Losing Rune...

As many of you know, Rune came to us with a missing eye, taken out by a rooster.

While her original surgery went extremely well, her follow-up appointments revealed the need for additional ocular surgery. A second operation became necessary and this procedure revealed further ocular infection. The area was successfully cleared, but when it came time to turn off her anesthesia, her heart stopped and she did not come back to us.

Rune's ashes will be returned to our sanctuary where she will be set down to rest. We want to thank all of our supporters for helping us give her every chance possible for a new life. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work out the way we would have hoped.

Rune enjoyed a couple of months of joy at our sanctuary. She made some nice friends (especially with Mercy-Lulu and LeeLoo), gained some healthy weight, sprouted new waterproof feathers and swam happily on our big pond. She will never be forgotten.

The Dangers of Keeping Ducks and Roosters Together

In light of recent emails, which have rolled into our inbox regarding serious eye injuries among mixed flocks, and our own little Rune coming to us with a serious eye injury inflicted by a rooster, we wanted to discuss the topic of keeping ducks and chickens together in the same pen.

While chickens make great pets, it really isn't the best idea to pen them together with your relatively defenseless ducks--especially during the mating season (March - August) when drakes and roosters tend to be even more hyped up than usual.

Chickens often aim for the eyes when involved in any kind of dispute, and this is especially true of roosters. The rounded bills of waterfowl are no match for the sharp beak of a chicken. Serious, and often, blinding injuries (including poked-in eyes) are, unfortunately, not uncommon.

When a duck loses an eye (or both eyes... which happened to someone's drake just a few weeks ago) they need immediate vet treatment to prevent an infection from festering--especially so close to their brain. Pain medication, antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications are commonly needed to help a duck through such a traumatic experience.

When required, eye surgery is often costly and complex and the risk from anesthesia is always high in waterfowl who have a diving instinct and a tendancy to hold their breath.

Prevention is the key when it comes to protecting the delicate eyes of your ducks from a what could amount to a blinding poke from a chicken. Even if your flocks have been mixed together for years, it does not ensure that this kind of accident won't take place out in your pen.

Please be very careful to protect the eyes of your ducks from the bills of your chickens, so they can enjoy their vision for a lifetime.

Vionate Vitamin Powder

We are still looking for Vionex vitamin powder donations for our rescues.

If you would like to donate a canister of Vionate to our sanctuary, please click on the above image and have it shipped to:   MWS, 17 Barker Road, Lebanon CT  06249

Please be sure to email us and let us know of your donation, so we can confirm when it arrives and thank you properly!

Striking Water!

Now that we have our newly-drilled well in place, it's time to install our sanctuary's well system! An excavator will be arriving soon to dig the piping trench from the well site over to our Courtyard pond, which will act as our holding tank.

This new system will automatically trigger the well pump to kick on whenever the water level drops in our main pond. Protective measures will be in put in place to prevent any backflow and to prevent the pump from turning on if the well ever runs dry.

We want to thank everyone who donated to make this incredible feat possible. You have truly saved our sanctuary--thank you, all, so very, very much!

We will continue to post photos and videos of all of this exciting work as it happens on our Facebook pages.

Budget Update: 

As you know, we raised $10,000 for our sanctuary's Water Restoration Project.

Our drilling estimate fell between $4000-$6000, and we are pleased to announce that even at a depth of 325 feet, our bill was a very reasonable $4465.

The estimate for our SS Frankling electric pump (1.5 hp, 7 gpm), piping and wire protection down to 400 feet is $2400.

The estimate for our piping, pump protector and auto fill system is  $1100.

Our excavation estimate is:  $1200

The electrical connection, running from the barn to the corner of Smidge's Gardens has come to $190 so far (we did this work ourselves).

These numbers currently put us at a total of $9355.

Majestic Waterfowl Sanctuary makes no representation, warranty, or guarantee in connection with any guidance provided on this website. Majestic Waterfowl Sanctuary expressly disclaims any liability or responsibility for loss or damage resulting from its use or for the violation of any federal, state or municipal law or regulation with which such guidance may conflict. Any guidance is general in nature. In addition, the assistance of a qualified professional should be enlisted to address any specific circumstances.

© Majestic Waterfowl Sanctuary 2017