Our Abacot Rangers
The Abacot Ranger was first bred, shortly after World War 1,
by Oscar Grey from Colchester. They are supposed to be good layers and tasty for
the table (not that any of my birds ever end up being eaten - they are all
pets).
As we now live near there it is an excellent reason for adding these very pretty
birds to our collection. Bo , George and Boo are just 5 days old in this picture
so they are cute, but you can't really see how pretty they will be when grown. I
had been waiting since before Christmas for them - ducks also lay less during
the shorter days - but they were worth the wait.
Three months on and they are nearly fully grown. It is easy
to tell George from the two girls now as he has a yellow beak and his head is
getting darker every day. Presumably it will go irridescent green like a Mallard
when he is in breeding plumage. Bo has a very pale head and Boo is brownish. It
is very helpful when they have obvious differences as you get to know each birds
different little ways. It is then easy to spot any odd behaviour, which could
mean the bird is off colour. Any problem is easier to sort out if caught early,
and may also prevent it spreading to other birds.
Two pictures of George.