Meet Bill

Today is your chance to get up close and personal with one of the biggest characters that lives on our homestead, Mr. Bill. He has one of the biggest personalities I have ever seen in a critter and his life here has been an interesting roller coaster of a ride. You see, Bill is one of the few critters here who wasn’t raised here from a baby. And let me tell you, that has made a world of difference in his behavior!

We got Bill because our little female duck Betty was starting to get to the age of needing more “attention” if ya know what I mean, then I was able to give her. It was time to find her a man!! So, sight unseen, knowing nothing about him, Bill was dropped off by a Facebook follower of our page who had waaaay to many drakes, aka boy ducks. By adopting Bill, we gave him the opportunity to skip the oven, and find happiness, or so we thought.

When Bill first got here he was very shy and very drab looking. He had NO idea what he was supposed to do as a drake. I mean NO idea. Being a “low drake” at his former home, he was not allowed by the more manly ducks to spend time with the girls. I figured with time and realizing he was the only boy, he would figure it out. Instead, it took him all of a few hours to jump our fence and run away. We found him down the road at the hardware store, heading in the direction he came from! Really Bill? We saved you from being dinner and you run away!?!?!

We returned Bill to the backyard and I tried very hard to make him feel at home. While he did stop trying to leave, he developed a big attitude. He was never handled in his two years of living, and we are a hands on kind of family. We like our critters to be friendly. It was going to take some tough love on our part to gentle him.

The joke on us was, that Bill thought we needed some tough love too to learn to leave him alone. One morning when I went out to let the critters out for the day, he flew out of his pen, straight into my face, and then ran up and over my head! A hairstyles Mr. Bill is not! But I wouldn’t give up on him, despite his attitude.

I must admit, I never say it coming….. Bill figured out how to be a drake, what a female duck was for, and that he could, ummm, start a family. Our little Betty was in heaven! So much so, she hid a nest of eggs and she and Bill became proud parents that first summer he joined us. And let me tell ya, Bill’s attitude changed again. He became the perfect mate and an amazing father!

Bill watched over his little family and loved leading them around the yard. Usually baby ducks stick close to mom, which ours did, but they would also cuddle up to Mr. Bill and follow him around while Betty would nap. And it wasn’t only his attitude that changed…….

Yes, this is Mr. Bill in both photos! It is amazing what just 6 months can do for a guy!!! He went from a drab looking drake who never got to hang out with the ladies, to a handsome fella with an amazing family. Their little herd of babies became teenagers and it was time to say goodbye. No one needs that much duck poo in their yard.

We did however keep one of their daughters, which we named Baby Girl. Mr. Bill is very good at watching over his little family and has even begun to alert the chickens if their is danger. 
But of course with spring arriving, Mr. Bill’s attitude has changed once again….. You see ducks don’t follow the same rules of mating as humans. Baby Girl might be his off spring, but she is also a potential mate. And now that he has two females, he is feeling like a BIG MAN. He protects his ladies with ever feather on his body. 
So what does that mean to us? Well, Mr. Bill doesn’t like his women folk being chase, which the littlest country kid has decided is the newest fun thing to do. He thinks it is a game when Mr. Bill chases him back.

I have tried to explain, with no luck, that when Mr. Bill puts his head to the ground, he isn’t playing. In fact, it means Mr. Bill has reached his limit for stupid behavior and is seconds away from kicking butt and taking names! A fact the littlest country kid was going to have to learn the hard way.

But even after being attacked, repeatedly, the littlest country kid still thinks it is all a game and wants to be Mr. Bill’s best friend. Poor Mr. Bill……

I am hoping once spring passes, and Betty stops trying to hide nests, that Mr. Bill will calm down a bit. He really has become quite a crazy duck lately going after anything that moves! He and I have had to have a heart to heart about the fact the bills are used for eating, not biting. And the littlest country kid and I have had to have a heart to heart that the ducks don’t like him and to leave them be.

It is hard to believe that Mr. Bill with his big personality and ever changing attitude has only been with us a year. And what a year it has been! From shy guy, to kicking butt, all while being a dad. And that guy who used to be totally scared of humans? Yeah, I have him literally eating out of my hand these days!


Don’t miss out on any of our duck adventures. Drama, suspense, and lots of cute duckling photos over on our Duck Tales section of our blog. 

24 thoughts on “Meet Bill

  1. Hi Mr. Bill!!! He is so so cute! These posts always put a big smile on my face 🙂

    Blessings,
    Edye | http://gracefulcoffee.wordpress.com

  2. I enjoyed this post. The littlest country kid cracks me up! Too funny.

    1. Thank goodness the littlest country kid is FINALLY learning to leave Mr. Bill in peace!

  3. Aaawww… Mr. Bill is so handsome! 'Love pic inside the car! 😉 Thank you for sharing this wonderful post at Tuesdays with a Twist! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures

  4. Oh I loved the Mr. Bill story. Glad he worked out. The pic in the toy car is adorable!
    You brought back fond memories. We lived on a farm in Mo. for a couple of years. We had ducks and babies. When we moved back to Texas I brought Peter back with us. He was a hoot. Thanks for the memories!

    1. I always tell hubby if we ever move, they are so coming with us. What kind of duck was Peter?

  5. Loved your story! We have 5 Rouen ducks. 2 adult female and 2 adult male. A month ago we were given a young duck. . Not sure if it's going to be male or femaless but we're wondering how everyone will get along. Right now they are separated so the big ones can't hurt the little one. I saw this on the Homesteader Hop.

    1. We put Betty in with our older male when she was just a little thing. He watched over her like a hawk! In fact he died protecting her and our chickens from a weasel. 🙁 I find ducks are a LOT less judgmental and mean then chickens when it comes to a new face in the flock.

  6. I loved your post, and Mr. Bill! Lol, thanks for sharing with us at the Homesteader hop!

  7. I really enjoyed this post and getting to meet your Mr Bill. He sounds like quite the duck! Thank you for sharing this glimpse into his world with us at the Hearth and Soul Hop.

  8. He's adorable, if a little feisty 😉

    https://carabossesarmoire.wordpress.com

  9. Love your story Mindie – I love ducks and frequently share photos of our neighborhood ducks on my Instagram feed!

    Congrats – you are one of our Featured Guests on this week's Inspire Me Monday party at Create With Joy! 🙂

  10. Mr. Bill is a handsome duck and I can see gives you lots of enjoyment, some good some well, theres hes attitude. Makes for a great personality! Thank you for sharing your story on #OMHGFF recently.
    HAve a great weekend!

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