Classification
|
Common name |
Latin name |
|
Mandarin duck |
Aix galericulata |
|
Hooded merganser |
Mergus cucullatus |
|
Bar-headed goose |
Anser indicus |
|
Mute swan |
Cygnus olor |
Biological and physiological features
|
|
Mandarin duck |
Hooded merganser |
|
Origin |
China, Japan |
North America |
|
Size |
40–50 cm |
42–50 cm |
|
Weight |
440–500 g |
450–870 g |
|
Lifespan |
15 years |
15 years |
|
Sexual dimorphism |
Very pronounced The male is very colourful in the breeding season; the female is brown with a white ring around the eye |
Pronounced in the breeding season The male is very colourful with a black-and-white crest; the female has a small reddish crest |
|
Sexual maturity |
12 months |
24 months |
|
Laying — incubation |
9–12 eggs — 28–30 days |
10–12 eggs — 25–29 days |
|
Fledging of the young |
40–45 days |
70 days |
|
Related species |
Wood duck (Aix sponsa) |
Smew (Mergus albellus) |
|
|
Bar-headed goose |
Mute swan |
|
Origin |
Asia |
Cosmopolitan |
|
Size |
71–76 cm |
125–160 cm |
|
Weight |
2–3 kg |
6–22 kg |
|
Lifespan |
20–25 years |
25–30 years |
|
Sexual dimorphism |
None |
A knob at the base of the bill in the male |
|
Sexual maturity |
24 months |
36–60 months |
|
Laying — incubation |
4–6 eggs — 27–30 days |
5–7 eggs — 35–36 days |
|
Fledging of the young |
53 days |
4–5 months |
|
Related species |
Snow goose (Anser caerulescens) Canada goose (Branta canadensis) Egyptian goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus) |
Black swan (Cygnus atratus) Black-necked swan (Cygnus melanocorypha) |
With 147 species, the waterfowl family shows a great diversity of sizes (300 g – 15 kg). Their plumage is dense and waterproofed by the secretions of the preen (uropygial) gland, which is very well developed in these birds. Salt glands are present at the base of the bill; they are functional only in sea ducks.
Sexual dimorphism is very pronounced in most ducks. The sexes look alike in geese and in swans. The young are nidifugous (they leave the nest early) and grow quickly.
Geese and swans have a very long neck that lets them reach submerged plants. The flattened bill is extremely sensitive and is lined on the inside with lamellae that act as a sieve when the birds sift through the mud. Bony bullae, at the syrinx of male waterfowl, act as resonating chambers, giving rise to particularly loud calls (except in the mute swan).
Geese and swans are monogamous and pairs stay together for life. Highly territorial, established pairs are aggressive towards others of their kind and drive off any intruder (people included) who ventures near the nest.
Housing and husbandry
Environment
The basic requirement for keeping them is a pool or a watercourse. The minimum dimensions apply to still water.
Several dabbling ducks need access to shallow water; they prefer warm, shallow water. Some species require frost-free or temperate winter quarters.
The enclosure should have a natural floor: sand, gravel, grass, and possibly rocks, reeds, long grasses, bushes and sheltered nooks.
Many species live in groups, but take care to bring together species that tolerate one another!
Source for the previous paragraph and more information on enclosure sizes by species:
http://www.kleintiere-schweiz.ch/resources/3/uploads/Gefluegel_Leitfaden_F_März15(1).pdf
The document gives guidance on the exemplary keeping of poultry, and of waterfowl too.
Bar-headed goose
These birds need an outdoor enclosure with an essential grassy pasture and a body of water. Ideally you would have several plots and set up a rotational grazing system, to let the vegetation recover, since it is quickly trampled by the geese.
The nest is built directly on the ground. It consists of a heap of plant matter, lined with down. The eggs are carefully covered whenever the female leaves the nest.
Minimum enclosure dimensions: 60 m², pool 16 m², depth 60 cm.
Mute swan
Swans must be given an enclosure or an outdoor park with a large body of water: a lake, pond or river (minimum depth 1.2 m). Gently sloping grassy banks let the swans get out of the water easily. Creating a reed bed is worthwhile as a nesting site.
The nest is bulky, floating or on the bank. It is made of reeds or other aquatic plants. Beware of the male, who fiercely defends the nesting site against intruders.
Minimum enclosure dimensions: 150 m², pool 50 m², depth 60 cm.
Mandarin duck
It is better to have an aviary fitted with a pool, since the mandarin is prone to wandering off, especially the females with their brood. The aviary also prevents losses to predators. The pool must be at least 0.6 m deep.
Avoid putting ornamental fish in the pool; they would be swallowed or injured by the ducks. Planted banks reinforce the birds’ sense of security and encourage breeding.
A nest box is placed near the water, hidden in the vegetation or on stilts, 20 cm above the water, and fitted with an access ramp. L-shaped nest boxes help prevent clutches being taken by crows. Provide several nest boxes so the birds can choose. The nest will be arranged by the female, who lines it with down.
Minimum enclosure dimensions: 12 m², pool 4 m², depth 40 cm.
Hooded merganser
A body of water is essential, with running or agitated water that is clean and oxygenated. The best solution would be a watercourse feeding a pool (mind the bacteriological quality of the water used). Mergansers are diving birds: a sufficient depth must therefore be provided for their underwater movements, at least 0.8 m.
Abundant vegetation on the banks: trailing shrubs, bushes under which the birds can hide, tufts of sedge or pampas grass.
The merganser nests in hollow trees. Provide a nest box or a hollow trunk on stilts 80 cm above the surface, with an access ramp. Put out more nest boxes than the number of pairs kept. The ducklings drop into the water as soon as they hatch.
Minimum enclosure dimensions: 12 m², pool 8 m², depth 100 cm.
Feeding
Bar-headed goose
The basis of the diet is grass and aquatic plants. The menu is supplemented with cereals and seeds (12–17% protein).
Mute swan
The basis of the diet is aquatic plants and salad greens, supplemented with waterfowl pellets (12–17% protein) and cereals, especially in the breeding season and for growing youngsters.
Mandarin duck
The dietary basis is duck pellets (12–17% protein) and cereals. Plants are added: salad greens and duckweed (much prized and good for the youngsters’ growth). Mandarins also enjoy aquatic snails and small fish.
Hooded merganser
The diet consists of fish cut into thin strips. It is essential to vary the species offered. Pellets for fish-eating ducks are an appealing and convenient option. In the wild, mergansers also eat molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates.
Handling
For geese as for swans, the bird is held under the arm, with one hand controlling the movements of the neck and the other those of the animal’s legs.
Specific common conditions
Here are some of the most common conditions, which pose real problems. The list is not exhaustive. Adapted from R. Cavignaux, Point vétérinaire.
Conditions linked to husbandry
Deformities of the wings and legs: Angel wing (lack of exercise or a dietary deficiency), leg abscesses (ground too hard), leg deformities (lack of exercise, obesity), frostbite of the legs (no open water), injuries and wounds (wire mesh, predators).
Prolapse of the penis: genetic, and lack of a pool
Swallowing of a foreign body Watch what lies at the bottom of the pool!
Poisoning
Heavy metals: lead shot (lead poisoning: green diarrhoea, drooping wings, paresis, head tremors), zinc from fencing (loss of appetite, weight loss, paresis).
Chemicals beware of pesticides and rodenticides
Poisoning from mycotoxins (Aspergillus flavus on food, cirrhosis), fusarium, rye ergot. Beware of toxic plants and algae!
Bacterial and fungal conditions
Botulism: in summer, low water and high temperatures, contamination via maggots in the mud. Ascending flaccid paralysis. Drooling, nasal discharge, diarrhoea, conjunctivitis. Prevention: remove carcasses, keep an eye on the water level in the pools.
Pasteurella multocida Oral and nasal discharge, loss of appetite, diarrhoea. At post-mortem: pericarditis, pneumonia, enteritis, congestion, splenomegaly.
Tuberculosis, fatal, following overcrowding and/or poor hygiene. A Mycobacterium that survives in the soil for 1 year. Cull the sick animals, turn over the soil and let it rest after clearing the vegetation.
Aspergillosis : respiratory distress, weight loss, diarrhoea.
Miscellaneous: sinusitis, disease of the upper airways, sometimes the lower ones.
Viral conditions
Herpesvirus: during the breeding season, high mortality = duck viral enteritis (DVE), or duck plague. Ataxia, photophobia, serous-bloody nasal discharge, prolapse of the penis and haemorrhagic diarrhoea.
Picornavirus: duck viral hepatitis (DVH), ducklings under 6 months old. The Muscovy duck is resistant. Lethargy, convulsions, opistothonus, then death.
Avian influenza: monitoring in line with the legislation in force.
Paramyxovirus: of little importance in waterfowl.
Parasitic conditions
Lice : wet-feather syndrome
Syngamus trachea: a worm in the windpipe. Vector: earthworms
Cyathostoma bronchialis: a nematode, throughout the respiratory tract, including the air sacs. Symptoms: neck stretching, itching at the neck, anaemia, breathing difficulties. Vector: earthworms.
Amidostomum anseris: A worm affecting geese at pasture, causing difficulty swallowing and anaemia. Encysted nodules in the gizzard.
Coccidiosis: rarely seen.