Note: There is a maximum of 200 words per comment. If you wish to post more, please visit our forum.
Just ducky: Student imprints with Pekin duck for science project ... and forever
Tuesday, May 30, 2006 | No comments posted.
MEDFORD (AP) - A man and his dog, a girl and her....duck?
That's no misprint. And this duck waddles through the neighborhood, decked out in a sparkly pink gingham skirt and a disposable diaper.
The unorthodox relationship between Lily the duck and 17-year-old Megan Plankenhorn began as a senior project for Megan's final year at South Medford High School.
“The whole point of the project was to see if imprinting worked,” Plankenhorn said.
Imprinting occurs when a hatchling, particularly a duckling, chick or gosling, learns the characteristics of the first suitable life form it sees and regards the living thing - whether bird, human or otherwise - as its parent.
Plankenhorn dreamed up the idea of seeing whether she could get a duck to imprint on her while at Lithia Park in Ashland, watching the ducks.
So she started reading up on the process of imprinting, directions for incubating eggs, the proper type of duck for domesticity and how to care for a duckling and an adult duck.
Plankenhorn decided on a Pekin duck for its full figure, inability to fly and background as a domestic duck.
She ordered nine Pekin eggs online and borrowed an incubator for their nesting period.
After 35 days in the incubator with Plankenhorn regulating temperature and humidity daily, five of the nine eggs hatched.
All of the ducklings initially regarded Plankenhorn as their mother, following her around and chirping for food, water and filial affection, but Plankenhorn chose Lily, the flock's second born, to adopt.
“I couldn't leave her alone,” Plankenhorn said. “She would quack nonstop until she saw me.”
Lily's siblings were sent to a friend's farm.
And so began the imprinting process: Plankenhorn took Lily with her to classes every day for three months between November and January.
“The first two weeks only the people in my classes knew about her because she was so little she fit in my jacket pocket,” Plankenhorn said. “Then people started to notice I was carrying a duck around.”
Now 7 months old, Lily eats in the kitchen out of a baking dish filled with grain and greens, sleeps with Plankenhorn, swims in the family pool and wears disposable baby diapers fastened with a special harness for ducks. She's even scheduled to appear in a modern dance show with her adopted mother, mimicking Plankenhorn's moves.
Plankenhorn will present her senior project to teachers in early June. But the project isn't expected to end any time soon - a Pekin duck can live up to 20 years.
“After a duck imprints on you, you can't get rid of it,” Plankenhorn said. “They would go through withdrawal, and it's not good, so I'm going to keep her until she dies.”
Plankenhorn is slated to attend Southern Oregon University in Ashland in the fall.
She and Lily plan to live at their family home in Medford for a year or two before looking for an apartment in Ashland - one that must accept ducks.
That's no misprint. And this duck waddles through the neighborhood, decked out in a sparkly pink gingham skirt and a disposable diaper.
The unorthodox relationship between Lily the duck and 17-year-old Megan Plankenhorn began as a senior project for Megan's final year at South Medford High School.
“The whole point of the project was to see if imprinting worked,” Plankenhorn said.
Imprinting occurs when a hatchling, particularly a duckling, chick or gosling, learns the characteristics of the first suitable life form it sees and regards the living thing - whether bird, human or otherwise - as its parent.
Plankenhorn dreamed up the idea of seeing whether she could get a duck to imprint on her while at Lithia Park in Ashland, watching the ducks.
So she started reading up on the process of imprinting, directions for incubating eggs, the proper type of duck for domesticity and how to care for a duckling and an adult duck.
Plankenhorn decided on a Pekin duck for its full figure, inability to fly and background as a domestic duck.
She ordered nine Pekin eggs online and borrowed an incubator for their nesting period.
After 35 days in the incubator with Plankenhorn regulating temperature and humidity daily, five of the nine eggs hatched.
All of the ducklings initially regarded Plankenhorn as their mother, following her around and chirping for food, water and filial affection, but Plankenhorn chose Lily, the flock's second born, to adopt.
“I couldn't leave her alone,” Plankenhorn said. “She would quack nonstop until she saw me.”
Lily's siblings were sent to a friend's farm.
And so began the imprinting process: Plankenhorn took Lily with her to classes every day for three months between November and January.
“The first two weeks only the people in my classes knew about her because she was so little she fit in my jacket pocket,” Plankenhorn said. “Then people started to notice I was carrying a duck around.”
Now 7 months old, Lily eats in the kitchen out of a baking dish filled with grain and greens, sleeps with Plankenhorn, swims in the family pool and wears disposable baby diapers fastened with a special harness for ducks. She's even scheduled to appear in a modern dance show with her adopted mother, mimicking Plankenhorn's moves.
Plankenhorn will present her senior project to teachers in early June. But the project isn't expected to end any time soon - a Pekin duck can live up to 20 years.
“After a duck imprints on you, you can't get rid of it,” Plankenhorn said. “They would go through withdrawal, and it's not good, so I'm going to keep her until she dies.”
Plankenhorn is slated to attend Southern Oregon University in Ashland in the fall.
She and Lily plan to live at their family home in Medford for a year or two before looking for an apartment in Ashland - one that must accept ducks.
The comments below are from users of theworldlink.com and do not necessarily represent the views of The World or Lee Enterprises. Participation Guidelines
Note: There is a maximum of 200 words per comment. If you wish to post more, please visit our forum.
Note: There is a maximum of 200 words per comment. If you wish to post more, please visit our forum.
Not already registered?
The World welcomes your comments about stories, and we encourage a robust dialogue on this site. All comments must meet reasonable standards of decency and civility.
Please follow these basic rules:
- No defamatory comments about individuals or businesses.
- No deliberately false information.
- No obscenity or racially offensive language.
- No harassment, verbal abuse, threats or personal attacks.
- No information that invades another person's privacy.
- No business solicitations or charitable solicitations.
Comments that violate these standards will not be posted. Users with repeated violations may be banned from future posting.Comments will be approved throughout the day during business hours. After hours and weekend comments may not appear until the following business day. It may take a couple of hours before comments are approved.
The World generally does not edit comments, but we reserve the right to edit any comment that does not meet our standards.
Close Guidelines