ducks | Morning Bray Farm

October 9, 2011

Lazy Saturday

Posted by Morning Bray under Donkeys, Ducks | Tags: donkeys, ducks |
[15] Comments

After three days of rain, we had a beautiful day yesterday.

Everyone seemed relieved to feel the warmth of the sun again.

Did you know that ducks thrive on tranquility?

I tend to think that we all do. Just look at Emmy thriving here in her new home:

The Boyz and Gracie Belle enjoyed yesterday’s sunshine too.

I love these Boyz.

And they love each other too:

Our farrier came yesterday morning. Bernard, Ellsworth and Patrick all did extremely well.

Dear Nigel. Will you let Shorty work on your feet in eight weeks?

Hello, Paddy, Pat, Pat.

You are a testament to what love can do.

And Gracie Belle. She’s filling out quite nicely, don’t you think?

Isn’t she beautiful?

♥ ♥ ♥

September 27, 2011

Oh, the eggcitement! (With a flavor update.)

Posted by Morning Bray under Ducks | Tags: duck, Duckingham Palace, ducks, eggs, Emmy, Hillary, Izzy, Muscovies, Muscovy eggs, Muscovy nesting boxes |
[23] Comments

9/27 Update: The girls gifted us with a double-yolker right out of the gate.

Don fried it up for us last night. Delish! The consistency of the egg white was extremely thick, but Don said it tasted just like a fresh chicken egg.

As for me, my mind played games with me at first, thanks to my dear husband. After I took my first bite, Don said, “Why are you eating your grandchildren?!”

Aaack! Once I got past that, I agreed with him. It was a delicious, fresh egg. Not gamey or weird at all.

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9/26 Post: We irrigated our pasture yesterday for one of the last times this season. We’ve gotten into the habit of putting the ducks out in the pasture on irrigation days because they love being ducks.

We found everyone and got them into the pasture, but Izzy was nowhere to be found. Finally, Don found her under a holly bush near the house. I heard him gently shoo her from where she sat and then heard him exclaim, “Oh my!”

Here’s what Izzy was sitting on:

Once Izzy was out in the pasture being a duck, I collected the eggs and took them into the house. The three smaller eggs were cold, but the large egg was warm. I figured that means Izzy had just laid it.

Oh, the eggcitement!

Just look at what Izzy did:

Pretty impressive, don’t you think? Once I finished oohing and aahing over the eggs, I put them in an egg carton to store in the refrigerator. The lid didn’t close all the way on the corner where Izzy’s egg sat:

Thank you, sweet Izzy:

Thank you, sweet Hillary:

And thank you in advance, sweet Emmy:

Our next step is getting the girls to use the nesting boxes in Duckingham Palace:

♥

September 26, 2011

Oh, the eggcitement!

Posted by Morning Bray under Ducks | Tags: duck, Duckingham Palace, ducks, eggs, Emmy, Hillary, Izzy, Muscovies, Muscovy eggs, Muscovy nesting boxes |
[25] Comments

We irrigated our pasture yesterday for one of the last times this season. We’ve gotten into the habit of putting the ducks out in the pasture on irrigation days because they love being ducks.

Here’s what Izzy was sitting on:

Oh, the eggcitement!

Just look at what Izzy did:

Thank you, sweet Izzy:

Thank you, sweet Hillary:

And thank you in advance, sweet Emmy:

Our next step is getting the girls to use the nesting boxes in Duckingham Palace:

♥

September 17, 2011

A new duck at Morning Bray

Posted by Morning Bray under Ducks | Tags: ducks, Emily, Emmy, Muscovies, Muscovy crest, Muscovy ducks |
[17] Comments

There’s a new duck at Morning Bray Farm. We’ve named her Emily – or Emmy – for the emerald color of her feathers.

She looks like the female version of Jake the drake. Here’s Jake:

Here you can see the size difference between Jake and Emmy:

We think Emmy is slightly younger than the rest of the flock because she’s a tad bit smaller than Izzy and Hillary. She’s settling in quite nicely though.

Don and I decided to get another duck because our four drakes (boys) were constantly “bothering” our two ducks (girls). Poor Izzy and Hillary couldn’t catch a break from Alfie, Oliver, Jake and Gussie.

Here’s Izzy and Hillary now. They’re getting into their pool for a leisurely bath:

Of course Izzy couldn’t wait one second more to get into her bath:

They’re all growing up so fast. As I was taking pictures yesterday afternoon, I couldn’t help but notice how handsome Oliver has become.

More than any of the others, Oliver loves to show off his crest.

In Muscovies, both sexes can raise the feathers on top of their heads into a crest when they’re excited, flirting or angry. The male’s crest feathers are longer and stylishly waved.

Welcome to Morning Bray, Emmy! You already look cleaner, happier and healthier! ♥

September 14, 2011

Wordless Wednesday

Posted by Morning Bray under Ducks | Tags: Don's truck, ducks, having fun, Muscovies |
[12] Comments

September 10, 2011

Saturday Stuff – Lapducks

Posted by Morning Bray under Ducks, Saturday Parts & Stuff | Tags: ducks, Gussie, Jake, lapducks, Muscovies |
[19] Comments

September 7, 2011

D is for…

Posted by Morning Bray under Dogs, Donkeys, Ducks, Farm, Friends and Family | Tags: dogs, Don, donkeys, ducks |
[23] Comments

Nigel wants to make sure you’re paying attention.

Nigel: Are you paying attention for our lesson about the letter D?

Me: Thank you, Nigel. Okay, now that everyone’s paying attention, let’s begin.

D is for many things I love. For example, D is for donkeys.

And D is for ducks.

And D is for donkeys who herd ducks.

Bernard: Just making sure they’re all present and accounted for.

And here’s me being excited that I got everyone in one picture.

D is for dogs, too!

Because the ducks were in the pasture with the donkeys, it was safe for us to let the dogs out in the front yard where the ducks usually dwell.

Patrick was initially interested in the dogs, but soon returned to grazing.

Nigel, however, was quite serious about his herd guarding duties.

As was Ellsworth. The dogs, fortunately, had no interest in the donkeys.

Last, but not least, D is for Don, my dear husband.

Yes, D is for many things I love. ♥ ♥ ♥

August 16, 2011

A Muscovy primer

Posted by Morning Bray under Ducks | Tags: Alfie, ducks, Gus, Hillary, Isabelle, Jake, Muscovies, Muscovy ducks, Oliver |
[29] Comments

They grow so fast. Here’s Gus (on the left, then known as Augusta) with his posse on April 28 when they first came to Morning Bray Farm.

Here’s Gus on May 4.

May 11.

May 18.

June 30.

July 22.

Don’t blink. August 13.

Most of what I’ll share with you is adapted from Storey’s Guide to Raising Ducks. Being a tree duck, Muscovies roost in trees at night and spend hours preening on elevated perches after their daily bath. They’re classified as a heavy breed of duck; males (drakes) average 12 pounds, while females (ducks) average 7. In case you’re wondering, the average weight of a Mallard drake is 2.5 pounds; ducks 2.2 pounds.

The head of the mature Muscovy drake is massive, and its face is covered with red skin, called caruncling. Remember, Gussie hasn’t stopped growing yet.

Their long toes are webbed, amazingly strong and tipped with talon-like claws.

Compared with other domestic ducks, their bodies are flattened, heavily muscled and extra wide across the shoulders. Their wings are very wide and moderately long, with the tips being more rounded than in other breeds. The tail is long and broad.

As I mentioned above, the size difference between drakes and ducks is remarkable. By adulthood, females weigh 45 to 50 percent as much as the males. For comparison, in other domestic breeds and wild species that nest on the ground, ducks typically weigh only 8 to 12 percent less than drakes at maturity. (Muscovies prefer to nest on large branches and cavities in tree trunks.)

Here’s Isabelle on August 13. Much smaller than Gussie.

Look at her beautiful blue eyes. By the way, Isabelle would like to let the world know that she adores tomatoes.

While we gave everyone female names at the start, and not long ago we were certain we had an even mix of drakes and ducks, we’re positive now that we have four boys and two girls.

1. Augusta is Gussie – drake

2. Isabelle is Isabelle – duck

3. Hillary is Hillary – duck

4. Hazel is Jake – the drake

5. Beatrice is Oliver – drake

6. Harriet is Alfie – drake

And we love them all.

Muscovies are the quietest of all breeds. Females occasionally quack weakly but mostly use a variety of soft chirps to communicate. The drake’s primary vocalizations are hoarse, breathy exhales (hisses) of varying lengths.

Most females are fair to good flyers and will perch on fences and buildings. Here’s Hillary up on the front porch.