anyone here know anything about wildlife/ducks?

[janekat]

I've been recently told by my condo assn in Naples Florida to stop feeding some ducks (I've been feeding them dried corn). These ducks (one is a mallard, another a white duck) apparently belonged to someone and they let them "loose" at our development. They have some bands on their legs. They do not seem to be extremely tame because they do seem to be somewhat "scared" of humans. They run away if you get too close to them.

The question I have is: "Are these ducks going to be able to figure out how to find food on their own IF they belonged to someone at one time?" We have a large pond out here and there are bugs, etc. that they might be able to eat. There's another group of rather aggressive Muscove ducks that they sem to "do battle" with.

Should I call a wildlife organization to have them taken to a shelter or zoo - or are they better off "as is"?

[Dookus]

1. good lord...

feeding ducks is one of the great little joys of life.

spoilsports.

[janekat]

5. Bunch of mean old "Republican" farts..... n/t

[CO Liberal]

2. Those Bands.....

...may have been put on them by researchers tracking them for wildlife management purposes.

It reminds me of the story about the Washington (State) Biological Service. They used to tag birds with a leg tag that said "WASH. BIOL. SERV." Until the got a letter from someone who said, "I caught one of your birds and followed the cooking instructions on the leg. It tasted terrible."

:-)

[radwriter0555]

3. The ducks will be fine. instinct and mother nature step in when they

need to, and the ducks will figure out that THIS bug tastes better than THAT bug.

They will be just fine, they're just living the easy life off your corn while they can. Leave em be, and they'll still drop by for visits, I'm sure.

[janekat]

4. they've been quacking outside almost all day....

I feel so guilty...

[demnan]

6. Ducks may have a bad reputation down in Naples

I remember visiting my brother there and they have a native mean duck down there called the muscovy duck. This duck is voracious. They "attacked" us on the public beach out there when we were eating sandwiches. I thought this old lame duck was going to peck a junk out of my ass the way he was looking at me.

I've never seen ducks like that before, and I've seen ducks on Virginia Beaches all my life.

But the poster was probably right - mean Republican farts live down there in abundance.

[moof]

7. Two things

first it is too bad to see that the condo ass is coming down on the ducks.

Second if you put several ducks in a crate it is commonly refered to as a
box of quackers.

[janekat]

8. ho-ho! Have to remember that for my brother - he loves puns n/t

[CO Liberal]

9. And If You Turn The Box Over......

....they quack up.

:-)

[TrogL]

10. Don't feed the ducks

It's not good for them. They are perfectly capable of foraging for themselves. It's getting up to migration season. If you continue to feed them, they may fail to migrate and will freeze over winter.

[CO Liberal]

11. They're Gonna Freeze in Naples, Florida????

:shrug:

[Don_G]

13. It looks Like They Winter In Cuba

Naples isn't that far away and maybe they're afraid that Asskrap will ask for passports. It sounds more like a bunch of old Freepers that want their Paradise structured to their views.

[janekat]

14. he-he. Yep they saty here all year round... n/t

[CO Liberal]

12. Sounds Like Someone Is Tired of Stepping in Duck Poop......

....and is taking it out on you.

[amazona]

15. feral mallards/pekin (white) ducks do just fine without handouts

...and scrapping with their fellow ferals, Muscovies, is all in a day's play for them.

Wildlife organizations will not take them as they are not wildlife.

To capture them is to condemn them. A zoo would prefer exotic and pure species of ducks. If they did consent to take the ferals, it is likely because they are going to become someone's dinner. I'd let 'em be.

Don't feed Canada geese either.


you can feed me italian food

[Lisa]

16. they should be okay ...

I used to work at a wildlife rehabilitation facility. Ducks tend to do pretty well on their own, if they have a place they can go to escape from predators (that pond sounds like just the ticket). Since they're the type of bird that is able to forage from birth (just as chickens are) -- unlike, say, baby owls or herons, which need to be taught how to find food -- they have built-in "software".

You're in a pretty temperate part of the world, and besides ducks have very good protection against the elements -- they won't have to spend as much energy keeping warm. So that's one less thing to worry about, anyway.

Re: the Muscovies, duck fights can look kind of scary sometimes, but unless you actually see blood being drawn, things will be okay. They have to work out a "pecking order" in the group to keep everyone happy (kind of reminds me of my office). Last year we raised two abandoned mallards and released them -- they were picked on by the ducks at the local pond, until some other birds arrived and they were the ones dishing out the beatings! (Reading excerpts from Gandhi and Konrad Lorenz out loud to them didn't work, I see.)

If the ducks were ultra-tame and coming up close enough to touch ... that might make them vulnerable to dogs, mischievous kids, adults hungry for duck dinners, etc. -- but from your report, they seem to have learned enough to stay away.

If you have a friend with a farm who's willing to take them, that might work ... but for now it looks like things are okay. The animal control people would probably just let them go on the other side of town, anyway.

How big are the ducks? Wild mallards are pretty small (5-6 lbs I think), but the domesticated ducks that are descended from them (like the White Pekin and the naturally-coloured Rouen, which looks like a very big fat mallard) are significantly bigger than that ... I've been told that some of the fancier purebred varieties like the massive Aylesbury (picture John Goodman as a duck!) may need so much food that they find it hard to meet all their needs by just foraging, but the vast majority of tame ducks do fine on their own.

If they appear to be doing poorly, and are visibly thinner ... then it might be time to call in the authorities ... but if they're still walking and quacking, harden your heart, and tell them that excessive corn would just make them obese! (That's what Dave Holderread says in his duck-care book, anyway.)


p.s. everybody else has beaten me to the puns, so here's an interesting fact -- Muscovy ducks are a different species from all other domestic breeds of ducks. Pekins, Cayugas, Indian Runners, Aylesburies, Rouens, Khaki Campbells, Calls, and all those sorts are descended from Eurasian or American mallard stock. Muscovies are from South America originally, and are quite different. Apparently some biologists even question whether they are true "waterfowl" (some breeders call them "turkey ducks").