h a l f b a k e r y"Bun is such a sad word, is it not?" -- Watt, "Waiting for Godot"
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Today I was passing by some water, and the surface happened to be unusually still. There was a lone duck paddling along, fast enough to raise an actual wake.
Idea!
Obviously ways need to be found to train your racing duck to not cheat by flying to the finish line.
this little lot have won some sort of race... (or lost it possibly)
http://www.bbc.co.u...and-london-15809760
[po, Nov 20 2011]
Duck Racing
http://racingducks.com/
What it says on the box. [Alterother, Nov 20 2011]
A little something on clipping wing feathers
http://ancientstand...esidence-to-prison/
Ravens are excellent fliers, but six are held prisoner in the Tower of London, with wing feathers routinely clipped. [Vernon, Nov 21 2011]
Steamer Duck
https://en.wikipedi...g/wiki/Steamer_duck
Just as tasty as regular ducks, but easier to catch. [8th of 7, Dec 27 2017]
[link]
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I'm boning this because I can't think of non-cruel
ways to train the ducks |
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indoor pool with a low ceiling. |
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Not even threats of bread at the finish line? |
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It is not cruel to clip the wing feathers on a domesticated
duck then release several simultaneously one one side of
the pond whilst throwing their food in at the other end.
Most domesticated ducks such as moscovies can't fly
anyway. Just throw food in. |
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No, have barrier gates like in horse-racing and transparent lane dividers across the pond. When the heart-stirring cry of "Release The Ducks!" is heard the barriers open and the ceremonially clad "Feeder of the Ducks" throws out the food on the other side of the pond. |
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Ducks, like most barnyard fowl, are competitive to get to the food first and transparent lane dividers would allow them to see the other ducks and stir up their competitive juices. |
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C'mon [Vernon] its YOUR idea! |
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So now [Vernon] is posting short, reasonable ideas
and [Beany] has returned and is writing human-
readable text. |
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I keep feeling that the multiverse hypothesis is true
and that I've slipped through to another one. |
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[+] ducks with racing stripes. |
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[AusCan531], I originally thought about the clipped-feathers thing, because I also know it is as harmless to a bird as cutting hair on a mammal. And new feathers will grow with the next molt. But probably Pavlovian-type conditioning can work well enough. Reward the duck for paddling, and don't reward it for flying. Also, start the training regimen with short distances such that the duck won't care to exert itself to get into the air, to get the reward. |
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I don't think training the ducks not to fly will be a problem.
Ducks are not efficient flyers, and seem to spend most of
their time not doing it. All the ducks I've ever met would
only fly if startled or given no other options. |
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This <link>, however, may prove more problematic, in the
form of bakedness. |
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[Alterother], you're right. The only way this Idea can escape an MFD is if it wasn't widely-known enough. To be determined... |
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I'd never heard of duck racing, other than the rubber
duck kind. But it's admittedly very easy to find
coverage online. |
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Well, this Idea is still here, and the link to the Duck Racing
site is still working. However, I looked at some of the duck
race videos at that site, and it is quite obvious that those
ducks are
doing rather more than just paddling their feet to reach the
finish line. That makes this Duck Racing Idea different
enough to never have been in danger of the dreaded MFD.
:) |
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Mallard Flying Duck ... ? |
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There's a flightless species of duck in the Falkland Islands called the Steamer Duck <link>, which uses its vestigial wings in a humorous way to achieve higher speeds. |
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