If one has been to Memphis, Tenn., you might have seen the famous Peabody ducks. They are a riot to see. In Forney, the Forney ducks are just as much fun. There is a nice flood retention pond there which is a part of Mustang Creek. This happens to be across the street from my sister Rozie and brother-in-law Mark’s home. They have become the official caretakers of these quacksters.
A number of duck eggs were found in my sister and brother-in-law’s front yard. They were Peking or white ducks. These ducks were hatched and raised literally by Mother Goose! Mom later flew off somewhere. She left a note for Mark and Rozie to take care of her little ones.
There are basically three kinds of ducks in the pond. The Mallards are the ones with the beautiful green and gold heads. The Peking ducks are the large white ducks. Even larger ducks, sometimes mistaken for turkeys, are called Muscovy ducks. The Muscovy ducks do not quack. The first time I met one of them, my brother-in-law busted a gut laughing. You see, these guys make an unnerving hissing noise. One of them ran right at me and made this noise. Believe me, one does not expect a duck to sound like a snake! Mark told me, “He doesn’t like you, watch it!” I later found out that was their way of quacking. Thanks, Mark!
My brother-in-law’s neighbor Dennis also helps take care of the ducks. I’m told some of the ducks came from the Richardson animal shelter.
Please don’t feed ducks bread stuffs. Feed them scratch grain or cracked corn. They make a special feed for them also.
Unfortunately, Daisy and Darla were killed by a predator. They, along with Donald, were among the originals. (Donald said he had his differences with his old boss Walt Disney!) Since then, Greyboy, Blackie and Daffy have joined “the group.”
Children and their parents learn about these ducks. Mark or my sister Rozie tell them about these ducks. The ducks are like family to them. My brother-in-law said, “I even call the ugly one ‘Mark’ after you!” When I told him that his name was Mark also, he decided that wasn’t such a good name.
The white ones are sort of bratty. They remind me of my niece! When their food is put out for them, the white ones will shoo the others away. “Go get your own,” they seem to quack. Donald will peck on the window if he’s hungry. My brother-in-law’s cats do not like that since they are house cats and they don’t see ducks often. Donald must have thought “What’s their problem? Haven’t they seen a handsome duck?”
If the garage door is open, they’ll walk right in, sit right down, and proceed to eat the scraps of food off the floor. They are real quacks — well, except the ones that hiss.
—————
Mark Fleischer is a Daily Sun columnist.
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