The Quack Shack

[Jenbirdee]

i know this is duxland & i have a dozen dux to brag about but i want to continue to talk about also my Trudy Goose and her eggs… because apparently she didn’t see the 6 egg limit documentary

 

[Luv Ducks]

And now for something completely different...

Is there a body of knowledge about how/what drakes communicate?

Ours just keeps murmuring all day long. It's a nice pleasant sound, like a very small but talkative frog. But it goes on and on. We enjoy it but are curious as to what he could be "talking about".

They are just telling each other which Hen is theirs and if they touch her it will be game on. lol

 

[Muscovy Wunda]

Hoppy easter from the south!!

 

[Magnolia Ducks]

They are just telling each other which Hen is theirs and if they touch her it will be game on. lol

I.down to one drake a.nd he murmurs to himself all the time.

 

[Luv Ducks]

Hoppy easter from the south!!

Happy Easter to you also.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Getting a Muscovy or two is never a bad idea!

And don't listen to Hillbilly, mine are absolute darlings. Or rather, I don't let them get away with anything!

As demonstrated above, the common Muscovy dux' strong telepathic abilities make her victims believe they are in control, when i fact they have long been overwhelmed by the incredible dux power.
Muscovy dux are breathing, walking and pooping incubators!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

My Mallard hen will make awful noises whenever she leaves her nest just daring someone to come near it. The rest of the ducks have always left her alone with the exception of one year when only one hatched and somehow it landed out in the middle of the duck pen after a big rain drowned. I blamed it on the drake I had at the time because he wanted to mate with her again. After that she deserted the nest and gave up on it. They make great Momma's but I have had mine leave her ducklings as early as 3 weeks when it was still cold out but they all huddled together and survived just fine which surprised me.

This is how Pinball Duck got her name, in 2020 she was broody, running around in the duck-yard bumping into everybody, running the largest drakes into the ground and yelling at everything. This is her in 2021:

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

They eat layer feed/all flock, they are usually the bullies in the flock and are extremely loud. If you don’t want them flying off in the distance keep them in the run and coop until 4-5 mouths. Clip their wings. My friend has guineas and some wild turkeys stopped by and the guineas went with them!! Very good free rangers and will forge well. You can keep them with chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys. I have found that guineas and geese don’t fight and have had the least problems keeping them together. If you have male guineas and roosters get rid of one species males. I have had guickens a chicken/Guinea cross so there’s that too. They also make very good alarm birds, but are extremely stupid and will have their faces in a predators face!! Overall they are good birds just really loud.

Who doesn't want to join the wild Turkeys and live a free life out in the woods, free of the burden of egg-laying and tick-eating…

So, are Guikens a real thing? Did yours survive? and how did thei look like? Any pictures?

 

[Supercow]

This is how Pinball Duck got her name, in 2020 she was broody, running around in the duck-yard bumping into everybody, running the largest drakes into the ground and yelling at everything. This is her in 2021:

Wow

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

And now for something completely different...

Is there a body of knowledge about how/what drakes communicate?

Ours just keeps murmuring all day long. It's a nice pleasant sound, like a very small but talkative frog. But it goes on and on. We enjoy it but are curious as to what he could be "talking about".

According to @Magnolia Ducks the drakes say "vent, vent, vent…" all day long, referring to their favorite part of the female duck's body.
I'm not so sure about that…
First they seem not to repeat the same word over and over again, but rasp very accordingly to the actual situation:

• Their attached female duck(s) are foraging and there is no threat insight: A gentle, calming "rasp, rasp, raaaasssp" - as if to inform the ladies that they are safe
• Something suspicious appears in the sky: Sudden silence, drake is observing, ducks stop foraging looking at "their" drake and observing the sky themselves.
• Another drake dares to approach: Bursts of short rasps, getting louder and louder with every "rasp", in the end both drakes standing chest to chest and whoever can rasp louder and/or(?) faster wins.
• HillBilly comes outside: Everydrake starts ton rasp as loud and as fast as they can to alert the ducks. - Cat-food is in reach!