Pictures . continuing with my other thread, " Is there anyone in Ohio are into ornamental water fowl

[Koipondduck]

In the previous thread I could not put pictures. Let me put this time pictures first and then my questoins

Hi, this is my aviary where I have 10 ornamental water fowl. Inside the aviary is equipped with shelving and mechanize plumbing where I can do water change 3 times a week. I have used bulk head fitting that I found in HomeDepot and installed it in the walls for hoses to come our of the wall. Inside the pond there is a sump pump already sitting and all I have to really do is to plug in the switch for it to start emptying the water out of the pond to water my lawn and then I just reverse the hose to fill the pond back in. There are also live bamboos and water plants like arrow head since their barriers are favorite food for wood ducks. In the back of the coop, I created a corner piece water garden, where I am keeping some of water plants. They have n’t done much damage to it. However, if these plants were inside the pond, they will do severe damage. The coop size is 12 X 10 X 12 f tall. Coopy part is 12 foot and the other part is lower as you can see form the picture. Yes it has hard ware cloth all around.










H
Look at the mandarine tales and yes I realize that one tail is growing back ward....someone told me it is not the sign of lice but they are picking on each other. This one shows the corner water garden.



Here are some of questions.
It seems to me I want to load up that pond with plants but they chew everything down and make the water muddy.
Questions # 1) Can I just put loads of plant in it but wrap the pot with a plastic bag so they can’t dig it out. I have tall cat tails, winter green and very tall arrow head as well.
This coop is one month old and I have 10 birds. I wanted to have 8 birds ( a pair of pin tales, wood duck and two pair of mandarins, a white pair and a regular pair) but a gentleman I bought the wood ducks from keep giving me a mandarins hen for wood duck and one time a male. As we all know it is very hard to distinguish between male and a female wood duck and mandarins. Yes, I have applied for a license fo them
Questions 2
After I got a female wood duck, I began seeing that its tales are pulled off and all birds are constantly preening. Is this the sign of lice? A local friend that is very successful in keeping mandarin says that “ no, they are just getting used to each other”. I want to be assured.





Showing
Wood duck tail





Out side mallards pond I just put in to keep my Koi pond and a pond by the family room clean and mallards are not coming to my family room pond area since it is about 90 foot from their new pond.

Question # 4 I have mallards outside and I dug them their own pond to keep away from my family room area pond that I enjoy my breakfast tea. They were making a shell gas station shape pond that I keep water plants dirty. Notice these mallards pond is outside the aviary and they have their own house to spend the night. First after I moved their location, they were going in but the last tow days due to rain it won’t go in and I gave up. They are safe and not hurt by predators, thank god. As I try to hard them to their house, they constantly look at the aviary as these mallards want to go in there but I won’t them in with my ornamental water fowl since I saw one time one mallards was really picking on the female wood duck terribly while I carried them from Mt. Hope . Many professional said the house size is perfect for two mallards to spend the night only. I wanted something very nice looking.
Question 4: Why did they go in their outdoor house after I moved it from the old to a new location where this pond is dug and now in the rainful night , they sat by the pond and won’t


question # 3
Question #3
I spent $110 alone buying proper dishes, water bucket et from tractor supply. However, not matter what I see food is wet . I keep the water bucket right by the food since we all know how ducks eat with water. . I am feeling them Mazuri expensive game bird food missed with some poultry layer for calcium and some regular game birds food mixed with meal worms. How do I keep this food totally try so I am cutting waste

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Wow, that is a really beautiful water fall and water garden. It sounds like your setup is well engineered.

I can offer some thoughts on your questions.

1. I don't know if plastic would deter the birds from getting into your plants. Maybe rocks at the base of the plants or some sort of mesh around the base would work?

2. It is plausible that the chewed feathers are just the ducks getting used to each other, but I guess the only way to know for sure is to net one of those ducks and check it over for lice or mites.

4. When I had ducks they never chose to use the shelters built in the aviary either, but I have read about people training their ducks to go in at night.

3. It is a challenge to keep food dry with water fowl. The food is going to get wet if it is near the water. I had multiple bowls around and at feeding time I would rinse the bowl out and set it vertical to dry, then take the clean bowl set aside and fill it with just enough food for the day.

 

[kangababy]

First you should only feed them enough to last one day. They are waterfowl and there food is going to get wet.

The plactic won't deter them form eating the plants nor will rocks. You have Mandarins, Wood Ducks and NA Pintails and they are all dabbling ducks and will eat plants. The will sift through the roots of the plants. You have ot be carfeul what all you plant because some things that you think might not be poisonus are. Mine seem to only leave the bamboo alone.

Some birds constantly preen themselves. It is like OCD in a person and nothing you can do about it. I have a few that just about pull all of their chest feathers out. As far as them getting ot know each other. 10 ornamentals in a 10x12 is a bit much. The recommend size for a pen is 10x10 per pair. during breeding season you will probably have alot of figting because there is no where for them to go in be in their corner per say.

I do like that waterfall I just think you have to man birds for that area and will probably have problems with them.

 

[Koipondduck]

Hi, thank you for this response. I do not see the tail problem any more, they are doing just great.
However, I need to learn how to check for mites and lices.

I have shelving built for them and since they can fly, I thought they will get up using ramp but they sleep undeer these shelves
and always on the water.

I tried to train the mallards but they wont' go in and I think they are safe on the ourdoor pond.

Again thanks for your reply and I appriciate your cordial approach.

 

[Koipondduck]

thanks Kangbaby, I was told that each birds needs 10 square foot and I have 120 square footage. They are not fighting now at all and I see them preening each other.
I constanly change water for them and their colors are more vibrant than when I got them.

I think Mazuri food seems to help combined with game bird food and poultry mixed with meal worms. They are floppy and getting big.

Could you clarify this about 10x10. do you mean 10 X 10 inces per one bird or 10 foot X 10 foot. If you meant 10 foot X 10 foot for one bird that is not what my friend and professionals are
telling me. They told me each birds need 10 in X 10 in so 120 squre foot should be able to hold 10 birds and I am planning to sell one pair of mandarines leaving me 8

 

[Koipondduck]

Also, Kanba, I do have several bamboos there and they left it alone. I sell bamboos as well and I have so many, I keep putting it there.

If they do destroy it, I will replace it but I put their pond water and they are growing. As far as the pond plant, I did through research and found out that they love
arroe head seeds and other. I selectively put in wht they like. I also put in parrot feachers and white mandarines are eaching it and I hope tha tis okay. I am nto srue.

 

[Koipondduck]

Scratch & park great response really. Thaks