Des res sought for lonely duck

A quacking good home is being sought for a domesticated duck in need of a companion.

Miranda the mallard, who has been hand-reared on Millgate, Newark, needs somewhere with a pond and fellow ducks to keep her company.

She is being looked after by the Kitchen family, who rescued her from the clutches of aggressive drakes after she fell out of a nest on their roof as a duckling.

She lives in the garden where she has her own tray of water, plenty of mealworms to eat and the family guinea pigs for friends.

Mrs Fiona Kitchen said: “To start with we had her swimming in the bath but it was using up rather a lot of water.

“She was so funny though because we have quite an old-fashioned cast-iron bath and she used to swim up and down under the water.”

Although she has been named as a female, Miranda could yet turn out to be a drake.

Mrs Kitchen said: “If the tail turns up, then it is a drake and it looks as though that is happening.

“On the other hand, Miranda does quack a lot, and that is meant to indicate a female, so we don’t really know.”

The family, who had ducks at their previous home in Balderton, took Miranda to Newark Show to try to find a suitable companion, but the ducklings there were too big and would have bullied her.

The Kitchens don’t want to release her on to the Trent because they fear she is too domesticated to survive.

Mrs Kitchen’s daughter Lucy, 12, said: “I want the new owner to be nice to her. She likes being talked to and she likes to have company.”

Mrs Kitchen said: “They are lovely to keep. As a semi-domesticated wild animal she is happy with a fairly minimal amount of attention.

“She needs a companion, a bit of grass and a pond.”

Anyone interested in giving Miranda a home should contact the Kitchens on 01636 706571.