The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Womble on July 25, 2020, 10:07:27 pm
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Hi Folks,
I am on the committee for our local community woodland, and as part of this, we had a pond dug last year.
I went for a walk there today, and found a flock of seven ducks had taken up residence (see photo). Their colouring (Welsh Harlequin / Silver Appleyard ish) makes me think there's no way they're wild ducks, and that they've been dumped by somebody. They are also relatively tame.
Since the pond was only dug last year, I don't think there's going to be enough natural food to sustain them during the winter, so I'm wondering if I should try to catch them and adopt them.
Any thoughts folks?
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You could offer some mixed corn every other day during winter? They will soon tell you if they’re hungry.
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Is there an island on the pond otherwise they will be food for foxes? Even a floating platform with a shelter, anchored to the bottom would help. I know foxes can swim but it might put them off.
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No, there's no island or similar. It's supposed to be a wildlife pond, and it's only fairly small, and my experience of ducks and wildlife says that having seven ducks in a wee area like that is only going to duck things up in a way we don't want.
I also don't want to feed them, or for others to feed them, since again, that will duck up the ecosystem by increasing the fertility of the water.
I'm currently thinking of trying to catch them. We have room for perhaps three of them here, followed by crispy pancakes for the drakes and re-homing for any other girls? They're fairly tame in that they'll come within a couple of metres. I'm just not too sure how to actually catch them!
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A big net and lots of patience :roflanim:
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.... and possibly a kayak! ;D
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A trail of grain right into your trailer - easier perhaps to lead than to chase?
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I'd have had them at my old house, but neighbours here wouldn't be keen on continual quacking. You've plenty of space for all of them - no need to kill excess drakes.
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Possibly Annie, but I'm a bit worried they might be mostly drakes, which wouldn't be good.
I counted three definite ducks and one definite drake, but I wasn't sure about the rest. We already have enough passengers here without adopting more though, and I have to be sympathetic to Bill, since he was here first!
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If it’s a small pond seven ducks will empty it of life. If it’s purpose was for wildlife then I reckon catch, trap or remove them one way or another. Maybe when you have a go they’ll all just fly away, problem solved!?
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OK, so help me here - the big drake looks like well, a big drake. The others are a mix of Welsh Harlequin sized ducks and a couple of smaller ones (I'm not sure if they're young, or a different breed). IME such ducks (well the big ones anyway) can't / won't fly.
Am I right folks?
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OK, so help me here - the big drake looks like well, a big drake. The others are a mix of Welsh Harlequin sized ducks and a couple of smaller ones (I'm not sure if they're young, or a different breed). IME such ducks (well the big ones anyway) can't / won't fly.
Am I right folks?
I don't think they'll fly. If you can make a pen (four hurdles with netting) and can get them to go in for food you should be able to catch them. Get them well away from the water though. Yes, they look like Harlequin/Appleyard types.
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Would it be worth advertising to see if someone has had theirs pinched?
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Or reviewing what you have stored in your freezer to see whether stuff might best be defrosted and eaten to free up space for something "fresh"!
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No, I don't think they were pinched ducks. Why would you steal a flock of ducks only to then abandon them? I think it's far more likely that somebody bought them but then either hadn't realised how much work / mess they are, or that they had to move house and couldn't take them with them, so finding them a nice pond to live on probably sounded like a good idea.
Anyway, they're with us now. We were down to just three aged ducks, so we have plenty of room for more. We managed to catch them by putting feed into a wire gabion cage and then pulling a string to close the door when they were all in.
I'll get some better photos later, but here are a couple I took last night. We think there's only one drake and all the rest are ducks. We also believe they're quite young, but what does everybody else think?
P.S. For the record, I think they're gorgeous! :love:
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I also think they are 1 drake and the rest ducks, just from the plumage, the drake has a dark head and is at the back of the picture. Glad you have them, its so sad that people feel they can dump animals.
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Yes, I think you're right bj - I'm impressed you managed to ID the drake despite him being hidden by wire in the photo though! How old do you think they are?
I'd have had them at my old house, but neighbours here wouldn't be keen on continual quacking.
I think Annie probably nailed it here with why they were dumped. That and the mess / smell they inevitably produced I reckon. I'll bet their previous owners didn't see it that way though. They'll have "set them free" at a lovely pond...... to slowly starve to death whilst being eaten by foxes one by one >:( .
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They are absolutely beautiful and do look quite young. I'm glad that you could give them a good home. Lots of duck eggs to look forward to. :)
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I think it would be an absolute sin to have rescued them, then to kill them for the freezer, so I hope they really do have a good home now. I know you and Lynda are softies really :innocent:
Unfortunately I have a dog that chases and catches hens and ducks so if I had any they would have to be penned, but if you only have one drake plus your oldies you shouldn't have any problms.
You have added another string to your smallholder bow as duck eggs are sought after.
The best way to be sure of their sex is to spend time with them adn listen to their voices. Ducks quack drakes just squeak :roflanim:
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I'm so glad you could keep them Womble :&> (that icon is naff!) They are so beautiful and I hope you enjoy having them on your place. No animal deserves to be dumped.
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Yeah, the more I look at them, the more I'm convinced that at least four of them are POL females. They are gorgeous too. Personally I like runner ducks for their comedy value, but if I had to choose any other shape or colour of duck, it would be this lot :love: .
Assuming it is one drake and six ducks, that would make a combined flock for us of eight ducks and two drakes - do you reckon that will be ok?
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Yes that would be fine - a lot depends on how your two drakes get on too though.
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Assuming it is one drake and six ducks, that would make a combined flock for us of eight ducks and two drakes - do you reckon that will be ok?
Yes that would be great I suspect your drake might exaust himself chasing (and treading) the girls. I would just keep an eye on them, I have 2 older drakes and 2 younger ones and when the younger ones (hatched here) start treading there are usually spats, but I just leave them to it and they establish a pecking order pretty quickly :)
I have runners - they are crazy, lol
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.. another vote for gorgeous..
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Good for you!
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They're settling in nicely.
I'm starting to think they're actually quite young though....... So if somebody put eggs in an incubator at the beginning of March for instance, once it was clear we were going to be CV-19 locked down, they'd have hatched at the end of March and would be about three months old by now, and just ready to be "set free" >:( at the local pond.
Does that seem feasible, or are this lot definitely older than that?
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They're right bonny.
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Are ducks sexable at hatching? Otherwise the chances of getting only one drake in a batch would be negligible surely. Perhaps someone bought the flock in as a Covid project and realised they couldn't cope.
They do look young (their legs are nice and clean still!) but they are fully feathered up - I've no idea at what age that happens though. Just pond-ering.
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They're settling in nicely.
I'm starting to think they're actually quite young though....... So if somebody put eggs in an incubator at the beginning of March for instance, once it was clear we were going to be CV-19 locked down, they'd have hatched at the end of March and would be about three months old by now, and just ready to be "set free" >:( at the local pond.
Does that seem feasible, or are this lot definitely older than that?
I think you have two drakes and possibly a third. The ones to the left could be this years hatch. They are all old enough to sex. I would say the one at the back and one far right are drakes then possibly the one far left. You might find some of the others are too. How many "quackers" have you got?
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Are ducks sexable at hatching? Otherwise the chances of getting only one drake in a batch would be negligible surely. Perhaps someone bought the flock in as a Covid project and realised they couldn't cope.
They do look young (their legs are nice and clean still!) but they are fully feathered up - I've no idea at what age that happens though. Just pond-ering.
I think there are some that fit the "bill" of being sexable at hatching but I think they are a hybrid type. Maybe they are all drakes. Come on womble be "quack" we need to know or are you "ducking" the job?
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I was about to post much the same as harmony, at least as regards the large duck at the rear of the cluster with definite edge to head colouration.
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I think you have two drakes and possibly a third. The ones to the left could be this years hatch. They are all old enough to sex. I would say the one at the back and one far right are drakes then possibly the one far left. You might find some of the others are too. How many "quackers" have you got?
OK, The one furthest right is definitely a drake and the one at the back with the grey head and olive beak might also be. The problem is, when I picked them up to worm them last night, they all decided to remain silent "don't squeak Bill, or they'll put you in a rice pancake!".
I'm still really hoping we have one drake and six ducks though. I mean, if we had hatched them, it would undoubtably be the other way around..... so both genetics and karma therefore dictate that other people must be hatching predominantly females, right?
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Take the one you pick up away from the others. That often makes them open their bills. Do it in the morning then you can release them as you sex them. Any you get no response from listen as you release them.
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OK, I've given them all a gentle squeeze: Two drakes and five ducks. The one with the grey head and olive bill is a fella as well.
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That's not too bad surely: might have been 7x dumped drakes to save someone the task of culling them. I imagine the freezer will remain at present state for now.
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We'll probably put one in the freezer at some point, but he can stay for a while until he puts some weight on. I don't know when they were dumped, but they're all pretty thin TBH.
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They'll take a while to bulk up unless you give them extra feed so plan on him being Christmas dinner :innocent: :eyelashes:
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plan on him being Christmas dinner
.....for one!