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| My mandarin ducks - Flap & Droplet |
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| aviary for mandarins |
I got Flap and Droplet as a breeding pair this year. A breeding pair of ducks is a male and female pair of ducks that aren't closely related. I got them at a poultry show and they are about one year old. I hope to get another breeding pair this fall.
Unlike other ducks, Mandarin ducks won't stay and they are great at flying and will leave. I have mallards and they can fly, but they will stay if they have food, water, and shelter. I keep the mandarin ducks in their own aviary area, since the other area doesn't have a top and they could just fly away. They also nest in trees and their nesting box needs to be off the ground.
When I got them their flight feathers were clipped so we put a ramp on their house. When mandarins have babies and it's time to leave the nest they climb up the walls with their claws and they jump out of the hole. The babies can't fly yet but they have flimsy bones that don't break when they hit the ground. My mandarin ducks are starting to fly again and I might remove the ramp soon. They haven't started laying eggs yet and they won't for about another year.
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| the nesting box for my mandarins |
