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Project
Quack |
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Written by: Brooke Smith, Biology
Major |
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Pre-Veterinary students at Judson College are
conducting a study on rearing ducklings in the laboratory. This project is
designed to give biology students, especially those interested in animal
sciences, the opportunity to expand their studies beyond the microscope into
living, breathing biology. Student involvement in the project can range from
just getting hands on experience to researching nutritional information,
veterinary care, and general knowledge. Pre-veterinary students can observe and
learn about the growth, development, care, and social behavior among duck
breeds. |
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| Sixteen five-day-old ducklings arrived on
Wednesday, 1 October, 2003, at the Marion, Alabama, Post Office from the Murray
McMurray Hatchery in Webster City, Iowa. However, one of these did not survive
the five-day, 1,053 mile trip. The surviving 15 ducklings included 8 Fawn and
White Indian Runners, 7 Flying Mallards, and one oddball duckling that we have
concluded to be a Cayuga duck. |
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Project Quack's main goal is to
determine which breed of duck will imprint the best on their keeper. The
personality of each duck will be compared to determine if the level of
imprinting is dependant on the breed of duck, or just individual ducks.
Imprinting is a rapid learning process by which a newborn or very young animal
begins to show recognition and attraction to another animal of its own kind, a
substitute, or another object or person identified as the parent. Duck behavior
will be documented during each stage of their development to compare the rate
at which each breed progresses toward adulthood, interacts with the other
ducklings, and reacts to other stimuli outside the lab. |
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