When you go to a farm, you can see different kinds of birds, but the most common ones you will see are ducks and chickens.
Ducks and chickens have both been developed into �poultry� or farmyard birds and are raised by farmers. But ducks are also very common in the wild, while chickens aren�t. Ducks are mainly raised for their meat, while chickens are raised either for meat or for eggs. There are not that many places that sell duck eggs for food.
Physically, they are very different, except that they are more-or-less the same size. Chickens have sharp pointy beaks for eating and pecking in the soil and eating small crumbs. Ducks have large, rounded beaks for scooping up and straining food out of the water. Chickens have scaly feet with long sharp toes for runining around. Ducks have webbed feet for easier swimming. Also, their legs are attached farther back on the body, which helps them swim but makes them walk in a funny manner (waddle).
Ducks have strong wings and are good flyers; some ducks even migrate long distances. Chickens have short, useless wings. They can barely stay in the air. The longest flight recorded for a chicken was only 13 seconds, and the longest distance 301 feet (about 100 meters).
Both chickens and ducks, being birds, lay eggs, of course. Also, as is common in the world of birds, the males of each are more brightly colored than the female. The duck family members are the drake, the hen, and the duckling. The chicken�s: rooster, hen, chick. Ducks lay 4-12 eggs at a time, chickens only one. Both the offspring (ducklings or chicks) can begin walking, and eating (and in the case of ducklings, swimming) very soon after they hatch.