Fudge and Martha......

Fudge, Martha and Willie are often the center of attention at our farm. I stated briefly that Fudge and Martha had a story all their own and they do. To begin with, we bought Fudge and Martha together about 11 months ago.  They were from the same clutch and grew up together, yet they have their differences daily.  Little do you know, Martha is really a Michael!  We were told that Martha was a female when we purchased them.  Two months later we definitely knew Martha was not a female.

They free range from sunrise to sunset only to go into their home at night.  Even then Fudge is determined to chase Martha into her section of the pen. We have eight Muscovy females which Martha needless to say is not allowed near according to Fudge.  If you are an owner of Muscovy ducks you know mating season lasts from January to October.  Since that time we have seen nothing but Fudge chasing Martha as Martha attempts to "rendezvous" with any of the other females. Pip and Goose seem to be his favorites and you would swear Fudge does nothing but keep watch all day long.  

We can be anywhere on the farm and know Fudge is chasing Martha simply by hearing Willie do his clucking and crowing, which is quite often.  If you are any where near the birds when you hear this, you might just get a sneak peak at Willie doing his "chicken dance", hear the slapping of duck feet as Martha runs from Fudge, and then see Fudge do his spread eagle once he feels Martha is far enough away from the girls!  There has never been a fight between the two of them. Fudge is simply claiming what he feels is his! Not saying that Martha never gets to "rendezvous" but Fudge makes sure it is few and far between.