Domestic Ducks at an Apartment Pond!

[Adolfus Nile]

I went to pick up a printer that i bought on facebook marketplace today and the apartments had a big lake in the middle of the lot. Tons of ducks and canadian geese. I saw some of the mallards and thought to myself wooow those are so big they could be domestic. The lady that i bought the printer from fed them in front of me and it was a total frenzy with probably seventy birds or something. She said shes been there for 4 years and its always been like that. Then i noticed that there were pekin ducks, khaki campbell, mixes of domestic ducks with mallards and more. I had a great time watching them and hanging out, even saw some ducklings and goslings. I am tempted to go pick up a pekin from that pond to add to my own pekin flock, or even to collect the domestic ducks completely. Am I crazy? If I wanted to do that should i contact the apartment complex beforehand? Gonna be thinking about this encounter for weeks.

 

[nuthatched]

Leave them be, you don't know what they've been exposed to and they sound pretty pampered at that pond.

 

[Adolfus Nile]

Leave them be, you don't know what they've been exposed to and they sound pretty pampered at that pond.

I think youre probably right.

 

[BelovedBirds]

I went to pick up a printer that i bought on facebook marketplace today and the apartments had a big lake in the middle of the lot. Tons of ducks and canadian geese. I saw some of the mallards and thought to myself wooow those are so big they could be domestic. The lady that i bought the printer from fed them in front of me and it was a total frenzy with probably seventy birds or something. She said shes been there for 4 years and its always been like that. Then i noticed that there were pekin ducks, khaki campbell, mixes of domestic ducks with mallards and more. I had a great time watching them and hanging out, even saw some ducklings and goslings. I am tempted to go pick up a pekin from that pond to add to my own pekin flock, or even to collect the domestic ducks completely. Am I crazy? If I wanted to do that should i contact the apartment complex beforehand? Gonna be thinking about this encounter for weeks.

I absolutely would encourage you to take as many as you want and can keep. Those birds won't survive long. Definitely dumped there, right?

I would just say to quarantine the birds for at least 4 weeks before introducing to your own. Also check them for mites etc.
I tried to rescue a pekin last year, I couldn't get her, each attempt to catch her failed. She disappeared within a few months.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Sounds like these ducks were dumped, the fact that they went into a frenzy after being fed could mean they aren’t getting enough to eat. As more ducks are dumped they replace the other ones that die. Were the ducklings alone or with a parent? If they were alone they definitely could’ve been dumped too, after Easter a surprising number of domestic ducklings are abandoned in the wild, and without a mother they die within days.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I think youre probably right.

Your planning to process them and sell them? I saw another of your threads where you were asking about the price of a processed Pekin?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...kin-duck-for-8-or-10lb.1576243/#post-26777962

 

[Adolfus Nile]

I absolutely would encourage you to take as many as you want and can keep. Those birds won't survive long. Definitely dumped there, right?

I would just say to quarantine the birds for at least 4 weeks before introducing to your own. Also check them for mites etc.
I tried to rescue a pekin last year, I couldn't get her, each attempt to catch her failed. She disappeared within a few months.

this one was right at my feet, would be really easy to catch. I was wondering if they were dumped there or if the apartment company maybe bought them? from the way it sounds theyve been there for quite a while, multiple years. The lady said that they migrated there... not likely! could be that its a popular dumping spot.

 

[Adolfus Nile]

Your planning to process them and sell them? I saw another of your threads where you were asking about the price of a processed Pekin?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...kin-duck-for-8-or-10lb.1576243/#post-26777962

No that's just coincidental. Because i'm thinking of slaughtering a pekin for someone to eat I liked the idea of having a replacement.

 

[Adolfus Nile]

Sounds like these ducks were dumped, the fact that they went into a frenzy after being fed could mean they aren’t getting enough to eat. As more ducks are dumped they replace the other ones that die. Were the ducklings alone or with a parent? If they were alone they definitely could’ve been dumped too, after Easter a surprising number of domestic ducklings are abandoned in the wild, and without a mother they die within days.

all of the ducklings were with one mallard mother, but the ducklings were not all mallards. I think the domestic and wild ducks alike are trained by the lady i met with to come when she brings food.

 

[Adolfus Nile]

I'll message the lady i met with today and get some more details.