rescued mallard chick

[chickadoodle]

I was asked to take on a mallard that was a day old, its mum had been run over. Its 3 and 1/2 weeks old now, off heat and spending all day outside in a run next to my other ducks, in the evening it comes back into the dining room run. Does anyone have any idea how this will turn out? ie; will it fly away or being as friendly as it is, will it join the other garden ducks when older and bigger?
Only I need to prepare the other family members who are really quite attached to the duckling!
Many thanks.

 

[chrismahon]

Our first flew away at 10 weeks Chickadoodle, she joined the other ducks on the canal. We had no other poultry then. The second just wouldn't go and set up home in a chicken coop. He used to bully the hens something rotten. We tried releasing him all over the surrounding Countryside but he always found his way back.

 

[dorsetduckowner]

Hiya

ahh lucky you! I have raised 13 orphan mallards this year alone, and what a wonderful experience it has been! I also have 3 orphan shelducks and 1 orphan tufted duck.

I can honestly say that all are different. It depends on where it came from, town ducklings are genetically more used to people and more friendly, country ducklings are more wary.

Where are you based? Are you near a water source or in a town? I would suggest that if you don't mind him being around and are not too near dual carriageways or motorways you should just let him make his own mind up.

At about 8 -10 weeks he should start flapping around and practice flying, he may just stay in the garden or he may just go. They tend to do this at dusk, and he may do it in your house!

He is likely to just leave one day though, so be prepared. Technically by law you cannot clip his wings if he is wild hatched and conversely it is also illegal to knowingly imprint him to humans so he cannot survive in the wild... only you will know. I suspect as you have raised him in sight of ducks that he has imprinted correctly and knows he is a duck.

So in short... let him decide and be prepared for both outcomes.

Keep us posted!
zo
x

 

[chickadoodle]

Thank you for your replies. It has been a wonderful experience to date. I have tried to keep it as ducky as poss, although it has a following on facebook due to its cuteness! I will take more pics for us to remember it by.!!

 

[dorsetduckowner]

Ahh I must follow it on Facebook. Is there a link ro the page?