Bubba Duckies

If you want the fun of ducks without the volume, consider the cute miniature breeds.

- Megg Miller

Lots of people adore ducks. They love their daffy behaviour, comical gait and irrepressible delight in water play. Ducks are not for everyone, though, especially people living in densely packed inner cities. But if you admire their joie de vivre, have snails everywhere in the garden and are lucky enough to have a leafy area in the backyard, away from neighbours, then ducks will bring hours of pleasure.

SMALL IS SENSIBLE

Like fowls, ducks come in varied sizes and shapes. Bantams have no large counterpart but miniatures have been bred down from standard-sized breeds.

Why have a massive Pekin, as impressive as they are, when you could feed and keep several small bantams or miniatures? They eat less, require less room, and their activity and athleticism result in fewer leg problems than may trouble large-bodied ducks.

Small ducks are ideal for time-poor families. Set them up in a fully enclosed yard with a simple shelter and water facilities and their demands are minimal.

AVAILABLE BREEDS

The cutest bantam is the Australian Call, a very small, very talkative breed. The females weigh in at 500–900g and a little heavier for males — just a handful, really. Colour? Pristine white offset with yellow legs, and the bill is beautiful, but other pretty colours are available.

When buying Calls, look for the breed’s distinctive rounded shape, including a domed head, rounded cheeks and short bill. Think cuddly. Calls look a little like the kiddies’ yellow bath duck. Availability is good, too.

Mallards are the most popular bantam duck, probably because they can be found in numerous attractive colours. They are larger and longer bodied than Calls; even the bill is noticeably longer. Mallards have large, well-developed wings, indicating they are excellent flyers. Actually, all small ducks fly well and you will need to take measures to restrict flight.