GiffsFarm - Mandarins

Mandarins

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Mandarin duck

(Aix galericulata)

I purchased my first Mandarin ducks while visiting a friends pheasant farm, they quickly became one of my favorite. The Mandarin is a small perching duck closely related to the American Wood duck, they are native to both European and Far East regions. The Mandarin duck is prized for its symbolism of beauty, happiness and fidelity.....a pairing will develop a strong bond. mandarin drake

The female looks much like the Wood duck female. The drake in breeding plumage is probably the best looking duck around. The bill is a bright red and the top of the head has almost a florescent green and purple feathers running down the back of the head. The eyes are surrounded by white feathers running back down the neck followed by whisker like feathers off the neck in a chestnut color. The breast is a deep wine color with white below. Probably the most distinguishing part of the drakes are the orange sails that stand up behind the wings. What I like most in the colors is that they are very distinct and cut, they don't blend in to other parts of the body. Mandarins are quiet, easy to keep and can tolerate the northern climates as long as shelter is provided for extreme cold or heat. They are fairly easy to obtain and do not require a federal permit. Courtship begins in winter with the breeding season starting in April. In the wild they can be found nesting in tree cavities close to water. For the waterfowl hobbyist the same raised nesting box that is used by the Wood duck is also used by the Mandarin. They make good mothers, normally laying one clutch of 8 to 12 beige/buff colored eggs, with a hatching period of 28 days. Except for one male, I keep mine full wing in an outdoor aviary I have built. In it I have some large branches for them to perch on. They are good fliers (begin flying around 7 weeks) so either overhead netting should be used or they should be pinioned or the flight feathers kept clipped. Like many wild ducks, Mandarins are skittish and don't tame as easily as domestic ducks. They also usually do not do well being displayed in poultry shows.

Some additional notes for those raising/breeding Mandarins. A few weeks before the hatch, you may want to begin putting some food on a small flat plate, this way the adults will get use to seeing the plate, it is easier to access for the ducklings the first week or so. While the duck is setting, resist the urge to peak in to see what is going on.......they can do a terrific job without being bothered. Once they have left the nest, remember that your water source needs to have a way for the little ones to get out of. A ramp of either wood or hardware cloth works well. Mandarin and Wood ducklings are great climbers and are small enough to fit through a 1 inch opening the first week or so. I have been asked about the drake with the little ones, it has been my experience that the drake has never shown any aggressive behavior toward the ducklings, and the hen seems to allow more mandarin duckling2

contact with them then the Wood hen allows her drake. Be aware of the distress call the ducklings make, you may come out one day to find one stuck somewhere in your pen, the call they make is quite distinct. On feed, you could grind up some of the pellet feed you currently use (blender, course setting) if you cannot find a smaller bag of a crumble feed. Like always, keep up the clean fresh water and clean dry food. (pictured are two one day old Mandarin ducklings)

For 2007 I have installed some cameras in a few of the nest boxes, the information along with photos can be found in the nest box photo blog section.

Nest box descriptions can be found in the Pens page 2 section, additional photos can also be found in the Photo Gallery.