Stifftail car sheet
The
Stifftail group of waterfowl consist of only a few species, the information
given here concerns the Argentine ruddy duck (oxyura vitalis) and the White
headed duck (oycephalis) .At present these are the only two representatives of
the Stifftail group that I have kept. But I am sure some of this information
would be valid for other members of the group, as most have the same
requirements apart from the Black headed duck , this needs special requirements
when it comes to breeding, ( it is a parasitic nester ). This page is only a
basic introduction, please refer to the other pages that include ponds,
planting schemes, nest boxes, incubation, rearing ducklings etc for more info.
Before contemplating keeping any ornamental waterfowl you should realise that
they are not domesticated in any way, they will not behave like any
domesticated duck, they will escape if they can and will find the smallest hole
through which to do so, their ducklings are very “wild " and behave as
such. The adults can not survive confined, say in a shed in winter for long
periods. Their health will deteriorate and disease sets in. They are truly "wild"
ducks.
Stifftails are
a little different from your usual ducks to say the least, they rarely leave
the water, with their legs placed so far back on their bodies they are not very
good at walking, but having said this I have seen them venture quite far away from the ponds. They
must have access to water deep enough to dive fully in; anything from 60cm
upwards should suffice. The two species
of Stifftails I keep are proving extremely hardy, but there may be some exceptions
and I would advise checking before obtaining any birds. Most species will
withstand whatever the British winter will throw at them with only a few shrubs
and grasses for protection, and will refuse to enter a shed or box for shelter.
They do however need access to ice free water in severe weather, and if your pond is prone to freezing there are
ways around this. Pond pumps help and even large air pumps, but if the pond
does freeze you must provide large dishes of water regularly throughout the day.
Dabblers can cope with this situation better than the Stifftails and I would
make every effort to keep your pond clear of ice if possible when Stifftails
are kept.
Another important consideration is whether to get pinioned or un-pinioned
birds, the former will never be able to fly whilst the latter can be rendered
flightless by feather clipping one wing, this will last until the next moult when
the feathers are renewed, if you forget or time it wrong, your prized bird
could well fly off. Most people who keep birds in a garden setting keep
pinioned birds, but Stifftails are very poor, clumsy flyers and seldom try to fly, and would need a considerable run up to get air borne ! and I doubt they ever would. But they are expensive and quite rare in captivity, and the thought of one flying away is always there.
I always
try and keep my ducks in pairs, but I think trios may work with some species, and as Stifftails
do not form true pair bonds I think trios may work. But I would advise that only one species of Stifftail
is kept on the pond, females of different species are very similar and I
they would interbreed.
I feed my Stifftails on the same diet as the dabblers, but the food is thrown
onto deeper water so that the ducks have to dive to get it, I feel it keeps
them busy and healthier this way. They seem to eat more of the smaller budgie
seed mix than some ducks, but also eat layers pellets from a dish very well. I
have tried live foods but they do not seem interested, but they do eat lots of water weeds etc.
(Please see
my page on dabbling ducks for different feeds). I worm my stock twice a year
with a proprietary brand of wormer added to the layers pellets, but some
people may say this is not enough, my theory ( right or wrong ) is that too
strict a worming routine will leave the birds unable to withstand even a mild
infestation. I worm them in the autumn and then again in spring, before the
onset of breeding.
You should
find that waterfowl are rarely ill, and very hardy, I do put down straw in
prolonged frozen weather, dabblers do use it but most Stifftails will stay on
the water if not frozen, the straw helps protect their feet from frostbite and
it is the one form of "help" they will accept, it tends to be a
little messy but soon cleared up when the weather improves. A good planting
scheme of shrubs and grasses will go a long way to protect against winter
winds.
For breeding please see breeding page.