Valkyrie Posted September 6, 2019 Share Posted September 6, 2019 We now have added The Ducks of Hazzard to our menagerie. Cooter is the black and white one, Daisy is the latte and Duke is the lavender. Hiding behind the post at the back is Dixie and she is chocolate. They are only 12 weeks old or so. Dixie has already bloodied me with her claws, awwww bless - good times, Sioux left her mark on me from me getting used to handling chickens many moons ago! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted September 7, 2019 Share Posted September 7, 2019 They are GORGEOUS K. Love the names. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted September 7, 2019 Author Share Posted September 7, 2019 Thank you - have had lots of suggestions by family, but I'd already had these in mind for a long time! Although it was originally going to be a trio - the lavender was a given as he was saved from dispatch on Thursday - and we'd chosen the two other colours (why were there soooo many pretties - made choice difficult!) then they were rounded up into a pen - along with a few others. So when Dixie and Daisy were put in the cage, there was still room for at least two more, but didn't want to push my luck with OH - who secretly had already fallen in love with them all - I added Cooter. Duke was already in the cat carrier. On the way home the girls made a mess in the back of Geronimo - I think out with the hose later today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted September 7, 2019 Share Posted September 7, 2019 Love their colours! Very pretty! What type of duck are they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted September 7, 2019 Author Share Posted September 7, 2019 Thanks Catsy - they are muscovy ducks. His lordship has been out already to check them since we let them out this morning (and fortified the mini run and put out food and water) and when we came back from the shops I started to wander down and had a furious banging on the window behind me - "don't go out there without me!" and out he raced! Cooter was standing in the water bowl, having a paddle - not the drinking water which is set further away and then their food is under shelter. Duke was standing by but they saw us (or as OH insists they don't like me but love him - aha yeah right) and went back in their house. So that's a good thing - they know where their safe house is. I was going to clip their wings, but after last night and none flew over the fence, I figured they were reasonably happy with their surroundings. Plus if foxy comes they can fly into the trees. Some ducks were happily roosting on Jack's barn! Jack Smellie's is where we got the ducks from at Relaxed Smallholding. Really love the set up there - all the animals are lovely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted September 7, 2019 Share Posted September 7, 2019 I’m not keen on Muscovies - think I’m mentally scarred having been attacked by one as a toddler 🤣 Funnily enough I was also attacked by a golden pheasant - clearly a child who had no respect for animals personal space 😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted September 7, 2019 Author Share Posted September 7, 2019 Thank goodness you didn't meet Trigger! These guys are gentle and the dads are not aggressive at all - which is a bonus. All the birds seem pretty chilled out! I'm not going for rheas though - I've been thumped and scarred by Sioux and Apache (funnily Cheyenne never did hurt me) then chased and pecked by Squirt - who ended up a lovely girl having been on extended holiday with Mrs Mostin's crew - I think she met more than her match so was happy to see me. Trigs was the beast of them all. Definitely not ready for another rooster until I see where he comes from and what the animals are like for future reference. Soooo I'm hoping that Duke will be a happy chappy too. Years ago a colleague rescued a muscovy - it had frozen to a pond and suffered with bad frostbite, so the vet had to remove the webbing, but the rest of the feet were OK. He did love that duck and it sounded like the duck loved him too - lots of ducky cuddles! He also had a lady muscovy to keep him company so all was well there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted September 7, 2019 Share Posted September 7, 2019 They look lovely! I'm not familiar with the breed - a friend once had Indian Runners and they had me in hysterics with their mad dashing around and uprightedness! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyRoo Posted September 7, 2019 Share Posted September 7, 2019 Are these Muscovies or Runners? They're so cute! Very jealous! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted September 7, 2019 Author Share Posted September 7, 2019 I love the runners - maybe in the future! I also have a hankering for silver appleyards and cayugas. AndyRoo - these are muscovies. The intent is to breed and eat future boys. The meat is less fatty than the others so that's a bonus for me! I need to lose weight. They are out in their little paddling pool at the moment - only one at a time and forming an orderly queue. I may have to swap it with a tub trug which will be a bit bigger for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyRoo Posted September 7, 2019 Share Posted September 7, 2019 58 minutes ago, Valkyrie said: I love the runners - maybe in the future! I also have a hankering for silver appleyards and cayugas. AndyRoo - these are muscovies. The intent is to breed and eat future boys. The meat is less fatty than the others so that's a bonus for me! I need to lose weight. They are out in their little paddling pool at the moment - only one at a time and forming an orderly queue. I may have to swap it with a tub trug which will be a bit bigger for them. I want Muscys because they're really quiet, though I know they can be quite big and messy! Rich wants more typical looking ducks, but they tend to be a bit noisy for the neighbours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted September 7, 2019 Author Share Posted September 7, 2019 I think all ducks can be a bit messy - but so far we've had paddling, tail wagging and cheeping. The only quacked (and apparently it's the girls) when they were being caught and put in the carrier because they were scared. They've not done that since. They seem to be settling down and know where the safe house is - because they are still a bit shy and go back inside away from me. Although they did stay out a bit longer while I filled their bath up. I also love the little cockatoo crests when they are a little worried - soooo cute, but it seems to me a bit like raising your eyebrows - they go back down fairly quick now. Here's a better piccie - Cooter on the left, Dixie, Daisie and Duke. He waggles his tail a lot. Seems to be happy then! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted September 7, 2019 Share Posted September 7, 2019 They are very pretty! I only know the black and white muscovies with the red lobes on their heads. Always find them a bit scruffy looking, but these are stunning! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted September 7, 2019 Share Posted September 7, 2019 They look beautiful Valkyrie. I would like some Jemima puddle duck ducks. Are you going to build them a real pond at some point, as you have so much space ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted September 7, 2019 Author Share Posted September 7, 2019 It's because they are still young. The males caruncles - which are the knobbly bumpy bits grow faster than the ladies. Some guys can be really scary-looking with what looks like some awful disease. But nope, it's just the way they are. Some have full heads of lumps and bums while others are only around their eyes and beak. The girls do get them but to a lesser extent. I'm hoping they stay like this, but I know they won't. I think when you see the big guys you tend to go ooh yuk, poor thing. But when you see them young and you get used to their characters then you don't notice any weird bits. A friend of mine had a lump removed and I asked her if she had the op done and where was it because I'd forgotten - it was under her nose so quite prominent - but I never noticed that it had gone! So I guess beauty is only skin deep! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted September 7, 2019 Author Share Posted September 7, 2019 Ahaaaaaaaaaaaaa forgot to close this window, and saw the bit where I missed out a letter in a word accidentally - and it wasn't censored! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted September 7, 2019 Author Share Posted September 7, 2019 Hi Luvvie - I'm going to keep a paddling pool to hand. Apparently this lot won't be in the water as much as the other ducks because their oily glands are underdeveloped. Then elsewhere I saw them loving baths in the lakes. But not building a pond. I think by moving the paddling pool around will keep the ground less muddy where they dabble. The rest of the ground will be for other livestock, hay and the wildlife. Must keep the wildies happy! The land will be divided into 3 grass paddocks and a paddock with the ducks, chickens and alpacas to roam and guard - it'll also be where we are hoping to have a stable/barn thing - sort of American style barn. That way I will have something solid for the birds and have somewhere for the pacas to shelter in awful weather - and covered for shearing. Assuming we get planning permission for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted September 7, 2019 Share Posted September 7, 2019 Sounds so exciting. I can't wait for all the pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted September 8, 2019 Author Share Posted September 8, 2019 I swapped the box for a round tub trug this morning - it appears to be much more suitable as Daisy was in it like a shot! I've also been counting my steps to and from the tap as I was filling up with a watering can - 260 x 5 (or possibly more of the pool trips - definitely more as I'd done the same with drinking water and food) so that's well over 1000 steps this morning - and not counting to and fro-ing to the chooks! They make funny little noises and I can only liken it to a loon - from our canoe sessions in Canada, but so much more quiet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyRoo Posted September 8, 2019 Share Posted September 8, 2019 17 hours ago, Valkyrie said: I think all ducks can be a bit messy - but so far we've had paddling, tail wagging and cheeping. Oooh, I didn't even know Muscies could quack! I thought they were like geese and they had a kind of low 'hiss'. Maybe this will improve my chances of getting Rich on side. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted September 8, 2019 Author Share Posted September 8, 2019 They do - it's like a whispering hahaha! But a happy hissy greeting not - gerroff moi laaaaaand that geese do! It's quite an endearing little warble. Definitely a loon with the volume turned down to 1 or 2. They've not quacked since being put in the carrier. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted September 9, 2019 Author Share Posted September 9, 2019 Well this morning Daisy flew a couple of big circuits around the field, but came back because everyone else was in the run. So we rounded her back in - she landed outside and wanted back in - and she took off yet again. When she tried diving through the netting (electricity was off at the time) OH caught her (rather expertly as he has no gashes whatsoever - unlike me who is now sporting many holes in my arms) - wings clipped and so are the others - hence gashes. I didn't want to clip, but now I've opened up the little run so that they can have more space to wander round. No sooner than we clipped her she was in the bath because we made her dirty! Well, we touched her and how very dare we! I'll nip out when the rain passes (already drenched) and check on them. Thank goodness they are not burrowing ducks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 Oh yes, even my chickens have to shake off the human perfume once they have been touched 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted September 9, 2019 Author Share Posted September 9, 2019 I didn't notice - but come to think of it - yes they do don't they! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted September 18, 2019 Share Posted September 18, 2019 Love them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
