The Lap
“I love sitting on the people lap, watching the birdies in the morning!” – Simon
“What are you doing here?” – Simon
“What does it LOOK like I’m doing, furface?” – Cindy Buttons
“I was here first. Make her leave.” – Simon
Don’t you think you can share, Simon? I don’t think she’ll bother you.
“I’m thinking about it. I don’t think I like it.” – Simon
“She’s still looking at me, I know it.” – Simon
“Is he asleep? What’s he doing?” – Cindy Buttons
I think he’s a little upset about sharing the lap, Cindy. He just wanted to come outside and watch birdies.
“Is she still looking at me? I can’t take it anymore.” – Simon
Actually, Simon, she fell asleep. But what’s wrong with birdies looking at you? Didn’t you come out here to look at birdies yourself?
“You have a point. I guess I’ll just watch this birdie.” – Simon
Happy Valentine’s Day
In honor of Valentine’s Day, I wanted to share a little bit of what I love about each and every one of my Valentines.
O’Malley is my dependable guy. We talk every single day, and he’d sit on my lap for hours if I had time. He is sweet, sensitive and affectionate.
Petunia is a sweet, quiet girl who is never any trouble. She’s getting older and while she has never been too friendly, she lets me pick her up to help her up to her perch at night, and she’ll eat treats out of my hand.
Lenora Bea is our newest scovy girl. She loves to talk sass and I love to join in. Although she’s not too fond of being held, she’s trusting and will sit next to me in the yard.
Little Olivia is our oldest hen. She has to be over 10-years-old now. She has cataracts and is a little slower than the other hens, but she holds her own and loves her life. She’s a talkative, friendly girl and a bright light in the yard.
Olly Astro is cute and chatty. She can be friendly when she wants to, but only on her terms. She’ll run the full length of the yard to get a treat from me, and she is a good conversationalist.
Sweet guy Lester Leroy may be handicapped, but he doesn’t let that stop him. He is very independent and self-sufficient, even if he does need a little help to get to the aviary and back. He is a very good friend to his girl Danny.
Oh my Simon. He has been with me for years and years, from New York to San Francisco and Seattle. He is nearing 17-years-old and slowing down now, but he’s always as sweet as can be. He is super affectionate and shares love everywhere he goes.
Miles is a comical character and a bit bossy, but he’s a loyal friend and a good guy to Danny girl. I love that he tolerates me picking him up, and fluffing his super soft feathers.
Carol is by far my most challenging Valentine. She is noisy, bossy and a bully. She’s had me up at dawn almost every day for over a year now, but I still love her dearly. She’s smart, and demanding, and I respect her for it.
Cindy Buttons is my lap chicken. She can be a bit of a terror, chasing and attacking ducks. But most of the time she is just a sporty, playful, friendly girl who will visit and sit with me in the yard.
Lionel is probably my most handsome Valentine. Unfortunately he is not very people-friendly, but he does do well with the routine here, and he will let me lift him up and around into his part of the aviary each day. It’s too bad he’s not friendly because he’s huggably cute.
Lionel’s new partner in crime is the super cute magpie girl Ruby. She is full of energy and life, and enjoys her boys, Lionel and Miles. Because Miles has a bum leg, Lionel is really the only one who can keep up with her, and he tags along everywhere she goes like a lost puppy.
Last but not least is our sweet handicapped girl Danny. She has a friendly spirit and will walk right to me for help each day. I pick her up and help her from the aviary to her pen. She is loyal to her buddy Lester, but also likes to talk with Miles.
As Danny girl says, all the rescues here hope you have a super sweet Valentine’s Day!
Another Homeless Roo
UPDATE: This guy was taken in by Baahaus Animal Rescue Group on Vashon Island. If you’d like to support their great work, please visit their website: http://www.baahaus.org/support.html
Head’s up!
This handsome rooster is currently at the Seattle Animal Shelter, seeking a safe forever home. He was “discovered” in Discovery Park, which means he was dumped there by a dumb dumb. He’s a roo with a crooked toe, a homeless roo with nowhere to go. He actually does have a cooked toe. It may have been broken in the past, but he gets around okay with it and it doesn’t seem to bother him. Someone also trimmed his spurs, so he was cared for before he was dumped.
He’s a big, handsome guy who likes to hang out and chill. He’s fairly friendly, and would make a great roo for a small flock, somewhere outside of Seattle where his morning crowing won’t bother anyone.
Do you know someone near Seattle who has room in their heart and home for this wonderful guy? Isn’t he sweet? Look at his head comb!
If you’d like to adopt this roo, contact the Seattle Animal Shelter at 206-386-7387.
Just a note, it is a death sentence to dump a domestic bird in a park. This guy was starving when he was found – he was just famished and he gorged himself on food. When chickens are raised by humans, they never learn to fully forage on their own like a wild bird would. Never, ever dump a hand-raised animal.
Quacks and clucks,
Tiff and the flock
UPDATE: This guy was taken in by Baahaus Animal Rescue Group on Vashon Island. If you’d like to support their great work, please visit their website: http://www.baahaus.org/support.html
Chicken Standoff
Chicken behavior is pretty complex. The term “pecking order” is definitely true. Chickens like to know their place in the flock and they are quick to make sure other hens know where they stand. I happened to catch a photo today that shows what happens when a more dominant hen approaches a less dominant one.
Here we have Olly Astro walking up to Olivia to see what she’s eating. Olivia has just found a bug, and Olly Astro wants it. Olivia stands very still and keeps her head down while Olly Astro challenges her. Olivia saw her coming, so she knows what to do: stand still until the standoff is over. If a hen sneaks up on a less dominant hen, you’ll often see the surprised hen flap both wings up and down once. That seems to mean something like “You surprised me but I’m big and strong! Don’t mess with me!”
Even after I distract Olly Astro, Olivia remains still until Olly moves away. If a hen is particularly aggressive, she’ll peck at the less dominant hen to make her move instead.
Carol is a chronic head pecker. She is the most dominant hen in the flock by far. She thinks she’s in charge of everything. If she sees another hen getting a treat, she’ll run up and peck them out of the way, then take their treat. She’s a tough cookie, but she’s also a softy.
Cindy seemed to challenge Carol for a while, but when she didn’t succeed in taking the top hen crown, she turned her frustration outward and began a sordid life of attacking ducks. She especially likes to pick on Petunia and Lenora Bea, which is why we keep the chickens separated from the ducks in the aviary.
Even with the occasional standoff or minor disagreement, the hens all get along pretty well. They like each others’ company and hang out as a whole group most of the time. It’s good to have friends.
Happy weekend from Tiff and the ducks and clucks.
Mystery Chicken
Today I had lunch with a friend, and when she asked what else I was up to, I told her “I’m going to Juanita/Kenmore to some random condominiums to look for a chicken in a back yard and see if I can tell if it’s a hen or a rooster.”
Sometimes I don’t realize what I’ve gotten myself into until I actually get to where I’ve gotten myself. Like today, it wasn’t until I pulled up to some condos and parked my car that I realized I was going to have to get OUT of my car and walk around in peoples’ yards in my nice boots and long sweater… to look for a chicken. So to make sure my body would be found if I was murdered, I posted my location to Facebook before I got out of my car. Safety first, people!
Then I got out of my car and walked between two condominiums into a back yard space where people have patios and sliding doors. It was not somewhere I should have really been walking around. I stood there for a second and looked left, thinking “I am never going to find this chicken.” Then I looked to my right and he was standing right there, staring at me.
“Hey lady.”
This is a homeless chicken who showed up here. A nice lady in one of the condos is trying to find out how to help the chicken. She contacted me, hoping I could help. She told me it was a black hen, but when she sent a stock photo of what it looked like, to me it looked more like a cockfighting rooster than a little black hen. I cannot rescue cockfighting roosters. They’re both illegal and too noisy for my area. So I offered to go take a look in person to see if I could really tell more about the chicken.
Unfortunately I can’t really tell much more. It might be a dark cornish chicken, which is a bird often used for meat. Or it might be an aseel/asil chicken, which is a bird often used for cockfighting. Either way it’s dumped or has run away and is now lost and homeless and chilling behind some condos. I think it’s a young roo, but it could also be a hen. It’s not a cornish hen though, as they have brownish coloring mixed in with the black. This kid was all black.
This image shows how difficult it can be to correctly identify a chicken. The top row is a fighting bird, with a hen on the left and a roo on the right. The middle row is this chicken. And the bottom row is a dark cornish bird, with a hen on the left and a roo on the right. It’s anyone’s best guess.
I fed the chicken and left a tub of chicken feed for the nice lady who’s going to try and find a home or sanctuary for this chicken. It wouldn’t let me get anywhere near it so I couldn’t catch it, nor do I have anywhere to take it even if I could. Sometimes there’s only so much you can do.
For now, he (or she) is fed. And I have another odd story to share.
Just another day here at Ducks and Clucks.
Happy Anniversary, Danny girl and Lester
Danny girl and Lester have been together for over a year now, so we wanted to wish them a happy anniversary.
Danny girl came to us in December 2011 in very bad shape. She was extremely sick and had been left untreated for at least a week.
After a trip to the vet, we found out she had eaten a big slug of metal, and it was slowly poisoning her. The metal took months to dissolve, so Danny required twice daily chelation treatment for a long time.
It was a cold few weeks when she first arrived, so she and Lester were both in the house in a play pen to stay warm. Danny girl took to him immediately, and they have been inseparable ever since.
Both Danny girl and Lester Leroy are handicapped. Danny is left with neurological issues from the metal poisoning. Her thinking is fine, but her motor skills are affected and she has trouble walking. Lester has spinal damage from a bite to his spine, and some leg damage. Neither of them are in pain, but they both need extra help getting around. They also need help staying dry, keeping warm and staying safe from the other ducks and chickens.
For a long time, if I wanted to move the ducks to the aviary, I just had to pick up Danny girl and carry her, and all the boys would follow along after her. But that left Lester behind, since he has trouble walking. Then one day I discovered that Danny girl would follow Lester. So I picked him up, Danny followed him, and all the boys followed her. So now that’s how we move everyone from the secure night pens to the day aviary. It’s quite a parade.
Danny girl and Lester were both right on the edge of death when we first met them. Lester was considered for euthanasia since his handicap was so extensive. And Danny girl was the sickest duck I’d ever treated.
I’m actually surprised that both of them were able to recover so well. Today, while they’re both still handicapped, they love life and really enjoy each others’ company. They’re inseparable. They’re a pair. And they’re very sweet and protective of each other.
We wish a very happy anniversary to these very special kids, Lester and Danny girl. May they have many more happy years together.
Quacks and clucks,
Tiff and the flock
All About Caruncles
Sometimes when people see muscovy ducks they say “Eeww! Ugly!” Then I usually say “Look who’s talking. You’re one to judge!” in response, but that doesn’t make me many friends. As I’ve mentioned before, muscovy ducks are the only ducks not descended from mallards. They’re not that closely related to other ducks, and don’t speak the same language. They don’t quack, but girls make a trill sound and boys make a huff huff sound. They’re pretty quiet compared to other ducks. Muscovies are originally a South American tree-perching duck. But now there are large feral populations in the United States. They’ve also been domesticated for meat and eggs, but not at our house… we only rescue here.
It’s true, the muscovy can be an odd duck when you first see one. But once you know all about them, they’re really quite beautiful. This is my boy O’Malley. He was rescued as a days-old baby over 7-years-ago. He volunteered to help me teach everyone about caruncles today.
The caruncles are the red fleshy parts around the face on muscovy ducks. They’re also called a face mask. Caruncles help muscovies keep their feathers clean when they dabble in mud. They grow in as muscovy ducks grow up, and they keep growing a little bit for years afterwards. Caruncles also form if a duck fights with another duck and irritates the skin. You’ll sometimes also see female muscovies with caruncles on the back of their heads, where male muscovies have grabbed them for mating.
Here is O’Malley at only 14-weeks-old. You can see his caruncles were just barely starting to form. He had whitish baby feathers on his face before that.
And here he is at 22-weeks-old. His caruncles were pretty well formed by then, and had replaced most of his face feathers.
Now let’s take a closer look at O’Malley’s caruncles today. He is over 7-years-old, so his caruncles are pretty big.
This spot on his caruncle is an oil gland. It crusts over like this with a little bit of oil, closing it off. Then when he takes a bath, the crust washes off and the oil starts flowing right out of his face, a tiny drop at a time. As he dries and preens his feathers after a bath, he brushes his face back against his back and wing feathers, oiling them so they stay dry when he’s in the water.
These two spots show where new feathers are growing in. They mostly grow on top of his head, but a few of them grow right into the caruncle like this.
The holes in his beak are called nares. They’re breathing holes just like our own nostrils on our people snouts.
This here is some mud and gunk that got stuck under O’Malley’s nubbin. I picked it out of his caruncle for him.
Muscovy ducks and other ducks have a nictitating membrane, or second eyelid. Cats have one too. Duck eyelids close from the bottom up as much as the top down, but the inside eyelid or nictitating membrane closes from the front to back. Unlike cats, the nictitating membrane on ducks is see-through. They close the membrane when they swim sometimes so their eyes stay protected while they forage for bugs and food on the bottom of a pond.
Lastly, O’Malley wanted you to see what he looked like when he was a cute little baby duckling.
He was so adorable as a baby that we dressed him up as a princess for Halloween. It was only later that we realized he was a boy, but he’s very secure in his ducky masculinity, so he didn’t mind at all.
We hope this information about caruncles has helped you see just how beautiful muscovy ducks can be.
Quacks and clucks,
Tiff and the flock
Draco Returns Home!
The muscovy duck at Meadowbrook Pond was reclaimed by his owner at Seattle Animal Shelter. Here’s a note we received on the blog:
“Draco has returned home! Thanks for looking out for him. He’s staying in private quarters in the back while we make sure he is healthy and while the flock learns to accept him back. In the Spring he and a hen will move to a newly constructed house in the front yard where they will be on garden patrol searching for bugs and slugs. Yum.”
Special thanks to everyone who looked after him at the park and made sure he was safe. Unfortunately his home DOES raise muscovy ducks for meat, but they said “due to the effort and kindness that has gone into rescuing Draco, he will move to the front yard rather than the freezer.”
So… fairly happy ending.
Single roo found a home.
UPDATE: We hear from Seattle Animal Shelter that this roo found a great home. We don’t have more details.
This is Cornelius. He’s a rooster. A handsome one, too. Right now he’s stuck at the Seattle Animal Shelter. But he’s looking for a long-term commitment from the right home, preferably with some lady hens he can protect and love.
Cornelius is a big, friendly guy. He’ll even tolerate being held and cuddled, especially if you have treats. His feathers look black, but in the sunshine they shine a bright green.
UPDATE: We hear from Seattle Animal Shelter that this roo found a great home. We don’t have more details.
Quacks and clucks,
Tiff and the flock
