Odd duck showed up, UPDATE pics of a buddy!

[pringle]

Usually the females are very loud and the males tend to have a more muted voice,kind of like a hiss.

 

[desertdarlene]

Most mallard-derived males will have a curly feather on their tails, too.

 

[Parrotchick]

Quote:
You can really see the drake feather on the boy in the picture of the two ducks together. They don't all always have it (and I was told by a poultry judge that even the girls occasionally sport one) but along with the quack, it's a good indicator.

I went into TSC yesterday for my fix of duckling cuteness. I hoped they all get comfy lives in happy homes. I would love to put up a sign saying that it is cruel and often illegal to dump ducks on the waterways when you don't want them anymore. I'm thinking of typing up a duckie care sheet they can pass out to duckling buyers. I know they already give out something but it's really bare bones.

It's funny to see how many of the itty-bitties fit in the stock tank knowing how big they get. 56 of them were dumped near me last spring when they were a few months old. A fellow BYCer rescued them all and posted their story and put them up for adoption. Apparently the guy who bought and dumped them was a few cards short of a deck, but I could imagine a clueless person buying up a tank up them when they're little and not thinking about them growing up.

 

[tdgill]

I think a proper duck house (even a floating kind) would look gorgeous on/near the lake. With a trail of treats I think you could train the ducks by feeding them near it and putting treats inside it - and have them on the pond but SAFE at nite. Maybe talk to the community about collecting money for a duck house AND enjoy them on the lake!!!! I agree with you in that they look beautiful on the water!

 

[thekid]

from what i know only mallards need lisences

 

[thekid]

Quote:
no they dont never mind

 

[maizey]

Quote:
I like that idea...where does one get a duck house? Or plans to build one? A pretty white one on the water might be just the ticket

 

[Miss Lydia]

if you'll go to top right of this page you'll see Google custom search, type in duck houses.

 

[tdgill]

floating duck house
http://www.thepondoutlet.com/home/tpo/p … e=googleps

I am new to this idea so don't hold me to it I am sure there may be pros and cons comparing a floating house with a house on the bank...or just an "owner" that lives close to the lake that will train them (with frozen peas it can be done! and take them in at night, but its worth thinking about Post a flyer at your local convenience store and maybe get some help from the community

 

[Jmiller429]

Quote:
This is not true.... Domesticated ducks are not as good at finding food or shelter as wild ducks because all their wild instincts have been bred out of them over many thousands of years. They are about as hopeless as a domestic house dog who gets out/runs away. If they are not located, they usually end up getting hit by cars, or they starve because human bred their hunting abilities out of them.

I would leave some food out for them. If you can somehow float food, like greens out on the water, that will help ensure they get calories. Post a sign, ask around, see if they belong to anybody. If not, use the peas to lure them to the shore so you can catch them. they are beautiful and there are many many people here just on BYC who'd happily take those little lovelys and give them a good home.

the mallard-y looking one looks like a cross to me (I've seen a lot of ducks). He appears to have the bleu-gelb gene which makes him more "apricot colored" than the normal standard mallard. He does look to have some runner in him too. I'm glad she has a friend, but they are both at risk.

Some ducks make great foragers, especially ones who live with responsible owners who lock them up at night and show them where to eat. Most free ranging foraging ducks still have duck pellets available to them in case they didn't forage enough.

Considering she and her friend just showed up one day tells me, either someone bought some adults and need to be educated about locking them up at night so they don't get snatched by a predator, or they were dumped. Since your in the south, they could be this year's hatch, (hatched in Jan, they'd be fully grown by now). I was able to buy ducklings in the heart of alabama in Jan. This also tells me they didn't grow up foraging and they are now doing it for the first time.

Please get these ducks some help!

oh how wrong and misinformed that is! I live in a very rural area with tons and tons and tons of farm ponds and streams and creeks, and 90% of them have domestic strains of ducks on them. Noone feeds these ducks, they eat aquatic plants, grass, insects. etc. Not a one of them have "duck pellets", and i havent seen any dying of starvation.