About a month and a half ago, I made the really difficult decision to sell my breeding Muscovy ducks, one of the hardest decisions I have ever made, sigh, but must needs to be be done. We are in the process of selling our house (now when will that happen anyways, been on the market since last January) and moving 6 Muscovy ducks, and living on our Daughter's property in our 5th wheel, would be just too much to do. She is OK with chickens, would have been OK with the ducks too (she would do anything for her Mother), but it would have made life a little tough. So the decision to only move with chickens was made, so much easier than ducks. So I sold these ducks to a very nice young fellow, that said if I ever wanted to buy them back, I could....and that day may come, when we finish settling. I have had these ducks since they were young ones, they were so friendly. Sir Drake was the name of the drake, and he rightfully earned that name. He was gentle, loved the girls, they loved him and he took such good care of them, always preening, always being nice, never aggressive. I had a drake prior to that, his name was Whoppo, but he got so mean, the girls would all run for their lives, and he tried to make me run for my life. Nope....ain't doing' that thing, I am bossman. After a few good duck crunches to my calf when I wasn't looking, he went off to someone that loved his size. He went to a place where there were two other big drakes, my friend wanted some new genes to the pool and he got some good ones I'll tell ya, as far as size went, he was massive. Where was I?
Right....guess that story was over, smiling. These are pictures of my long-gone clan, but one day to have back again.
Oh yes, there was another part to the story. There was one duck, her name was Girl. She never went broody in the two years that I had her. She laid eggs, but never brooded, like the other gals, who loved to mother. I think her job was to keep Sir Drake company, while the others sat for those 35 days on eggs, 6 weeks to raise the ducklings, till they didn't need their mother any more. That would have been a very lonely drake. So she would just hang out with him lots, and keep him company, on those oh-so-lonely days, when everyone else was so busy. Do have that most wonderful day, and health, Cindi.
Sir Drake, Girl, Sissy, Pepper, Cocoa and Jade, all hangin' out together.
Sir Drake preening Sissy
Sir Drake and his beautiful eyes.....
Sir Drake, in all his glory, well, not all, he was going through a moult at this time.
And this is that mean ol', horrible, nasty, not wanting me to be king of the yard, only him, Whoppo was his name. That means "beautiful, handsome" in Spanish, well, he was kind of, in his own way!!! This one is for you JP!!! Sorry friend, no more ducks sent through cyberspace, to land on your dinnerplate, cooked and ready to eat, sigh.....
Look how different Whoppo looked than Sir Drake, and the difference in personality was just as extreme, smiling
Whoppo again