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The Month in Photos!
Tony on the roof of Louisville
Elijah "Squints" struts his stuff!
China & Chan
flirting...
My, Jack, what a BIG
bill you have!
Our forlorn hero...
Ali...
Majestic Newcomers
Asaru & Tiwana
Captain Jack & Miss Swan
If you are a loving
family and have a predator proof pen, please consider adopting! Click here to fill out our
online adoption
application.
If you can’t adopt, please consider sponsoring
by visiting our
sponsor page.
Recommended
Reading*
Bird Songs
Product
Description
Drawing from
the collection of the world-renowned Macaulay Library at Cornell Lab
of Ornithology, Bird Songs presents the most notable North
American birds in stunning new format.
This AUDIO
and picture book will not only assist you in identifying bird calls
in your own back yard, but it also makes for a
fun enrichment activity for your flock--our geese in particular love
this book!
There are
250 recorded North American bird calls featured. We love to press
the button and play pre-recorded vocalizations of featured waterfowl
and song birds to our flock. Their reactions are priceless!
This book
also helped us identify some of the predatory bird calls in our
area--letting us know exactly which species of owls we were hearing
in the trees above our pens.
Click
here
to order.
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* |
For
our full recommended reading list, click
here. If you order from
Amazon by way of our website, Majestic receives a
portion of the proceeds! |
Contact Us
Majestic Waterfowl
Sanctuary
17 Barker Road
Lebanon, CT 06249
directorATmajesticwaterfowl.org
Our Newsletter
The Majestic Monthly is published 12 times per year.
Previous issues are available in our
Archives.
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Follicular Cyst
On rare occasions you may notice something
that appears to be an abscess on your waterfowl, but actually is
not. We recently had this come up at our sanctuary and wanted to
share what we learned with our readers. The abscess itself was
located on Jezebel’s hindquarters. Our vet drained what we all
believed was an abscess. This was done three times over the
course of three weeks. She was placed on a daily dose of 22 mg
of Baytril throughout the course of treatment—a safe and general
antibiotic.
Over the course of the three weeks, the
hard knot reduced in size from that of an egg to that of a
marble—nice improvement. The liquid drawn from the area was
slightly yellow, but clear and uninfected, and Jezebel’s
behavior remained normal—no changes in appetite, activity or
temperament.
Behavioral changes or thick, yellow
liquid with a creamy or pasty consistency is a warning sign of
infection. If they appear, your vet will most likely recommend
immediate surgery.
When the hard formation would not shrink
any further, surgery was done to clean out any infected tissue.
We were surprised to discover that Jezebel did not have an
abscess at all; in fact, what she had was a follicular cyst.
In short, a follicular cyst is when a
feather follicle is facing the wrong way and the feather is
aimed and grows inside of the bird’s body instead of outside.
The tiny vestigial feathers would grow, break off and then form
into a knot around the follicle. Later, a new feather would grow
and do the same.
The vet removed a mass of these tiny
feathers embedded into a small fatty ball. He also removed the
feather follicle to prevent the problem from re-occurring.
Follicular cysts are more commonly seen in the wings of birds,
rarely on their body. Jezebel’s surgery was much more invasive
than wing surgery and the vet had to come particularly close to
her intestinal lining. He had to check the lining carefully to
be sure that it had not torn or damaged during the operation.
Jezebel came home the same day and in
good spirits. She was kept in very clean quarters with a
dividing fence keeping the other ducks away from her during her
recovery. We gently sprayed the area twice daily with a 25%
hydrogen peroxide to 75% water solution (stored at room
temperature) using a misting bottle. Her daily dose of 22 mg Baytril
continued for another two weeks and then she returned to the vet for
a follow up visit and to have her stitches removed.
Sophie B.
Hawkins & Ducks
A different kind of duck story...
It was a Saturday morning, and we had a
two-duck rescue scheduled in Seymour CT. The rescue was complete
within minutes, thanks to our new kayak and Rita & Joe. We were exhilarated.
We were also exhausted. By 1:00 p.m. we were releasing Asaru & Tiwana
from their pet carrier and safely into West Wing.
The next steps entailed precursory
medical exams, taking photos,
updating the website, getting cleaned up, and at long last--having
something to eat. Then I was immediately off to see
Sophie B. Hawkins performing at the Ridgefield Playhouse.
The show was phenomenal. I've never
heard so much voice coming from one person. Afterwards,
I had the opportunity to meet Sophie. Being a friend of animals,
I asked her to sign a t-shirt for Majestic to raise funds for our
sanctuary. Her eyes snapped on mine and she said, "Oh my God, I
just rescued a whole family of ducks on Saturday! A mother and
her babies. "
What a funny thing... to discover that
Sophie and I were fellow duck rescuers. We talked for a minute about what we do and she
invited me to revisit her website to read the story of her
adventure removing a wild duck and her ducklings from traffic.
"Isn't it funny how you meet people and just connect on that
level," she smiled.
Click here to read
Sophie's Duck Rescue
story,
which is entitled: "What I did last Saturday night..."
We have in our possession an XL red t-shirt signed by Sophie
B. Hawkins that reads: "For Majestic Waterfowl Sanctuary!
Long live the ducks!!!" along with Sophie's signature.
A great holiday gift for the duck-lover in your family. Stay
tuned for auction information!
Feeding The Flock
We have a lot of ducks and
geese at our sanctuary and more coming in weekly. Our Majestic
flock is currently consuming two bags of Mazuri feed every week.
Each 50 lb. bag of Mazuri costs us $30.00.
Donate funds for a bag of
food today! Click
Donate and help make a
difference.
A King Dethroned
Ali & Chan have long been
the center of careful attention here at Majestic. They were the
first geese we ever rescued and were foes to be feared. It was
vital to keep our other drakes and ganders cautiously out of their way--on
opposite sides of the fence.
Time and relaxation have
slowly transformed this testy pair. The warning bellows through
the fences have long since subsided. And so, we decided to let
Ali & Chan through the gate, into Abby's Goose run, to see how
they would fare with Bowie, China Girl, Angelo and Tutter.
A brief and chaperoned
confrontation ensued between Ali and the kind and gentle
Bowie, and then... as suddenly as it began, it was over. Ali was
dethroned. Bowie took control of the newly formed gaggle. Chan
and China Girl instantly exchanged glances and Bowie didn't seem
to mind that his girl was strolling down flirtation path with
another gander (until Spring that is).
Ali is mending an ego, but
happily grazing out in greener pastures with his new flock
mates. And his faithful companion Chan has been leaving China
Girl's side frequently enough to assure him that they are still
best friends.
Winter Hay
Donations
It is time for winter hay
donations! If you live nearby and you or anyone you know can
donate hay, please contact us at
director.
Please remember, hay cannot
contain poison ivy, thorns or be old or contain mildew.
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Follicular Cyst
