Ducks and Eggs

Backyard Poultry

Grown Duck Pullets

Did you recognize Daffy in this picture? Yes, in three short months, we exchanged our fuzzy yellow duckling for a beautiful snow-white duck! Daffy the Pekin now well outweighed the Khakis as it neared its full nine pounds. Cocoa and Piney switched from chewing on Daffy to following it around like their mother duck. Weighing only 3 1/2 pounds, they now were almost fully decked out in their brown lacey feathers.

Duck Eggs

You can only imagine our surprise and delight upon the sighting of a little white egg hidden in the corner of the duck house one morning! The monotonous chores suddenly take on a new appeal with the hope of finding two or even three eggs in the litter. Daffy's eggs were the real treasures, weighing in at 4 1/2 ounces. The left-hand egg above is one such Pekin egg, compared to the Khakis' smaller one on the right. They were both bigger than chicken eggs. The flavor and rich texture of a duck egg cannot be compared with any other food, and was truly a luxury we did not take for granted.

Chickens Plus Ducks = Adventure

The ducks got along quite amiably with their next-door neighbors the chickens, so long as there was a fence between them. The ducks loved to sit outside the chicken pen, watching their antics. When frightened, whether of a genuine predator or the lawnmower, the ducks would run to the hens for safety.
The chickens, on the other hand, loved to gobble the ducks' food (although it was identical to chicken feed) and drink from the ducks' (muddy) water dishes. It wasn't unusual to see six chickens gathered round the duck pool for drinks! However, the ducks weren't usually in the pool, as in the photo above! Most of the chickens were scared of the ducks, but a few brave hens would chase them and try to peck them. In return, all three ducks began to sportfully chase after any chickens in their way (which could easily outrun the ducks). Daffy did have its good nature to its advantage and did win some standing with the chickens.