St Peter’s Church duckling could help mow a meadow

Lorenzo the Muscovy duckling is currently just two weeks old but will almost reach his adult size after just 14 weeks.

He will then be joining three or four adult ducks to help keep the grass down in a meadow behind the church that parish rector the Rev. Adrian Datta hopes will allow it to be enjoyed by the whole parish.

‘It’s a good couple of acres of glebe land and we want to celebrate the diversity of wildlife we have there for the benefit of the whole community,’ he said.

‘In partnership with community service, who have done wonderful work, we have been clearing some of the paths to make it more accessible, and we hope the ducks will help.’

The duckling comes from Les Adams Farm on Route des Adams, which is home to a flock of around 30 geese.

Although the duck has been christened Lorenzo, ‘he’ might have to be renamed ‘Lorenza’ as the duck’s gender cannot be established until they are slightly older.

‘Lorenzo was from a batch of abandoned eggs that we tried to incubate but was unfortunately the only one to hatch,’ said farm owner Isabelle Edward.

‘They follow the first thing they see and this one spent his first few weeks on my shoulder hiding in my hair.

‘Despite his size he would happily follow me on a half-kilometre walk.’

Muscovy ducks are native to the Americas, from the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas and Mexico, south to Argentina and Uruguay.

However they have been widely domesticated, and were already being kept as livestock by native people in Peru and Paraguay when the early Spanish explorers arrived.

‘As long as they are regularly fed, the ducks should be happy to stay,’ said Mr Datta.

‘There they can help us keep the grass down and have a lovely time in our beautiful meadow and swimming in the douit that runs through it.’