The Duck Thread

[Julie Birb]

Your blue is gorgeous... the Pekin is just striking though! I dunno what it is, and usually I'm not a fan of the whites, but she just has that "je ne sais quoi"...

She is perfect IMO. her feathering is so smooth. I am in no way a real show duck judge, but I'd give her 1st prize. I wonder what Lady Grey would think of her.

 

[Julie Birb]

Ooh, pretty! I love your mottled one. And I feel for you on the anti-people thing. My ducks are that way, too. If I step on a twig wrong they all run like it's the end of the world.

You are funny. Run like its the end of the world if you step on a twig.

 

[LittleLakePhil]

These are my ducks that hate me, lol. One of my Pekin hens is bigger than my KC drake. I'm beginning to wonder if she is a jumbo??

Your KC is a nice looking drake also...I have KCs and they have the run of the yard (and the neighbors)..But they have to be wherever people are. I got them for egg production and after I already had them I read review that said they weren't very good pets. I actually think the review is wrong. My female especially likes to eat out of my hand...Will let me pet her sometimes...Will pick at my cheeks if I get down to her level...And doesn't resist being picked up and carried...And all my ducks calm down when held..I have 4 ducklings that I'm going to work with so they will hopefully be friendly.

 

[Ren2014]

My pekin doesn't like me to touch her either but she will come right up to me and eat out of whatever container i happen to be holding...she gets a little excited about eating so i havent tried feeding her from my hand...im afraid she will hurt me! Lol! But if u can manage to get ur hand on the bk of the females' neck, they will drop to their chest and throw their bottom up in the air and u can pick them up...at least thats what mine does & once ive got her in my arms she will let me love on her! She will run like crazy when I set her bk down tho! Lol! Usually my son picks her up...i really don't try to very often because i want her to trust me! My son likes to chase all my birds and catch em to love on em! I have to get onto him cuz its like hes torturing them...he gets em all in a frenzy but they seems to like the lovin once their caught! Haha! My duck loves tomatoes alot & just about any kind of fruit or veggie...the juicier the better!

If I try approaching one they all go into orbit and I don't like doing that to them. The times when I've had to, sore foot or something, after I catch it and hold it close everything is ok. But like yours, when I let go they are GONE DUCKS, lol.

oh no. Goofy things. I don't blame you for wanting to hold and snuggle them. It is torture having these adorable ducks that are soft, warm and squishy and you can't touch them.

Right. And that's all I want to do is pet them and love on them and for them to despise me is heartbreaking, lol. Now that I think about it, they are anti everything but ducks. Our Great Pyrenees have never touched them and they protect them very well. But if they get near the ducks the ducks freak out. The ducks just don't get it, lol.

Ooh, pretty! I love your mottled one. And I feel for you on the anti-people thing. My ducks are that way, too. If I step on a twig wrong they all run like it's the end of the world.

Thank you. That's too funny but unfortunately I know exactly what you mean.

Your blue is gorgeous... the Pekin is just striking though! I dunno what it is, and usually I'm not a fan of the whites, but she just has that "je ne sais quoi"...

Thank you, thank you. The blue is 'Little Bug.' She was teeny tiny when I got them. Before we got rid of the Pekin drakes she and another blue 'Big Bug' were over mated. Her head feathers still haven't grown back in completely. The two of them ran from the boys so much that that they finally wouldn't come up with the others. I took water and food out to them and they always came running to me. One day Little Bug was MIA. I went looking for her and she was even further out hiding in some brush. I called her and she came out. Gave her water and food and she STILL hates me, lol. We've gotten rid of all drakes except for the KC and he's Little Bug's best friend. We lost Big Bug

The Pekin 'Big Momma' is amazing. I just love her head.

She is perfect IMO. her feathering is so smooth. I am in no way a real show duck judge, but I'd give her 1st prize. I wonder what Lady Grey would think of her.

Thank you so much. She definitely stands out.

Your KC is a nice looking drake also...I have KCs and they have the run of the yard (and the neighbors)..But they have to be wherever people are. I got them for egg production and after I already had them I read review that said they weren't very good pets. I actually think the review is wrong. My female especially likes to eat out of my hand...Will let me pet her sometimes...Will pick at my cheeks if I get down to her level...And doesn't resist being picked up and carried...And all my ducks calm down when held..I have 4 ducklings that I'm going to work with so they will hopefully be friendly.

Thank you. His name is 'CoCo' and he knows when I yell his name he is in trouble, lol. Usually for bothering the girls or because he's dodging the night pen.

 

[RedIII]

You are funny. Run like its the end of the world if you step on a twig.

The sad thing is I wish I was kidding. They were sitting under the hay trailer the other day, and when I squatted down to say hi, I broke a twig. Ducks got up and ran. It's human abuse, I tell you! Lol.

 

[Ren2014]

The sad thing is I wish I was kidding. They were sitting under the hay trailer the other day, and when I squatted down to say hi, I broke a twig. Ducks got up and ran. It's human abuse, I tell you! Lol.

human abuse, lol

 

[Ren2014]

Chasing can cause serious leg problems ducks are not made to run and the heavier they are the harder it is, This maybe fun for the child but not for the duck. I'd have a serious talk about chasing before someone is injured. Sometimes they don't recover and have to be put down. I'd hate for that to happen with your ducks.
Sitting quietly and offering treats is the best way to get them to come up to us. The way to a ducks heart is through it's tummy.

I've tried through their tummy and through their water, lol. We built this pond just for them, well and me too i guess... no longer filling and emptying swimming pools, yet they still don't appreciate me

 

[hennible]

I know the feeling Ren2014
The ducks I hatched, raised in my house and hand fed don't want anything to do with me, even after I dug a rather large pond by hand (not as big as yours) but my muskovy that I recently bought actually like me, the mama will come eat out of my hand, so strange.

 

[Ren2014]

I know the feeling Ren2014
The ducks I hatched, raised in my house and hand fed don't want anything to do with me, even after I dug a rather large pond by hand (not as big as yours) but my muskovy that I recently bought actually like me, the mama will come eat out of my hand, so strange.

Isn't that just odd. We should form a support group

I was hoping this Spring to hatch some eggs thinking for sure they will imprint and love me when they hatch

Now I just don't know what to try, lol.

 

[Ren2014]

I know the feeling Ren2014
The ducks I hatched, raised in my house and hand fed don't want anything to do with me, even after I dug a rather large pond by hand (not as big as yours) but my muskovy that I recently bought actually like me, the mama will come eat out of my hand, so strange.

Isn't that just odd. We should form a support group

I was hoping this Spring to hatch some eggs thinking for sure they will imprint and love me when they hatch

Now I just don't know what to try, lol.

PS... our pond wasn't supposed to be that big... we didn't use a liner and the ducks made it bigger by sifting away at the edges before we got them covered. We have a huge stock tank behind it that was the original plan for the ducks but they wouldn't use it

They are much safer this way though.