Da' Cute and Cuddly Call Duck thread!

[Julie Birb]

I need some help. I got my first call duck (yay!!!) a few weeks back, and now he's been out of quarantine since Friday. Obviously he was kept far away from my mixed flock during quarantine, and they couldn't see him. For the past few days, they've kind of been able to see him (he was in a raised enclosure), and today, I let him out under close supervision. Four birds - my pekin female, my runner / abacot drake, my runner / cayuga female, and a small easter egger, didn't hardly notice him and were fine with his presence. However, my Sebastopol (the "alpha duck" - she *really* thinks she's a duck) and my small unknown breed chicken (the alpha hen), wanted to chase him around and nip at him. He's so tiny that I couldn't stand to watch him get picked on and I freaked out and picked him up and put him away. Now he's in a small wire enclosure on the ground, right beside their pool, where everyone can investigate him.


How should I go about introducing him to everyone (3 ducks, one Sebastopol, two chickens)?


Here he is... he's about 6 months old. He's a little smaller than a pigeon. His name is Jabba

Jabba is nothing but super cute and adorable and precious. I am envious you get to hold him. Love how he is standing in mud. Look at his little webs. If I ever got ahold of him he'd be kissed.

 

[sryglet]

Jabba is nothing but super cute and adorable and precious.  I am envious you get to hold him. Love how he is standing in mud.  Look at his little webs.  If I ever got ahold of him he'd be kissed.

Thank you I feel like a new mom. I just sit there and stare at him. Even my fiancé is like "so.... we're getting more of them, right?" Lol!

 

[sryglet]

Yep, that's a good way to connect. That's how I met Art.

But I'm still crossing my fingers that someone will have a pretty little girl for me to take home

 

[JadeComputerGal]

But I'm still crossing my fingers that someone will have a pretty little girl for me to take home

It's certainly possible. One thing to keep in mind is that almost everything is for sale if the price is right. If you see a duck you're interested in, there's nothing wrong with asking the breeder if they're willing to sell it. Sometimes they will even if it's not officially for sale, especially if it's not a winner.

I apologize if you've already mentioned this and I missed it, but have you been to shows before?

 

[sryglet]

It's certainly possible. One thing to keep in mind is that almost everything is for sale if the price is right. If you see a duck you're interested in, there's nothing wrong with asking the breeder if they're willing to sell it. Sometimes they will even if it's not officially for sale, especially if it's not a winner.

I apologize if you've already mentioned this and I missed it, but have you been to shows before?

I went to my first poultry-only show a while back. It was really cool. Before that I was in 4-H and also participated in a lot of open shows (but with rabbits). So I've been to a lot of poultry shows and other types of shows.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

It's fine I totally understand! 

I'm going to the Central Indiana Poultry Show. I imagine, with the Midwest ban on traveling with poultry that was only very recently lifted, and with it being decently close to Illinois, Ohio, and Michigan, more people than average will be there (we had no fairs all summer and several very big shows were cancelled). I figure, if there are none there for sale that I like, I can at least connect with several breeders.

I'll hopefully be going there this year, too! That's where I got Malcolm and Trudi last year.

 

[sryglet]

I'll hopefully be going there this year, too! That's where I got Malcolm and Trudi last year.

Aw yay!! They're so utterly adorable!! I hope to see you there!

 

[sryglet]

Quick update - Jabba is doing really well! He's been out for a few hours each day while I watch. The ducks, goose, and one chicken now seem to have no problem with him, and the one chicken is being mean still. I'll definitely be keeping a very close eye on him for at least another week and not leaving him unsupervised with them. Hopefully the chicken warms up to him. I know that they can do a lot of damage.

I feel like he needs at least one other call... he stands at a distance and just watches the other ducks, then chases them when they walk away. But he never gets close to them. He also tends to just go off by himself. I'm afraid that he won't assimilate into the flock. I feel like, if he had one or two female calls, he would just make his own little separate flock.

He's way too small to get in the pool on his own, so I've left a glass baking dish (about 3 inches deep) filled with water for him to splash in. I imagine that the future ladies would also not be able to get in the pool. Or maybe they'll be like Jabba, and just want to roll around in the mud and avoid the water altogether

 

[Bryam]

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Does anybody have an idea of what colour these call ducks are? What colour offspring will they produce? The male is the spotted chocolates bibbed duck! He is on the left!

Thanks!

 

[Julie Birb]

Thank you I feel like a new mom. I just sit there and stare at him. Even my fiancé is like "so.... we're getting more of them, right?" Lol!

You are so welcome. And thank you for saying you stare at him. I stare at my finches all the time and marvel at their cuteness. I am happy your fiance is onboard for getting more cute little ducks. So fun.