Michigan

[RaZ]

Domestic Mallards can fly. Ours did a few fly overs every day when we had them.

That mirrors what I have read so far.

 

[Olive Hill]

I mean REALLY fly, as in fly South with the wild mallards when the snow arrives. I was told they do not join the wild birds and fly thousands of miles South.

So I believe that RaZ would have to plan to house them Winter and Summer and provide a lot of water - did I mention that they LOVE water?

RaZ - Good idea to check with your rehabilitation people and try to have them supervise you. It is not hard at all but they are regulated so it is illegal to keep them (the wild ones) without the proper supervision.

Sorry, I should have clarified. I know what you meant and they absolutely can -- and it's not uncommon that they do. If you search this very forum you will find instances where posters have lost their domestic mallards to fly offs. This is one reason identification is required to own them -- toe clipping, pinioning, etc. Another is simply to prove that they were hatched domestically and not stolen from wild populations. If you want you domestic mallards to stay you have to pen them with a wire topped pen or clip a wing. I sold mine before winter, but have no doubt they'd have been gone come winter if I hadn't. They ramped up practice runs and went further and further each time beginning in late summer. There are no permits required to keep domestic mallards, they simply need to be ID'd.

 

[RaZ]

Hey, thanks, Raz, I will keep that in mind! My friend says the shed is already on her dad's flat bed trailer, it's just finding time to haul it. And of course he lives in the middle of nowhere. But I will do some more hinting. I'll let you know if I need to take you up on that very generous offer (and of course I'd pay for gas), I don't want to put anyone out... you know, more than necessary to get my shed.

While I'm thinking about it, anyone (within reasonable distance of the Ann Arbor area) happen to have a couple old junk tires lying around? I know, I know, those should not be hard to find, right? I just haven't tried yet. Should post a request on Freecycle or Craigslist. I heard that they make pretty good goose nests--cut out a portion of the tire so they can walk in, fill the tire with straw, keeps the straw nice and confined and also the eggs. Thought I would give it a try.

I have extra tires here. They are still mounted on rims, but I can have them broken down in no time. You can have them but you'll have to explain to me how or why a goose nests in a tire.

Just PM me and we can go get that shed. Any day is fine as long as you keep in mind that I have school on Tuesday and Thursday at 3:00.

 

[chicken grandma]

I don't think the ones my girlfriend bought and put on her pond had i.d.
She got them at Farm and Family and they were heavier birds and could not make the long migration with the wild mallards.

Edit - I will have to ask her what she did with them. There were a lot of predators on her farm near the pond.

 

[yorkchick]

Wish you weren't so far away. We have LOTS. At some point in time someone *cough* my in laws *cough* thought the woods on our property was a personal dump. Clean up is going to take until I'm dead. Probably longer.

Yeah, come to think of it, I should just ask around the neighbors here. Everyone has at least some acreage, much of it "wooded wetland," just the sort of place where someone, sometime, would have been likely to dump a bunch of old tires. Where they would sit for approximately eternity. Olive, what sort of a setup do you have for your geese to nest in? KrisRose?

 

[Olive Hill]

I don't think the ones my girlfriend bought and put on her pond had i.d.
She got them at Farm and Family and they were heavier birds and could not make the long migration with the wild mallards.

Those are production/hatchery strain Rouens. They're closer to a mallard in body type than an actual Rouen -- kind of like hatchery chickens are often much different in body type than the breeder-bred birds of that breed -- but are different. Flying ability with them is hit or miss. Depends on the strain, and the individual birds.

 

[RaZ]

Sorry, I should have clarified. I know what you meant and they absolutely can -- and it's not uncommon that they do. If you search this very forum you will find instances where posters have lost their domestic mallards to fly offs. This is one reason identification is required to own them -- toe clipping, pinioning, etc. Another is simply to prove that they were hatched domestically and not stolen from wild populations. If you want you domestic mallards to stay you have to pen them with a wire topped pen or clip a wing. I sold mine before winter, but have no doubt they'd have been gone come winter if I hadn't. They ramped up practice runs and went further and further each time beginning in late summer. There are no permits required to keep domestic mallards, they simply need to be ID'd.

Again, that echoes what I have researched so far. If I had some and they flew away, I would not be upset in the least. If a couple stayed home, that would be just fine as well. It's just that my pond isn't big enough for 30 full sized ducks.

 

[Olive Hill]

Those are production/hatchery strain Rouens. They're closer to a mallard in body type than an actual Rouen -- kind of like hatchery chickens are often much different in body type than the breeder-bred birds of that breed -- but are different. Flying ability with them is hit or miss. Depends on the strain, and the individual birds.

Here, Grandma, this should help.

Here you can see a picture of a true Rouen from the ALBC.

Here is a domestic mallard. Only a few places sell them and this is a good example at Metzer Farms.

And here, from Cackle, is what is typical of a hatchery "Rouen".

 

[chicken grandma]

Those are production/hatchery strain Rouens. They're closer to a mallard in body type than an actual Rouen -- kind of like hatchery chickens are often much different in body type than the breeder-bred birds of that breed -- but are different. Flying ability with them is hit or miss. Depends on the strain, and the individual birds.

Rouens - it is possible that that is what my friend bought Olive, although she called them domestic mallards. Where do you purchase domestic mallards for a pond?
Ah yes, Metzler. And it looks like they remove one toe to identifly that they are not wild Mallards. Very interesting. So Raz, buying some might be easier. Do they only sell them in large quantities?

 

[Olive Hill]

Yeah, come to think of it, I should just ask around the neighbors here. Everyone has at least some acreage, much of it "wooded wetland," just the sort of place where someone, sometime, would have been likely to dump a bunch of old tires. Where they would sit for approximately eternity.
Olive, what sort of a setup do you have for your geese to nest in? KrisRose?

Just straw, on the ground. Last year they had A-Frames made of pallets with the straw inside nice and thick. They made the nest out of the straw as they saw fit. This year that have a 10x12 (ish) livestock hut that they share with the alpacas. I say share lightly though as they aren't much for sharing and the alpacas are wimps.

I have one female who is smaller and lighter than all the rest. I don't care to have her genetics in my flock really, but she's a superb broody and the first one to go broody usually. She gets to fly the fence and choose somewhere else to sit. Usually in a vacant dog house with have not too far from the paddock the rest or in or, last year, she chose to set up shop in the chicken coop. Whatever works for her is fine with me. We don't seem to have predation issues with our geese whatsoever so I don't fret about what they want to do.

ETA: Now that I think about it, last year we put them in a vacant hog pen for the breeding season (they all free range the rest of the year) and there was/is actually a tire in that pen. It's an old semi-truck tire and while they got up on and in it regularly no one chose to nest there. They all nested in the various A-Frames. And I even stocked it with straw for them. Maybe yours will like the tires better. But I think what I would gather from that is that they like a "roof" so maybe be sure to put something over it, too.