July 9, 2017

The Life and Times of Chippy The Duck (2017 Grow-A-Long)

The Life and Times of Chippy The Duck (2017 Grow-A-Long)

Week 1 (7/7/2017 – 7/13/2017)
Chippy officially hatched on Friday, the 7th of July. She was given water supplemented with electrolytes and niacin, and provided unmedicated organic (no special reason, was the only feed the store had) chick starter/grower.

Exploring everything by using her bill. Just like a puppy.

On day 3, I let Chippy outside for a little bit because the outside temperature was 80+. She seemed to really enjoy exploring but would come back to sit by my feet if she got cold.

Chased after the big ducks who panicked and ran. I imagined they were saying “NOT MY KID! NOT MY KID! DON’T YOU PUT THIS EVIL ON ME.”

My other ducks ignored her until she started chasing them (she’s not imprinted on us and flock instinct is strong) and my older ducks, oddly, ran away from her. They screamed bloody murder as if a ghost was after them! I ended up taking Chippy back inside.

On Day 4 I moved her into the larger brooder since she was physically fit enough to run around with all the space (I kept her in the small tank on the counter for observation at first, especially since she had to learn how to walk.) She started to jump and at one point was hanging off the side of the small tank so she was definitely ready for the big brooder.

We gave her an old infant toy that had a mirror on it so she wouldn’t be too lonely, and my daughter gave her a stuffed Daisy Duck toy she has.

Chippy took right to the mirror and it will help her recognize that she is, in fact, a duck and provide her some company for a few weeks until she is old enough to stay with the bigger ducks.

At the end of Week 1, on Day 7, Chippy is almost double the size she was when she hatched. Her egg tooth fell off, and she is SUPER FLUFFY. Her down is tightly packed to give them the appearance of a puff ball and to keep them warm.

Clean bill. No more egg tooth. My parents thought it was an injury when they first saw it.

Like most muscovies, she does not enjoy being pet or touched from the top. Their prey instinct is really strong and they don’t like anything coming on to them from above. She seems somewhat amenable to getting scratches under her chin, but it’s not something she thoroughly enjoys.

Unlike mallards, muscovies have claws. Sharp claws. You can be cut if you’re not careful with them, even at this age

She’s not imprinted on any one of us, but will follow us as a herd/flock instinct. While most ducklings would recognize their mothers by sight and sound, unfortunately, muscovies do not seem to adapt that to human parents the way mallards and geese do.

 

She will run after any moving thing, sometimes getting confused if more than one of us are moving around in the room. The bigger, the better! She will choose my daughter if she’s the only thing available, come after me if it’s between me and my daughter, and then after my husband if the choice is down to the two of us.

 

7/18/2017 – It’s with a sad news that I update everyone on Chippy, who was killed after a raccoon ripped through the wire mesh around her outdoor crate late this afternoon. RIP Chippy.

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Filed Under: backyard poultry, chippy, ducklings, ducks, muscovy