Newsletter Issue #100!

Welcome to our one hundredth newsletter! That's over eight years of learning directly resulting from waterfowl rescue, rehabilitation and hands-on care!

We remember when we first began our rescue endeavor, back when Jezebel and Destiny duck first arrived with black calluses on the bottoms of their webbed feet. Back then there was no good place on the internet to figure out what was wrong with them or what to do.  Was that normal for ducks? Or was something the matter? We had no idea back then and wisely opted to take them to our vet for some expert advice and treatment. So many questions rose over the coming months, and frustrated by the lack of good information available online or in books, we knew there was a niche to be filled. It pained us to know that there had to be other duck and goose families out there who were as desperate as we were for information.

Majestic Waterfowl Sanctuary opened in 2004 with two goals in mind. First, to rescue abandoned domestic waterfowl and find them new homes and Second, to be a resource of FREE information for families that include waterfowl--ensuring  they have easy access to the best and most accurate information possible.

We hope we have met the needs of your duck and goose family and have helped you find the answers you needed during your moments of worry.

Duck-Duck-Goose Blue Ribbon Photo Contest!

It's that time of year again! Our 2013 Blue Ribbon Photo Contest is now open for submissions! Please review our guidelines by clicking Photo Contest Rules. This is a GREAT way to help fund our sanctuary rebuild while also having some fun!

Contest runs from April 1st, 2013 - June 15th, 2013 (12:00 Midnight EST). Winning photos will be featured in our upcoming July 2013 newsletter and also permanently displayed in our Majestic Winner's Circle!

We have NEW prize ribbons this year! 1st, 2nd & 3rd place ribbons will be awarded in each of our three categories: Most Photogenic, Most Comical & Most Mallard!

1st place Winners will receive gorgeous Blue & Gold, 4 tier circular ribbons with tops measuring 15 centimeters (6 inches) in diameter! Ribbons are detailed in Gold lettering with "Majestic Waterfowl Sanctuary" appearing above the "First." All of our ribbons are custom made with EXTRA long 54 cm (21 inch) tails!

2nd place Winners will receive amazing Red & Gold, 4 tier circular ribbons with tops measuring 15 centimeters (6 inches) in diameter! Ribbons are detailed in Gold lettering with "Majestic Waterfowl Sanctuary" appearing above the "Second." All of our ribbons are custom made with EXTRA long 54 cm (21 inch) tails!

3rd place Winners will receive fantastic White & Gold, 4 tier circular ribbons with tops measuring 15 centimeters (6 inches) in diameter! Ribbons are detailed in Gold lettering with "Majestic Waterfowl Sanctuary" appearing above the "Third." All of our ribbons are custom made with EXTRA long 54 cm (21 inch) tails!

In addition!!!

We will be awarding one President's Pick ribbon and one Honorable Mention ribbon!

The President's Pick winner (Finally... Kim gets to choose a winner!) will receive a colorful, 1 tier circular Rainbow ribbon with an orange-centered top measuring 13 centimeters (5 inches) in diameter! Ribbon is detailed in Gold lettering with "Majestic Waterfowl Sanctuary" appearing above "Well Done!" in the center. All of our ribbons are custom made with EXTRA long 28 cm (11 inch) tails!

The Honorable Mention winner will receive a colorful, 1 tier circular Rainbow ribbon with a yellow-centered top measuring 15 centimeters (5 inches) in diameter! Ribbon is detailed in Gold lettering with "Majestic Waterfowl Sanctuary" appearing above "Well Done!" in the center. All of our ribbons are custom made with EXTRA long 28 cm (11 inch) tails!

These GORGEOUS Ribbons are something you and your feathered friend can display proudly!

But that's not all! Our 1st place winners will also be awarded a personalized and framed Majestic Waterfowl Sanctuary Winner's Certificate!  

Our 2010 Most Comical Winner "Olga" poses with her Award!

Sponsor-A-Ribbon

Don't have a duck or goose, but still want to get in on this year's fun? Be a Ribbon Sponsor! Ribbon Sponsors can have their name or their business's name associated with a prize ribbon.

And for those of you who are entering photos in this year's contest, we have an anonymous panel of judges who have absolutely no access to any personal information regarding entrants or ribbon sponsors. This means you can enter your duck or goose's photo in the contest and sponsor a ribbon if you'd like. There's absolutely no chance of a conflict of interest.

Ribbon Sponsors will appear in our July 2013 "Winners" Newsletter:

1st Place!
Most Photogenic!
Puddles & Jeru
Submitted by: Kimberly Link

Blue Ribbon Sponsor:
Made Possible by the folks at Joxer Comix!

There are Nine Ribbon Sponsorships available. Ribbon Sponsorships will cover the cost of the prize ribbon, shipping it to the Winner as well as a healthy donation to our Majestic rescues (of course!).

2013 Sponsor-A-Ribbon

Most Photogenic Ribbon Sponsors:

1) Blue 1st Place Ribbon:  $25.00 (TAKEN!)
2) Red 2nd Place Ribbon:  $20.00 (TAKEN!)
3) White 3rd Place Ribbon:  $15.00 (TAKEN!)

Most Comical Ribbon Sponsors:

1) Blue 1st  Place Ribbon:  $25.00 (TAKEN!)
2) Red 2nd Place Ribbon:  $20.00 (TAKEN!)
3) White 3rd Place Ribbon:  $15.00 (TAKEN!)

Most Mallard Ribbon Sponsors:

1) Blue 1st Place Ribbon:   $25.00 (TAKEN!)
2) Red 2nd Place Ribbon:  $20.00 (TAKEN!)
3) White 3rd Place Ribbon:  $15.00 (TAKEN!)

You can Sponsor a 2013 Prize Ribbon by going to our Donate page. You can either donate using Paypal or you can print up our donation form and mail it to us along with your check made out in the appropriate amount.

In the comments section be sure to enter the name of the prize ribbon of your choice.  For example:  "Most Photogenic-2nd Place Ribbon."

Then type the EXACT name/message you would like to appear in our July 2013 newsletter featuring all of our winners (space limitations may apply).

This page will be continually updated as Ribbons are Sponsored!

Ribbons will be Sponsored on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please include your email address and phone number in case you happen to sponsor an already purchased Ribbon, in which case, we will contact you to select another Ribbon.

Mercy-Lulu's Dietary Weight Loss

Remember back in November of 2011 when we covered the story of Mercy-lulu's arrival and subsequent refusal to eat anything in our monthly newsletter? Well... you would never know this girl was once starving.

Since the fall of 2011 Mercy has slowly been packing on the pounds until it finally came to the point where we had to put a stop to it. Up until now all of our ducks and geese have had food available free-choice. The bowls are always kept full and fresh, so they can satisfy their hunger whenever they please. For the first time, the system was being abused and Mercy was the obvious culprit.

Worried that this chubby girl could no longer get her feet off the ground when she did her little hops of excitement, we opted to help her lose a few pounds. Before beginning her lean new diet, we brought her to the vet for a weigh-in and x-ray to ensure we were only dealing with fat. Some ducks will gain weight due to hidden tumors or other health problems. Mercy is a notorious soft egg-layer, so it was also important to make sure no internal laying issues were taking place (for more info, see our March newsletter article: "Peritonitis"). 

At 9.9 pounds, our vet revealed the good news that Mercy's only issue was her weight. He advised she lose 2 - 2.5 pounds in order to prevent joint issues in her legs, diabetes and renal disease. Since soft egg-laying can also be attributed to excess weight gain, it was also in Mercy's reproductive interests to trim down a dress size or two.

Although Mercy is overweight, her boyfriend Piper is not, so it was important to make sure he didn't lose any weight in conjunction with her new dietary plan, especially since Piper likes to politely allow Mercy first dibs at the feed dish.

The diet began by removing the ever-full bowl of Mazuri feed from Mercy and Piper's enclosure and delivering them carefully measured meals instead on a timed schedule. It was vital that both ducks still receive their daily fortified vitamins and minerals through their brand-name waterfowl feed; the goal was just to have them eat less of it, avoiding any excess.

A bowl of Mazuri was delivered three times a day in one bowl while a second bowl containing freshly chopped and shredded vegetables like:  cabbage, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes and lettuce was also presented. This second bowl of veggies was monitored carefully and kept full and fresh twenty-four hours a day, so the two ducks would never be hungry.

When fed exclusively, Mazuri recommends feeding 25-30 grams of their waterfowl feed for each kilogram that a bird weighs. Mercy's starting weight was approximately 4.5 kg. A 4.5 kg duck eating 25 grams of feed per kg amounts to a daily recommended intake of 112.5 grams of feed (approximately 1/2 cup).

While 1/2 cup of feed may be enough to meet Mercy's nutritional needs, we did not want to shock her system too drastically, or have her feel completely miserable, so we opted to offer her 1/2 cup of feed three times a day instead--working well above recommended minimums.

Once presented with her bowl of feed, Piper was offered a separate and "bottomless" bowl of feed of his own and allowed to eat as much of it as he wanted.

Piper (Left) and Mercy (Right)

Mercy lost her first pound in March, after one month of dieting, and she can once again get her feet off the ground when she greets us with excitement as we enter her pen with her food! While in the beginning she tended to gorge down all of her feed at mealtimes, she is now accustomed to the size of her timed meals and habitually leaves some of the food behind for later. At the same time, Piper is maintaining his healthy waistline and is also thriving on the timing of their new diet.

As long as her weight loss continues normally, rations will not be cut back further, but if she reaches a plateau, we will cut her meals back to a 1/3 of a cup three times a day until she drops to an ideal, vet-recommended weight. Once this goal has been met, her meals will be increased again to maintain her newly found healthy weight.

Mercy side view after one month of portion-controlled eating