No, that's really not it. She's a great lady. She said I can bring one of my ducks if I like, and that it would allow her to show how to do swabbing of a duck since it's a little different from a chicken. The reason you have to have chickens is that you have to demonstrate that you can draw blood, and you don't draw blood from ducks. I understand her reasoning. I'm just puzzled about what to do since I'm chickenless and will stay that way if my hubby has any say in it.i cannot understand why the teacher is so adamant about chickens. ducks, chickens, whatever. you would still be able to show your skills with ducks. that is probably what the instructor has always used and cannot improvise.