‘Quack-packing’ across Kerala

Text by Dr. Jayadevan N. and Images by Ishaan Raghunandan

Bypassing a herd of sheep while driving on highways through the rural countryside will remind a thoughtful observer of the continuing existence of shepherd communities in the modern world. Travelling through Kerala, where the backwaters are equivalent to a road network, one may come across a similar sight. But, instead of sheep, you will see scores of ducks ‘paddling’ their way through these waterways.

The backwaters of Kerala, which double up as highways, are used by the duck pastoralists to paddle their ducks from one paddy farm to another. About 2–3 herders, or pastoralists, both on boat and on foot, manage a large ‘team’ of up to a thousand ducks.

The herders look on as the ducks do their work on a farm. While there is no specific community (religion or caste-based) that is involved exclusively in duck herding, the practice is in general taken up by those in the lower-income group with limited land holdings.

The ducks take an afternoon break from a hard day’s work of feeding on leftover grains, insects small mollusks, shells and weeds, while their herders do some fishing. The ‘team’ of ducks migrate during the two main paddy harvest seasons — Puncha (December to March) and Virippu (May to October).

The paddy fields, post-harvest, are an ideal grazing ground for these ducks, who wade through the backwaters from one field to another. Duck pastoralism is prevalent in Kerala’s wetlands. The Kuttunadu region — an area encompassing Alleppey, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam and Ernakulam districts — is characterized by many rivers, rivulets and lakes. Also identified as a Ramsar Site (a wetland designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention), Kuttunadu is a low-lying area with rich alluvial soil, ideal for paddy cultivation, and duck pastoralism.

Ducks are raised in these duck pens, where they are reared for their meat and eggs. Ducks can lay eggs for about 1.5 years producing around 200- 230 eggs. Later, the birds are sold for their meat. Each egg costs around 8–9 rupees in Kerala.

Typically, herders buy one-day-old ducklings from the state government farm in Niranom, Tiruvalla, Kerala, where the ducklings cost 21 rupees, as opposed to 24/25 rupees on a private farm. On the first day, the ducklings are fed boiled rice. For the next 10 days, they feed on poultry feed starter and rice. Within a week, the ducklings are ready to go into the water. The ducks are also fed with small shells, small fish and fish waste that is rich in protein. In 25–30 days, ducks can feed on their own in a water body. With enough nutritious feed, they start laying eggs in nearly 5 months’ time.

A herder drives the ducks back at the end of the day in his boat. The inundated paddy farms and backwaters form a seamless ecosystem for the thriving ducks. Once the season is over, herders load their birds in small trucks and travel to areas 300–350 km away to Palakkad district in the northeast of Kerala.

Dr. Jayadevan N is a Veterinary Doctor and Surgeon working in Kerala’s Animal Husbandry Department in Kottayam.

Ishaan Raghunandan is an information science engineering graduate turned photographer and naturalist.