Last updated on June 28th, 2024 at 06:01 pm
My Name
My Name is Penny. I was named by my foster mom.
My Breed
I am an Ancona Duck. I am a rare, mid-size breed. Have you noticed my beautiful black and white color pattern? Not only my feathers but also my feet and beak are patterned. My breed is relatively rare, and you don’t see many of us. They say that I am a good dual-purpose breed, a good egg layer, and suitable for meat. But I am a pet, and no one will eat me, promised. There is a breed called Magpie that is similar but still a bit different.
My Journey
My journey began sometime in February of 2022. Simon and I were abandoned to die as babies. We were found scared and alone, dumped at a Dallas park at the age of about three weeks old. Luckily, some very kind humans found us as we ran out of the bushes toward them. They brought us to the Rogers Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, which is a 501c3 nonprofit wildlife rescue organization in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex specializing in the rescue and rehabilitation of injured, sick, and orphaned birds of all types. We were traumatized and had been mistreated by whatever humans owned us previously. Christin, who works with the rescue and runs the Duckling Hotel, took care of us for a couple of weeks. She is specialized in duckling care and rehabilitation of traumatized birds.
After we were ready, we were adopted by our new parents. That was on April 15, 2022.
That was quite an adventure. We met Hertha, Emma, and Schnatterinchen. We didn’t like each other very well initially, and it took about a month until we all became friends. Emma was quite a bully, and Hertha was also very distant and cold. Only Schnatterinchen was nice to me from the beginning. For the first few days, we slept inside the house with our new parents and got some playtime with the others. Then, we got our own area inside the coop that was separated from the rest with a small fence. That way, we could see each other without fighting. Now, we get all along well and don’t need any fences anymore.
What is my character like?
I am a very calm and nice duck. I am getting along with all the other ducks in my flock and usually make new friends easily. I do not like cuddles too much, but I am okay with it. I like flying insects and chasing them through the yard until I catch them. Simon is my best friend. But I am also very good friends with Ronja and Krümel. We small ducks need to stick together.
What is my favorite food?
Everything! There is probably nothing that I don’t like 🙂 I am always the first and the most excited one of us when we get something to eat. I even like insects a lot. Last summer, I was chasing cicadas and flies.
What else should you know about me?
I am a very good egg layer. I first started when I was about five months old. Since then, I have been laying one egg every day. Besides that, I also have some freckles on my beak, like Schnatterinchen. But since my bill has some black spots anyway, it is not so apparent. I am very easy to catch. When mom or dad wants to pick me up, I stop for a second before I go in reverse directly into their arms 🙂
