Chelan is a male Welsh Harlequin, though we did not know he was a male when he came to live with us, but we’ve come to love him all the same despite his lackluster egg production. He was hatched in 2018 and is our oldest duck. Chelan likes to pretend he is in charge, but really he is only in charge when his ladies allow. He is named after Lake Chelan which is near North Cascades National Park in Washington State. Chelan gets very excited when he knows treats are coming and will fly to greet us at the door OR do a side-step dance. He gets a little nippy and doesn’t like being picked up. He’s a butthead, but he loves us.

Lefse is also a Welsh Harelquin like Chelan. However, unlike her elders, she came to live with us when she was just a few days old. Her favorite treat is tomatoes, and she will chase them down if you roll them for her. She is named for her cream colored plumage with some light brown sprinkles of cinnamon. Lefse had a sister, Anka (Swedish for ‘duck’) that passed away in 2022. The two of them would waddle around the yard side by side telling jokes and making friends with the neighborhood bunnies. Lefse comes inside with us from time to time to cuddle and gossip.

Koloa and her late sister, Pele, were both rescued from a nearby pond after being abandoned. As opposed to wild ducks, domestic ducks can’t fly/migrate and wouldn’t last very long without shelter from our cold Minnesota winters. To provide Koloa and Pele with a sense of warmth, and keeping in with their dark, volcanic ash complexion, we gave them Hawaiian names. Pele is the Hawaiian goddess of fire/volcanoes who created the Hawaiian Islands. Koloa is…well, she is named after Koloa ducks which is a specific breed of duck native to the Hawaiian islands.

Esty (short for Esther) moved in with us at the age of 5 in 2025 and has adapted nicely to her new surroundings. Esty is a Polish chicken, which tend to have tall and sometimes disorderly ‘hairdos’. As such, Esty gets a haircut every couple of weeks (which she disapproves of), but then she can see us and the world around her much better (which she very much does approve of). She has picked up some duck-like idiosyncrasies such as taking naps during the day and playing in the rain. She is without a doubt the most enthusiastic of the bunch when we come home, and will chase us down to say hi!

Whimsy was hatched in the summer of 2026. Like the Welsh Harlequins that came before her, Whimsy is even-keeled and polite, except when she’s not. Whimsy has already established herself as a leader of the flock and does her best to guard the yard. When she is inside with us, Whimsy absolute loves to take sun baths in the window while we relax and enjoy each others’ company. Whimsy’s cutest trait is water diving where she sticks her butt up in the air and kicks her feet…whimsically.

Mischief’s name comes from Harry Potter (Mischief Managed) which technically makes her a long lost unrelated cousin of our beloved Cayuga, Gillyweed who passed away in spring of 2026. Due to Mischief’s utter mischievousness, she is our first duck to ever earn a middle name: Chaos. Mischief Chaos’ favorite pastime is waiting for you to turn your head so that she can nose around in something she knows she isn’t supposed to. Fun fact: Mischief likes to jump with both feet at the same time, instead of using her wings like everyone else which is cute enough to make up for pooping everywhere (kinda).

But we just call her Opal, unless we are feeling whimsical or mischievous (which we usually are), then we call her Opie, Ope, Opal-wheat or we just starting singing Taylor Swift’s ‘Opalite’ to her. Opal is a rare breed of Silver Swedish and gets more beautiful every day. She was hatched in 2026 along with the other members of the “rat pack” — Mischief and Whimsy. Opal is one of the best snugglers and is known for always being the last one out of the pool. Like her sisters, Opal loves her toys and a good cat nap in a dog bed.

Cooper is an honorary member of our flock. He spent a great deal of time both with chickens and with ducks. They shared food, water, and sometimes toys. Cooper always got along with all members of our multi-species family. His calm and gentle demeanor made him a great companion to our flock. Unfortunately, Cooper passed away in 2022 after a battle with cancer. We miss our best buddy, and have since erected a ‘Pet Trading Post’ on the corner of our property to spread Cooper’s love and joy to our larger community. You can read more about him and ‘Cooper’s Quick Stop’ here.

Gilly (short for Gillyweed) was hatched in the spring of 2018 and came to live with us later that summer. She is named after the mythical plant from Harry Potter because of her habit of talking (quacking) underwater. Stubborn and independent, she doesn’t seem to acknowledge the existence of a pecking order. Gilly is often off on her own looking for worms and bugs while her friends rest. We think Gilly is a Cayuga, and coming in at a measly 3 pounds, she relies mostly on her sassy attitude to get what she wants. Think of her like Danny Devito, but if he laid eggs.

Gilly passed away in 2026 from issues stemming from chronic arthritis.

Pele and Koloa grew up together and are the same age. Because of that, they are always sassing around the yard together looking for bugs and worms. They are both very playful and never turn down a puddle for a good mess. As they’ve grown older, they’ve also grown more independent — no longer attached at the wing. Pele is a bit more cautious and likes to double check things, a measure once, quack twice kind of girl. Koloa on the other hand is the official treat-tester. She ensures all snacks are 100% tasty and not-at-all a trap before Pele saunters over for her share.

Pele passed away in 2026 from sepsis brought on from a bacterial infection.

Tanooki, like Epona was hatched in the winter of 2024 and was raised inside with Craig and Dana until late spring. Tanooki is a Black Swedish duck named for Dana’s favorite Mario (Kart) character and Craig’s favorite Nintendo game (Super Mario Bros. 3). Tanooki and Epona are the same age but when Epona stopped growing, Tanooki did not. Tanooki weighs about twice as much as Epona coming in at a whopping 7 pounds. Legend has it that she is still growing to this day. Tanooki once laid an egg the size of a tennis ball, and since then, we’ve had her on hormone implants to fix that!

Tanooki passed away in 2025 during surgery for a compounding egg-laying issue.

Epona is a Buff Duck with light-yellow colored feathers. We got Epona and Tanooki in February 2024. Epona is named for Link’s horse in the Legend of Zelda. Growing up, we found that Epona did not have great vision and have since learned that she is partially blind. Good thing she is one of our smarter ducks and isn’t the least bit afraid of anything. Epona enjoys snuggling, rooting around our shoes/hands, and other tactile activities. She will follow Tanooki’s quack around the yard and just as easily be content playing in the mud by herself.

Epona passed away just two weeks after Tanooki suffering from neurological complications stemming from her blindness.

Bill the chicken was hatched in 2013 and is named for the ‘Bill the Cat’ cartoon character due to her wild hair style and, sometimes, strung-out personality. Bill moved in with us in the summer of 2024 due to complications with her current flock. Since Bill moved in with us, however, she has established herself at the top of the order. She is very social, but the ducks aren’t quite sure about this newcomer, so they politely defer to Bill in all matters of consequence. We let it slide, Bill is due a little time in charge.

Bill passed away at the age of 12 after battling heart disease.