Ducks have several advantages over other poultry species, in particular their disease tolerance. They are hardy, excellent foragers and easy to herd, particularly in wetlands where they tend to flock together. In Asia, most duck production is closely associated with wetland rice farming, particularly in the humid and subtropics. An added advantage is that ducks normally lay most of their eggs within the three hours after sunrise (compared with five hours for chickens). This makes it possible for ducks to freely range in the rice fields by day, while being confined by night. A disadvantage of ducks (relative to.
