3 week old Pekins - breathing troubles

[LT71689]

It’s hot over here, and my Pekins have been panting. I had some seedless grapes chopped into fourths that I had frozen in the freezer so I threw a few her way and the panting stopped and she got a little treat..!
I feel the same way about my ducks as you do with yours! In contrast I did get mine as pets, not meat production fosters, yet I have grown far more attached to them than I would have ever anticipated! I keep thinking to myself, and telling anyone who would listen: I may never understand the reason ducks aren’t a more popular pet! I read online somewhere somebody described ducks as puppy dogs with feathers, and I think that’s a very accurate description.

I can get attached to baby anything just because it’s a cute baby, but I knew I’d probably keep them through the cute baby phase so I thought I knew what I was getting into, but they have so much more personality than I imagined and I fell in love. I also expected them to be a lot less like a pet and more of a chore - louder, messier, smellier, etc but they’ve surprised me every day with how easy they are, besides freaking me out about their breathing. I thought I’d get to a point where I couldn’t wait to get them out of my house and it would be easy to return them. I eat meat, I don’t mind ethical meat production. I generally never want to meet my meat but I don’t eat duck so it didn’t feel like too big a deal. I can’t say for sure they wouldn’t have just gone to someone else’s farm as egg producers or backyard pets like they are with my friend, but the farm hatches hundreds of ducks a year and they say they can’t/won’t guarantee a certain fate for each foster, so I imagine it’s pretty likely that many wind up as food in the end. I wasn’t through my first week before I was sure I had to find them a better option because I can’t let anyone eat these babies.

I think I’ve compared them to every other animal and even babies (Melba was so needy her first couple weeks. She imprinted HARD and I could only leave her by very carefully distracting her and sneaking away or she’ll start screaming. ) and started evangelizing at anyone who’s got a yard about how much they need ducks. My social media has turned into nothing but my ducks, all I’m talking about to anybody is ducks, all I’m doing on the internet is reading about ducks, they’ve taken over my life

 

[Miss Lydia]

❤ You got it bad

 

[HalfWayUpAMountain]

Welcome to the life !

 

[Maddog_photog]

I can get attached to baby anything just because it’s a cute baby, but I knew I’d probably keep them through the cute baby phase so I thought I knew what I was getting into, but they have so much more personality than I imagined and I fell in love. I also expected them to be a lot less like a pet and more of a chore - louder, messier, smellier, etc but they’ve surprised me every day with how easy they are, besides freaking me out about their breathing. I thought I’d get to a point where I couldn’t wait to get them out of my house and it would be easy to return them. I eat meat, I don’t mind ethical meat production. I generally never want to meet my meat but I don’t eat duck so it didn’t feel like too big a deal. I can’t say for sure they wouldn’t have just gone to someone else’s farm as egg producers or backyard pets like they are with my friend, but the farm hatches hundreds of ducks a year and they say they can’t/won’t guarantee a certain fate for each foster, so I imagine it’s pretty likely that many wind up as food in the end. I wasn’t through my first week before I was sure I had to find them a better option because I can’t let anyone eat these babies.

I think I’ve compared them to every other animal and even babies (Melba was so needy her first couple weeks. She imprinted HARD and I could only leave her by very carefully distracting her and sneaking away or she’ll start screaming. ) and started evangelizing at anyone who’s got a yard about how much they need ducks. My social media has turned into nothing but my ducks, all I’m talking about to anybody is ducks, all I’m doing on the internet is reading about ducks, they’ve taken over my life

This is me.

 

[LT71689]

Husband noticed their nares were a little bit gunky (I could see through them so I thought I was looking at their sinus structure) so despite the heat they got a nice warm pool today (followed up by a cooler pool because holy crap it’s hot out) and we’ll see if that wispy noise and panting subsided a little. They do a lot of dunking and snorting in the first few moments of getting in the water but don’t keep it up much after that despite still having some gunk stuck in there. They’ll dive a ton but won’t do that forceful snorting thing. Gonna try some warmer water in their pen dish as well.