Ozark Bantams: Our Blog

As of yesterday, I finally completed the new duck pen for my mandarin ducks. For those unfamiliar with these ducks, the mandarin (aix galericulatas) is a wild migratory duck native to Northeast Asia. The mandarin is closely related to the North American Wood Duck (aix sponsa). If fact, they are the only two ducks comprising the Aix genus. Many people consider the mandarin to be the most beautiful of all wild ducks. With its orange sail feathers, purple chest, red-orange whiskers, and blue-green crest, the mandarin drake is certainly the most colorful duck in the world. Until recently my mandarins had been sharing a pen with my white call ducks. This had always been a temporary arrangement as the two breeds have very different habits and nesting behavior. Like all ducks derived from wild mallards, call ducks are dabbling ducks that nest on the ground under cover of brush and weeds. Mandarins, on the other hand, are perching ducks that nest in tree cavities or man-made wood duck style nest boxes. Throughout the winter I had planned on building my mandarins their own duck pen suited to their habits and nesting behavior, but wasn’t sure of the best design.

I had initially considered building the mandarins an on-the-ground aviary with shrubs and other natural cover. However, ducks are notoriously messy with water and on-the-ground aviaries require regular maintenance and up keep. On the other hand, the raised pens that I use for my call ducks remain very clean with little effort on my part. In fact, the only real maintenance involved with the raised duck pens is emptying dirty pond water a couple times a week. And this is made easy by using a mortar mixing tub for the pond and releasing a drain that I installed on the underside of each tub. My call ducks seem happy and their feathers stay cleaner than they would if kept on the ground, plus they don’t come into contact with any dirt with which to create annoying and bacteria-infested mud puddles. Moreover, unlike on-the-ground aviaries, raised pens are more secure as predators are unable to dig underneath pens of this design. In short, I’ve been very pleased with the raised pen design that I use with my white call ducks. As such I decided to put utility and cleanliness before aesthetics and built a modified raised duck pen for my mandarin ducks as well. You can see the completed mandarin pen in the photos below.

Raised Duck Pen & Mandarin Ducks

Like our raised call duck pen, this new pen is constructed of pressure-treated wood and stands 6 feet tall. The floor of the pen consists of galvanized hardware cloth and sits right at 3 feet. As such, the birds are actually at eye level which makes for easy viewing. A 20 gallon mortar mixing tub, which can be purchased at Home Depot, sits within a frame in the floor of the pen and serves as the duck’s pond. Any water splashed out of the pond falls right through the hardware cloth. Therefore, the ducks can never come into contact with any mud with which to dirty their feathers. The corner posts of the pen are constructed of 4x4s, whereas the frame of the pen in made of 2x4s. The covered shelter is two stories. The upper level consists of four separate wood duck style nest boxes. Each nest box is 1 foot in width by 2 feet in depth. There is a perch that runs the width of the pen underneath each nest box entrance hole. The floor of the nest boxes are covered with several inches of pine shavings, and there is a hardware cloth ladder leading out of each nest box to assist ducklings when climbing out of the nest. The lower level of the shelter is a communal area where feed is offered and provide shelter from the elements. The floor of this area is also covered with  shavings for added warmth and comfort.

As you can see, I added an oak branch for natural perching that leads from the floor up to the nest box ledge. I put two potted plants (variegated hostas) in the pen to give it a more natural feeling. Unfortunately, the ducks have already started to eat the leaves off the hostas, so I think I will replace them with some kind of spreading evergreen. I think the mandarins will be less inclined to eat evergreen shrubs. Moreover, evergreens are winter hardy and will add some color to the pen throughout the colder months. I also placed a planter with ornamental sweet potato vine on top of the pen. The idea is that this vine will cascade down one side of the pen, providing shade and natural cover for the mandarins. I’ll probably add an additional oak branch or two before all is said and done. The idea is to make the mandarins as comfortable and secure as possible even though the pen was built with utility in mind. By adding tree branches and plants to the pen, I think the mandarins will feel more secure and at home.

Raised Duck Pen & Mandarin Ducks

The day after adding my mandarins to their new pen I saw my white mandarin pair breeding in the pond. This was actually the first time I had seen this behavior, and it confirmed my suspicion that my two white mandarins had paired up. For those unfamiliar with this breed, mandarin ducks typically form pair bonds that are reestablished year after year. My white mandarin drake was the last bird added to my mandarin flock and was initially shunned by the white hen. However, the two birds have since bonded. They are almost always seen next to one another whether perching together on a branch or basking in the sun next to one another. Needless to say, I am pleased that these two have paired up. My plan is to eventually  build an additional pen for each mandarin pair. This way each pair will be able to have a secure and private home in which to breed and rear their young. This will also eliminate quarrels between mandarin drakes, which tend to increase during the breeding season. During the non-breeding season I will then put all the mandarins back together in a communal pen. Doing so will imitate wild mandarin behavior as the birds generally pair up together during the breeding season, then flock together during the colder months. If you raise mandarins or are interested in learning more about these fascinating ducks, then you might consider visiting the North American Mandarin Breeders Association.

Note: One shortcoming of the raised pen design should be mentioned. It has been observed by experienced mandarin breeders that the mandarin duck will not lay eggs if raised on wire. To account for this, I have created a thin plywood insert that sits on the wire and covers the entire pen floor. During the breeding season I will place this plywood on the floor of then pen, then removed it after the mandarin hens lay and incubate their eggs.