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In This Issue...
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Pet
Rock Festival 2005 |
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One Year Anniversary |
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Our Webmaster |
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Kentucky Rescue |
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Your Medicine Cabinet |
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Hardware Disease |
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Our Wish List |
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Duck Characteristics |
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Get to know your predators:
Norway or Brown rat |
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All about
Sebastopol Geese |
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Recommended Reading:
Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks |
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Reader Poll #10
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Get to Know
Your Predators: Norway or Brown Rat
If you see one, there are
probably a few dozen more hiding in the shadows . . .
Norway Rats are prolific
breeders. They can have up to 14 young every 21 days,
and they are able to reproduce within 2 months of their
birth. They live an average of 12 months. They can fit
through an opening the size of a quarter and leap three
feet into the air and climb walls. Rats can kill small
ducklings and harass larger ducks as well. They eat eggs
and spread diseases, so it is wise to control these
pests.
It is nearly impossible to
build a rat-proof enclosure. They will literally burrow
under and around enclosures, barns and cement slabs and
chew their way through buildings to get at stored grain.
They will literally tear down the barn around your
waterfowl.
Every effort should be
made to exterminate them the instant they are found on
the premises. Be sure they cannot gain access to your
waterfowl grain; metal containers are your best bet for
storing grain and avoiding contamination.
Predators are usually
incapable of keeping a rat’s numbers in check. There are
many opinions regarding the best way to kill a rat, but
keep in mind, they are fast learners. If you do not wipe
out the entire colony quickly, the survivors will learn
to avoid your traps.
A non-recommended common
strategy is to cut off their food supply. This can prove
to be extremely difficult since a hungry and determined
rat will work that much harder at breaking and entering
into any food establishment in the vicinity, which
results in property damage. The theory is that as the
food supply dwindles, the stronger rats in the colony
will kill and eat the younger and weaker ones until
there is only one survivor remaining. The reason this
method is not recommended in the presence of waterfowl
is that a starving rat is more likely to turn on your
feathered friends.
Carbon monoxide smoke
bombs placed into burrows that are then sealed closed
(from all entry points) are an excellent means to wiping
out an entire colony. Continue with this tactic until no
more holes are found and the telltale signs of the
rodents are completely gone.
All about
Sebastopol Geese
Sebastopol geese have been
called "pantomime geese" because of their fancy
feathers. They have a frizzle feather mutation which causes
the shaft of the feather to split and curl, giving the birds
a fluffy appearance.
Sebastopol geese are very
quiet and friendly. The breed originated originated in
Europe along the Danube River and around the Black Sea. The
American Poultry Association recognized the breed in 1938.
The Sebastopol is readily
identified by its feathers. Long, curling feathers drape
elegantly from its wings, body and tail. Both males and
females have pure white feathers that contrast with their
bright blue eyes and orange bills and feet. Juveniles often
have traces of gray. There are also gray and buff color
varieties.
Sebastopols are
medium-sized geese. When mature, males weigh 12-14 pounds
and the females 10-12 pounds. The plumage of the head and
upper two-thirds of the neck is normal, while that of the
breast and underbody is elongated and well-curled. The soft,
fluffy feathers of the back, wings and tail have flexible
shafts, are attractively spiraled, and are sometimes so long
that they nearly touch the ground!
To keep Sebastopols looking
good, clean water for swimming should be made available.
While Sebastopols are hardy and are being raised
successfully in cold climates, it is a good idea to provide
more protection during wet, cold, and windy weather than
normally afforded other breeds, as their loose fitting
feathers do not provide as much warmth, nor do they shed
water as well.
Some of the information above was
obtained from:
American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC)
Recommended
Reading*
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Ordering
information |
Storey's Guide to
Raising Ducks
By Dave Holderread
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For
our full recommended reading list, click
here. If you order from
Amazon.com by way of our web site, Majestic receives a
portion of the proceeds! |
Book Description
This book includes
information on selection, housing, space requirements,
breeding and hatching techniques, feeding, behavior, and
health concerns and remedies for illness. The authors were
chosen not only for their expertise but also for their
ability to explain the ins and outs of animal husbandry in
an inviting and authoritative manner.
Whether readers are ready
to start an entire flock or are considering purchasing their
first animal,
Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks
is an indispensable reference and is jam-packed with
information available nowhere else.
Note: This book
contains sections on butchering as well as duck recipes. We
suggest of course that you disregard those chapters and
focus on the rest of the book as it is truly an
indispensable tool for all duck owners.
Reader Poll #10
Question: Which book
on waterfowl do you most often use/refer to?
Results of Reader
Poll #9 What brand
of feed do you give your waterfowl?
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Purina |
33% |
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Mazuri |
33% |
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Blue Seal |
17% |
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Other |
17% |
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Contact Us
Majestic Waterfowl
Sanctuary
17 Barker Road
Lebanon, CT 06249
director@majesticwaterfowl.org
Our Newsletter
The Majestic Monthly is published 12 times per year. Back
issues can be obtained online from our
Newsletter Archives.
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From L-R:
Shy, Nervous, and Vocal |
Pet Rock
Festival 2005
We
dare say Majestic and
our ducks
were the hit of Pet Rock!
We entered Elijah in the adoptable pet parade and pulled him along
in a red Radio Flyer wagon.
 We
distributed informational brochures, sold all of our plush Majestic
ducks, and gave away paper crowns to the kids. Our royal subjects
were everywhere!
People were
surprised to learn that domestic ducks and geese do not fly and
cannot escape the ponds they are abandoned to. Getting that message
out to a few thousand visitors is one of the best ways to help our
endeavor to prevent waterfowl drop offs.
Young Matthew and
Elijah slept all the way home, but immediately quacked up a storm
upon being reunited with their flock. We could hear them telling
their flock mates about their adventures as we closed the barn door
after tucking them in for the night.
We would like to
sincerely thank Karen of
Cathy’s Rottweiler Rescue and
Paula and Tom of the
House Rabbit Connection for
volunteering their assistance at our booth when the crowd was at its
peak.
One Year Anniversary!
 As
we reflect on our first year anniversary, we review the goals we had
set for ourselves and set our new goals for the coming year.
With the help from
our volunteers, Lew and Bill, we became incorporated in May of 2005
and were approved for tax exemption in September. With our tax
exemption approved, we plan to seek out corporate funding to expand
our sanctuary and build even more enclosures for ducks and geese in
need of shelter.
We poured the cement
walls and pond basin for our new sanctuary and have raised enough
funds to order our fence supplies and put up our perimeter fencing.
We will continue to raise funds to purchase an aviary netting to
complete the new sanctuary. When the sanctuary is complete, we are
looking forward to our Grand Opening!
We have assembled a
respectable waterfowl Vet Finder on our site. The New England states
are complete and we plan to expand this listing westward over the
course of the next year.
We were surprised to
discover how many families were in need of advice and information on
how to care for their waterfowl over the past 12 months. For this
reason, we plan to increase our role as educators over the next year
by completing a guidebook with the answers to the most frequently
asked questions regarding waterfowl care. We also plan to continue
to appear at pet stores and pet events to make ourselves available
to the public.
Most importantly, we
have listed nearly 40 ducks on our site for adoption and placed 27
of them into wonderful and loving new homes. We have also helped
find homes for a handful of ducks and geese that were residing at
Nevins Farm Sanctuary in Massachusetts. We have said hello and
good-bye to many birds over the course of the last year, farewells
that were both bitter and sweet. We look forward to another year of
rescuing and finding homes for even more of these abandoned animals.
It has been an added blessing to make so many new friends through
our endeavor, and we thank all of you for your kindness and support.
You are all an inspiration, and we look forward to another wonderful
year together.
Our Webmaster
As
we come upon our first year anniversary, we begin to reflect on the
near 40 ducks that we've helped find homes for in the last 12
months. We have made some very good friends along the way and would
like to thank all of them. We especially want to take a minute and
stop to thank our Webmaster, Abby Garcia.
Abby volunteered to
build our website a year ago when we first began our rescuing
endeavor and felt we were in way over our heads. She stuck by us and
helped guide us through some difficult and trying decisions. She has
proved to be an invaluable member of our team and a true resource of
information. We simply could not have done so much and helped so
many without her involvement in this project.
Although we reside on
opposite coasts, Abby keeps in contact with us on a near daily
basis. She tirelessly updates and keeps our website current. She
puts together all of our articles and photos and arranges them into
our monthly newsletters along with a few articles of her own. She
maintains our e-list and formats and forwards our messages out to
the group, so that everyone is up-to-date regarding our progress. In
addition to a myriad of unbelievable tasks, including web site
design (and our beautiful banner!) and maintenance, she created all
of the forms on the site, compiled most of the links, and helped us
put together a gorgeous brochure.
Abby is an amazing
and generous person, and she makes sure important and helpful
information is available to everyone who visits our site. She is our
invisible partner who helps you ask us questions and get responses
by ensuring that the site is functioning properly.
Thank you, Abby, for
being on our team and doing so much for the ducks and geese out
there who need our help! Thank you also for everything you have done
for us, through such a trying year -- you are so appreciated! We
look forward to many more wonderful years of rescuing together!
Kentucky Rescue
A journey to Kentucky to
visit Jonah, Joseph and Fiona in their new home with Qwaka was more
than just a social visit. It was wonderful to see these ducks
enjoying one another’s company in their gorgeous predator-proof
enclosure, and escorted swims to their pond. Visits are not only
about ducks adopted, but also about ducks in need of rescue.
We
would like to thank the Huffmans for their assistance in rescuing
three hens abandoned to a local Kentucky pond, dangerously close to
an intersection. The three girls have joined the Huffman flock and
the Huffman’s have decided to join our volunteer flock. Their photo
and bios have been added to our
staff listing.
A Well-Stocked Medicine
Cabinet
In
addition to having a pet carrier on hand and a vet on call, be sure
to stock your medicine cabinet with these invaluable emergency
items:
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A blood
coagulant in case of a feather break emergency. |
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A reel of gauze
tape in case of a foot, leg or wing injury. |
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A little tin of
Bag Balm in case the need of a bill or foot treatment arises
(use Bag Balm very sparingly or your duck can spread it to
their feathers causing them to become laden with the balm,
which can prove detrimental to their waterproof
effectiveness). |
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An antiseptic
wash. |
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A bottle of
hydrogen peroxide. |
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A spray bottle
to put the prepared hydrogen peroxide/water solution into
for misting and washing out any boo-boos to help stave off
infection (always follow the preparation instructions on the
hydrogen peroxide bottle). |
Always consult your vet immediately in the case of an emergency or
accident!
Hardware Disease
Ducks
and geese are highly prone to Hardware Disease. It is one of the
number one killers of pet waterfowl. Shiny objects appeal to ducks
and geese and invite investigation. They ingest these tid-bits
completely unaware that they may have just sealed their fate.
Screws, nuts, bolts,
nails, staples, bits of wire, hooks, coins, pins, shreds of aluminum
foil, jewelry--these are just some examples of items that can end up
inside your pet's body, seeping into their bloodstream. This
poisoning is known as Hardware Disease.
Although there are
symptoms, but the time they appear, it tends to be too late to help
your duck.
If your
duck displays any of these symptoms, take them to the vet
immediately for an x-ray and blood test to check for traces of
metal.
Although
Hardware Disease is extremely difficult to treat, it is entirely
preventable. Make weekly inspections of your waterfowl enclosures,
barns and pools. Search for and remove any small metal objects that
can be picked up by your ducks.
In
addition to visual inspections, we highly recommend that grounds be
periodically swept with a metal detector. This is especially
relevant when any building or maintenance projects are underway or
have been completed. Sweep any area your ducks have access to as
well as any outer-lying property (to avoid objects being tracked or
washed in). Avoid visitors entering your your duck pens with
jewelry--earrings and pendants can be deadly if dropped.
Do not
run lawn mowers, weed-wackers or chainsaws in the vicinity of your
ducks. These power tools can toss metal bits and objects right
through your fencing and into your pens.
Have You Seen Our Wish
List?
Our
Wish List contains items we regularly need such as feed, hay,
cement, wood, fencing materials, hoses, and heavy duty equipment.
Stop by
www.majesticwaterfowl.org/wishlist.htm
for a "look see." If you can help with any items on the list,
please
contact us!
Duck Characteristics
We
have new icons on our adoption page to help potential adopters get
to know the ducks and geese in need of homes. To see the new
descriptors, view the
Adoption Profiles. |
