Recently in Silver Appleyard Ducks Category

Last sunday afternoon we went out to find one of my ducks was injured. Shelooked muddy from the rains but I didn't think much of it at first. My more closely I observed her I began to notice things not right. Feathers stuck to her neck. A bubbly eye on one side and eye missing on the other. WTF???????????

I snatched her up and went running for the hose to wash her down and inspect. I called for Steve as I could not see her eye under yellow gunk so my first instinct was to cull her. The more I washed the more I saw.

I brought her to the house and three tubs of water later she was finally clean. We kept washing her eye until I could see her eyeball was intact under there and it was a lot of discharge.

The best we can figure is that she poked her head through the chainlink fence and something tried to nab her during the night. :(

Her eye is bruised and swollen but it is clean in this photo. I couldn't get it clean but I kept her in the warm bath over and hour and with her splash and preening herself she managed to get her eye fairly clean.

In this photo you can see the damage to her neck. Steve thinks she just got caught int he fence. If you ask me it looks like a racoon reached in from the wat the injury on the neck is. It it had been the fencing it would have pulled up or down her neck no across.

I treated her injuries simply by keeping them clean and dry. The eye issued where treated with a terramycin eye ointment. Just to give her a boost to make sure other issues did not develop as she kept clearing her nairs repeatedly she has had a dose of baytril injectable. So far so good. Her eye is improving and a couple more days of intensive care and she will return to the duck yard.

Isn't she pretty? She is a Silver Appleyard. She hasn't laid any eggs since I have had her in Angie's Animal Asylum and Infirmary which is a good thing. It means her bodily resources are diverted to healing the injuries.

I am thinking I should have a degree in poultry sciences.

My Silver Appleyard ducks are starting to lay eggs.

Lots of eggs! They are fabulous to cook with.

Saturday for supper we had Duck Egg Belgian Waffles.

3 duck eggs

Separated. Look at those rich orangey yolks.

1 1/2 cups milk
5 tbsp butter
3 duck eggs yolks

Beat well.

2 cups of flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Sifted.

Add sifted ingredients to the wet mix

Put the duck egg whites into a clean bowl.

Beat until stiff.

Fold the beaten egg whites into the batter mix.

Take your time. You want to keep the air in the batter.

Using a 1/4 cup measure I pour the batter on to a hot waffle iron. Close the lid gentley.

A few minutes later I open the lid.

Add butter and syrup while piping hot.

Supper anyone?