In mid August our 5 month old Magpie Duck Echo died. We woke up and found her stretched out in the water tub. No clue what happened, however she was quite a nibbler.... Maybe it was something she ate....oOO! I really loved that duck, and so did Tango our white Bantam Silky.
I am so sorry. She is beautiful.
Thanks Catscan she really was a character!
She died on a Saturday, and the next day I thought about Tango and how she liked to snuggle with Echo. She would not do to be alone after having such a close friend. So the following Monday I was at the feed store and they happened to have some chicks for sale. They were Barred Rock Chickens. I decided to buy 2 of them and bring them home to keep Tango company....
Enter Ruby and Tessla....
i am so glad you foudn her some compnay. though nothing can really repolace an adorable duck... she has that sweet look in her eye.
Little did I know how wonderful a mother Tango would be, but all her best instincts clicked in....
Not the best pic here, but she is checking the 2 of them out very carefully....
oh, she is gonna riase those chicks for you! you have made her one happy silkie!
Thanks TamaraFaye! Yep Echo was one of a kind, very sweet... and yep, looks like Tango will be a big help raising Ruby and Tessla... she has such fluffy warm feathers for them to tuck inside on the cool nights. My DH laughed wondering what she's going to do when they get really big, LOL!
btw Ruby is a hen and Tessla turns out to be a rooster... Oh boy! Won't my neighbors love that??
Here is a better shot of Tango with (DD) Jackie.....
Turns out Tango is amazingly maternal... She follows them around everywhere and they stick to her as well. She literally took the wee chicks under her wings... At night she snuggles one under each... I will have to get a pic of that this evening when I put them back inside the coop for the night. It is the most precious thing to watch this excellent little chicken mommy.
More to come,
Later,
Debnes
she is purfect!
Awww... Your darling Echo is beautiful.. I'm sorry for your loss.
Tango is a living doll... that is wonderful that she took to the babiez so quickly. She is probably much happier now too. A win win situation.. I love it when that happens!
So sorry to hear about your duck. She was such a stunner - that picture is great. No wonder you miss her so much - I sure would.
At the same time, it is exciting to see your 2 little ones and how well the silkie is taking to them. That's a whole new world for her, and certain to distract her from losing her little friend. What a sweet surrogate mommy bird she is. Hooray!
Thank you all so much for your kind words and everything...
I was able to snap a few more pics today to show her and the chicks a bit better...
This one is from this morning after I opened their coop. It was still cool so they went and huddled under an ole rose bush...
Having breakfast...
I kinda disturbed them when I was taking the pics, and they peeped out to see what all the flashing as about...
oh, my! are those marans? a cuckoo pullet and copper cockerel?
that hen reminds me of my childhood chicken. Sweetthing.
Feed store people said they are Barred Rocks. Tessla is mostly black with some red coming in on his chest and iridescent black on his back and wings. Ruby is checkered black and white.
Here she is attempting to collect them back under her wings, so she can get some sleep without worrying about them... See how big they are, and only 1 month old. They will be as big as her in a couple months!! LOL! This really should be something to watch. :-)
BRs i see... yes shold be fun to watch. soemone here had silkies rasing ducklings! and i had a pullet [6 weeks old] raising bantams AND barred rocks...
I am so glad I have you all here to ask questions. Certain to have plenty. My cousin just started raising Peacocks and I'm hoping she joins DG for the great support. I just told her about this place. :-)
DGers are the best peepers anywhere!
So very sorry to hear about Echo. I looooove duckers and I know how absolutely adorable they can be. Maybe the duck fairy will bless you with watery sprinkles.
Thank you patchouli! We have our hands full with these 3 for now... I need a bigger yard before I try to expand. Would love to have lots of Magpies again someday!
Echo and Tango when they were little babies...
Here they are again at about 2 months...
: )
What a cute couple they were! But Tango makes a cute mommy too....
tango wasnt even broody and she still raised them wow
Yeah, and being so new to this whole chicken raising thing, I don't understand what brooding is all about...LOL
When I was 9 living in Alvord, TX, we had several different kinds of chickens while we lived there a short time. Never got a chance to observe anything like this so closely. My parents kept them for food farming, so I couldn't get attached. In the last 20 years observing all sorts of wildlife, I have developed an more unfettered view of insects and animals. Whoever said we didn't come with an instruction manual? It's written all over the earth!
With all the chicken we consume and if 'we are what we eat', I think we would be a very compassionate people...
We, (I) have so much to learn.
