Took in 11 semi-wild mallard ducks. A friend had rescued two off the lake, they bred, and had a large group. She couldn't keep them anymore, asked if we'd take them.

Awwww how gorgeous.
Do ducks born in the same litter
have the same markings?

No, their colors may be close, but more along the lines of a fraternal twin, instead of identical.

Do you have to feed them or
does nature take care of that?

Aren't ducks supposed to
be great 'doorbells'?

You are going to have one hell of a Thanksgiving dinner.......

These guys eat grass, bugs, and some dog food kibble and the chicken feed mix that is done up for the other birds. They could probably do fine on their own, but since we have a general feed bin for everyone, they can get that if they want.

At our place, the guineas, and turkeys are noisier for alarms. The ducks get bent if you come up to them.

Meh, oily meat, no thanks!

Do they swarm you and drive you away?

My grandma had a mallard who used to let us pet him. He was awesome.

CA. geese used to visit all the time too. Swans and cranes also.

All she has now is a 20+ year old goose. She'll come up to you for corn, but won't let you within touching distance or anything, still a cool friend to have.

Nah, they run the other way. Very unfriendly sadly.

I miss our goose. He passed away a couple years ago. He wanted to be near people, and for the most part would let you pet him. He was moody. LOL!

Oh yeah, they can make cats seem sane at times. lol

Especially when laying eggs and nesting. lol They used to keep the grass high in certain spots of the yard and when we would be playing in the yard we would accidentally stumble upon one of the geese nesting and laying eggs, well they let us know they were there pretty clearly. lol

She's calmer now, and I really wish she would let me pet her now, esp. after knowing her all these years.

I feed her sometimes and when she comes up for food, I try to get her to eat from the cup, but she won't. I think I'll be able to get her to eventually, and maybe then I can pet her, but that will take a little time. Hopefully she sticks around long enough for me to accomplish that.