Duck laws? (NY)

[hfchristy]

So, a couple of weeks ago, someone from the SPCA showed up at our back door because they received a report about "ducks with no water". I showed him their full water dish, dumped the muddy water and rolled with clear, and he made some notes and left.
Yesterday we got an anonymous letter in the mail telling us that ducks need a pond and we are cruel for not giving them free access to swimming water at all times... There are lots of natural bodies of water in our area that they should be free to explore... If we can't give them a pond then we should do the right thing and set them free... It's horrible to see them in a cage SUFFERING!

So, I guess I'll be posting a reply to our fence post. I want to make sure that it's accurate, though. Is it illegal to let domestic ducks mingle with wild ducks? Or just bad form? It's not legal to release them altogether, right?
Google just wants to tell me about duck hunting regulations.

Thanks!

 

[HollowOfWisps]

It's illegal to release domesticated ducks pretty much anywhere and letting domesticated ducks intermingle with wild ducks will more than likely land you a one way trip to the vet with a diseased flock. In fact to have a NPIP certified flock you definitely would not be allowed to allow them to mix with wild ducks. I would put out cameras and sue for harassment. If you don't plan to re-home your ducks I would highly recommend documenting everything that happens from here on out in case they don't go away on their own. Keep a note with the letter that has the date/time you found it and make a note of the call to the ASPCA along with their visit. Write down any other disturbances, visits, letters or lingering individuals around your property.

 

[Poultrybonkers]

its illegal to dump ducks into ponds or lakes and whoever sent that letter is just as dumb as the people who dump off them.if you dont want them put free someone will take them

 

[hfchristy]

We do want them! That's exactly why they spend most of their time in one cage or another. We lost our entire flock to predators last year. I want to invite her to look at pictures of the one duck who lasted a day after the attack with a massive slice in her neck if she wants to see what "suffering" really looks like.

If we were willing to cull our special needs duck, or take up friends' offers to take the unexpectedly large and plump and tasty-looking males off our hands, then we might be able to put swimming water in their cage. But since killing any of them isn't an acceptable solution to us, our runty bantam girl with a damaged bill affecting preening and also some balance issues really can't be allowed to share a pool large enough for the seriously NOT bantam boys. I've had to rescue her twice, totally soaked through, looking like a drowned rat. I can't expect strangers to understand, though, that it's possible for there to be a duck who can't swim! Also it's none of their business. The ducks are well cared for, even without a pond.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

We do want them! That's exactly why they spend most of their time in one cage or another. We lost our entire flock to predators last year. I want to invite her to look at pictures of the one duck who lasted a day after the attack with a massive slice in her neck if she wants to see what "suffering" really looks like.

If we were willing to cull our special needs duck, or take up friends' offers to take the unexpectedly large and plump and tasty-looking males off our hands, then we might be able to put swimming water in their cage. But since killing any of them isn't an acceptable solution to us, our runty bantam girl with a damaged bill affecting preening and also some balance issues really can't be allowed to share a pool large enough for the seriously NOT bantam boys. I've had to rescue her twice, totally soaked through, looking like a drowned rat. I can't expect strangers to understand, though, that it's possible for there to be a duck who can't swim! Also it's none of their business. The ducks are well cared for, even without a pond.

When you say "cage" what exactly do you mean? Dog kennel? Small coop?

 

[hfchristy]

They have two hardware cloth enclosed spaces that are 6x8ft (one attached to their coop, one that moves around the yard) and a larger fenced in area under our magnolia where we sometimes put them during the heat of the day when there are fewer predators about.

 

[LT71689]

Regardless of legality, I wouldnt let pets mingle with wild animals anyway - there's too high a risk of transmitting illnesses from the wild birds to your flock.

ducks should get a chance to swim as often as you can give them one but they dont require 24/7 access to swimming water, not forcing them to live on a pond and be victim to predators is not being cruel.

Honestly if your coop/run has a way for you to lock it up I would, I'd be worried your "concerned neighbor" might decide to take matters into their own hands and try to release them.

 

[KaleIAm]

While it sounds like you've got your answer I'll tell you a little about my story anyway.

5.5 years ago I adopted 3 female ducks who were dumped on a pond. They had mites. They had internal parasites. And worst of all they were bloody with all their flight and tail feathers broken from repeatedly being mated by wild mallards.

One of them still has severe damage to her tail feathers follicles, and has to have surgery under anesthesia every year as the feathers grow under her skin. She also has severe reproductive disease, she has had weird masses that needed to be surgically removed, and the vets think she may still have internal damage from excessive mating. I strongly feel no female duck should ever have to endure what my sweethearts did before they came to me.

You already know how dangerous it is to not have domestic ducks in a predator proof enclosure. I'm sorry you lost your ducks like that. That's really awful.

What about the mallards? Is it a danger to their gene pool if a domestic drake mates with a female mallards? Will the ducklings be able to fly?

I would put a padlock on my ducks cage if I were you. And get a security camera.

 

[hfchristy]

I went with "I'm not sure whether it's actually illegal in NY, but it's definitely not advisable" and noted that setting them free IS 100% illegal, so hopefully they will think twice about just opening the gate for them.
I started to include some notes about duck sex and the possibility of a large male drowning a small female, but since the letter was on a page torn from a composition notebook, judging by the writing, I'm thinking this was probably written by a couple of middle school girls and I felt uncomfortable discussing the details of any species sex with preteen girls I don't know! And my note seemed long enough without it.

 

[neo71665]

Sounds like you got a busybody neighbor. I would post no trespassing signs all over the property and get a game camera to find out who it is.