# Pet ducks?



## Duck-Hunter (Mar 31, 2005)

I saw some photos with people having mallards as pets. I thought it was illegal to keep migratory birds captive? I know you can have farm ducks and those ducks they sell at pet stores around easter.


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## Codye23 (Sep 30, 2004)

I see this all the time, One time I was at a park and a guy and his son was letting 2 ducks go with some other Mallard families, Wasn't the best idea the Mallards instantly attacked the ducks i've never seen a kid so sad in my life, people get attached to the ducks.. I wonder how good the ducks do after they are let go can they fly ? Do they constantly get attacked by other ducks. I would also like to know if it is illegal or not


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## SafetyMan (Apr 13, 2001)

You can buy mallards at TSC every spring.

My buddie's wife bought 6 this year while we were out of town on business...

I'm waiting for her to get tired of them....

I'm thinkin....

DINNER!


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## Bow Hunter Brandon (Jan 15, 2003)

SafetyMan said:


> You can buy mallards at TSC every spring.
> 
> My buddie's wife bought 6 this year while we were out of town on business...
> 
> ...



I think a toe is removed or something like that to show it was not wild.. Branta got any info on this for some reason I think you are the one I got the toe info from.


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## nky_bowhunter (May 31, 2005)

On a somewhat related note....a buddy of mine last year shot someone's pet duck that must have gotten out of an aviary. He had no idea what it was at first...turned out to be a chinese mandarin duck. Looks an awful lot like a wood duck but wild coloration, and yes, they clipped a toe!


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## Duck-Hunter (Mar 31, 2005)

my friends in lapeer had pet mallards when we were younger. it was cool we swam with them and stuff and they let them go when they were full grown.

There is a dude that lives a few blocks away he is my friends uncle he has 2 white ducks he has had one for years. its pretty cool.


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## Duck-Hunter (Mar 31, 2005)

Codye23 said:


> I see this all the time, One time I was at a park and a guy and his son was letting 2 ducks go with some other Mallard families, Wasn't the best idea the Mallards instantly attacked the ducks i've never seen a kid so sad in my life, people get attached to the ducks.. I wonder how good the ducks do after they are let go can they fly ? Do they constantly get attacked by other ducks. I would also like to know if it is illegal or not


lol. that reminds me of a video on tv some kid had his pet mouse out side and his dad was video taping and a hawk came down and flew away with it.


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## Buck-in-Rut (Apr 20, 2003)

nky_bowhunter said:


> On a somewhat related note....a buddy of mine last year shot someone's pet duck that must have gotten out of an aviary. He had no idea what it was at first...turned out to be a chinese mandarin duck. Looks an awful lot like a wood duck but wild coloration, and yes, they clipped a toe!


If it got shot near Wayne or Monroe Counties, I have pretty good Idea where it came from. I figured we'd hear about one gettin' shot sooner or later. :lol: 

I have purchased mallard for dog training and never payed attention to the toes.


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## just tryin to fish (May 31, 2004)

we had a wild mallerd about 8 years ago that landed in our yard with our farm ducks and it just stayed the whole spring and summer till fall. but the crazy thing is it wouldn't stay cause of the other ducks. It was in love with my moms red glove. this duck would carry it everywere and not let it go. it was strange. and it had no proble untieing our shoe laces.


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## Branta (Feb 6, 2002)

Bow Hunter Brandon said:


> I think a toe is removed or something like that to show it was not wild.. Branta got any info on this for some reason I think you are the one I got the toe info from.


That's my understanding for waterfowl purchased from farms for put/take and for Hunt tests. (they clip the thumb)

birds sometimes do get out of their avaries/ abandoned by owners and do get mixed in with other birds. a couple of years ago, we had our eyes peeled for an egyptian goose that somehow got into a flock of geese in our area. he was a marked bird for sure!

then there's this fellow...








I messed up and thought it was a "quill's lake" canadian when I saw it working the rig. when we got up on it, we then knew it was actually a cross breed and I'm quite glad we took him out. don't need anymore help messin' up the gene pool!!

the mandarin is a beautiful duck - hope he got it mounted or some pics at least!


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## oziedon (Jun 10, 2005)

Some domestic ducks are a cross breed called rouen and look like a mallard.
http://www.liveducks.com/breeds.html


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## ckendall (Sep 1, 2000)

I'm planning on buying a couple of mallards for retriever training this summer. I've never done this before, but I'm planning on totally replicating a hunting situation (minus the actual shooting of the bird). I will bind the birds wings and have a partner toss it into the dekes after calling and shooting. The idea is to get the dog used to chasing down a cripple - even one that can dive.

Here's the tricky part - where the hell do I keep a duck when I'm not training with it? Pigeons are one thing (I have a small coop) - but a duck is a pretty big critter and the quacking might alert my nieghbors (and irritate my wife). 

Anybody ever kept a duck or two around for this reason (maybe someone living in a city w/o a garage)? Also, based on the posts above, it doesn't sound reasonable to release the duck should it survive the training program. Perhaps one final, very realistic, lesson for the pup - and duck on the barbey?


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## multibeard (Mar 3, 2002)

I was stopped in a hunter check on I-80 in Nebraska 10 years ago. I had purchased a dream catcher in Colorado that had feathers on it that looked as if they may have been off a Canada goose. The Fed officers eyes lit up as he ran off to have the rest of the fed officers look at the feathers.

When he came back and said they looked like Canada goose feathers but they weren't sure. I asked him if they were were they off a domestic or wild Canada. He admitted that there was no way of proving that. I had him on that point. :lol: :lol:

All the peons working the check were real nice guys. It was just the clip board toting guy that thought he was king tut.


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## Duck-Hunter (Mar 31, 2005)

Were do you purchase ducks?

I shot a freak last year. I have to get pics from my cuz. it had the breast feathers of a hen with a drake head and hen bill. it was wierd.


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## lowavenger96 (Dec 8, 2004)

Duck-Hunter said:


> Were do you purchase ducks?
> 
> I shot a freak last year. I have to get pics from my cuz. it had the breast feathers of a hen with a drake head and hen bill. it was wierd.


 

http://www.strombergschickens.com/


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## duckhunter382 (Feb 13, 2005)

My cousin has his ducks in an old beagle pen with one of those cheap walmart pools. they seem to be doing fine. He buys his ducks at an auction place in ravenna every saturday. I love to bring my lab over there cuz he goes nuts.


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## neil duffey (Feb 22, 2004)

hell they must have had about 50 mallard ducklings up at gerbralter mountclemins round easter... 6 bux a pop.


we shot a old bags pet goose out on greens lake in clarkston one morning... the old bag always honked her horn every morning she saw us out in the blind... one day sure as haties her ol goose came decoyin into the spreak... and splash!!! :evilsmile she didnt honk her horn from then on.... but she did call the cops, who ruled us in the right... non native species :evilsmile :lol:


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