Aflack and Geico

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Greetings you wonderful people who have been reading my pet biographies. :) I hope you are having yourself a great day.




Today, I've decided to tell you about my experience with two special ducks, Aflack (male, left) and Geico (female, right). These birds were Rouen Ducks (this breed is like a cousin to the Mallard) and I purchased them from a feed store as ducklings, just days old. In order for most poultry to be old enough to show the upcoming summer, they must be hatched by at least February. So, it was the dead of winter, and I had two ducks, among multiple chickens, in a cardboard box, in the computer room, under a heat lamp. What was that? Did I have to dust much? Much was an understatement. They stayed in the house for about five weeks, then I moved them to the garage when it began to warm up a bit and I thought they could handle it. Baby chicks always seemed to eat, sleep, eat, sleep, and eat some more, but ducklings...they got bored and would chirp their hearts out for attention. So, to solve this problem of chirping all night, at about 10 o'clock, I would fill up my bath tub with water, put Aflack and Geico in the tub, and watch them tire themselves out. They played, swam, dived, and played some more. After about 45 minutes, they would settle down, and cuddle in the corner of the tub. Then, I'd put them back in their box, and out like a light they went.


Aflack and Geico were two overly spoiled ducks. When I say overly, I mean they followed me and purred on my shoulder. Yes, purred; I would almost mistake them as one of the cats. When the weather was warmer, and the snow was long gone, I let them wander and have a kiddy pool. That Halloween, I dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood, and took Aflack and Geico to the nursing home and the residents absolutely loved them. They would purr and let the residents hold them. They never tried to flap their wings, nor did they have one "accident" (don't worry-they never had one in my bath tub either!) Aflack was by far a therapy duck. :) He would lay his head and gorgeous long green neck on a resident's shoulder and purr right in their ear. He loved his job, as well as his wifey Geico. He would chirp for her whenever she was out of his sight, as she would insist on quacking back (females are much more loud and outspoken).


Unfortunately, ducks do not have a very long life span, and they were like Johnny and June...after June passed away, John didn't live long without her love, and that's how Aflack was after Geico went first. I heard somewhere that ducks have the same mate their entire life, and when something happens to that mate, they do not get another, and now I completely believe it. (I secretly kind of envy the love those two had for one another).

I tried putting a mirror in Aflack's pen, but he just admired himself a little and didn't buy that it was another duck. I also bought two more ducks, hoping he'd take to one of them as a friend, but he was one depressed little fellow. I tried to keep him company as much as I could, and let him out to follow me occasionally while I did chores, but he just hung is head, and when his day came, it was very sad, to say the least, but I was glad he was out of his misery. These couple of love birds (literally) are now in Ducky Heaven, among the stars...you know, like Daffy Duck n' such.


I hope you enjoyed reading about my very loved and now very missed birds. :)


Have a great day,


Jess