sad news

I had a rash of deaths last month. Over the course of about 3 weeks, 5 ducks died. I went through the standard procedure to figure out what the problem could be: rotten food, tainted water, poor air circulation, etc. I did a necroscopy; there were no signs of disease, worms, etc. Crop was full, bird was not egg bound.... I finally figured it out when I heard a terrible noise one morning. I ran out and found Gras Embden covered in blood. She had most of her feathers torn out from her back and her neck. The new yearling ganders were hovering over her. What I could gather from my books is that gander bachelors get into these packs and attack other birds. It's part of being that age apparently. They are now being permanently separated from the others, staying in the outdoor aviary. Gras didn't look like she was going to make it at first, but now a week later she's up and about and on the mend.

Among the deaths are one of the Michelle's. She was one of about 12 ducks I picked up from a woman named Michelle who wanted to raise just one for her daughter. Metzer Farms won't send fewer than around a dozen because they need to share body heat to keep warm during shipment. The twelve ended up being way more than she needed, and even one was more than she needed, so I got the whole batch. I don't have a picture of a Michelle handy.

The second was a rescue Pekin I picked up just 3 months ago at the San Jose Wildlife Rescue center. She had what looked like a leg injury and wobbled around, but she was otherwise in good shape. Tame too -- I was able to pick her up without too much drama.



Third is Click Pekin, sister of Clack and Jack. The two girls were named Click and Clack because when they quacked they sounded just like the Tappet Brothers on NPR when they laughed. Quuaaaaaa, quaaaaack quaaack quack quack!



Next is Cocoa Chocolate Runner. She was one of a "variety pack" of Runner Ducks from Metzer farms sent as day old ducklings. Runners are very active foragers, laying greenish, medium-size eggs. They are very productive for their size. People get white hair when they get old. Turns out ducks get white feathers. Here's Cocoa looking middle-aged.



Finally, the queen of all ducks, Sally Mucovy. She was my favorite. She went exploring more than once (flying to the neighbor) and so had her primary flight feathers trimmed. She was always front-and-center when the worms were being dug up, first to get the wheat berries, and was the fiercest of them all, even though she was the smallest. She even took on Foie Embden who is at least 4 times her size, eventually winning sitting duty on Foie's eggs. What a great mother. Sally was one of seven Muscovys picked up as week-olds from a gentleman in Redwood City. They demonstrated their natural climbing ability the first day while taking them home. Kerrie and I visited a friend, leaving the ducks in a box in the car. When we came back, the ducks had escaped! They were scattered about the floor, hiding. They have this ability to climb because Muscovy ducks nest in trees, not on the ground. They need to climb out of their nest to get into the water. Snowball Pekin, first duck I hatched, was her boyfriend; he protected her from all comers (though Sally didn't really need help -- she ruled over all).