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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 drakeThe 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 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 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.

mandarin drake 5

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.

mandarin pair facing each other         mandarin drake 3

mandarin drake hen behind

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

mandarin drake 2          mandarin pair

mandarin drake 4         mandarin drake 6    

Go to:
Mandarins page 2

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Copyright © 2008 Giffs Farm. All rights reserved. All photos are property of Jeff Gifford, please contact me for permission prior to downloading copying or using any of the photos. Thanks!