About

The Face Behind This Account

Hi Everyone, and welcome to our blog. My name is Melanie, and I am the Duck Mom and the face behind this pet duck blog.

I grew up on a small homestead with ducks, chickens, rabbits, cats, and dogs. After I grew up and left my nest, I didn’t have the opportunity to have any larger animals for quite some time. Apartments are just not the right place for them. But a couple of years ago, Duck Dad (no, not DuckDad official) and I bought a house with a nice little backyard. That meant that I could have animals again. And since I am passionate about ducks, we started our small backyard flock in 2021.

How It Started

It all started with Emma, Hertha, and Schnatterinchen. They were shipped to us as day-old ducklings, and we raised them as pets. They are like children to us.

Later, we added Penny, Simon, and Ronja. They are all rescues. The latest addition to our family is Krümel. We found her as a day-old duckling and raised her. She is imprinted on us and a part-time house duck. She spends the days outside with the other ducks and the nights with us inside the house.

More About Me

And if you now wonder why some of our ducks have German names, Duck Dad and I are originally from Germany. We moved to Texas almost a decade ago.

You might be wondering what brought me to the U.S. By training, I’m a scientist—a chemist, to be exact. I moved here after earning my PhD to pursue a postdoctoral position, eager to explore the field of Biomedical Engineering and apply my knowledge of chemistry and materials. Originally, it was meant to be a temporary stay… but that was over a decade ago! Along the way, I became a college professor, but one thing has never changed—my passion for ducks.

Being a scientist means I have an insatiable curiosity, especially when it comes to topics I truly love. That’s why I dive deep into research, reading everything I can find about ducks—from care and health to diseases—pulling insights from scientific publications, avian veterinary books, and beyond. This is why you will often find references to these sources at the end of my articles.

When I first started my journey with ducks, I spent a lot of time researching before even bringing them home. I wanted to do everything right. Back then, good resources were hard to come by, and reliable information about duck care was sparse. It took quite a bit of digging to find trustworthy sources. But once again, scientific articles proved invaluable—even then, they helped fill in the gaps and guide me along the way.

Why this blog?

I started an Instagram account for our ducks because I didn’t want to spam my personal account with cute duck pictures. I wanted to share our adventures with family and friends. Little did I know that ducks are so popular and that this account would grow so quickly. More and more people started to follow our daily duck adventures, and we became part of their lives. Within one year, we grew to almost 25K followers. That is still unbelievable.

We were positively surprised to find such a great and caring duck community on Instagram. So many other duck owners and rescuers would always engage in conversations and help with questions and issues. Thank you, Instagram family! You are amazing.

Since I got the same questions about ducks, duck care, and raising ducks on Instagram, I decided to start this blog as a resource page for our fellow duck friends.

This blog shares everything I’ve learned about ducks over the years. Based on our own experiences and my research. We focus on pet ducks and small backyard flocks, helping others provide the best care for their feathered friends.

I also started our YouTube channel at about the same time. Some things are just easier to visualize when you see them. And some people prefer to see a video instead of reading a blog post.

Well…that is our story. We hope this page is helpful for you, whether you are a newbie or an experienced duck owner.

Do you have any questions? Comments? Do you want us to share a specific topic? Or have a business inquiry? Reach out to us!

Disclaimer

While I’m passionate about sharing my experiences with ducks, I’m not a veterinarian. While I can offer insights based on what I’ve learned along the way, every duck is unique, and their needs can vary.

Remember, when it comes to your duck’s health, there’s no substitute for professional guidance. If your duck shows signs of illness or you’re unsure about something, seek veterinary care right away. Their expertise can ensure your duck gets the best possible treatment.