It was quite an experience last night ................
In over seven years of duck keeping we've never had a duck hell-bent on breeding. Ok, Gertie used to collect a few eggs in nests and Anabelle actually sat on her collection for a while, but neither was ever determined to remain sitting and defend her nest - Taffy is!
I came under attack from her last night when I removed her cover, the barbed wire, and then when I put as much of her nest as I could with her four eggs on a spade to transfer it all to the nest box in the hut. I would say she "bit" me, it certainly felt like that when she pecked me hard. All of a sudden little Taffy turned into a hissing virago, but 'hissing' does not describe it very well, there were no 'ss' in the sounds she made, the German "fauchende Furie" describes it so much better. "CCCHHHHCH" with threateningly opened beak she went for me time and again, pulling her little person up to a straight and unbelievable height.
She put a smile on my face again with that performance, and I wish her luck with her breeding although I can't really see it happening the way both drakes had been sitting weakly around since Saturday 14th.
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