Some People Just Dont Get It

[wbruder17]

We live in a recovering watershed and have a large flock of wild mallards. One of our neighbors decided it would be a good idea to let her 6 Runner Ducks, some crested, go into the creek "during the day". Well for the last couple of nights thhey apparently haven't gone "home". No....they are ducks. They have decided they want to live with the wild ducks. My dh and I saw them and herded them into my enclosure, as they can't fly and are literally "sitting ducks" for all the predators we have down here. Plus, they can mate with the wild ducks and totally mess up the wild flock by creatiing these crazy hybriids that can't fly. Not only that, but the runners hhave no idea how to forage for food etc.

Hopefully she comes and gets her ducks and stops letting them go. I explained to the other people living on theiir somewhat communal farm, and they get iit, so hopefully will explain to her why this is not ok.

Ugh. Do some research, folks, please.

 

[Soaring Chicks]

good luck. hope she gets it soon enough.

 

[desertdarlene]

Good for you! I just don't understand people, either. They dump ducks into the public lake all the time and it really does mess up the wild duck gene pool and create a lot of ducks that can't leave the area when the food runs low, thus messing up a lot of other things.

 

[DUCKGIRL89]

They will be ruining the wild flock!!! I would feel bad for the ducklings that wont be able to fly! People really dont get it?

 

[wbruder17]

That's what I told the "messengers", still haven't heard from the owner, but if she continues doing it, I will have to get in touch with the Friends of Johnson Creek people to try to have them step in. We feed the wild ducks as they do not leave for the winter....don't worry, they are given a high qualiity meal....6 grain scratch, millet, and sunflower seeds. The neighbor across the creek feeds them white bread (eeeeeeek) so they never left by the time we moved here. We try to give them, at least, a better diet.

 

[DUCKGIRL89]

I can see why they dont leave

do the malladrs like you? Why would she leave her runners out?! Not only is it gonna mess up the wild flock, but they could get eaten, injured! (i know you allready added that to lol) poor ducks. Keep us updated!

 

[LivingRootsFarm]

It's people like this that give responsible duck owners a bad name. I live in Florida and have had too go through a ton of paperwork through the Florida Wildlife Commission just to own Indian Runner Duck because so many people kept letting there unwanted ducks go into the wild. If people would be responsible pet owners it would have saved me a lot of time of calling and filling out paperwork for my ducks that are going to be safe and enclosed.

 

[m.kitchengirl]

You hear of this too often. It would be just as logical to leave the kids at the park - there are other kids there.

 

[sourland]

Actually in an inadvertant way they may help the wild flock. They will be the first killed by predators thus sparing the wild ducks.

 

[desertdarlene]

Quote:
You ain't far off with that. I hate it when people dump ducks because they don't last long and it makes me sad when they go. But, just about all the flying ducks live long lives after they make it past ducklinghood.