Visiting ducks?

[Happypotter]

Two ducks appeared outside of my duck coop 3 days ago after a big windy storm. They are a drake and hen mallards but I don’t know if they are domestic or wild? The hang out right around the perimeter of my ducks pen and seem content. They don’t eat the feed I have put out or any veggies or meal worms so that makes me think wild, but They waddle away from me just like my ducks do and just keep a certain distance, seems if they were wild they would leave or at least go to the pond at the back of our farm, I have seen them fly but not far, just a bit of lift and glide a bit . Should I worry for the health of mine? If they stay and appear healthy can I get them with my flock? Or just let them be? Thanks for any insight into this (picture of the visiting ducks )

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'd just enjoy them from a distance. They will probably move on after a while. Maybe seeing your ducks gave the a sense of safety. They look healthy and as long as they aren't mingling I'd say your ducks are safe.

 

[chickens really]

Chase them off...They don't need to be with your domestic Ducks..I definitely chase them off daily here in the spring..

 

[Anime2lover]

I'd just let them be.

 

[chickens really]

I don’t need my Call hens raped by wild mallard drakes or my Drakes injured fighting them either.

 

[casportpony]

Welcome to BYC!
Wild Mallards come here in the spring and fall and I enjoy going out and taking pictures of them. So I say enjoy them while they are there.

 

[Miss Lydia]

@Happypotter are your ducks out where the Mallards can be with them? I was for some reason thinking they weren't in with your ducks.

 

[Happypotter]

@Happypotter are your ducks out where the Mallards can be with them? I was for some reason thinking they weren't in with your ducks.

They are enclosed with chicken wire but they could put their bills through. They want to get inthey park themselves right up against the wire- or more likely the Drake wants to .

 

[Miss Lydia]

That’s a nice set up you have there. You know chicken wire keeps nothing out only poultry in?

 

[Happypotter]

That’s a nice set up you have there. You know chicken wire keeps nothing out only poultry in?

So true! The main set up with the roof has electric fence around it and cattle panels that the chicken wire is on and they are in the sturdy coop that is on thick rubber stall mats on top of asphalt drive so nothing can dig into them in the sleeping coop and it’s close to our house , If I am not at the house they stay inside the main electrified area. I am getting the electric poultry fence so I can have a safer “ outdoor” area for them and allow for ease of moving it around the main structure to let areas rest if they kill the grass off, it’s a work in progress these are my first ducks and I have had them a year, my favorite thing I did was sink a 55 gal. Rubber maid tub into the ground( I have it in all the way to the top edge now, you can see the corner of it in the pic. I am feeding a duck in( McGee)other pic shows before I got the energy up to dig it out more, I drilled a hole in the bottom and put a shower drain in it and siliconed it up and attached 5 feet of 2” pvc pipe and it’s very easy to drain and clean , put pea gravel with landscape edging around it and have no issues with mud in the covered “ outdoor area” so far. The covered area is $199 car port I got at tractor supply and didn't use all the “height” poles, worked perfectly with the cattle panels and has been up a year now in all the strong winds and storms.