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| Name: |
Elfert
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Age: |
Nine months old
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| Gender: |
Male
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Kind: |
Crested Rouen Duck
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| Home: |
Tampa Bay, Florida, USA
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Elfert
is a very special duck to our family. I wanted to have a very special
summer "project" for my children to experience. I researched everything I
could about ducks, incubation, habitat, breeds, etc. I ordered the egg from
Ebay and when it arrived our summer experiment began. My children and I
watched and cared for the egg every day doing everything by the book. They
were able to see inside the egg with a flashlight and watch the growth and
development as Elfert grew. Hatchday came and went and four days after he was due
to hatch, out came Elfert.
As a duckling, Elfert wanted to be held all of the time! If he was put in his
brooder, he would cry. So for most of his ducklinghood, he was carried
around. Now that he is nine months old, he is very possessive of his yard! He
doesn't want you breathing his air. He likes to bite feet! He will stand
guard at the gate and will attack anyone who enters. He chases squirrels and
cats. He tries to climb trees. He thinks he is a cat because he was raised
around them. He has never seen another duck. He is feisty and ornery. He
has all the luxuries he can have with a built in kiddie pool with a deck, a
walk in coop with a club house. He's spoiled, and has a family that loves him.
Everyone asks about Elfert's head. There are a lot of ducks that can be
crested, mostly Pekins. Elfert is a crested Rouen. A Rouen is a cross
between a Pekin and a Mallard. In Florida, Mallards are on the "watched" list
so they are illegal to have as pets, but a Rouen is acceptable even though
they look like mallards, they are not. They are built like Pekins but look
like Mallards. The poof on his head has been there since the day he hatched.
We really didn't know what kind of duck we were hatching until he came out so
it was quite a surprise to see a tiny duck with an afro. His favorite toy was
a G.I. JOE so they were quite a pair. It was the only thing that would keep him
happy when we weren't home. I have also included one picture of him sleeping
with our cat, Cinnamon.
Elfert loves the rain and runs around the yard dancing and hopping around...
thunder, not so much. He loves his pool! He's in it most of the day. He
loves when we chop up salad and throw it in his water. That's his favorite!
Otherwise, he eats chicken scratch which is just corn, seeds and grain from
the feed store. He also eats earth worms, slugs, palmetto bugs, and any nasty
creepy crawly my kids find. No bread, but sometimes he gets Cheerios.
Even though he has turned into quite a defensive, foot-biting, attack duck, we
love him dearly and we think he is funny and beautiful.
View more amazing images of Elfert!
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