My ducklings just tried to abandon me!

[raindrop]

I went out to get my Pilgrim pair and the ducklings from the pond and the ducklings wouldn't follow. So I look a little closer and they are hanging out with a pair of Mallards. I try to call them and shake their food (I only feed 2x a day so usually they are running after me) and they swim over near me, then the Mallard drake swims after them and they follow him away!
DH and 2 of the border collies come out to chase away the Mallards, I get the geese to go back in the water to remind the ducklings where they live and then they come out of the water all as a group. Even then, DH had to herd them back to the pen!
Could they fly away with the Mallards at this age (8 1/2 weeks)? I think I will just feed once a day in the pm from now on. They seem to find a lot to eat in the pond, and they eat the seed heads off the grass so maybe they aren't hungry.
Silly, ungrateful ducklings!

 

[DuckLady]

What kind of ducks are they? Unless they are domestic mallards, they won't go far. Those wild drakes are bossy casanova bad boys, aren't they?

But remember, the mallard can get away from a predator, domestics have a harder time.

 

[raindrop]

Dutch Hookbills.
They were fine tonight. The mallards weren't there, and my little guys followed me right into their safe nighttime pen.

 

[greyfields]

They will not stray far from the food source, don't worry. :0

I found a mallard pair down in my slough yesterday with about 15 ducklings swimming around behind them. They don't look to be more than a week old. one thing I noticed was that they were entirely silent, not like the noisey domestic ones. Also, both parents faked injuries (splashed around in the water with limp wings) to try an distract me.