Comments on: Following Mocha: Life Lessons from a Duck

By: Andrew

Andrew — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 04:32:40 +0000

Great post…I love the lessons. One of our main mottos here on LTD is “Do what you can with what you have where you are”. Ducks are simple and complex and it’s amazing when you let a creature into your heart what you can learn and feel.

By: To Live and Let Die | Small Farm Life

To Live and Let Die | Small Farm Life — Sat, 01 May 2010 13:57:53 +0000

[...] to Two Mile. I’ve written of the death of two of my favorite ducks: Gilbert and later Mocha. In the big scheme of pet-dom, ducks may not seem like much, but they were my pets and they were [...]

By: She wrote: “Merry effin’ Christmas” | Small Farm Life

She wrote: “Merry effin’ Christmas” | Small Farm Life — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 16:01:15 +0000

[...] we’d move on to the duck pen, to feed the 9 ducks and let them out to wander to the pond. In tribute to the Clement Clarke Moore poem, we could call them by name, “On Liberace, On [...]

By: Geeka

Geeka — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 12:39:21 +0000

This reminded me of a story from a few years ago. One of the ducks on the rivers were I live, was injured: it had an arrow though it’s neck. The other ducks knew that the duck was in pain, and valiantly ‘protected’ the arrow duck from the rescue workers that were trying to help this duck. It took them about a week to manage to get the duck without being injured by the other ducks.

Ducks are definitely ‘family’ animals.

By: FlippyO

FlippyO — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 07:42:27 +0000

I read Mocha’s story with one of our foster cats in my lap. This foster weighs about five billion pounds (okay, maybe about 25lbs, when the rest of cats are about 10lbs, so it just feels like five billion pounds) and he seemed to know that the reading of this story required his cuddling since this is the first time he’s ever sat quietly in my lap without squirming and trying to walk on my keyboard.

I’m sorry for your loss of Mocha, she was a special little duck. We often have some strange and special animals show up in our lives. We currently have two new rescues, one considered feral and untouchable to both the shelter and the lame ass vet’s office who didn’t even finish giving him all of his shots because they were “afraid” of him. Our vet’s office had no trouble handling him, even though he was afraid and hissed. He never bit anyone. Yesterday, I took a nap cuddled up with this “ferocious” beast that was deemed unadoptable. Yes, he’s still sick and gaining his strength, but someday he’s going to be a great pet for someone who takes the time to love him for who he is. The shelter mocked everyone (it was the effort of dozens of people from all over the country) who tried to adopt him and his10 year old, almost toothless, compatriot. (It was buy one, get one free day or something, so we picked the oldest and saddest) Through the effort of many people, two cats were saved that many deemed worthless. Yes, they’re more difficult than the cute little kittens who don’t need any extra work, but there’s something special about our unique little dudes. They don’t necessarily have all of their teeth, one of them has more toes than normal, one of them has an odd sunken-in face, the “vicious” feral cat LOOOOOVES being wiped down with unscented wet wipes. Not a washcloth, not a paper towel, but wet wipes make him purr like it’s the greatest thing on earth to have a wet wipe rubbed on your body.

Thanks for your story about Mocha. I’m sorry for your loss, but glad that you were able to appreciate her uniqueness. I’m also glad that you were able to adopt Lori’s ducks to make sure they had a new home where they’re appreciated as much as they were in their old home.

By: Fritz Nordengren

Fritz Nordengren — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:13:06 +0000

Hi Matt, Yes, I eat the duck’s eggs, I now have 9 ducks, 5 were laying, including Mocha, and so now 4 are laying but as I mentioned, a small egg yesterday suggests one of the younger ducks is beginning to lay. One or two — maybe three of the 9 are drakes – males. I should know for sure in a month or so.

Duck eggs can be larger than chicken eggs, and most people describe the taste as “richer”. They have slightly more body, and the uncooked whites are thicker than chicken eggs. Chefs suggest they are ideal for baking, but around here, they are a general purpose egg. My chickens are beginning to lay, 3 of the 4 are laying now. The ducks are more consistent layers, but as the chickens mature, I expect them to catch up.

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 20:00:46 +0000

I’m sorry to hear about your little friend.

Your comment about “collecting” the duck eggs intruiged me. I assume you are eating them…so how do you prepare them and how do they taste?

By: Catherine

Catherine — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:04:48 +0000

beautiful entry – Mocha’s story is a beacon for all of us