Ducks without ‘lings’
Remember these guys?
Violet’s birthday ducklings...
They were teeny, tiny bright yellow birds…
No-one told me quite how quickly ducklings grow up…
Want to see what a difference six weeks makes?
(I SWEAR these are the same Nibbles, Bubbles and Troubles that we started with!)
The one with the lighter beak is the girl. And no I cannot for the life of me remember which one it is…
Being beginners in the duck-raising department, these guys have had a lot of TLC and handling…
They don’t always seem to enjoy the attention, but are doing well. I am astounded that my one-ducking-with-a-spare-and-a-spare-spare have all flourished so well actually!
These Welsh Harlequin birds (two boys and a girl) are just gorgeous with deep emerald-green peeping through their big-duck feathers…
And they DO love their water (I know, I know, ducks and water) and survived the deluge here last week quite nicely thankyou…
(Aside: I adore this photo – and yes, I do realise that you can barely see the duck’s head, but LOOK AT THAT WATER!)
So there you go. The amazing transforming birds of Granite Glen.
First wing clipping exercises are currently being contemplated. (Lots of pretend flying wing action going on in their sojourns around the pool yard).
Any tips greatly appreciated.
🙂
BB
9 Comments
Gretchen in KS
The first time I had chickens trying to learn to fly, I was told to only clip one wing. And watch carefully how close you clip, because, like a dog’s toenails, if you trim too close you’ll get blood. Results were mixed at best. Oh, and the feathers will grow back. I hear pinioning is best done as little bittie birdies, but I’ve never tried it. Maybe I’m too soft-hearted.
When we had domestic geese, we didn’t bother with wing clipping. They could fly, but were too fat and lazy to go far.
With more recent batches of chickens, we haven’t bothered with wing clipping, either. But I can’t tell how many have been saved by being able to fly away from ground-based predators vs. how many have gone far enough away to be lost to us even if they weren’t taken by air-based predators. (There are a Whole Lot of Critters who think chickens are really tasty, apparently.) Your Mileage May Vary.
Good looking birds, and awesome stop-motion water picture!
Kelly
The only pet duck I ever owned had her wings clipped. Of course I was 6 years old at the time, so I have no idea of the process!
I’m amazed how quickly they grew up!!
Kelly´s last blog post ..We have another!
Colin (HB)
Just clip one wing, but I think it best not to. They won’t fly away and some ducks don’t fly at all. We had Khaki Campbells and they never flew at all!
Muscovy Ducks do though, they are great flyers. Maybe Welsh Harlequin ducks don’t fly????
Carol Alex
I love love, love your blog! I clicked here from Ree’s blog(The Pioneer Woman). I didn’t think I could find another I could enjoy as much. Great job, you are another great writer. Interseting stuff.
Carol Alex or Lurky Carol, LOL
Bush Babe
Carol I am FRAMING this comment!! ♥
Debby
I suppose that it would be no different than clipping the wings of a cockatiel. As Colin pointed out, you need only clip one wing. What you are doing is clipping the tips of the longest feathers. There’s a name for them.
How about this: http://www.cornerstonefarm.net/wingdemo.html
It has pictures and everything. The feathers are the flight feathers (duh!)
Debby´s last blog post ..Public Service Announcement.
Colin (HB)
Debby
Here is the info. on these ducks. They are a mutation breed. Pretty rare it would seem.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_Harlequin
Khaki Campbells haven’t a clue how to fly,
so I think any wing clipping is a waste of time.
However, they certainly can lay eggs!!!
Amanda and Co. can go into duck egg production as a sideline!!!
Kylie
Love the last pic BB love it love it love it!
Carol Alex
LOL, You go right ahead and frame it girl because Facts are Facts. I am headed for the archives to enjoy myself for a while.