Nellie

[lovnforkfull]

One of my closest friends is a duck. She's a real little peach, she goes everywhere all over the farm with me and gives the best hugs. Oh yeah, and the "quackberries" she lays every day are great with bacon and toast.

[starkitten]

OMG - Nellie is adorable - what a great friend :)

[WashingtonBay]

Oh - I beg my hubby every spring for a duck :) Or a goose :)

[WashingtonBoy]

Oh - I beg my hubby every spring for a duck :) Or a goose :)Yes, dear. A big grey goose named Gandalf. :)

[Cat]

She's a cutie! My ducks love to follow me around but they hate to be picked up.

[Remali]

Oh wow.....I LOVE ducks!! When I was a kid I had a couple pet ducks.....they're so adorable.

[Gypsy Rose]

That's so sweet! Ducks are neat.

[lovnforkfull]

And there's Lizzie too!YouTube - Nellie and Lizzie

[SedonaThunder]

Nellie is a cutie... Lizzie too! So I'm thinking since you have ducks I will hit you up for some information... my Lucy Goosie is lonely and I was thinking of getting her a duck. But Lucy might really be Luke so would I get a boy or girl duck or would it matter - would he be OK with either? I just hate seeing Goosie out there alone with winter approaching and knowing we'll be spending so much less time out there with her. Your two look so happy together!

[lovnforkfull]

In my limited experience with waterfowl I think it might depend on Lucy's temperament, age and sex. With these two; Nellie came first. She's about 5 now and has always been very personable and wants to be included with what's "goin' on". Lizzie is more like a hyperactive 2yr old; and at times can be a little more 'pushy' than Nell. I think the breed differences plays a role too; but male birds can be quite aggressive by nature and maybe
moreso with geese. What breed is Lucy and how old is he/she and was Lucy hand-raised?
Oh, and pics would help maybe in knowing if it should be Lucy or 'Larry'. Ganders can look a bit different.;)

[vicklynn]

Oh my gosh, Nellie is so cool! I like Lizzie too, but Nellie, she's so human its funny.

[starkitten]

They are such cuties - I have a bird phobia, but I think those two could change my mind :)

[SedonaThunder]

In my limited experience with waterfowl I think it might depend on Lucy's temperament, age and sex. With these two; Nellie came first. She's about 5 now and has always been very personable and wants to be included with what's "goin' on". Lizzie is more like a hyperactive 2yr old; and at times can be a little more 'pushy' than Nell. I think the breed differences plays a role too; but male birds can be quite aggressive by nature and maybe moreso with geese. What breed is Lucy and how old is he/she and was Lucy hand-raised? Oh, and pics would help maybe in knowing if it should be Lucy or 'Larry'. Ganders can look a bit different.;)

Thanks for any help Lovn! I don't know how Goosie was raised because she was a "rescue" of sorts. I got a Saturday night phone call from a drunk old friend telling me "KL - you've got to save the goose - the others are dead - it was the Mexicans - it won't make it through tonight". HUH????:huh: Turns out (after a lot of questions I figured it out) that she had some Mexican neighbors that moved away and left their four geese in their yard - each night the coyotes got one and there was only Goosie left and Becky didn't want to find her dead in the morning. So she did what anyone would do - caught her, shoved her in a hooded cat litter box and drove her half way to meet my husband so he could bring her home to safety.:D My neice was her and named her Lucy although we had no clue what sex it was/is. Goosie has been here almost five months now in a fairly large wire fenced yard with a covered area and a pool - I don't let her roam the yard due to the creek I fear she's swim in and end up in the next town. There have been three times she's flown over the fence (4 feet high) at night and each time she's found at the barn hanging with the horses.

I have figured out that Goosie is an Ambden (sp?) and although she will take food from my hand and follow me around - she won't let me touch her. I worry about the lonliness due to the fact they mate for life and everytime wild geese fly over she goes nuts honking at them and running the length of her yard flapping her wings. I didn't want to get another goose because I was told if I end up with two boys they could fight and if it's a boy and girl they'd become antisocial... that's why I thought maybe a duck would work? Hubby keeps saying we should get her a pygmy goat but that's all we need!:eek:

[lovnforkfull]

Sedona, Goosie's gawgeous! Looks like a 'she' too but female embdens are lighter than males, girls about 20lbs and ganders about 25lbs; give or take. You can also do a "vent check" on a goose, adult males have an obvious 'appendage', but if you can feed her by hand, eventually she will become quite attached to you. A duck buddy would be good; probably an older juvenile or young adult pekin female that could look out for herself during the familiarizing phase. Either way, they're a lot of fun. These two are like Prosac with feathers.:rolleyes:

[sugarsgirl]

Awe, how cute :)

[SedonaThunder]

Sedona, Goosie's gawgeous!
Why thank you... I think she's pretty neat... never intended to keep her but she grew on me!
Looks like a 'she' too but female embdens are lighter than males, girls about 20lbs and ganders about 25lbs; give or take. You can also do a "vent check" on a goose, adult males have an obvious 'appendage', but if you can feed her by hand, eventually she will become quite attached to you.
Well now... how do you suppose I weigh her?:hysterical: I have very funny visions of chasing her around the yard trying to catch her... and if I did she'd probably peck my eye out while I try to hold her and stand on the scale with her! Oh my, oh my - I can't EVEN IMAGINE what would happen if I went looking for a "vent" or "appendage"... I can't stop giggling!:D

A duck buddy would be good; probably an older juvenile or young adult pekin female that could look out for herself during the familiarizing phase.
Now... where does one go female Pekin duck shopping? A young adult at that... I suppose I could check Craig's List - you never know what you might find on there! I could also ask the owner of one of our local feedstores - I hear she's really up on her birds.

Ooohhh that reminds me... I was told to clip Goosie's wings but never have and the most she's done is come out of her yard and into mine. Will I have to cut the ducks wings? How do you learn that?

[lovnforkfull]

Sedona - If I thought my old clunker of a car would make the trip I would come down and give you a hand; I'm just across the border in Aldergrove, BC. Even with Nellie it was a real gradual process, and being able to pick her up when she's needed to see a vet without further stressing her out by being 'captured' it's been worth it.
Just like horses being herd animals, I think because these birds are flock animals they have a need to be chummy with somebody and if you make the experience pleasant for them they'll get to trust you enough to pick them up if you need to without "man-handling" them. And as well, like any other creature, some will be more outgoing than others.

[lovnforkfull]

Oh, with wing clipping...with a pekin duck it shouldn't be necessary but with Goosie you'd only need to clip the flight feathers from one wingtip I would think. Both pekin ducks and embden geese are considered "meat birds" so are heavy bodied and aren't terribly developed in the wing department. And I do hope you keep her, she'll keep you laughing just by watching her going about her day I'm sure.