Mandarins and domestic ducks

[qwackers]

Hi all. I haven't been on this lovely site for a while as I sadly had to rehome my gorgeous ducks a few years back due to relocation issues. But now however the ducks are back! Whoopie!

Im picking up some runners soon but my o/h has decided he wants his own ducks and has decided on a pair of mandarins (expensive taste!).

So firstly, how do mandarins get on with domestic ducks? I've read they can segregate themselves and not go around with the flock.

And secondly, we were planning to let them all free range together in our garden. I've heard their wings need clipping or they will fly off. Will this stop them climbing? Someone wrote somewhere that they climb like squirrels!!? I have a few trees and big bushes which I don't mind them in but rather they didn't incase they hop over the fence/walls to next door!

I'm wondering if I should tell my o/h to pick more sensibly while we don't live in a farm!!

Any advice really appreciated!

 

[Miss Lydia]

As for Mandarins I would suggest you go down aways from here to the ornamental threads and ask there. And please post pics once you get your babies home we love baby pictures!

 

[FluffTheDuck]

So sorry nobody has responded! Mandarin ducks are so pretty!
The species was once widespread in East Asia, but large-scale exports and the destruction of its forest habitat have reduced populations in eastern Russia and in China to below 1,000 pairs in each country; Japan, however, is thought to still hold some 5,000 pairs. The Asian populations are migratory, overwintering in lowland eastern China and southern Japan.
Specimens frequently escape from collections, and in the 20th century, a large, feral population was established in Great Britain; more recently, small numbers have bred in Ireland, concentrated in the parks of Dublin. Now, about 7,000 are in Britain with other populations on the European continent -the largest in the region of Berlin. Isolated populations exist in the United States. The town of Black Mountain, North Carolina, has a limited population, and a free-flying feral population of several hundred mandarins exists in Sonoma County, California. This population is the result of several ducks escaping from captivity, then reproducing in the wild. In 2018, a single bird was seen in New York City's Central Park.
The habitats it prefers in its breeding range are the dense, shrubby forested edges of rivers and lakes. It mostly occurs in low-lying areas, but it may breed in valleys at altitudes of up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft). In winter, it additionally occurs in marshes, flooded fields, and open rivers. While it prefers fresh water, it may also be seen wintering in coastal lagoons and estuaries. In its introduced European range, it lives in more open habitat than in its native range, around the edges lakes, water meadows, and cultivated areas with woods nearby. In the wild, mandarin ducks breed in densely wooded areas near shallow lakes, marshes or ponds. They nest in cavities in trees close to water and during the spring, the females lay their eggs in the tree's cavity after mating. A single clutch of nine to twelve eggs is laid in April or May. Although the male may defend the brooding female and his eggs during incubation, he himself does not incubate the eggs and leaves before they hatch. Shortly after the ducklings' hatch, their mother flies to the ground and coaxes the ducklings to leap from the nest. After all of the ducklings are out of the tree, they will follow their mother to a nearby body of water. Mandarins feed by dabbling or walking on land. They mainly eat plants and seeds, especially beech mast. The species will also add snails, insects and small fish to its diet. The diet of mandarin ducks changes seasonally; in the fall and winter, they mostly eat acorns and grains. In the spring, they mostly eat insects, snails, fish, and aquatic plants. In the summer, they eat dew worms, small fish, frogs, mollusks, and small snakes. They feed mainly near dawn or dusk, perching in trees or on the ground during the day. Predation of the mandarin duck varies between different parts of its range. Mink, raccoon dogs, otters, polecats, Eurasian eagle owls, and grass snakes are all predators of the mandarin duck. The greatest threat to the mandarin duck is habitat loss due to loggers. Hunters are also a threat to the mandarin duck because often they are unable to recognize the mandarin in flight and as a result, many are shot by accident. Mandarin ducks are not hunted for food but are still poached because their extreme beauty is prized.

So firstly, how do mandarins get on with domestic ducks? I've read they can segregate themselves and not go around with the flock.

Do you mean get along with domestic ducks? I'm sorry, I have no idea and I even looked it up and could not find an answer. If you look at the links below, they might say something about it.

Links to help: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/wood-ducks-and-mandarin-ducks.105321/ (read the answers on that one) https://www.petassure.com/new-newsletters/keeping-and-caring-for-ducks-as-pets/

Have a nice day! I hope this solves your problem.
People to help: @Miss Lydia @casportpony @Cayuga momma

 

[FluffTheDuck]

Oh, Miss Lydia has already responded!

 

[Miss Lydia]

I just sent them to the ornamental forum @FluffTheDuck

 

[Miss Lydia]

We're like two ships passing in the night lol

 

[FluffTheDuck]

We're like two ships passing in the night lol

Yes I was working on my answer and I clicked send and there you were!

 

[qwackers]

So sorry nobody has responded! Mandarin ducks are so pretty!
The species was once widespread in East Asia, but large-scale exports and the destruction of its forest habitat have reduced populations in eastern Russia and in China to below 1,000 pairs in each country; Japan, however, is thought to still hold some 5,000 pairs. The Asian populations are migratory, overwintering in lowland eastern China and southern Japan.
Specimens frequently escape from collections, and in the 20th century, a large, feral population was established in Great Britain; more recently, small numbers have bred in Ireland, concentrated in the parks of Dublin. Now, about 7,000 are in Britain with other populations on the European continent -the largest in the region of Berlin. Isolated populations exist in the United States. The town of Black Mountain, North Carolina, has a limited population, and a free-flying feral population of several hundred mandarins exists in Sonoma County, California. This population is the result of several ducks escaping from captivity, then reproducing in the wild. In 2018, a single bird was seen in New York City's Central Park.
The habitats it prefers in its breeding range are the dense, shrubby forested edges of rivers and lakes. It mostly occurs in low-lying areas, but it may breed in valleys at altitudes of up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft). In winter, it additionally occurs in marshes, flooded fields, and open rivers. While it prefers fresh water, it may also be seen wintering in coastal lagoons and estuaries. In its introduced European range, it lives in more open habitat than in its native range, around the edges lakes, water meadows, and cultivated areas with woods nearby. In the wild, mandarin ducks breed in densely wooded areas near shallow lakes, marshes or ponds. They nest in cavities in trees close to water and during the spring, the females lay their eggs in the tree's cavity after mating. A single clutch of nine to twelve eggs is laid in April or May. Although the male may defend the brooding female and his eggs during incubation, he himself does not incubate the eggs and leaves before they hatch. Shortly after the ducklings' hatch, their mother flies to the ground and coaxes the ducklings to leap from the nest. After all of the ducklings are out of the tree, they will follow their mother to a nearby body of water. Mandarins feed by dabbling or walking on land. They mainly eat plants and seeds, especially beech mast. The species will also add snails, insects and small fish to its diet. The diet of mandarin ducks changes seasonally; in the fall and winter, they mostly eat acorns and grains. In the spring, they mostly eat insects, snails, fish, and aquatic plants. In the summer, they eat dew worms, small fish, frogs, mollusks, and small snakes. They feed mainly near dawn or dusk, perching in trees or on the ground during the day. Predation of the mandarin duck varies between different parts of its range. Mink, raccoon dogs, otters, polecats, Eurasian eagle owls, and grass snakes are all predators of the mandarin duck. The greatest threat to the mandarin duck is habitat loss due to loggers. Hunters are also a threat to the mandarin duck because often they are unable to recognize the mandarin in flight and as a result, many are shot by accident. Mandarin ducks are not hunted for food but are still poached because their extreme beauty is prized.
Do you mean get along with domestic ducks? I'm sorry, I have no idea and I even looked it up and could not find an answer. If you look at the links below, they might say something about it.

Links to help: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/wood-ducks-and-mandarin-ducks.105321/ (read the answers on that one) https://www.petassure.com/new-newsletters/keeping-and-caring-for-ducks-as-pets/

Have a nice day! I hope this solves your problem.
People to help: @Miss Lydia @casportpony @Cayuga momma

Thanks so much for your reply. Yes it seems really hard to find out anything helpful about having them at pets. Thanks for the link to the other page, I will have a snoop. I think I already did briefly but maybe I'll post on there.

Thanks to you both. Xx