Ducks and Snow

Ducks love water when it is liquid but they seem to feel betrayed when it freezes.  When moving through deep powder they use a swimming stroke to propel themselves, floating their breast out over the snow in front of them and half walking, half paddling with their feet.  They usually get disgusted with the whole thing and turn back to the calf shed where they spend their winter days.

Chickens are more adventurous, spending many hours out in the snow.  They have a special weather adaptive technique we haven’t noticed the ducks employing:  they stand on one foot when they are in snow.  Presumably this conserves body heat.  The chickens also learn to use plowed and trampled pathways, but the ducks will spend their strength, quacking and heaving themselves across deep snow drifts when they are just a few inches away from a perfectly clear path.  It is quite an anti-accomplishment to be dumber than chickens, but the ducks manage to take the prize for least adaptable animal on the farm.

1 thought on “Ducks and Snow”

  1. indiastarmain

    This is hilarious. I’m imagining it.

    I’m resisting the urge to google youtube videos of ducks in the snow. Must.make.dinner.and.not.look.at.ducks.online.

    Thanks for the giggle, India*

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