Tame mallard flew into yard, 3 dogs!

[KingSky]

I caught it in a dog kennel after 4 hours, now what is the best thing to do with it! Ideas? There's a river nearby but I'm not sure if releasing it there is the best thing to do. Our nearby pond has 4 dogs surrounding it so that's not an option.

Thanks!

 

[minihorse927]

I wouldn't release it on the river. Id find someone who raises ducks and see if they mig be interested in it. It is odd that it didn't fly off in the 4 hours it took to catch it. Lol.

 

[KingSky]

It 'can' fly... While we were trying to catch it it would fly off for quite a distance but then seconds later come back and land right next to us again.

 

[Miss Lydia]

It 'can' fly... While we were trying to catch it it would fly off for quite a distance but then seconds later come back and land right next to us again.

Very tame duck that is lost. I hope you can find someone to take it if you can't.

 

[Vickers58]

where are you located?

 

[Amiga]

Welcome to the Duck Forum, KingSky, glad you are trying to help the mallard. Yes, it sounds tame, may belong to someone in your area. Could have been nabbed by something and then got loose. (Remember Peanut, anybody?)

How are you doing with providing the duck with what it needs? Do you have access to duck food? They must have water with their food or they could choke. Are you used to raising ducks?

Please let us know how it's going. Thank you for helping this duck!

 

[desertdarlene]

Sounds like a tame duck if it keeps coming back to you. It's possible someone released him around there and you were the first humans he saw and he would rather be with you than in the wild. I agree with finding another duck owner to take him in.

 

[KingSky]

Hey all,

Thanks for the advice. I guess my original post made it sound like we chased him around for 4 hours. In reality we just put some cracked corn and water in a dog kennel and watched out the window now and then. When he finally went in to eat we just scooted out and closed the door.

I do have experience with chickens and ducks. I have 5 chickens and 2 ducks (egg layers). That is about all I can handle, I didn't want a drake in there, I figured there would be a risk of ducklings next year Anyway I had food, corn, water, etc.

I finally had to call the DNR, because it is illegal to keep Mallards. It's ok to help them if they are injured but not legal to keep them permanently. They said that although the duck is friendly, it probably didn't belong to anybody or it would not have been able to fly (clipped wings). They came and took him and said that based on his age he would probably just be released onto a pond, and was old enough to fly south; when another group of ducks fly over he will go with them.

 

[Fawkes]

It's only illegal to own wild mallards, owning domestic ones is legal. You're supposed to ID them though, like by taking a toe off their left foot (if you get them as 1-3 day old ducklings). He definitely sounds domestic to me The DNR really should know better. Being domestic he's not going to fly south either, only wild mallards migrate.

I have a mallard that isn't clipped. she's imprinted on me but if she got spooked by something she might fly off and not be able to find her way back. When she's outdoors she's in an enclosure but if something happened and she got out and flew away I'd want someone to find me or at least find her a home.

Well hopefully he'll be alright, maybe someone will find him.

 

[Miss Lydia]

It's only illegal to own wild mallards, owning domestic ones is legal. You're supposed to ID them though, like by taking a toe off their left foot (if you get them as 1-3 day old ducklings). He definitely sounds domestic to me The DNR really should know better. Being domestic he's not going to fly south either, only wild mallards migrate.

I have a mallard that isn't clipped. she's imprinted on me but if she got spooked by something she might fly off and not be able to find her way back. When she's outdoors she's in an enclosure but if something happened and she got out and flew away I'd want someone to find me or at least find her a home.

Well hopefully he'll be alright, maybe someone will find him.