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In This Issue...
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Majestic & HRC at Petco |
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Animal Matters |
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Lucy and Elijah |
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Sanctuary Progress |
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Volunteers Needed |
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Joseph's Dreamcoat |
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Majestic Ducks |
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Pet Ducks and Geese |
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Reader Poll #3
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Majestic Ducks |
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 Just
in time for Easter, we are selling Majestic Ducks --
complete with jeweled regal crowns! All proceeds from the
sale of these Majestic Ducks go directly towards the
sanctuary and care of the waterfowl.
These little
Majestic Ducks fit right into the palm of your hand! They
make wonderful gifts and are a delightful addition to a
child's Easter basket.
These 3-1/2”
tall ducks are very reasonably priced at $10.00 per box of
six. Each box contains six ducks in six cheery colors:
Ruby Red, Champagne, Sea Green, Royal
Blue, Bubble Gum, and Grape
These little
Majestic ducks will be available for purchase all year round
as well as at our live demonstrations and fundraisers.
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Ducks in Diapers?!
By her own admission Nancy
Townsend is hard to insult. This is not at all surprising
considering she calls herself Mother Goose and walks
diaper-wearing ducks and geese on a leash. Dressed as the
fairy-tale character, with her duck and goose sporting
coordinated fabric diaper holders, she's one of the more
well-known free spirits in Arizona.
Nancy didn't set out to
become famous for inventing the world's only known fowl
diaper harness. All she wanted to do was bring her pet duck
inside to live with the family, a circumstance that would
require some kind of diapering system. After many hits and
misses, if you get the drift, she applied for a patent on a
comfortable harness that not only allows a ten second diaper
change but also provides a convenient leash attachment.
Nancy has made it possible
to keep ducks and geese as house pets, a passion shared by
an amazing number of like-minded people.
According to Mother Goose,
ducks are environmentally sound pets, eating bad bugs and
leaving the good ones to do their jobs. They'll do your yard
work by killing weeds, fertilizing, and keeping your grass
and plants healthy. They don't need shelter, never complain
about the weather, are free of disease, provide 20% of their
own food and can even provide some of yours. (We're talking
duck eggs, here, not the ducks.)
On top of all that, ducks
are smart, learning skills and routines in just two to three
days. Training requires no discipline, no commands, no
orders, and no rewards. Highly social and affectionate, they
just want to please. When reared from birth, they imprint on
humans and, according to Nancy, 'expect to wear clothes and
sit on chairs like everyone else. Treat them like well
behaved children from a foreign country who do not speak the
language', she says, 'and they'll be quite happy.'
Cricket the Duck and Maggie
and Mimi Goose are Nancy's constant companions, becoming
concerned if she's away for more than four hours. Her
incredibly tolerant husband, Alan, joins her for their
public appearances dressed as - who else? - Father Goose.
They all have quite a wardrobe, dressing appropriately for
the season and holidays.
Partial article reprinted
from
Eccentric America: Your
guide to all that's weird and wacky in the USA.
For More Information...
If you are interested in
learning about keeping a duck or goose as a house pet, you
can find more information at the following websites:
Nancy Townsend has written
a book entitled, "Duck!
There's a Goose in the House!" This book
describes the personalities of ducks and geese, how to
diaper them, basic care, the various breeds, etc. It is an
absolute must for someone interested in having a duck or a
goose as a house pet.
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Reader
Poll #3 |
Question: Do you
think ducks and geese make good house pets?
Results of Reader
Poll#2:
Should
ducklings be hatched out in schools for educational
purposes?
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Yes
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No
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Unsure
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Contact
Us |
Majestic Waterfowl
Sanctuary
17 Barker Road
Lebanon, CT 06249
directorATmajesticwaterfowl.org
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Our Newsletter |
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The Majestic Monthly is published 12 times per year. Back
issues can be obtained online from our
Newsletter Archives. |
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Majestic
Waterfowl Sanctuary & House Rabbit Connection Team Up at PETCO
 In
an effort to educate
the public
about responsible pet
ownership at Easter time, we combined efforts with House Rabbit
Connection (HRC) and appeared together at PETCO for two February
events.
A couple of HRC’s house
rabbits along with our Pekin drake, Young Matthew, were tremendously
successful in drawing folks over to say hello, chat with us, and
learn a few things about responsible pet ownership.
Young Matthew has been a
member of our family since his duckling days. He is very calm,
friendly, and personable, so he was the perfect choice for the
occasion. We decided it was not a good idea to bring a rescued
duck to the event because their lives need to be kept as calm and
routine as possible.
Matthew truly rose to
the occasion of greeting our guests. He softened the hearts of all
who came with his happiness and willingness to hug everyone. He is
quite a flirt when it comes to the ladies! He also proved to enjoy
his star status, and anytime there was a break in guests, he raised
his head up high and quacked for more company. Matthew’s eagerness
to hug visitors and appraise their jewelry was rewarded with plenty
of lettuce.
 We
gave out free gold crowns to visiting children and sold plush
Majestic Ducks to raise funds for the sanctuary. Our informational
flyers and brochures were made available along with a poster
depicting a life-sized two day-old duckling side-by-side with a
life-sized two month-old adult duck. The poster’s caption, "Do I
fit into your life?" sums up the dilemma that too many ducks and
geese face within a month or two of being acquired.
Majestic to Appear on
Animal Matters
Majestic’s
Kim and Anthony Link will be appearing on local cable show, “Animal
Matters," [website]
a public access television show that discusses animal rights and
humane education issues. The goal of this episode will be to educate
viewers about waterfowl abandonment and school hatching programs as
well as to reach out for much-needed local volunteers.
Lucy Chooses a Companion
In
January, we received an email from our friend Bob Tarte (author of
Enslaved by Ducks). Bob had
received an email from a woman named Gini who had a few matchmaking
questions regarding her Pekin hen "Lucy." Bob, thinking quickly,
directed her our way. After chatting via email and phone, Gini and
her husband David decided to bring Lucy to us so
she could personally choose her drake. Now that’s one spoiled duck!
We first introduced
Lucy to our drake Viggo, who made it clear he only had eyes for his
beloved Liv. However, Lucy hit it off with Jonah and Elijah equally
well so the burden of choosing Lucy's mate fell on her owners. After
talking things over and sitting with each drake multiple times, they
chose Elijah.
We have heard that
Elijah is doing very well in his new home and that both he and Lucy
are getting along fabulously.
Progress Report: Our New
Sanctuary
January
and February have been very busy months for us here at the
Sanctuary. In addition to our pre-Easter educational efforts,
rescues and adoptions, we have been making great strides towards
breaking ground on the new sanctuary.
The land has
been cleared of trees and brush, and the new enclosure will measure
approximately 35 x 72 feet. It will be entirely fenced in, including
underneath, keeping digging predators at bay. The ceiling will be
comprised of a high-impact, weather and snow resistant aviary net.
Best of all, we will be digging out a stream-fed pond inside of the
enclosure. The pond will measure approximately 25 x 25 feet and will
have a cement basin. We have received initial approval from the DEP
and are currently filing for an Inland Water Permit through the town
of Lebanon.
Once we have
our permit, we are hoping to locate someone willing to donate their
time and equipment to do the actual bulldozing/back-hoeing. If you
have equipment that can handle wet ground conditions and you are
willing to excavate a small pond and level the sanctuary ground,
please contact us at
directorATmajesticwaterfowl.org.
Volunteers Needed!
Equipment is urgently
needed to excavate the pond for the new sanctuary, so that more
ducks and geese can come into our care. We need this sanctuary built
before the seasonal drop-offs begin. With an early Easter this year,
we believe we will begin to see drop-offs on ponds as early as
Memorial Day weekend.
Pro-bono legal
assistance and bookkeeping assistance are also needed to both answer
tax questions and to file forms for our non-profit, 501 (C) 3
status.
Joseph's Dreamcoat
Caroline,
a waterfowl rescuer, contacted us because she had a Pekin drake in her care in desperate need of sanctuary. The drake
had been dropped off in a pond before a blizzard and was
found wet, shivering, sick, and starving. We told Caroline that we
would gladly take him into our care.
Upon seeing the
drake, our hearts immediately went out to him. He was underweight,
had damaged feathers that had lost their waterproof effectiveness, a
terrible limp, and worst of all, someone had cut off most of his
primary wing feathers—right down to the pinfeathers.
We immediately named
the drake after the biblical Joseph, who lost his dream coat,
but whose dreams came true in the end. We gave him a day to rest and
get accustomed to his new surroundings and then we brought him
inside for a warm bath.
Joseph was so
emaciated that he had trouble staying afloat in water, so we had to
drain the tub enough for him to be able to put his feet down. After
two refills of the tub, he cleaned himself up and was looking much
better. We drained the tub, put towels down for him and then used a
blow drier to help him get dry. Over the course of the next two
weeks Joseph took three more baths.
 Over
time, his feather quality improved so much that he looked like a
completely different duck. He has gone through a partial molt and is
re-growing new wing feathers by the minute! Overall improvement in
his feather condition will not come until he completes a full molt,
but that will be coming soon. In the meantime, he is eating plenty
of Mazuri food, drinking fresh water, and enjoying a generous daily
handful of spring lettuce—which he loves!
Joseph is now able to
stand up for long lengths of time, has become quite vocal with us,
and is allowing us to pet him. As if that weren’t enough, he is also
beginning to take small steps around his enclosure—a true indication
that his strength is returning.
We look forward to
watching Joseph continue his recovery in our care over the coming
months. The true reward will come when we are able to release him
into his loving new home where he will be spoiled and adored for the
rest of his life. The Huffmans of Kentucky have graciously agreed to
adopt Joseph when he is ready. He will join their two Pekin hens,
Qwaka and Fiona (featured in our February 2005 newsletter) this
June.
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