Quiet, Affectionate, Small Duck Recommendations Please

[buff goose guy]

mallards are some of the most affecionate birds ive had so she lied about that too she not a true mallard breeder or a true duck owner

 

[terris]

Wow. I am surely not the only person who has fallen in love with peepers at a hardware store and listened to an uninformed person. Please don't yell at me. I asked for help not a rant. I will clip them and they will be well-cared for. Sheesh.

 

[buff goose guy]

im not ranting

 

[terris]

Here's the thing; earlier several of us stated that mallards aren't that affectionate so they wouldn't fit the bill (no pun intended) for what you wanted. But you got them anyway, so now they're your responsibility. Needless is right, they could very well fly off if they're unclipped, but being raised in captivity would mean certain doom for them if they ever did. To be honest, I wouldn't buy any more animals from this woman, even when the WH do hatch, because she's kind of heartless and doesn't really seem to care about the well-being of her birds at all.

By the way, no one said flying mallards were not affectionate in this thread.

 

[seashoreduck]

Look, OP so far you've disregarded all advice given on this board. You then go to a hardware store and listen to a salesman.

Ducks aren't puppies. Even some dogs do better in packs with other dogs. Rarely do ducks do well with no duck companion. They're just built that way. They have a strange thing that people don't quite understand called imprinting. No other animal does this.

Metzer is a responsible breeder who does everything they can to prevent irresponsible people from owing a duck and treating it like any other exotic pet.

If you are going to pull the neive child tricked by a salesman card then you need to be prepared to be told you are not being a responsible duck owner.

Not only that but you've conflicted yourself several times...saying the duck will have plenty of attention but you have zero minus zero time.

I hope you do find the duck for you....I really do. Just try and be a bit more level headed about the process.

 

[Amykins]

By the way, no one said flying mallards were not affectionate in this thread.

I did. That's not to say they can't be affectionate like Buff mentioned, it's just not a behavior that's been exhaustively bred into them like it has with pekins and call ducks. I understand you want to do your best and I also understand you getting a bit defensive, but please try to understand that many of us here adore ducks, work with animals in our day job, etc. and only want the best for them. So I hope you can see why we'd be upset when a novice buys 'disposable ducklings' on an impulse because of bad advice given by an irresponsible breeder. That goes double when you say you have no time to devote to them and plan to keep just one duck in a dog crate, in an area known for cold temps and predators. You need more than a passing interest and a dog crate to keep ducks, I'm afraid. :/

I'm glad you're willing to care for those mallards. Personally, I think four is a fine number for a small flock. If you do your homework and give them the space, time and attention they need I think you'll all be quite happy!

 

[seashoreduck]

I did. That's not to say they can't be affectionate like Buff mentioned, it's just not a behavior that's been exhaustively bred into them like it has with pekins and call ducks. I understand you want to do your best and I also understand you getting a bit defensive, but please try to understand that many of us here adore ducks, work with animals in our day job, etc. and only want the best for them. So I hope you can see why we'd be upset when a novice buys 'disposable ducklings' on an impulse because of bad advice given by an irresponsible breeder. That goes double when you say you have no time to devote to them and plan to keep just one duck in a dog crate, in an area known for cold temps and predators. You need more than a passing interest and a dog crate to keep ducks, I'm afraid. :/

I'm glad you're willing to care for those mallards. Personally, I think four is a fine number for a small flock. If you do your homework and give them the space, time and attention they need I think you'll all be quite happy!

I found my mallards were very affectionate....when food was involved.

I admit, I knew I wanted ducks but I went about it in the wrong way because I didn't understand imprinting. I got them at 4 weeks old, and only the one who went lame temporarily (and watched Charlie the Unicorn ad nasium) ever ended up very close. They were free range ducks for tick eating purposes (I'm highly allergic and did really well. My landlord kept them when I moved as they did such a good job and had attached themselves to her grandsons. The formerly lame duck just loved the middle boy.

I get my new flock Wednesday from meltzer...much better prepared this time.

 

[buff goose guy]

good for u seashore