Quack Quack

Technically, Muscovy ducks don't quack, they hiss. But Quack, Quack seems a much better title than Hiss, Hiss.

Today, as I entered the laundry room after a few hours into my shift, I noticed a duckling attempting to get inside. He was agitated and he was in a very unlikely location, far from the courtyard through a section that is overgrown with thick bushes. So he was either lost or running away from something.

I opened the door and quickly scooped him up and hugged him tightly as I raced through the cattery to get back to the main courtyard. I set him down in the courtyard and pet him on the head and headed back to the cattery. But he quickly followed me and stuck very close. So I sat down next him and he immediately hopped into my lap and nuzzled his beak into my arm. So, of course, I instantly fell in love. I sat there with him for about 15 minutes in the middle of the courtyard filled with goats, deer, ducks and geese. Then I walked around and he followed me. I went near the other muscovy ducks and Martin reluctantly followed me, but it was clear they weren’t going to socialize.

Eventually I went back into the cattery and finished my work. I visited him on the way out and I texted Caroline to tell her about him and ask her what we could do to make him more comfortable. It turns out Martin was unable to walk when we was born so Caroline had to separate him so he could have space and room to learn how to walk. He walks fine now, but he wasn’t able to reunite with his family, and he isn’t socializing well with the other ducks in the courtyard. So we put him in the duck aviary room and after about two weeks he has finally made friends with two other Muscovy ducks.

I visit him often and he gives me nuzzles and tail wags. Muscovy ducks wag their tails to communicate. It's great to see Martin with his two friends wagging their tails and bobbing their heads. Martin's baby, downy feathers are gone now and he has grown into a healthy, beautiful duck.