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just wondering... WARNING contains armchair intellectualism - Page 2

post #11 of 35
4/4/12 at 11:47am

Hmm not sure if I can think on why mallards wern't developed by early europeans... I'm not in the proper armchair and lack a suitable beverage for that sort of "intellectualism" lol.png

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post #12 of 35
4/4/12 at 11:59am

Interesting thread!  I'm thinking... maybe chickens eat less?  They are better broody's/mothers which would have been important to keep up with a growing human family?  (no incubators until late 1800's?)  Maybe chickens were easier to get?  

 

 

Interesting!

One city boy husband that I'm converting to a poultry boy, 3 daughters, 3 Mallards, 2 dogs, one cat: and the bator's plugged in.  Hatching addict, BYC addict and you can find me in the forum "formerly known as hatch day is today" with my friends: Miss Lydia, Critterrun, StillMecle, GrannyCarol, JulieNKC, DuckGirl89, 70%Cocoa, Evelle and JazminesZoo.  I love my Gurlz!
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One city boy husband that I'm converting to a poultry boy, 3 daughters, 3 Mallards, 2 dogs, one cat: and the bator's plugged in.  Hatching addict, BYC addict and you can find me in the forum "formerly known as hatch day is today" with my friends: Miss Lydia, Critterrun, StillMecle, GrannyCarol, JulieNKC, DuckGirl89, 70%Cocoa, Evelle and JazminesZoo.  I love my Gurlz!
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post #13 of 35
4/4/12 at 12:06pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by grawg View Post

Hmm not sure if I can think on why mallards wern't developed by early europeans... I'm not in the proper armchair and lack a suitable beverage for that sort of "intellectualism" lol.png



I am perpetually there, in my head... blame it on reading the wrong books and watching the wrong shows while my mind was young, and impressionable... darn you nova and robert heinlein 

That this universe, in all it's infinite wonder, simply is, that it exists at all, is good enough for me. In my eyes, to say that something had to "create" it, to make it what it is, only succeeds to cheapen the experience, to make it less special. 

 

 

 

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That this universe, in all it's infinite wonder, simply is, that it exists at all, is good enough for me. In my eyes, to say that something had to "create" it, to make it what it is, only succeeds to cheapen the experience, to make it less special. 

 

 

 

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post #14 of 35
4/4/12 at 12:09pm

Found a good read relating to this subject here

 

It seems to suggest that rice paddies had a key role in the domestication of ducks. That tends to make sense since the chicken would be ill suited to ridding a flooded field of insect pests. In the modern chemical age I think we tend to forget that pesticides are a relatively recent invention. 

 

Mike - Duck, duck, duck, duck, ... 

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Mike - Duck, duck, duck, duck, ... 

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post #15 of 35
4/4/12 at 12:16pm

I believe the reason American society uses chicken eggs over duck is because ducks cannot be kept successfully in the level of confinement that chickens can. Because so many chickens are used for egg production, there is an abundance of extra chicken meat available, and it just became the standard.

 

Prior to large-scale and commercial farming, there was a larger variety of poultry on the dinner table, although the majority of our ancestors ate considerably less meat than we do.

WI'd rather have a life 'oh wells' than a life of 'what ifs.' " - Anon.

 

Welsh Harlequins and Cayugas; Easter Eggers, Wellsummers, Barred Rocks, Buff Orpingtons

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WI'd rather have a life 'oh wells' than a life of 'what ifs.' " - Anon.

 

Welsh Harlequins and Cayugas; Easter Eggers, Wellsummers, Barred Rocks, Buff Orpingtons

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post #16 of 35
4/4/12 at 12:38pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by grawg View Post

Found a good read relating to this subject here

 

It seems to suggest that rice paddies had a key role in the domestication of ducks. That tends to make sense since the chicken would be ill suited to ridding a flooded field of insect pests. In the modern chemical age I think we tend to forget that pesticides are a relatively recent invention. 

 

 


your right... good read...
ok so ducks were domesticated in europe and asia independantly... but it seems a little unclear about the earliest domestication, between 10,000 and 3000 years ago... that is a wide margin... so either they have been domesticated longer, or not as long as chickens(domesticated around 6000- 2000 BC according to wikipedia)... so ducks either had a head start and were overtaken, or chickens got the jump on them...

That this universe, in all it's infinite wonder, simply is, that it exists at all, is good enough for me. In my eyes, to say that something had to "create" it, to make it what it is, only succeeds to cheapen the experience, to make it less special. 

 

 

 

Reply

That this universe, in all it's infinite wonder, simply is, that it exists at all, is good enough for me. In my eyes, to say that something had to "create" it, to make it what it is, only succeeds to cheapen the experience, to make it less special. 

 

 

 

Reply
post #17 of 35
4/4/12 at 12:41pm

 

"Khaki Campbells gained even more notoriety with the standards established by the Jansen family of Holland who had up to 50,000 ducks laying at a time with egg production averages of 335-340 eggs in 365 days during the 1950s" - Metzer website

Not sure what their housing was like but this tends to suggest that ducks could be housed in a large scale production environment.

 

Mike - Duck, duck, duck, duck, ... 

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Mike - Duck, duck, duck, duck, ... 

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post #18 of 35
4/4/12 at 12:41pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tahai View Post

I believe the reason American society uses chicken eggs over duck is because ducks cannot be kept successfully in the level of confinement that chickens can. Because so many chickens are used for egg production, there is an abundance of extra chicken meat available, and it just became the standard.

 

Prior to large-scale and commercial farming, there was a larger variety of poultry on the dinner table, although the majority of our ancestors ate considerably less meat than we do.



good point...

That this universe, in all it's infinite wonder, simply is, that it exists at all, is good enough for me. In my eyes, to say that something had to "create" it, to make it what it is, only succeeds to cheapen the experience, to make it less special. 

 

 

 

Reply

That this universe, in all it's infinite wonder, simply is, that it exists at all, is good enough for me. In my eyes, to say that something had to "create" it, to make it what it is, only succeeds to cheapen the experience, to make it less special. 

 

 

 

Reply
post #19 of 35
4/4/12 at 12:57pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by grawg View Post

 

"Khaki Campbells gained even more notoriety with the standards established by the Jansen family of Holland who had up to 50,000 ducks laying at a time with egg production averages of 335-340 eggs in 365 days during the 1950s" - Metzer website

Not sure what their housing was like but this tends to suggest that ducks could be housed in a large scale production environment.

 


that's what... 16,750,000 eggs a year... wow... 

 

That this universe, in all it's infinite wonder, simply is, that it exists at all, is good enough for me. In my eyes, to say that something had to "create" it, to make it what it is, only succeeds to cheapen the experience, to make it less special. 

 

 

 

Reply

That this universe, in all it's infinite wonder, simply is, that it exists at all, is good enough for me. In my eyes, to say that something had to "create" it, to make it what it is, only succeeds to cheapen the experience, to make it less special. 

 

 

 

Reply
post #20 of 35
4/4/12 at 2:02pm

My duck books say that plucking waterfowl is an all day, labor intensive task - where plucking chickens is much easier.   Also, ducks and geese have mostly dark meat.   Right now I think people in the US prefer white meat . . . don't know when that trend changed.  

EE, Buff Orp, Jersey Giant, White Silkie, Barred Rock, Dominique, Cuckoo Maran, Welsummer and Cochin chickens,  9 Welsh Harlequin ducks, 2 Rouen ducks,  9 American Buff geese, one patient husband, 4 children of assorted ages from 5 - 15
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EE, Buff Orp, Jersey Giant, White Silkie, Barred Rock, Dominique, Cuckoo Maran, Welsummer and Cochin chickens,  9 Welsh Harlequin ducks, 2 Rouen ducks,  9 American Buff geese, one patient husband, 4 children of assorted ages from 5 - 15
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