Thelma & Lou’s Story
In September 2023, we welcomed our first ever Muscovy ducks to the flock here – Thelma and Lou.
Why are they called “Muscovy”? Well, although “Muscovy” is what the area around today’s Moscow was referred to back in the day, these ducks are not native there. They are actually native to places like the Rio Grande Valley here in Texas.
How did they get to Rowdy Girl?
Read Danielle’s story below. Children love animals and often bring them home impulsively, like Danielle’s little boy did.
Three day old ducks are yellow, fuzzy and adorable. Danielle couldn’t resist them and soon they became Thelma and Louise. Until Louise turned out to be male, so he became Lou.
Then circumstances changed as they often do. Danielle had to find her feathered friends a new home.
Thelma died unexpectedly soon after they settled into quarantine here. We had a necropsy done and it revealed she had yolk peritonitis, a deadly condition caused by the egg yolk entering the bloodstream.
Because of factory farm practices like selective breeding that puts profit over animal welfare, the animals we welcome can suddenly develop conditions like Thelma’s.
Thelma and Lou’s story as told by Danielle:
“Thelma and Lou weren’t in my plans. My son impulsively brought them home to me when they were just three days old. I knew nothing about ducks—at the time, I didn’t even know what type of ducks they were. But once they were in my hands, I knew they were staying. I read everything I could to learn about raising and housing ducks.
As they grew, they started developing personalities. Thelma, named after my beautiful, kind-spirited friend I worked with in India, was a sweet-natured little girl who absolutely loved finding worms and sitting next to me on the porch. Louise, whose name we later shortened to Lou after discovering he was male, followed me everywhere while I performed chores and talked to me constantly. He’s the only living creature that enjoyed my singing.
Circumstances changed, and we had to relocate to San Antonio from out of state, making it impossible to bring them with us. I spent approximately six months searching for a new home for them. When I reached out to Renee, she was so gracious and allowed me to visit before I made a decision. While surrendering them both was a hard and heartbreaking decision, I don’t think I could have placed them in better care or handpicked a better place than Rowdy Girl.”