Roma (the goose), Mandrake (the male duck), and one of his Ladies (we call the ladies the 3 busybodies).
This was the question of the day. How do you tell if the ducks are too fat? Sue mentioned that she wondered if they were because they were having difficulty getting over the curb, but as I watched them this afternoon, I thought that it might be more that the dirt inside the coop area has become quite compacted lately. Still – how do you tell if the ducks are fat? I have no idea… so I did a little bit of research online. There’s not a great deal of information out there about how to tell if your duck is too fat or not. If you pick them up a lot, you’re supposed to be able to feel for their “keel” and if you can’t feel it, then they are too fat. We don’t pick up our ducks a whole lot, only if they are injured, it makes them a bit stressed out when we try. How else can you tell?
Welsh Harlequin Standard Female in 3/4 Left (if given in stage direction)
Some of the places I looked said that you don’t really need to worry too much about it if you’re ducks are not kept in cages. If they are allowed to range and forage, they will probably not have a weight problem. I’m hoping that’s the case with ours. They are outside all day and are always the last ones to go in at night. They are always playing in the water or the mud, so I
One of our Busybodies in 1/4 Right
hope they are getting enough exercise. Recently, they have found out that they like the hot grains and veggies that is set out in the mornings and the corn scratch that we throw out to everyone in the afternoons. They still have to compete with the chickens for everything, so they can’t just gorge…. Yet, the question remains. Are they too fat? Well, since some things I read talked about the “standard” I searched photos for breed standards for Welsh Harlequins and found several. Then I compared them to photos that I took of ours this afternoon. The photo I took of our female shows a bit more breast, so you can’t get the exact same look, but it is very close. I think they look pretty good! Tell me what you think. We’ll keep an eye on them for pudginess and, if we have an occasion to pick them up, we’ll feel for the keel and just make sure they aren’t getting too many treats! You know we’ll tell you if they are. Until then, as always~
Thanks for reading!
Today’s Weather: Well… it was beautiful. 72° when I was on my way home from work. Right now, the temperature is 57°, but it feels much colder than that out there.
Egg Report: Yesterday (Thursday) we had another slow day 1 duck egg – thank you – and 7 chicken eggs. Today we had 1 duck egg – thank you, again – and 8 chicken eggs.
Wing and a Prayer 