Well, I've finally made a decision. I've been debating this for a long time--do I wait until mid-summer, after the hatching frenzy is over, do I sell only one line and develop the other two, do I just keep on keeping on... and I've finally worried on it long enough to feel the answer in my heart: I'm going to sell most of my ducks.
I am going to keep my four magpies from Holderread, and possibly the two Runner drakes. I know it's kind of crazy to keep the drakes, but they're so bonded to the magpies they grew up with that I hate to separate them. On the other hand, I may let them go if someone awesome (like gofaster with her two Holderread boys from me) wants to take them together so they won't be separated. I'm going to let all the rest of my Runners go--mostly hens, some tuxedo blues but mostly silver, lavender, blue, and black and one fawn/white. I hope most of them can stay together, and that their Toulouse gander can stay with them, as he grew up with them and has never bonded with any other birds including the goose I adopted for him as a companion. I'm also seeking a new home for my Chinese white goose with the amputated wing--I need to check with the rescue where I adopted her to make sure it's really okay if I find her a good home, but she's not happy here--she has never been accepted by any of the other birds and has been a complete loner, seeking me out for company and getting very little of that since I'm so rarely able to be out in the yard for very long now.
Anyway, I'm sad about the decision, but also relieved. My life has grown burdened with too many things to do, too many responsibilities, and I am desperately needing to simplify and pare down to only those things that give me the most joy. The ducks qualify for that, but I don't find having 20 to be particularly more joyful than having four, while it is significantly more work. Once breeding season hits, I'm going to have a challenge on my hands keeping the lines separated and frankly, the small amount of income from hatching is really not worth the hours invested. I do plan to do some hatching this spring (starting pretty much as soon as they start laying AND I can get them separated), but it will be only for myself and a select few I enjoy working with.
I may eventually add a couple or three more hens and maybe a drake from Holderread, but time will tell.
Anyway, I will still be active here but I have been thinking about this for so long I wanted to make it official, and I wanted to do it in this forum that has been such a help and a home to me in my ducky journeys.
(And of course I'll be posting what I've got available in the buy/sell section if you're interested--I LOVE selling to BYC'ers as ya'll are the best).
I am going to keep my four magpies from Holderread, and possibly the two Runner drakes. I know it's kind of crazy to keep the drakes, but they're so bonded to the magpies they grew up with that I hate to separate them. On the other hand, I may let them go if someone awesome (like gofaster with her two Holderread boys from me) wants to take them together so they won't be separated. I'm going to let all the rest of my Runners go--mostly hens, some tuxedo blues but mostly silver, lavender, blue, and black and one fawn/white. I hope most of them can stay together, and that their Toulouse gander can stay with them, as he grew up with them and has never bonded with any other birds including the goose I adopted for him as a companion. I'm also seeking a new home for my Chinese white goose with the amputated wing--I need to check with the rescue where I adopted her to make sure it's really okay if I find her a good home, but she's not happy here--she has never been accepted by any of the other birds and has been a complete loner, seeking me out for company and getting very little of that since I'm so rarely able to be out in the yard for very long now.
Anyway, I'm sad about the decision, but also relieved. My life has grown burdened with too many things to do, too many responsibilities, and I am desperately needing to simplify and pare down to only those things that give me the most joy. The ducks qualify for that, but I don't find having 20 to be particularly more joyful than having four, while it is significantly more work. Once breeding season hits, I'm going to have a challenge on my hands keeping the lines separated and frankly, the small amount of income from hatching is really not worth the hours invested. I do plan to do some hatching this spring (starting pretty much as soon as they start laying AND I can get them separated), but it will be only for myself and a select few I enjoy working with.
I may eventually add a couple or three more hens and maybe a drake from Holderread, but time will tell.
Anyway, I will still be active here but I have been thinking about this for so long I wanted to make it official, and I wanted to do it in this forum that has been such a help and a home to me in my ducky journeys.
(And of course I'll be posting what I've got available in the buy/sell section if you're interested--I LOVE selling to BYC'ers as ya'll are the best).
