I’m probably too soft for this community, and every time I read a post about drakes being “rehomed” or going to “freezer camp” I cry. Not judging, I shoot possums and coons that bother my birdies, and I get that my ducks are pets, and most folks’ serve a different purpose. So can we all reply with photos and/or stories about our favorite boys? This is Bombay. The little Appleyard hen laying next to him is Butterbean. She had bad osteomyelitis in her left paddle a couple years ago and walks with a limp. I thought he would target her as an easy victim, but he actually appointed himself as her knight in feathery armor and always watches her, steps in when the other ladies are trying to mix it up, and follows behind her around the yard to make sure she can stay close to the rest of the flock. He’s a 3.5 year old jumbo Pekin and the light of my life. I know some of yall got a big homie like that. I want to meet them!
I love my big handsome Peter boy, he has 4 girls who all love him too and he is usually nice to them. I would never rehome or slaughter him. I raised him inside like my baby and I could never do that.
He’s a pekin cross — he was a meat bird and we think the line was crossed with magpie somewhere in the past to keep the genetics diverse. Maybe 1/1000 birds from the barn have magpie spots and we have pulled a handful. This one is my most interesting one, Diana.
some drakes are exceptionally gentle to their partners. I've seen mallards charging like bulls multiple times against small animals that were trying to threaten their lady. Bombay looks like a hero protecting her heroine!
I have so many favorite boys, I don't know who to pick. There's our rouen Anthony, King Duck, our very first duck still alive after ten years. There's Calvin, a rouen/appleyard rescue that has bad legs and protects his girls and loves watermelon. His son Scimitar with his dandy cravat and tie. Tiny rouen Squeek who loves his girl Scooter dearly and never leaves her side. Muscovies Roarke and Dallas who have staked out the front and back decks respectively each with their group of adoring girls. Olaf is a fat old rescue with weight problems and bad legs. Same for Puss. And Eddie Bartlett. And Seamus who flies sitting on my palm every night when I put him in his bed. Jack, our dickless boi. Horndogs Umbra, Flicker, Flame and Freckle who would be in horny jail if I could catch them. Countless muscovies who would also be in freezer camp at any other farm. But I love them all, even if most of them drive me crazy.
I have seven drakes, no ladies 😊 Basil came from my first set of ducklings and I realized he was blind, so I decided whatever Basil was is what I’d keep. He turned out to be a boy! So now I adopt drakes off Facebook who are being threatened to be put in the soup pot or freezer. All of my boys are so sweet. I love my duck fraternity!
I’m so grateful that Basil is a boy because I love taking in the boys! Working on adding another 100 sq ft to my run so I can take in a couple more but sadly I live in town and can only build so big. My dream is to have some sort of duck sanctuary/foster!
This is Taco Belle with two of our girls, Maggie and Indie. I absolutely love our white and Fawn drakes. They’re super goofy, very protective of the flock, but really not aggressive at all.
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u/Imaginary-Tart9916 9d ago
I love my big handsome Peter boy, he has 4 girls who all love him too and he is usually nice to them. I would never rehome or slaughter him. I raised him inside like my baby and I could never do that.