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Started By
Message
Farm or pen raised mallards
Posted on 6/6/23 at 1:16 pm
Posted on 6/6/23 at 1:16 pm
I was listening to a podcast, Duck season somewhere, and they had a biologist that was working on his doctorate, Mich State.
It was very interesting to learn that the farm or pen ducks or as they call them European mallard may be to blame for some of the issues we are seeing with greenheads.
They were saying that around 40%-50% of all mallards have at least 50% European hybrid in them. Meaning a wild mallard has bred with one of these to a degree where 1 out of 2 mallards has strong European traits.
Those traits cause them to nest closer to urban areas, produce less off spring, they do not fly as much per day as the pure mallard, half the fly time, and migrate less. Rarely will they go south of Tennessee and are more likely to choose a neighborhood lake over the secluded marsh.
I know where I hunted, the neighbor released 5,000 mallards. The year he did it was great! But afterward we seem to have less ducks. I am wondering if they paired with the wild ducks that were imprinted, and the offspring that normally would come back are not flying as much.
It was very interesting to learn that the farm or pen ducks or as they call them European mallard may be to blame for some of the issues we are seeing with greenheads.
They were saying that around 40%-50% of all mallards have at least 50% European hybrid in them. Meaning a wild mallard has bred with one of these to a degree where 1 out of 2 mallards has strong European traits.
Those traits cause them to nest closer to urban areas, produce less off spring, they do not fly as much per day as the pure mallard, half the fly time, and migrate less. Rarely will they go south of Tennessee and are more likely to choose a neighborhood lake over the secluded marsh.
I know where I hunted, the neighbor released 5,000 mallards. The year he did it was great! But afterward we seem to have less ducks. I am wondering if they paired with the wild ducks that were imprinted, and the offspring that normally would come back are not flying as much.
10
Posted on 6/6/23 at 1:26 pm to Insurancerebel
quote:
I know where I hunted, the neighbor released 5,000 mallards.
Need a little more detail on this. What state?
Posted on 6/6/23 at 1:27 pm to Insurancerebel
Whats a mallard? They quit coming to our marsh years ago. Havent seen or shot one in forever.
Posted on 6/6/23 at 1:29 pm to Ron Cheramie
Where I hunted was in MS, South Delta.
East coast is doing it in a major way.
State of SC is releasing up to 40,000 a year.
East coast is doing it in a major way.
State of SC is releasing up to 40,000 a year.
Posted on 6/6/23 at 1:58 pm to Insurancerebel
You have a source for those numbers or hearsay?
Posted on 6/6/23 at 2:15 pm to Bawpaw
It came from the podcast, the biologist is doing his dissertation on it for his doctorate.
They are taking samples from banded birds to see the ancestry. And have the gps trackers on them as well.
I believe they said it takes 3 generations to breed the European traits out.
Hybrid duck mates with pure duck. Their offspring mates with pure duck, that offspring mates with a pure duck. Back to a north american mallard seeking nesting in secluded areas, flying more, and avoiding human populated areas.
They are taking samples from banded birds to see the ancestry. And have the gps trackers on them as well.
I believe they said it takes 3 generations to breed the European traits out.
Hybrid duck mates with pure duck. Their offspring mates with pure duck, that offspring mates with a pure duck. Back to a north american mallard seeking nesting in secluded areas, flying more, and avoiding human populated areas.
This post was edited on 6/6/23 at 2:23 pm
Posted on 6/6/23 at 2:27 pm to Insurancerebel
quote:
Where I hunted was in MS, South Delta. East coast is doing it in a major way. State of SC is releasing up to 40,000 a year.
This sounds like a really bad idea
Phil Robertson tried to get the state to do this years ago and got shut down thankfully
Posted on 6/6/23 at 2:28 pm to Insurancerebel
quote:
Those traits cause them to nest closer to urban areas, produce less off spring,
So they’re like millennials?
Posted on 6/6/23 at 2:34 pm to Insurancerebel
Have heard others say that most of the hybrids (mallard x other species) are mostly because of the European genes. They say they are worse on nest survival, and that they have evolved to eat large grain instead of small grains.
Ramsey has had other biologists that are paying attention to genetics that blame a lot of the problems on the European/farm mallard releasing.
Ramsey has had other biologists that are paying attention to genetics that blame a lot of the problems on the European/farm mallard releasing.
Posted on 6/6/23 at 2:40 pm to Insurancerebel
To hell with greenheads, that ship done sailed. We should all be building and installing black bellied whistling duck nest boxes to increase what we have. They taste better, fly slower and easier to call than mallards.
Posted on 6/6/23 at 3:22 pm to Koolazzkat
quote:
To hell with greenheads, that ship done sailed. We should all be building and installing black bellied whistling duck nest boxes to increase what we have. They taste better, fly slower and easier to call than mallards.
Posted on 6/6/23 at 3:39 pm to Insurancerebel
This is interesting.
quote:
Unlike many waterfowl, mallards have benefited from human alterations to the world – so much so that they are now considered an invasive species in some regions.[112] They are a common sight in urban parks, lakes, ponds, and other human-made water features in the regions they inhabit, and are often tolerated or encouraged in human habitat due to their placid nature towards humans and their beautiful and iridescent colours.[29] While most are not domesticated, mallards are so successful at coexisting in human regions that the main conservation risk they pose comes from the loss of genetic diversity among a region's traditional ducks once humans and mallards colonise an area. Mallards are very adaptable, being able to live and even thrive in urban areas which may have supported more localised, sensitive species of waterfowl before development.[113] The release of feral mallards in areas where they are not native sometimes creates problems through interbreeding with indigenous waterfowl.[112][114] These non-migratory mallards interbreed with indigenous wild ducks from local populations of closely related species through genetic pollution by producing fertile offspring.[114] Complete hybridisation of various species of wild duck gene pools could result in the extinction of many indigenous waterfowl.[114] The mallard itself is the ancestor of most domestic ducks, and its naturally evolved wild gene pool gets genetically polluted in turn by the domestic and feral populations.[115]
quote:
Availability of mallards, mallard ducklings, and fertilised mallard eggs for public sale and private ownership, either as poultry or as pets, is currently legal in the United States, except for the state of Florida, which has currently banned domestic ownership of mallards. This is to prevent hybridisation with the native mottled duck.[131
This post was edited on 6/6/23 at 3:43 pm
Posted on 6/6/23 at 3:49 pm to Koolazzkat
quote:
We should all be building and installing black bellied whistling duck nest boxes to increase what we have.
They don't need it. About a dozen showed up in my neighborhood pond this year for the first time and they are raising all kinds of ducklings.
Posted on 6/6/23 at 4:03 pm to Koolazzkat
The obsession and money spent by DU on a duck that never comes to Louisiana anymore is down right frustrating giving how much money this state generates for waterfowl conservation. I know other species benefit from nesting habitat improvement but mallards will nest anywhere. I wish they would do something to get the ringneck numbers up since that’s all that shows up anymore.
Posted on 6/6/23 at 4:06 pm to Koolazzkat
Whistling ducks tolerate humans just as well or better than domestic Mallards. You can barely beat them off most golf course ponds in Houston and the way they are spreading, they seem to be moving further North. I have buddies in Monroe that had a bunch on the farm last year. Problem is they shag arse from all our hunting spots before hunting season opens.
Posted on 6/6/23 at 4:12 pm to Insurancerebel
The hybridization problem has been talked about for a lot recently. It will be a miracle if the feds can change the migratory gamebird regulatory framework to actually slow the problem down before gets too far out of hand.
Posted on 6/6/23 at 4:47 pm to Insurancerebel
It’s all an elaborate plan by Arkansas.
We use our knowledge of modifying and manipulating poultry genetics to cross breed the ducks so that they don’t fly past the Arkansas/Louisiana state line.
The giant net was getting to be a pain in the arse to maintain.
We use our knowledge of modifying and manipulating poultry genetics to cross breed the ducks so that they don’t fly past the Arkansas/Louisiana state line.
The giant net was getting to be a pain in the arse to maintain.
Posted on 6/6/23 at 5:18 pm to Sus-Scrofa
quote:
so that they don’t fly past the Arkansas/Louisiana state line.
Better back that line up to Arkansas/Missouri.
Seriously though, we had one of our better years relatively speaking on Mallards in NE LA. Granted nothing near the 90's or early 2000's but they were in the woods pretty good towards the end of January.
Posted on 6/6/23 at 5:26 pm to Insurancerebel
quote:
I know where I hunted, the neighbor released 5,000 mallards
I'm calling BS on this, what it all boils down to is a duck is lazy. They are only going as far south as they have too to escape the freezing water. When they get far enough to get into open water they stop.
Posted on 6/6/23 at 5:31 pm to inotsure
I can’t think of the last time I killed a wigeon, which used to be plentiful in Louisiana. Pintails are getting scarce, too.
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