10,000 Ducks released through a tiny gate to have them clean rice paddies

A crop of rice was harvested from a farm in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand, so it’s time to send the ducks out to do their work! 10,000 ducks are released from their pens to flow through the little gate into the flooded fields where they devour pests like snails that hide in the leftover rice.

From the amazing drone footage, it looks like sand flowing through an hourglass in the open fields. It has always been a tradition in the region and other parts of the region that they call it “Ped Lai Thong” which means “Duck Hunting”. “The advantage [for the breeder] is that we reduce the costs of feeding the ducks,” said duck breeder Abiwat Chalermclean. “In contrast, for rice farmers, ducks help eat pests on the farm, and farmers can reduce the use of chemicals and pesticides.” The Khaki Campbell duck breed, a British breed, is released into the fields after 20 days in the nursery where they will be raised on the go for the next two months. They will then be sent back to the farm to produce eggs after a good job in the rice fields!