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Ducks!

April 29, 2009

Apart from our flock of magnificent Buff Orpingtons plus one Old English Game Bantams, the Kitchen Garden is also home to a motley crew of mixed village ducks. It’s a springtime territory that’s fiercely fought over, judging by the squawking, quarreling, battling drakes and their poor put-upon ladies. One black and white cross call duck has a particular place in my heart and a regular nestsite under the yew hedge. On Easter Sunday she hatched a brood of 15 and two weeks on, they’re all doing well.

Like huge bumblebees they patrol the lawn for midges, watched at a distance by their drake, a handsome multi-coloured youngster. Lovely little fluffies, but as large flat-footed adults, their presence in the garden is not so welcome. Some domestic ducks, especially Khaki Campbells lay an egg a day, and are more prolific than the best laying breeds of hen. We have a Campbell cross who brings in her brood and three weeks later, leaves them here for me to babysit as she flies off to lay again - somewhere in a tree across the fields. So I’m unable to take advantage of this huge bounty.

Duck eggs have a porous shell so don’t keep as well as hens’ eggs. Their whites are lacking a particular protein so they can’t be beaten. So no souffles or meringues, but they are excellent in omlettes and quiches, having a rich creamy consistency. I love a pale blue really fresh boiled duck egg for breakfast. In order to keep ducks for eggs, buy domestic laying breeds and keep them in a run with plenty of space and a nice big pond. Access to an orchard or paddock, once they have settled is ideal, because they are not the best co-gardeners - apart from their addiction to slugs and snails.

Their only drawback is that they are huge time-wasters.