Birding/Mallards

Advertisement

Expert: - 9/20/2005


Question
I have been given 5 ducks as a recue mission. They have been kept at someones house in the garage for 2 months. We took them because we have a very large pond. They seem to love it out there.I know 2 are mallards but not sure what the other 3 are. One has a crown on it's head. It's the aggressive one of the bunch. My question is first what do I feed them? Will they stay at my pond or eventually fly away? Will they all live together out there without fighting? Thank you for your time. Tracie

Answer
You can feed them grain untill they start feeding on their own. They may stay at the pond or fly away; you won't know ahead of time. They may fight a bit but they won't hurt each other and will eventually settle down. For more information on wild birds, see www.ornithology.com

Birding

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

Roger Lederer

Expertise

Any and all about WILD birds - the science of ornithology. Information about birdwatching, ecology, conservation, migration, behavior, banding, rehabilitation, feeding, songs, binoculars, identification, and careers in ornithology. No questions about pet or caged birds, please.

Experience

Have a PhD and over forty years as a professional ornithologist - research, teaching, author, speaker, webmaster of Ornithology.com . Have written thirty scientific papers, three bird field guides, a textbook in ecology and two recent books entitled "Amazing Birds" and "Birds of New England". Have traveled to over 90 countries watching birds.

Education/Credentials
PhD in Zoology/Ornithology; Emeritus Professor of Biological Sciences; former Dean of the College of Natural Sciences at California State University, Chico

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.