🦆 The DUX has woken up! 🦆

I don't see the goslings grow up faster than ducklings. - Yes, from the point of view of weight and size they outgrow ducklings but they are already larger when they hatch.
Sunnys ducklings are exactly four weeks old and the largest one is almost as large as Sunny herself. And they all have started to grow their feathers, its just hard to see white feathers on yellow down. Give them another two weeks and they are young ducks, like your six weeks old Gosnagers.
Maybe I'm just used to the Muscovy, they are slow!
 
If i remember correctly, two years ago a Missus Mallard taught some of my drakes a lesson: She can fly! - And then land on the back of a much larger drake and rip out neck-feathers left and right as punishment for trying to mess with her.
All my drakes have a great respect for Mallard Ducks!
You are fortunate. My two little Mallard girls that I got from Metzer about 4 years ago let the boys pick on them quite a bit. They are the reason I have had to rehome drakes before. Sometimes they will chase the little Call drakes but other drakes were no match for them. I am glad yours can stick up for themselves. Mine can fly also, I no longer have to clip their wings because they know where home is.
 
You are fortunate. My two little Mallard girls that I got from Metzer about 4 years ago let the boys pick on them quite a bit. They are the reason I have had to rehome drakes before. Sometimes they will chase the little Call drakes but other drakes were no match for them. I am glad yours can stick up for themselves. Mine can fly also, I no longer have to clip their wings because they know where home is.
Your Mallard Ducks are domesticated and very likely no longer have the instinct to "fly south" to over-winter. "My" mallards are not mine, those are wild birds, just coming to visit and enjoy the safety in numbers. I have observed huge differences in behaviour between my domesticated ducks and the wild Mallards. And my ducks have learned a lot from their wild cousins: How to hide in plain sight. How to drill around an autumn olive shrub to make it topple, so that you can reach the berries. How use the wings to run faster. - And that it is important to always have somebody to keep an eye on the sky.
 
Your Mallard Ducks are domesticated and very likely no longer have the instinct to "fly south" to over-winter. "My" mallards are not mine, those are wild birds, just coming to visit and enjoy the safety in numbers. I have observed huge differences in behaviour between my domesticated ducks and the wild Mallards. And my ducks have learned a lot from their wild cousins: How to hide in plain sight. How to drill around an autumn olive shrub to make it topple, so that you can reach the berries. How use the wings to run faster. - And that it is important to always have somebody to keep an eye on the sky.
My very first two Mallard ducks were rescues that were only a day old from the wild. It's funny I never really could tell the difference in their behavior but I am sure it is because they were hand raised by a human and took on the domestic side of themselves instead of the wild. I have another one that I just got from our Rural King. I thought it was a Rouen because of the eye stripes but seeing the back toe missing an looking closer I think it is a Mallard for sure. Just hoping for a Hen this time.
 
Their slow growth is often listed as one of the reasons for not keeping Muscovy Ducks.
Two week old Mallard ducklings no longer grow: They inflate!
I will say though how hardy Muscovy ducklings are. I got two that were 3 days old. Kept them in the garage in the dark except when someone would go out there with absolutely no heat. They grew just fine and one turned out to be a female so I still have her. The huge brother of hers had to go down the road and got traded for some females that were smaller. Olivia is one of my Sweetest ducks and is a big duck but a sweet one at least. So was her huge brother. He never once tried to bite me or was mean to anyone. It was summertime when I did this.
 
I will say though how hardy Muscovy ducklings are. I got two that were 3 days old. Kept them in the garage in the dark except when someone would go out there with absolutely no heat. They grew just fine and one turned out to be a female so I still have her. The huge brother of hers had to go down the road and got traded for some females that were smaller. Olivia is one of my Sweetest ducks and is a big duck but a sweet one at least. So was her huge brother. He never once tried to bite me or was mean to anyone. It was summertime when I did this.
I still want Muscovies, but first i need to fix all the infrastructure here. Today the waterer in the duck-house broke. One of the support studs has rotted away because it was kept moist permanently. Fixed it with dux-tape and zip-ties, but i need to repair it thoroughly.
Due to the lack of wood-chips, i have started to use the ujsed bedding from inside the duck-house outside in the duck-run. The ducks like it and they love the fresh straw inside their house. I could not clean up the duck house since March because of all the broody-crazyness…
 
Yesterday afternoon:
full
🎶 Don't you! 🎵 Forget our peas! 🎶 Don't! - Don't! - Don't! 🎼
 

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