Learn About Our Special Animals
Meet Ms Duckworth, a 4-month-old Gray Call Duck. You might think this little girl is still a baby, but she is fully grown. Call Ducks are bantam ducks, like children that never grow up!
Ms Duckworth had an interesting beginning. A teenage boy, whose family has chickens, bought 5 Call Duck eggs from Etsy. He wanted just one duck that would follow him around. He incubated the eggs in his bedroom closet so his parents wouldn’t find out! When the eggs hatched, he had to tell them. I wasn’t there for that conversation, but I can only imagine how it went.
Because he only wanted one duckling as a pet, he offered us the other one. So we’ve had Ms Duckworth since mid-April when she was just a few days old.
A couple of points about ducks. First, they are highly social animals. They roam in sub-groups of the flock, often associated by age or breed. And second, they aren’t very friendly towards humans. Ducks may come close if they like you, but they don’t want to sit on your lap or get picked up.
When Ms Duckworth arrived, there were no other baby ducks for her to socialize with. After a couple of weeks in the brooder, we put her in a pen in the garage with chicks. We later realized that Ms Duckworth thinks she’s a chicken. When she was big enough to go roam the yard, did she make friends with ducks and play in the ponds? NO! She cried to go back into the garage with her chicken friends.
She’s getting a little better, but spends most of her day alone before sneaking into the chicken coop at sunset. But we make her sleep with the big ducks every night.
Despite her affinity for chickens, we hold her frequently to make her friendly(er) towards us. She still runs away if we try to pick her up, but it’s a slow run, and she doesn’t make a fuss about it. It’s a work in progress.
Ms Duckworth might think she’s a chicken, but in the water, she’s all duck, diving and splashing about. If you visit, look for Ms Duckworth in the front yard. She’ll be visiting with her chicken friends.