Odd duck showed up, UPDATE pics of a buddy!

[PlumTuckered]

Awww beautiful Pekin Hen. I hate hate hate that folks just dump ducks like this. Pekin's do no fly (well if they get excited enough they'll flap their wings and get all but their toes off the ground LOL). She would be happier with a pal, so sad that she's all alone like that :-( She'd be better off being adopted by a duck lover. You'd probably have a new best friend if you were to pick up some Duck Feed or Layer Pellets and frozen peas for her. Yes she will forage and can get a lot of good food for herself but I like my ducks to forage and have feed for a more balanced diet. You can get her attention by calling "duck duck duck" and tossing some feed at the edge of the water. If you're determined to get her some ducky company then make sure you get Mallards..at least they'll be able to fly from predators. I've got 2 Pekin Hens and love them to bits, but then I love all ducks to bits LOL

Michelle

 

[maizey]

Good advice all, I'm reading every word.

We don't know she was dumped. There are about 50 lake front homes and someone may have very purposefully acquired her and just didn't do their research about getting her a buddy. I know one house had ducks at their dock years ago, but not recently, so it's possible someone just thought the lake needed a duck. I've often thought of it myself but never acted on it, not knowing anything about ducks. I might pick up some feed for her and investigate further. Do ducks sleep on the water? Can someone direct me to an accurate ducks 101 site? Keep the good advice coming, I appreciate it.

 

[PlumTuckered]

Ducks will sleep on water, but don't "always" sleep on water. I have a pond for my ducks but I call them up to their pen every evening, feed them supper and at dark they go into their duck house and I lock it so predators can't get to them. Sometimes ducks will sleep on the bank which puts them at risk, especially if they can't fly. You'll find tons of great info right here on this site, lots of experienced duck owners that can answer a huge variety of questions. If you go to the main part of the Ducks forum, there is a thread at the very top with a lot of great info.

Michelle

 

[pringle]

They mostly sleep on land and being that shes white shes in huge danger from predators.I wouldent even try raising mallards for her,who's to say they automatically be friends with her and not the other mallards on the lake?Plus they would be used to being fed and protected and would have no idea how to survive in the wild.Try catching her and posting an add here on byc and craigslist,I bet someone would pick her up.

 

[Parrotchick]

It seems kinda weird that if she belonged to a local who lives on the lake that an adult duck would suddenly show up at the lake by herself . But to be sure, are you able to ask around or maybe put a sign up asking for more info? Or maybe you can talk to the people you saw feeding her. If nobody lays claim, I would try to get her and find her a home-you don't want other people thinking it's a dumping ground for their grown up Easter ducklings. She could probably survive on her own for a bit, but like a feral cat, the life expectancy is greatly diminished. Most likely she be muddling along fine and one day she will be gone, with no trace but maybe a pile of feathers depending on what had her for dinner. Think how your chickens would be if they "went native."

If there's a local newspaper, maybe they could do a story about ducks and duck dumping. This is just the time of year it would be good to educate people on this. If I lived down there I would take her in a heartbeat. You probably have a good chance of getting her a good home if you post on BYC. Last year a girl found 56 Pekins that wreaking havoc at an intersection of a busy semi-rural road. She was able to find homes for all of them. I took 3. And as a bonus, their eggs are huge and yummy!

 

[maizey]

True, it is odd that she just showed up..but honestly, I haven't been paying that much attention. It was spring break this week, and we sprang forward for daylight saving time and I actually had time to breathe and spend some time outside. She could have been there for quite some time and I just didn't notice in the bustle. I do plan to speak to the lady I saw feeding her and see if some one claims her. I don't think it would be wise for me to go duck wrangling until I know for sure what her status is. I will say though that lots of folks free range their chickens full time and occasionally loose one or more to predators..it's sad but folks accept it as pay off for happy healthy chickens. Is free ranging ducks different? Wouldnt ducks be happier and healthier in a large lake as opposed to a kiddie pool in an enclosure? I'm asking because I don't know...it would seem not a terrible thing to have free run on a large, ecologically friendly lake in a reasonably safe neighborhood. Sure there are some predators, but not in massive concentration. Seems like she has a sporting chance? Someone correct me if I am misguided. This is my first and only experience with ducks and I would like to learn.

 

[PlumTuckered]

I can only address your questions according to my situation. We live on 34 acres of mostly wooded land, we have a huge pond, pasture, front and back yards and the rest is all woods. My Mallards have spent a few nights on the pond but I hardly slept because of worrying about them, they did fine but I didn't so I put a wire top on my Duck pen and now they spend the night in the duck house inside the pen and I don't worry. We have coons, coyotes, fox, possum, armadillo, rattlesnakes, copperheads, and the odd stray cat and dog that visit our property. Four of my ducks are Mallards, the others are Pekins and Magpie/Runner mix...the Pekins and Magpie can not fly so they wouldn't stand a chance against the predators at night.

I have a friend that lives 5 miles away, she's also on farm land, she bought a dozen grown Muscovies and put them out on her pond...she now has 2, predators got all of the rest of them. The two she has left often spend the night under the feed shed that is attached to the barn however the open area under there is about 2 feet high so any of those predators could still get under and kill the ducks.

Personally I prefer to have my ducks in a safe enclosure at night and let them free range in the daytime. My Chickens also free range for half of the day, just before dusk they head back to the chicken yard and go into the hen house, at dark we close and lock the hen house door.

Michelle

 

[pringle]

Quote:
Problem is, is that she is a pekin and they do not forage well at all(at least mine did not).A couple years ago I got 2 pekins and 2 khaki cambells,they were great ducks until they found out I have a huge swamp in bordering our backyard.They would go out there and stay out there the whole day and night and sometimes come back to eat there food.One day I only saw 1 pekin come back and 2 khaki cambells,then 1 pekin and a khaki cambell and then only 1 khaki cambell,and then she too got caught.So if someone were to release domesticated ducks into the wild it would be either predators or starvation that would get them.

 

[Parrotchick]

Two of my first ducks were Pekins that were bought as Easter ducklings for someones grandchildren, then released onto a large river near Annapolis Maryland that feeds into the Chesapeake Bay. I heard about them and their history through the grapevine so there was no doubt that it was OK to re-home them. Sal and Midge took immediately to my Pekin at home named Pong, whose made had just died suddenly (no warning signs, no apparent injuries or attacks as she was just dead in her secure duck house one morning). They were all only 2-3 months old.They instantly became best friends and still always hang out together, even though I've got a whole bunch of other ducks this past year. They have a fenced in area next to my house that barely totals a quarter acre, with their pen, trees, stone walls, my patio and the remains of my flowers and a couple of kiddie pools. I can't get inside their heads, but they seem to be the picture of contentment, lounging in the shade, rooting around for creepy crawlies or eating my flowers. I wonder if they miss their big river, especially when it's muddy out and they don't get fully clean, or if it's icy in their pools. But I don't know if ducks think like that. It is highly unlikely anything would get them from the ground during the day because of the fenced yard, nor at night because of the secure pen. Every night they go in the pen themselves but do complain if I send them too early. Overhead predators are a bit of a concern during the day but they ducks have a good eye on the sky, better than any of my roos or other animals, and will run into the pen if they don't like what they see. They never go hungry and they get lots of ducky treats. I give them medical treatment if they are hurt or ill (knock on wood only very minor things so far). Ducks are a fun loving bunch.

I think it's a good life for a duck and keep in mind, these birds are domestic animals, not wild ones. You don't need to feel bad about ensuring they get a safer place. Certainly make sure you're not taking anyone's bird. Unfortunately if other people don't want to do more for their animals, there's not much you can do besides trying to talk to them diplomatically.

 

[maizey]

Well I went to tsc and resisted the temptation to buy 2 more baby ducks...and it took some will power, let me tell you. They were soooo sweet!!! So I guess I will just be monitoring the duck in the lake for now and trying to find out who owns her. I can see her from my window as I type this. She has one spot where she likes to get out on the bank. Would be a good place to leave her a snack, maybe some chicken feed and peas. I can hear hubby now

Thanks for all the good advice.