Duckworth
Songster
After the raccoon attack late this winter, we were down to having only two laying ducks. Nipper is still recovering and has not resumed laying. We don’t know whether she ever will. I started searching for some year-old duck hens and finally found some advertised less than an hour from home. Our new girls have laid every day since we brought them home.
Nipper doesn’t like the new girls much. Flipper and Feisty Girl have adapted. Though the girls definitely stick to the ducks they know best, we haven’t seen any bullying except by Nipper—who was named for her most obvious characteristic. Nipper consistently goes after the one duck that doesn’t look like a Welsh Harlequin. Nipper ended up with some swelling and irritation to her vent opening, possible from other ducks picking at her or from her itching and picking at herself. So she is in a look—don’t touch crate for now. I let her out for supervised time with the others so she can get more comfortable with the others, but she is still unhappy with the one new duck.
I think our new girls are two gold phase Welshies (our “old” girls are silver phase) and possibly a Buff. Can anyone help me ID her?
Nipper doesn’t like the new girls much. Flipper and Feisty Girl have adapted. Though the girls definitely stick to the ducks they know best, we haven’t seen any bullying except by Nipper—who was named for her most obvious characteristic. Nipper consistently goes after the one duck that doesn’t look like a Welsh Harlequin. Nipper ended up with some swelling and irritation to her vent opening, possible from other ducks picking at her or from her itching and picking at herself. So she is in a look—don’t touch crate for now. I let her out for supervised time with the others so she can get more comfortable with the others, but she is still unhappy with the one new duck.
I think our new girls are two gold phase Welshies (our “old” girls are silver phase) and possibly a Buff. Can anyone help me ID her?
