Need Experts Plz - Mallards or Rouens??

[Rachaels_Apocalypse]

Hi Lovely People!!
New here to ask this question. It’s actually quite simple. In duck people’s expert opinions, are these ducks mallards or Rouens?? (I suspect Rouens.) I’ve also written the lengthy backstory below to quite a few breeders and farmers across the country - and one famous man in Australia.
Photos of the 5 ducks are located in a document found by following the link below.
THANK YOU for offering your thoughts!!!
Rachael
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hello XXXXXX -

From the very mountainous, forested, and green state of Vermont!

I understand you are a very recognized in your field, and that is why I am coming to you - after much research. I also understand you must be extremely busy. That’s why I appreciate any moment you can spare on my request. You’d be helping out 5 amazing ducks!

If you would help me to figure out if these 5 ducks in question are mallards, or are indeed Rouens as I suspect, I would be incredibly appreciative!!

We live in extremely rural area, on the side of a mountain, on a dirt road. Lots of agriculture in VT as well as hobby farms. Anyway, over a month or so ago this group of 5 “mallards” waddled up to our neighbor’s home down the road. They hung out there for a of couple weeks. The ducks are EXTREMELY friendly. Pettable. Show up every morning, depart every dusk - always on foot.

So, next thing we know....the ducks waddle up to our property one morning. And haven’t left. Weeks now. But the foods we’ve been offering probably make up .... ah.... only 1 - 2% of the birds’ daily diet. A snack, really. Now that I’ve discovered they might not be wild birds, I feel bad, no wonder they are so skinny, so starving and that explains why they eat like jackhammers when offered seed.

Anyway —- I’m including a link to a Google Drive Doc below that has a bunch of photos on it that I hope might offer all the additional clues you need to recognize their breed.

I have NEVER seen these guys fly. They just walk alllllll over. March along.... very long distances....

Everyone hoping they’ll get going/fly “at some point” - fly south for winter.

I began to put the pieces together this week, out of all my growing suspicions, and finally yesterday discovered Rouens!! We may have to build a coop!? Lol I mean, some of my thoughts were — “wild mallards” being pettable? Going to humans and homes begging for food? Hanging out all day at houses?? With zero water on the property, or at the house? (Other than a basin put out by my neighbor for drinking; I put out pools lol.) Never flying, walking all over? And being SO large?? Yeah, hmmmmm....????

Just now I was wringing my hands, though, as they waddled off into the dusk... to make it through yet another night on the VT forest floor.... With all our abundant predators.

I take heart, however, that they’ve done ok thus far. Other than maybe being pretty skinny...

The link, you should have no issues accessing it, but if you do, please let me know and I can email the document to you:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/11eSpELsH0zyTQY3uJVcCXxYIOMMiqoPt5dFyVwTWU_4

I don’t know —- your opinion I’ll be extremely grateful for, if you are interested in responding??

Warmest regards,

Rachael
[email protected]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[MillersFarm]

Rouen, Far too big to be a mallard and Mallards only have 1 line that goes across their eyes.

 

[Miss Lydia]

They sure look like Rouen but sometimes pics can be hard to determine but Mallards are small ducks are these large they look large in the pics. And beautiful I hope your thinking of keeping them if so a safe secure house is needed.

 

[MillersFarm]

If you plan on keeping them I strongly suggest getting rid of all but 1 of the drakes Asap, there are way too many. With all of those drakes the hens will be over bred by your males to the point where they'll have to feathers on the back of their necks and top of their wings. .

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Yes, look like Rouen.. like said, they are too large.

Also looks like 3 drakes (with green heads and curly tails) and 2 hens (brown heads) to be exact. Not sure if that ratio will work out for keeping. Breeding might become an issue.

Maybe someone's fence went down? Duck don't JUST become pet-able in my experience. Now that you know they aren't wild, maybe you will look for their owners?

Very kind of you to look into things for them.

 

[Quacking Pigeon]

Hi Lovely People!!
New here to ask this question. It’s actually quite simple. In duck people’s expert opinions, are these ducks mallards or Rouens?? (I suspect Rouens.) I’ve also written the lengthy backstory below to quite a few breeders and farmers across the country - and one famous man in Australia.
Photos of the 5 ducks are located in a document found by following the link below.
THANK YOU for offering your thoughts!!!
Rachael
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hello XXXXXX -

From the very mountainous, forested, and green state of Vermont!

I understand you are a very recognized in your field, and that is why I am coming to you - after much research. I also understand you must be extremely busy. That’s why I appreciate any moment you can spare on my request. You’d be helping out 5 amazing ducks!

If you would help me to figure out if these 5 ducks in question are mallards, or are indeed Rouens as I suspect, I would be incredibly appreciative!!

We live in extremely rural area, on the side of a mountain, on a dirt road. Lots of agriculture in VT as well as hobby farms. Anyway, over a month or so ago this group of 5 “mallards” waddled up to our neighbor’s home down the road. They hung out there for a of couple weeks. The ducks are EXTREMELY friendly. Pettable. Show up every morning, depart every dusk - always on foot.

So, next thing we know....the ducks waddle up to our property one morning. And haven’t left. Weeks now. But the foods we’ve been offering probably make up .... ah.... only 1 - 2% of the birds’ daily diet. A snack, really. Now that I’ve discovered they might not be wild birds, I feel bad, no wonder they are so skinny, so starving and that explains why they eat like jackhammers when offered seed.

Anyway —- I’m including a link to a Google Drive Doc below that has a bunch of photos on it that I hope might offer all the additional clues you need to recognize their breed.

I have NEVER seen these guys fly. They just walk alllllll over. March along.... very long distances....

Everyone hoping they’ll get going/fly “at some point” - fly south for winter.

I began to put the pieces together this week, out of all my growing suspicions, and finally yesterday discovered Rouens!! We may have to build a coop!? Lol I mean, some of my thoughts were — “wild mallards” being pettable? Going to humans and homes begging for food? Hanging out all day at houses?? With zero water on the property, or at the house? (Other than a basin put out by my neighbor for drinking; I put out pools lol.) Never flying, walking all over? And being SO large?? Yeah, hmmmmm....????

Just now I was wringing my hands, though, as they waddled off into the dusk... to make it through yet another night on the VT forest floor.... With all our abundant predators.

I take heart, however, that they’ve done ok thus far. Other than maybe being pretty skinny...

The link, you should have no issues accessing it, but if you do, please let me know and I can email the document to you:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/11eSpELsH0zyTQY3uJVcCXxYIOMMiqoPt5dFyVwTWU_4

I don’t know —- your opinion I’ll be extremely grateful for, if you are interested in responding??

Warmest regards,

Rachael
[email protected]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They are Rouens as they are too large (as everyone said above) and they have the wrong body type. They are very pretty birds as well. I’m sure you know already that you have 3 drakes and 2 ducks.

Rouens are a heavy breed of duck originally bred for meat in Rouen, they cannot fly/get off the ground as they are a heavy breed and a characteristic most domestic ducks have (except for bantams/miniature breeds) are small wings big bodies and not ‘usually’ being able to fly. Also Mallard Domestic breeds do not migrate.

Here’s a photo of some of my mallards:

 

[Daphne_loves_mealworms]

Lovely lovely Rouens! As a fellow Vermonter, I wanted to pass along that there is a group on Facebook called “Vermont Bird Fanciers Club” on which people post about their chickens, ducks, etc. it may be a way to try to figure out who they belong or belonged to or to find a new home for them (if needed) if you have access to Facebook. Good luck!

Edited to add - Also try Front Porch Forum if you haven’t already done so

 

[PattyNH]

Here is another thread re: mallard v rouen https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/difference-between-rouen-and-mallard.225395/