Reintroducing a wild mallard back into the wild?

[DurhamDuck]

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It's a mallard so it will probably fly off on its own when its ready if you allow it to free range outside.

 

[chickbird]

i think you should raise it until it is grown.

 

[Calea]

I have a one week old duckling too. I am really hoping to be able to release him when he is old enough. He is alone too. His siblings were all killed by something and he is the only one left. Mom abandoned them. How is your duckling doing now? I have been letting mine spend lots of time outside and have been letting him go in the lake several times a day while I watch him just to get him used to the lake. Today a momma duck of some older babies approached him and pecked at him. I am pretty worried that he won't be "accepted" by the other ducks when he gets old enough.

I think we'll have these baby ducks for at least ten weeks.

 

[Kelsey2017]

One year we bought 12 mallards to release at our pond at our cabin. I raised them with as little human intervention as possible until they were fully feathered and very good at foraging. We put up a roof on legs so they would have some shelter on an island to be safe from foxes. I found it very discouraging that they weren't raised by a mama to teach them things like what is danger and where the safe spots to hide are and so on because two days after being on the pond an eagle showed up and ate one duckling every other day until they were all gone. They could fly but didn't really know what to do. It was a sad and costly lesson, I don't think it is quite as easy as turning them loose, I believe they need some guidance by a mama and a nature rehabilitation center where they could be around others in a safe setting would be the best, unless of course you just want to keep it as a pet. I think you did the right thing not just leaving it there to die however. Good luck!

 

[Speceider]

Check on your State's legality. Here in Louisiana, we cannot release any animal held in captivity, including mallards (Disease and hybridization with mottled duck concerns) or wood ducks (Disease concerns). I know it sounds stupid...BUT there are serious diseases for realeasing animals held in captivity.

Clint

 

[mymacandstormy]

there isnt anything you can do to improve chances of survival of released mallards, even if the mallard accepts outdoors, ponds and lakes, the predator environment has grown dramatically. in my location on a lake we had hundreds of ducklings survived every year to adult with their moms. but over the past 10 years predators killed almost all of them. what has happened is tremendous resurgence of hawks and their kills have made foxes and coyotes much bolder in finding animals and birds to eat.

the hawk can move quickly and kill very large birds even in the water by drowning them, and the eagle as the hawk is on top of the food chain. those ducklings the eagle killed wouldnt have had a chance against any predator bird. they were doomed as are all wild ducks today unable to deal with increasing hostile environments. even seagulls pick off ducklings, if ducks see the dangers from the sky they do attempt to escape diving under water but its only a matter of time.. nights when ducks rest they must lie on the ground and that is when foxes finish them off.

if you have rescued a mallard or wood duck, it wouldnt have survived anyway, mother mallards are in extreme danger also and this is why ducklings are found in backyards, parking lots and wandering alone... as far as laws prohibiting release of reared ducklings? the laws never protected USA birds when it came to introduction of diseased flamingos from africa... and this was a prominent USA zoo believed responsible for millions of bird deaths.

how dangerous is life in the wild? a cardinals life span is about 1 year outdoors.. in captivity a cardinal lived to 26 years.