NEW Adoption
Packets!
We would like to thank
Mazuri and Nutrena for sending us some wonderful goodies for
our 2011 adoption packets!
In a continued attempt
to encourage our new families to proceed with excellent
dietary options, our adoption packets will now include these
goodies, which include money-saving COUPONS!
Mazuri and Nutrena have
both provided coupons for our adopting families. Each family
will receive one $3.00 Mazuri and one $5.00 Nutrena coupon
for each duck or goose adopted from us. This should help get
your new family members off to a great start!
In addition, duck adopters will be given
the opportunity to purchase a copy of
The
Ultimate Pet Duck Guidebook onsite
at our sanctuary on adoption day for only $29.99*!
And... Goose adopters will be given
the opportunity to purchase a copy of
The Ultimate Pet Goose Guidebook
onsite at our sanctuary on adoption day for
only only $29.99**!
Adopt both ducks & geese from
Majestic and get $5.00 off each title!
*Offer valid after adoption
applications have been signed by both parties (Majestic &
Adopter). Limit ONE copy of each title
per adopting family. Offer ends 12/31/2011.
**Subject to availability--Adopters
are advised to let us know their book purchasing plans prior to
their Adoption day to help ensure titles are on hand.
Donate-a-Watermelon!
Summer is here and what better way to
help our rescues beat the heat than by donating a delicious,
chilled watermelon!
Make a $10.00
Donation
and we'll purchase enough watermelon to share among every
member of our rescued flock. Be sure to type:
"Watermelon!" in the
Comments field.
As a thank you, we'll email you photos
of some of our feathered friends enjoying the special treat
that YOU provided for them!
Making a
Donation Commitment
Would you like to make donations to
Majestic Waterfowl Sanctuary on a regular basis?
To help make things simpler, we've set up the following options for automatic Paypal
Donations:
$10.00 per month for 12 months
$25.00 per month for 12 months
$40.00 per month
for 12 months
$50.00 per month for 12 months
$25.00 per quarter for 1 year
$50.00 per quarter for 1 year
$100.00 per quarter for 1 year
Click
Here to make a regular commitment to help our
rescues today!
Your
donations help geese like Duran "Moon" get the help they
deserve...
Muscovy
Ducks & Their Bright Faces
Muscovy ducks have
beautiful red masks around their eyes and the edges of their
bill. Carnicles on drakes are more profound (and
become increasingly so with age) and often extend partially
down their necks.
During periods of
calmness their otherwise bright red carnicles can fade in
color. This is especially witnessed around the eyes and at
the peaks of their carnicles--especially on the tip of the
distinguishing carnicle that lies directly over the bill of
a Muscovy drake.
Color changes can be as subtle as a mild wash-out (from red to a reddish-pink) or as obvious as a color change
(from red to peach, or from peach to slightly yellow). And then, as soon as they are
excited again, they flush red with color once more!
Bright red carnicles
are often witnessed in the spring during the mating season.
Broody hens can appear much brighter than non-laying or
older hens, but then when they actually start nesting on
their eggs, their blood will divert from their faces down to
their bellies to incubate their eggs. When this happens,
their faces pale in comparison.
Muscovy ducks often
brighten-up (literally!) at the sight of a potential
mate or, in the case of drakes, a competitor. Imprinted
Muscovies will often perk up in color when their human
caretaker appears on the scene. This subtle flash of red is
often overlooked in light of the myriad of vocalizations
that tend to draw away the attention of even the most astute
pet owner.
Pet owners usually
don't notice these slight color changes until they become
more obvious--when their duck's face "suddenly" appears darker or
lighter than usual. In most cases, owners have simply
overlooked gradual changes until they became significant
enough to capture their attention.
Provided that these
changes are relatively symmetrical and are not sudden
or extreme, it is all perfectly normal. Even leg and bill
colors can change in accordance with these adjustments in
blood flow.
Things to
remember:
-
Color changes occur
in maturing birds. Faces change from yellow, to pink, to red
as the ducks age.
-
Color changes are not
drastic by any means and should be underwhelming as
opposed to overwhelming. While slight flushes in color may
be seen during greeting displays, overall changes normally
occur over the course of weeks or seasons.
-
Color changes should be
symmetrical. This is true of the bill and legs as well. Left
and right legs should match in color. If one leg color is
different from the other, a vet visit is definitely in
order.
-
Sudden color changes
that coincide with environmental changes, such as: extreme
temperatures or exposure to sun, should be taken very
seriously and vet care should be immediately enlisted.
-
Changes in color should
be relatively subtle with the most obvious changes occurring at
the start (March) and end (September) of the mating season.
Seasonal changes of this sort are most notable in females--who darken to red when they
become broody and then fade to pinkish-yellow as they begin to nest.
In
the height of the mating season Billy is a deep, bright red
In the midst of winter Dutch's red face is a bit faded
and has a mild yellow glow.
Duck House
Donations!
Once again, we want to thank all of our
Duck House Donors! Thank you: Lisa, Tom & Deb,
Gary, Julie, Shyoko & Aryeh, Deborah, Patricia, Anne, Wendy,
Caroline, Laura, Michele, Mom & Dad. Because of your
thoughtfulness & generosity, our ducks all have nice, safe
roofs over their heads again.
Each of the twelve duck houses has been
custom-fitted with a little ramp and removable linoleum
flooring for greater ease in cleaning. Custom slide-in-place
doors will also be added to each house in plenty of time for
the
colder weather.
Rilo poses in front of
one of our newly donated duck houses!
Engraved Name Plates!
We would like to share photos of the
twelve name plates that have been mounted on each one of our
donated duck houses:
March
2012 UPDATE: These
"outdoor" dog houses turned out to have VERY
poorly constructed roofs and sadly did not last
long. The roofs are hollow inside AND the rear
overhang doesn't clear enough of the house to
prevent interior rotting around the hinges.
Within 1 YEAR of owning these houses, the roofs
were literally crumbling away. Calls to the
company were unproductive who said they were
outside of the warranty period.
We have since built our
own beautiful replacement roofs of much-improved
solid design and with a few inches of overhang
to prevent interior rotting around the hinge
hardware.
***WE DO
NOT RECOMMEND THESE HOUSES!
New
Adoption Packets!
