for some reason this isn't happening.
When I got them the male was very scruffy looking. He was in his breeding plumage but looked a bit of a scruff.
At the moment he's in the process of moulting into eclipse plumage.
This is what has me confused - I thought they were supposed to breed in Summer? (it's Summer at the moment in the southern hemisphere - the first day of Spring is September so it's basically peak summer here now).
Is that going to be it for this year then?
So dissappointing if it is.
They never even went in the nest box once - I have it positioned facing the pond.
I'm wondering if the male moulting now is normal?
We have had really terrible weather here, we've hardly had a summer at all! Just rain and more rain! - maybe the Pekins are causing them stress?
I was thinking of separating them like I said - could I then put a pair of wood ducks in the enclosure with them?
Lastly I have been feeding them starter mash since the start of spring, should I switch to a maintenance diet now?
Thanks

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

You pretty much answered it already. The pekings need to go . It is never good to put any domestic breeds in with any wild species. They are bullies and will stress wild ducks. Any stress results in no production. Also you need a lot of cover in the pen to make them feel secure and safe.
Without that and will aggressive pen mates, these kind of ducks will never reproduce.

Also mandarins are fairly common on not breeding til they are 2 years old. Which may be part of it .

Yes they you start early spring for you .

Yes they molt mild summer , so that's normal.

If the male was ratty looking he most likely wasn't kept well where you got him from , sign of more stress. Also sounds like you got him at peak breeding season. That's more stress. Moving to a new home right at breeding time will shut them down too.

Make sure they have swimming water. I bet since he was in bad condition , he did t .

Yes get the domestics out and you can add wood ducks.

These two species are generally the most high strung , nervous of all wild ducks though . So make the pen comfortable and secure to them , or they will never breed for you

Hope that helped

 

[Koekoek]

Thanks BBB, that helps loads!!!!!
I took your advice and got rid of the Pekins.
It was a bit hard to do, I raised them from their first day so I became quite attached.
It's actually quite a relief now that they're gone, there's so much less mess!
I work long hours sometimes and it becomes really difficult when I have to clean out the ponds on an almost daily basis.
I had some smaller plastic tubs which i used for the Pekins and was changing out the water daily.
I have a kiddies pool for the Mandarins which they access by climbing up some branches along the edges.
The kiddies pool stayed clean for far longer, that is until the Pekins discovered a way of getting in.
Anyway, I just have to accept that this breeding season has been lost and prepare things for next year.
The pet store from where I bought the Mandarins had a nice big clean pond but there were all sorts of other ducks in there with them, including Pekins.
Now that the Pekins are gone I would like to upgrade the pond with something bigger and more natural than a kiddies pool.
I know it will be more stress for them but if I can get it out the way now then I can leave them be to settle in for the next breeding season.
I have some really nice shrubs that I'm going to plant in the pen and will probably plant some reeds around one end of the pond.
Thanks again for the help

 

[Koekoek]

Sorry Boggy Bottom Bantams,
What should I be feeding them on now pls?
I've read that they should be fed a less rich diet over the non breeding season so that they're not too fat to breed come spring.
One article I read said to feed them a basic poultry mix of crushed corn, wheat and sorghum but I have never seen my ducks eat this when I've offered it to them.
Would laying mash or the duck pellets they sell at pet stores be ok?

 

[muus]

I have a question about mandarins:
Mandarins can be a pet? I mean that can be pets like goose, indian runners or call ducks? i've seen videos of wood ducks as pets but i can't find any video about anyone who haves this duck like a pet.
If anyone have a mandarin as a indoor pet, let me know about it.
Thank you

 

[claire84]

Hi does anyone have mandarin ducks(female) for sale nr s yorks.

 

[chickenlisa]

where are you located? I have pairs and maybe 1 extra female.

 

[grullablue]

I'm trying to learn about mandarins. Are they friendly birds or wild? I see they're pretty expensive, and limited as far as places to buy! Cute little buggers they are!!