Daffy Duck

Backyard Poultry

Duck Trio

Daffy grew up so quickly. The Pekin liked to herd the two Khakis around, alternately looking after them and bossing them around. It was a funny sight to see Daffy waddling around the yard. As it was growing up, one of Daffy's wings became lopsided. We were afraid it would not correct itself. But we learned from experience that Daffy liked our small patch of comfrey in the herb bed. (It could devour the whole bed if left unattended.) We fed it several leaves almost every day and by the time Daffy was full-grown, its wing looked perfectly normal.

Daffy

Daffy was a beautiful duck. Its full array of feathers were such a pure white. Each one lay in place despite Daffy's constant waddling. However, the duck loved to use its big bill for digging mud holes in the yard. Of course all the mud did not stay in the hole, and Daffy's perfect color was soon messed up with brown spots. At this point, Daffy would stand in the yard and quack for somebody to fill the pool with fresh water so it could take a bath. A half hour and much splashing later, Daffy would emerge with feathers almost as white as before. After preening its feathers to a shine, the duck would go looking for more mud holes to dig.

On the Nest

Daffy took egg-laying very seriously. It insisted on having a giant pile of fresh straw before settling down to business. The duck created an amazing nest with its webbed feet - even a chicken would be impressed. It was always exciting to find a large white egg in the middle of the straw!

We really miss our trio of ducks. Nothing can replace the unique combination that adorned our yard for the last two years. Piney, Cocoa, and Daffy brought so much happiness and excitement as they grew from furry balls to beautiful ducks. It seemed they had a new adventure or discovery every day. My sister wants to give a special thanks to our brother for his dedication and help with caring for our ducks. This project was my brother's and sister's and they proved to be excellent duck keepers.

Cocoa & Piney

Backyard Poultry

Khaki Campbells

Cocoa and Piney, the two smaller ducks, were now full grown at 4 pounds each. They were noticeably more active and faster than Daffy because of their long legs and slim bodies. Being a Pekin meat duck, Daffy was, well, chubby. The Khakis would quickly move off into the yard, as Daffy stood quacking "wait for me!" Of course, they paid no attention. When they were finally reunited, Daffy would scold them good-naturedly with a good deal more quacking.

Grazing

The Khaki Campbells were like twins and always stuck together, both chasing the same bugs and grazing the same spot of grass. They loved to roam the yard with their heads down and necks outstretched. It was so funny to watch one running in a zigzag pattern after a bug or moth! The ducks had become more shy now, running and flapping when we tried to catch them. Piney was the friendliest one of the Khakis, and did seem to enjoy having its soft down feathers stroked.

Pool

The one place Daffy had an advantage was in the pond. Having almost outgrown the little kiddie pool, Daffy allowed one duck at most in with it at a time. Piney, being the most gentle and smallest of the trio, was usually the one to be expelled from the pool. It stood patiently watching Cocoa swim with Daffy, and jumped in as soon the Pekin climbed out.

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.

Growing Ducks

Backyard Poultry

First Swim

It was when the growing ducklings were four weeks old that they had their first swim. The "pond" was a blue kiddie pool filled from the garden hose. The ducks became attached to it for life. Right now it must have seemed like a lake as they splashed and dived in the clear water. Alas, as they grew, the pond did not, and became more like a bathtub than a spacious pond.

The Water Hole

Already, at six weeks, Daffy was near to outgrowing the Khakis! The white Pekin, being a meat duck, was very plump and still had only its down feathers. On the other hand, Cocoa and Piney boasted beautiful, patterned outer feathers and fast-developing wings. The Khakis were very lightweight at this age and loved to fly, getting almost three feet off the ground sometimes!

What's For Dinner?

The mischieveous side of the ducks remained as well, and they loved to chew on everything from grass to tennis shoes! They were so friendly at this age, and ran over to huddle by my sister whenever they were frightened. In the photo above, Piney is actually chewing on the wrist strap of the camera that took this picture! I wonder how it tasted.

Three Little Ducklings

Backyard Poultry

Ducks at Three Weeks

This is the story of three of the world's most lovable and good-natured ducks. They were pampered every day by their owner, my little sister, for almost two years. Tragically, they became the first victims of the infamous mink. This is the same mink which also destroyed almost half our chicken flock (see the story here).

It was Thanksgiving day and the ducks were free-ranging behind their duck house as usual. The cunning mink must have cornered one of the two smaller Khakis, Piney, in the greenhouse, and made its first casualty. We quickly put the other Khaki and Pekin safely inside their little house; but, alas, no one noticed the inch-wide crack running along the roof. This mink proved its ability to slither through tiny spaces as it made its next strike. We lost our entire flock of three ducks in one day -- Thanksgiving day.

Day-Old Khakis

The two Khaki Campbells came first, in early April of 2012. They were literally walking fluff balls, just bigger than a chick. I've never seen a platypus, but with the tiny bills and wing tuffs, I think this might be a pretty good replica. They loved slurping water, sleeping in their food, and making messes in general. We named them Pineapple and Coconut, both brown furry fruits, but they came to be known affectionately as Piney and Cocoa.

Pekin Duckling

Daffy duckling arrived two weeks later. Eventually this Pekin duckling would grow triple the size of the Khakis. But for the moment, two-week-old Cocoa and Piney thought this was their toy. They would not stop pulling on its bright-orange bill and feet! The "rubber ducky" was consequently separated by a piece of wire from its coop mates for its first few weeks of life. Lonely little Daffodil, or Daffy as we called it, cheaped so constantly that we put in a stuffed bean-bag duckling for it to cuddle with. It loved the stuffed duck, as well as having its water tub all to itself!

Silky & Fuzzy 2

Artist's Gallery

Finished Ducks

Now the ducks are taking shape! I added highlights on their necks and backs, stark white and dark feathers on the wings, and defining black on the bills. I love how the stones came out too--the front one looks very textured, while the background rocks are smooth and shaded. You may be surprised to find out that this was only an 8" by 11 1/2" picture, since I crammed so much detail into it. I guess that's why I am overwhelmed with larger paintings: I work in such painstaking detail!

If these are the two Khaki Campbells from my painting "Baby Ducks," where is the Pekin? You can see my painting of our Pekin duck, Daffy, right here. It's less detailed, only the size of a greeting card; check it out and tell me which one you like better.

Silky & Fuzzy 1

Artist's Gallery

First Layer

Of course, before you know it, those little ducklings will be all grown up into big ducks! So here goes for a painting of Silky and Fuzzy, the grown ducklings from the "Baby Ducks" painting. I placed them standing on our (somewhat fragmented) cement sidewalk. I started out with blocking in the stone and duck colors, adding shading around the ducks' necks and feet. The shape came out pretty well, it seemed to come naturally to me. I also tried to keep more unity in the grass as I painted it, creating clumps of dark and light rather than individual brush strokes. I'd say it's coming along pretty well!

Baby Ducks

Artist's Gallery

Snuggly Duckies

 Which are cuter: chicks or ducklings? In our house that would be a debated question. But when my sister got three little ducklings, there was no question they were cute! Of course, after I got done with my chicks, she wanted a painting of her "babies" too. She certainly didn't lack photographs of them for me to use as references. I did this painting in almost one sitting, I think. I used what I'd learned on the chicks and kept the litter color smooth and uniform. The duckling "fur" was hard to mimic, but they look pretty soft. The yellow one's name is Daffodil; it's a Pekin that grows to nine pounds (imagine that!). And the little brown one (no, it's not a platypus) is either Fuzzy or Silky--we had two identical brown duckies. They are Khaki Campbells, champion egg layers in the duck world, and about half as small as the Pekins.