Mandarin Duck thread ( for posting pictures and discussing)

[Crazy4Fowl]

Okay thank you for the responses!

 

[Crazy4Fowl]

My ducks were just cancelled and were shipped back to the owner. They said the ducks will be reshipped monday. This all happened because of a storm.

 

[znick918]

I was interested in getting a small pair of ducks mainly to keep around my koi pond and just hang out in the back yard. I live in city limits and i feel like i was mislead by the people who sold me my pair of mandarins (purely poultry). I was told a number of things i now find to be misleading. a) can be kept in pen with chickens as long as chickens arent attacking them. My chickens dont attack them but this is NOT a good settup for these birds as it makes social interaction with the ducks way more difficult and i just dont think the ducks like it... b) i was told that i could let my ducks out to free range/play during the day as long as i kept an eye on them. I have to say I think if i let these ducks out of the pen i will never be able to catch them again to put them up at night as they are scared to death of me. They are not food motivated or anything.. anytime i open my back door they run under the hen house. c) they could be somewhat tamed- maybe if you raised them from day old ducklings and handled all the time but i still doubt they will ever be very tame. So at this point I have a pair of beautiful crazy wild ducks in a chicken pen with 3 chickens that i let out from time to time to free range. I spent $250 on the pair by the time i paid for shipping and now i feel stuck with a lost investment. I have a nest house for them but dont know if she will lay being sorrounded by chickens. I know I am selling the pair i have but was hoping to hatch a clutch of eggs and get a return on my investment. Any suggestions on what i should do at this point? I dont mind building a small extra pen for them if i will ever be able to let them out (under supervision) but i do NOT want to have 2 sad little ducks in a breeding pen for there whole life. Should i just get rid of them ASAP and try my luck with calls or east indies? I dont need cuddly ducks just some that dont mind my presence and i cant get round up back into a pen when i decide to let them out... I dont have big issues with predators as i live in the middle of tulsa and i am outside with my birds when they are out...

 

[chickenzzzz]

I was interested in getting a small pair of ducks mainly to keep around my koi pond and just hang out in the back yard. I live in city limits and i feel like i was mislead by the people who sold me my pair of mandarins (purely poultry). I was told a number of things i now find to be misleading. a) can be kept in pen with chickens as long as chickens arent attacking them. My chickens dont attack them but this is NOT a good settup for these birds as it makes social interaction with the ducks way more difficult and i just dont think the ducks like it... b) i was told that i could let my ducks out to free range/play during the day as long as i kept an eye on them. I have to say I think if i let these ducks out of the pen i will never be able to catch them again to put them up at night as they are scared to death of me. They are not food motivated or anything.. anytime i open my back door they run under the hen house. c) they could be somewhat tamed- maybe if you raised them from day old ducklings and handled all the time but i still doubt they will ever be very tame. So at this point I have a pair of beautiful crazy wild ducks in a chicken pen with 3 chickens that i let out from time to time to free range. I spent $250 on the pair by the time i paid for shipping and now i feel stuck with a lost investment. I have a nest house for them but dont know if she will lay being sorrounded by chickens. I know I am selling the pair i have but was hoping to hatch a clutch of eggs and get a return on my investment. Any suggestions on what i should do at this point? I dont mind building a small extra pen for them if i will ever be able to let them out (under supervision) but i do NOT want to have 2 sad little ducks in a breeding pen for there whole life. Should i just get rid of them ASAP and try my luck with calls or east indies? I dont need cuddly ducks just some that dont mind my presence and i cant get round up back into a pen when i decide to let them out... I dont have big issues with predators as i live in the middle of tulsa and i am outside with my birds when they are out...

i had the same problem with mine, when i got them they were so scared of me they would freak out when i got a little close to them and i just clipped their wings and after a long time like 3 months they are much more calm when I'm around and i do let mine free roam around my yard you just have to make sure they can't get out, but I'm always worried that they're going to get snatched up by a hawk or something so you really have to watch them. so you definitely should clip their wings but arrange their pen accordingly so they can eat swim and perch. but my chickens and ducks hate each other for some reason they were ok with each other when i first got them but now they try to peck each other when i let them free roam together.

 

[Crazy4Fowl]

I have the same problem with mine too. Everytime I get near them they freak out. The female was freaking out so bad one day, she starting bleeding from the wing she was pinioned on. Today the male did the same thing but I had him on my hands and I true to calms him down and he kept flapping his wings, I tried to hold down his wings and when I did I saw the blood all over my hands, some on my shirt and 2 drops on my face 1 in corner of my mouth.



Znick whe you say that you can build them a little been if nesscasary, that is nesscasary, and most likely they won't lay, they only like other mandarin or wood ducks, they won't even like demostic ducks only their breed. As of a pen, they need to be at least 10x10! and some nesting boxes and some brush in there and a pool is needed

 

[BYC-user-174785]

Crazy4Fowl, what are you referring to the male killing the hen by mating with her? Mandarins are not domestic ducks (which will rape hens) so they do have a nice courtship display and they copulate in what you can consider an elegant manner. The hen initiates it. I have never had an aggressive male as far as breeding goes. Mandarins are quite productive ducks, and can lay a good number of eggs.

 

[DuckDodgers]

I know shipped hatching eggs don't do well, would there be a higher success rate if I let a broody chicken hatch them?

 

[BYC-user-174785]

I would not let a broody chicken hatch and raise them. Waterfowl are different and you would not want them getting sick from the chicken. You could have a chicken start the eggs and then move the fertile ones into a hatcher before hatching. But with that method you should mist the eggs to simulate the duck hen coming back on nest after swimming. Natural incubation will be best, you will then have wild ducklings unfortunately.

 

[cajunfowl0]

Slyvan heights does put them under hens and moves them into incubators. Like blue creek said.

 

[DuckDodgers]

Interesting thanks for the info!