L W O F WATER
Ducks have great personalities! They live in Ireland both in the wild and on farms.
Ducks are kept on farms for their big, tasty eggs. Sometimes they’re raised for meat. Duck meat is fattier but tastier than chicken. Ducks are also handy to have around to eat pests like snails and slugs. Some snails carry a parasite called liver fluke. This is very bad for many animals – but not for ducks! Breeds
Ducks come in lots of shapes and colours, but they all start out as fluffy bundles of joy. Different breeds will mix on the farm, but a bigger one might bully a smaller one, so sometimes it’s safer to separate them. Most are descended from the wild mallard; the only breed that isn’t is the Muscovy duck, originally from Mexico, Central and South America. The Muscovy duck likes to roost in trees.
40
DUCKS
WATERFOW L Ducks, geese a nd swans are k nown as waterfowl. T hey all have we bbed feet and flatte ned bills. Their feathers have an oily co ating. This ma kes them excellent at she dding water. Ducks like to h ave a pond to p lay in. Unlike most an imals, they love the rain! They don’t like direct sunlight, so they need shade in the summertim e.
A BIT ABOUT DUCKS Height: 50—75cm. Weight: 1.3kg—2.4kg Colours: Most commonly white, brown, black and green Sounds: Quack! Baby: Duckling. Male: Drake. Female: Hen Group: Flock Irish name: Lacha Latin name: Anas platyrhynchos Diet: Small fish, fish eggs, snails, worms, slugs, and on the farm they eat water fowl pellets