The lone mallard...

[Duckfarmer1]

Hi, our last bars is complete and all the small animals are in...except for one....yup...the lone mallard.its 10’ tonight and the pond will be frozen soon, I won’t be able to keep leaving my barn door open.

you see, we have 43 ducks...I love them soooo dearly..like my babies. It was hard to break the ducks out of there old pattern and get them into the barn...but we did It! But it’s been three days...I’m leaving food and water out..but it’s not been touched. So, he stays in the pond when we dotry to call him in. Oh, I forgot to mention..this might be one of my call dauck mallards...even smaller breed.

so I need your help to rescue this fella out of the cold and into my loud, crazy, yet warm and cuddly barn!

 

[HuffleClaw]

Catch him at night maybe?

 

[Jpat]

Get a small cage, put one of your loud females in it and put it near the pond

The drake will hear it and hopefully get out of the pond and to a place you can catch him

i caught a duckling that got away on me this way, Ducks want to be around other ducks

 

[Duckfarmer1]

Catch him at night maybe?

Unfortunately that’s what we hoped, but he won’t, while we’re around come out of the pond...and although we have a pump to keep it from freezing...the circumference is getting smaller and colder

 

[Miss Lydia]

Do you have a large fishing net? How deep is your pond you might be able to one get on one side but you may have to get into the pond and walk your Mallard over to one side then use the net to get him? He doesn't have a female that he is close to? I caught 2 drakes down at our river someone had dumped by setting up a dog X pen with the one side open to the water and I put food inside started at the opening and then moved the feed till by the end of the week the feed was at the very back of the pen so when they waddled in I walked up and closed the end up caught them and brought them home. It was actually pretty easy just took time to gain their trust. I used corn, hard for waterfowl to pass up corn.

 

[Duckfarmer1]

Do you have a large fishing net? How deep is your pond you might be able to one get on one side but you may have to get into the pond and walk your Mallard over to one side then use the net to get him? He doesn't have a female that he is close to? I caught 2 drakes down at our river someone had dumped by setting up a dog X pen with the one side open to the water and I put food inside started at the opening and then moved the feed till by the end of the week the feed was at the very back of the pen so when they waddled in I walked up and closed the end up caught them and brought them home. It was actually pretty easy just took time to gain their trust. I used corn, hard for waterfowl to pass up corn.

Well, this one is my skittish female...she’s always been this way...the two other mallards got out today while I was shoveling poop and I was so upset..but the corn worked on them. I can certainly try the net...wish me luck...hope I don’t fall in the pond...lol

 

[Miss Lydia]

It’s probably going to take more than you to get your duck off that pond.

 

[Duckfarmer1]

So, one duck turned into three when I was cleaning out the barn..the three mallards...ugh! But that night we got the two easier ones back in..but our skittish one, still no luck. It warmed up to to 32’ today so I let everyone out to play...they liked it but surprisingly stuck very close to the barn. And, when my flyer Muscovy tried to land on the big part of the pond..it was frozen. There’s still a small area not frozen because we are pumping our water out for the ducks to the barn. So, at dark.. I called the ducks in, and in the feverish rush, I hoped she’d barrel in too..but no luck. And there’s no netting a mallard. I’ll keep trying...that’s my job as her mom.

 

[Miss Lydia]

You’d think she’d want to be with all the rest. Hopefully soon​

 

[DiYMama540]

I'm surprised also that she hasn't given up and gone to be with her buddies...

Can you tarp the pond or anything to discourage her from being in it? Just sort of walking a large tarp or something across the top with a partner on the other side should scare her out of it.