The Ducks and Getting Big

The ducklings and goslings hatched in the incubator earlier in spring are now almost full grown adults. It is possible to tell the difference between the sexes too. The male ducks have a distinct green tinge to their bills, while the females have plain orange, brown or mottled bills, depending on the breed or cross. The males will also develop a curl in their tail feathers fairly soon, but for now, they can be sexed. There are about half and half it appears. Most of these girls will stay on the farm since their moms are now three years old and their laying will decrease considerably next year and the subsequent years. The Khaki Campbell ducks will lay from early in the spring, even with snow on the ground and freezing temperatures, right through until the late fall, and possibly the start of winter. The other ducks, Saxony, Rouen and Ancona, will lay more sporadically now until fall. The only gosling hatched from the farm is a very large gander, mostly grey in colour. He is already protecting his flock. The white Chinese gosling belongs to a friend and was a sole hatchling, so has come to live on the farm for now. The poor fellow has a genetic defect resulting in dropped wings, called angel wing. Since he was fed just the same as the rest of the ducklings and the three other goslings, it was not likely a deficiency that caused the problem, because no others display any abnormalities at all. Well, that is not entirely so. One Rouen was hatched with wry neck, a twist in the neck that inhibits proper eating and drinking and is very tiresome. Although I was advised to do away with him, he has been given the chance to survive and do his best to keep up with the flock. 

The pure white Sebastopols are becoming quite stunning with their fluffy feathers. The goose comes to me and tells me stories. I picked her up today and she protested loudly bringing the gander over to investigate. Then she calmed down and laid her beautiful head on my arm. Ah, the goslings and ducklings are wonderful creatures. They really are.