Let's talk about pets
Ducks, useful and entertaining webbed friends
by Ruwini Jayawardana
People keep
ducks for two main purposes: as a means of economy and as pets. That is
why ducks are referred to as 'useful pets'. Now let us look at a few
useful hits and tips related to our quacking friends.
Breeds
Most farm ducks are of a species called "Pekin". It is harder to tell
a male from a female with the Pekin ducks
because they look almost the same. Pekin ducks have white or cream
coloured feathers and orange coloured bills. They do not fly and do well
in captivity. They are also excellent for egg and meat production.
Ducks as Pets
Pet ducks will entertain you with their antics and eat pesky slugs
and snails. A female will produce abundant eggs.
To look after ducklings all you need is a large cardboard box, some
shavings or straw, a heat lamp, a feeder and a waterer. As they grow,
they will need more space and less heat. Keep an eye on the birds; if
they stay away from the heat, turn it off, if they get their pen messy
quickly, they need more bedding and more space. By 5 or 6 weeks they can
probably be outside all the time in good weather.
Ducks need a deep enough water bowl so they can dip their heads in
water 2 or 3 times a day. They need to wash their eyes otherwise they
can get dry eyes and cataracts.
A single pet duck can make a great pet but you should make sure you
have enough time to devote to your duck. Make sure you get your duck
very young or incubate the egg yourself and be the first thing he or she
sees when it hatches.
You will need to spend a lot of time bonding with your duck so that
you and your family become the duck's
flock. So you'll need to devote yourself to playing and just being with
your duck everyday, on top of the usual cleaning and feeding duties.
Ducks are social animals and will suffer if they don't have
companionship. So if you can't make this commitment for the full 12 or
so years a duck can live, you should get two or more ducks.
Did you know...
A male duck is called a drake, a female is called a duck. Babies are
called ducklings.
Ducks are related to geese and swans. The duck is the smallest of
them all and have shorter necks and wings and a stout body. Ducks can
live from 2-12 years, depending on the species.
Ducks have webbed feet, which act like paddles. A duck waddles
instead of walking because of its webbed feet.
Ducks' feet have no nerves or blood vessels. This means ducks never
feel the cold, even if they swim in icy cold water.
Ducks provide us with eggs, meat and feathers.
Ducks' feathers are waterproof. There is a special gland that
produces oil near the tail that spreads and covers the outer coat of
feathers. Beneath this waterproof layer are fluffy and soft feathers to
keep the duck warm.
Ducks keep clean by preening themselves with their beaks, which they
do often. They also line their nests with feathers plucked from their
chest.
Ducks were once wild until they were domesticated by the Chinese many
hundreds of years ago.
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