Raise Your Own Ducks Reading Answers

Sep 29, 2025

Raise Your Own Ducks Reading Answers is an academic reading answers topic. Raise Your Own Ducks Reading Answers has a total of 7 IELTS questions in total. In the question set given, you have to choose the correct answer from the given text in no more than one word to fill the blanks.

The IELTS Reading section is an essential part of the test that evaluates a candidate's comprehension and analysis of various passage types. You will work through a number of IELTS reading practice problems in this section that resemble actual test situations. These questions are designed to help you improve your ability to recognise essential concepts, extract particular facts, and make inferences. Practising these IELTS reading problems can help you get comfortable with the structure and increase your confidence for the exam, regardless of whether you are studying for the Academic or General Training module.

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Section 1

Raise your Own Ducks

by duck farmer George Morris

Have you ever wanted to have some ducks? Ducklings are adorable, and when they grow up,

they lay great big eggs! There are a few ways you can get yourself some ducks or ducklings:

You can buy ducklings from a farm hours after they have hatched, and they ship them in a box by post! The post office gives you a call, and you go and pick them up. It's usually safe, as newly hatched ducklings don't eat or drink for a few days. Just be sure you keep your eye on your phone waiting for that call, and make sure it's a reputable farm. You'll need to keep them inside until they get feathers (about 8 weeks) before they can go to an outdoor coop.

You could also hatch the eggs yourself. Duck farmers will post you fertilized eggs. This is a lot less risky than shipping live ducklings. When the eggs arrive, you put them in an incubator for 28 days, regularly turning them and controlling the temperature and humidity. Most of them will hatch, and you can put them into a heated indoor brooding box until they grow feathers.

Keep your eye out on social media for people who live near you that might be giving adult ducks away. Often, farmers have to reduce the number of drakes (male ducks) they have in their collection of birds (called a flock), or people have raised some ducks from ducklings and now find they have too many. You don't get the same cute effect as having baby ducks, but you also don't have to intensively care for them for eight weeks either.

Of course, there is the natural way... having your ducks hatch their own ducklings. This too is a lot less work, as the mothers do all the caring. Some ducks don't stay on the eggs long enough, though, and others don't know what to do with their ducklings after they hatch. Not all ducks are natural mothers, so you have to keep an eye on how they progress. One problem with ducks is that they can be very noisy. Only the females quack, so if you don't mind missing out on the regular supply of eggs, you can get a few drakes. They live together quite well in a bachelor lifestyle. Get some female chickens if you want eggs. They can all live together quite happily in the same coop.

Questions 1-7

Choose NO MORE THAN ONE WORD for each answer.

DUCKLINGS

It is important to make sure the seller of the ducklings is 1………………

Answer: REPUTABLE

Supporting statement: Just be sure you keep your eye on your phone waiting for that call, and make sure it's a reputable farm.

Keywords: reputable, farm

Keyword Location: Para 2, Line 4

Explanation: The passage directly advises the reader to ensure they purchase ducklings from a reputable farm.

It takes about two months for 2……………..to develop on a duckling.

Answer: FEATHERS

Supporting statement: You'll need to keep them inside until they get feathers (about 8 weeks)

Keywords: feathers, 8 weeks

Keyword Location: Para 2, Line 5

Explanation: The text states that ducklings need to be kept indoors until they get feathers, which takes about 8 weeks (two months).

You can hatch fertilized eggs in the controlled environment of an 3…………….

Answer: INCUBATOR

Supporting statement: When the eggs arrive, you put them in an incubator for 28 days

Keywords: eggs, incubator

Keyword Location: Para 3, Lines 2-3

Explanation: The passage clearly states that fertilized eggs are put into an "incubator" for hatching.

You can also get adult ducks for free from nearby people who want to 4………….. the size of their flock.

Answer: REDUCE

Supporting statement: Often, farmers have to reduce the number of drakes (male ducks) they have in their collection of birds (called a flock), or people have raised some ducks from ducklings and now find they have too many.

Keywords: farmers, reduce, collection of birds

Keyword Location: Para 4, Lines 1-2

Explanation: The passage mentions that people give away ducks when they need to "reduce" the number of birds they have.

If your adult ducks hatch their own eggs, it is less laborious as you do not have to worry about 5………….. for the ducklings.

Answer: CARING

Supporting statement: This too is a lot less work, as the mothers do all the caring.

Keywords: less work, mothers, caring

Keyword Location: Para 5, Line 2

Explanation: The passage states that having mothers hatch the ducklings is a lot less work because the mothers do all the caring.

You may need to monitor the female ducks as they are not always the best 6…………….

Answer: MOTHERS

Supporting statement: Not all ducks are natural mothers, so you have to keep an eye on how they progress.

Keywords: not all, natural mothers

Keyword Location: Para 5, Lines 3- 4

Explanation: The text warns that not all ducks are natural mothers and that you should monitor them, implying that some are not good at being mothers.

You might be better off keeping 7…………..as they do not quack like the females.

Answer: DRAKES

Supporting statement: Only the females quack, so if you don't mind missing out on the regular supply of eggs, you can get a few drakes.

Keywords: females, quack, drakes

Keyword Location: Para 5, Lines 5-6

Explanation: The passage specifies that only female ducks quack and suggests getting drakes if you want to avoid the noise.

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