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I recently wrote a blog post on the ways that ducks come to symbolize various elements of American culture.  Specifically, I explored how Scrooge McDuck embodies capitalism in the United States.

It is worth further exploring this notion in light of a recent pop culture display in Saturday Night Live’s recurring sketch Weekend Update, the ever relevant bastion of American satirical news.

You can view the quick sketch here  -

During this interview with the Weekend Update anchors, we see Scrooge McDuck (played by Andy Samberg) gloating about his sound investment strategy of owning pure gold.  By owning nothing but gold coins, he has limited his risk exposure rather than subjecting his financial well being to the ebbs and flows of the US stock market.  I believe this hyperbolic boast has some legitimate economic commentary.

The primary investment vehicle of the average American is the 401k.  However, did you know that you cannot directly own gold (or fine art) with your 401k?  Granted, you can invest in securities which have an interest in gold, but you cannot actually own the precious metal as Scrooge McDuck does.

In order to receive the tax-deferred benefits of a 401k, you cannot invest in a collectible since it creates little to no economic capital for growth.  Thus, the chief vehicle of American investing inherently discourages the conservatism that has yielded so much wealth for Scrooge McDuck in a cyclical economy.

There is a fundamental conflict of interest between the individual investor and Wall Street when the manner of investment is the 401k.  While a 401k can be an excellent tool to grow personal wealth, it also can be a mechanism for a relatively small number of Wall Street bankers to enslave the discretionary capital of the masses via enticement with tax benefits and the illusion of a worry free retirement.

Of course, the intention of the SNL sketch was not to illustrate this point.  However, when one examines the roots of Scrooge McDuck, and his evolving reflection of American capitalism, it becomes apparent that the financial practices which made him wealthy, and the fiscal policies which gave him and all other Americans the opportunity to become wealthy, are today being suppressed by the interests of Wall Street plutocrats.

A Plutocracy has nothing to do with this Pluto

It is also worth noting that in this SNL sketch we see Scrooge McDuck lament his freakish and isolated nature brought on by his fowlish form.  He claims that he was once a human, but the side effects of swimming in gold coins have yielded diseases polymorphing him into a duck.  He even goes so far as to say, “My life is like a deleted scene from The Island of Dr. Moreau.” This aboration of devolving from a human to a duck , although not a part of official Disney Scrooge McDuck cannon, is similar to my own commentary in which I wrote -

[Scrooge McDuck's] ambition and material greed have placed him up as a duck for sale, owned more by his riches and their ensuing responsibilities than his own character.  Thus Scrooge McDuck may be able to swim through oceans of gold coins in his expansive mansion, but he will always be a goofy, waddling duck – holed up to live in solitude in his fortress of lonely extravagance.

However, in the end of this SNL bit, Scrooge McDuck decrees that “It’s worth it! Gold coins!”

Is it worth it?

Many avid gardeners consider their vegetable and flower patches as more than just hobby level agricultural endeavors.  Rather, one’s garden is a reflection of one’s natural self.  Thus, just as you don’t want to use harmful herbicides and pesticides on a large scale as it is unsustainably damaging to the environment, you likewise do not want to use the same practices in your own garden.

Pesticides are bad for a lot more than pests

How then can you control harmful weeds and pests from destroying your prized herbs, flowers, and vegetables without employing the very practices which you may be opposed to on a large scale?  One innovative solution is to keep ducks in your garden.  That’s right, ducks….quacking, waddling, goofy yet adorable waterfowl.  Ducks will literally take your garden pests and nuisances and convert them to natural fertilizer and eggs (which by the way are suitable for human consumption).

Gardener Amy Grisak of Grit.com wrote a piece on how she received such wonderful help and valuable work from her feathered friends.  She writes -

Ducks will eat just about any pest. Grasshoppers, which can decimate a garden in short order during heavy infestation years, are quickly gobbled up when in reach of a hungry duck and so are Japanese beetles, June bugs, grubs and even mice. Ducks will also chase and catch flies, and root their larvae out of fresh manure and decaying vegetables.

Using ducks as an environmental and low cost gardening and farming aide is nothing new.  Chinese farmers have herded Pekin ducks by the hundreds through their rice paddies for thousands of years.  These avid foragers would seek out and consume any pest or weed they could find, yet leave the more mature rice crop alone.  Furthermore, their droppings would serve as fertilizer for the plants and soil.  A recent episode of The Amazing Race featured a challenge where contestants were to herd large amounts of Pekin ducks, as an homage to this ancient practice.

Ducks are best used in your garden when there aren’t any sprouting seedlings, as they will likely tear up the ground enough and prevent the seedling from taking root.  Ducks should be allowed to forage when the plants are mature enough that they can survive some physical movement and won’t be hurt by some disruption in the soil.  Ducks essentially use their beaks as plows, and will actively seek out even buried pests and weeds.

Also, ducks can serve as a wonderful alternative to a bug zapper. Simply keep a light over their water supply and it will attract countless insects at night, which the ducks will gladly eat out of their water.  Thus, you will have a natural, environmentally sound, and fun alternative to an unsightly blue light and power consuming device.

Which breeds of ducks make the best for this innovative and green gardening solution?  eFowl.com recommends four key types -

• Runner Ducks – these wine bottle shaped ducks are far and away the most active foragers
  

  A type of avid foraging duck, the Black Indian Runner

• Khaki Campbell Ducks – not only are these birds great foragers, they’re also one of the most prolific egg layers of all ducks.
  

  Khaki Campbells are avid foragers and prolific egg-layers

• Cayuga Ducks – these ducks are a medium size, and very popular as pets for their unique iridescent green color, as well as their quiet demeanor.
  

  Cayuga Ducks are great for pets and great for your garden

• Swedish Ducks – who knew Daffy Duck was so helpful in the garden?
  

  Daffy Duck is modeled after a Black Swedish Duck

What are you waiting for?  Get some ducks and take green gardening to a whole new level!

Ducks are only good house pets as long as you can keep them comfortable in a large box or cage. As the ducklings mature to about 6-8 weeks of age, their care demands will change such that they need access to water, will become a bit messier, and will require more space.

Ducks are not meant to live in houses, despite some owner's best efforts.

Generally, we consider the 6-8 week old mark to be “pond ready”, when ducks can be released as primarily yard or pond ducks.  Granted, they’ll still need some type of duck housing, but their domain should move to a more natural environment at this age.

Now there are certainly exceptions to these guidelines as there are for nearly any bit of pet waterfowl care knowledge.  We receive many testimonials of pet duck owners who keep their friends primarily indoors, but most breeders and experts will agree that they need to be more of a yard pet.

While it may be uncommon for a dog and a pet duck to get along, it isn’t unheard of.  Check out the video below for some cuteness…

Most domesticated duck breeds cannot fly.  As breeders have created ducks with certain characteristics, they’ve bred out the ability to fly in many types of farm fowl.

Domesticated Mallards can still fly...most of the time

For example, breeders want to produce a better meat duck, and thus they selectively breed the birds to be larger, which in turn makes them too large to fly.  This is the case for ducks like domesticated Pekins, pet Rouens, and even medium sized ducks like Cayugas.  Other breeds of ducks, such as Runner ducks, are able to fly for short distances, but cannot achieve sustained flight.  Thus for all these types of domesticated ducks, it isn’t necessary to clip their wings in order to keep them from flying away.

However, some of the smaller breeds of ducks can still fly, and wing clipping may be necessary if they are not explicitly trained to stay around their home.  This is particularly true for domesticated Mallards and Call ducks.

The ability to fly is an important consideration when selecting a pet duck.  Most people prefer flightless ducks, as clipping wings can be a difficult process.  If you do select a duck breed that is capable of flight, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will fly away, it will just have the ability to.  Often times when someone has a pet Mallard for example, the bird will bond with it’s owner and never leave, despite being able to.  Clipping wings is usually a precaution people will take when dealing with larger flocks of birds, rather than just a few waterfowl as pet ducks.