Unusual animal draws crowd at fair
Linda Sappington
Shannon Saint had to post a warning for inquisitive onlookers who were intrigued by her three-legged duckling at the 4-H show in Ronan.
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RONAN – The animal that stole the show at the Lake County Fair never went before a judge or set foot in the auction barn. It lay nestled next to its mother and siblings in a cage on poultry row.
A three-legged duckling owned by Shannon Saint, of Saddle Mountain 4-H, drew crowds almost immediately.
“We had people come up and ask ‘Is there a three-legged duck?’ We had only been here two hours,” Saint said.
Throughout the day word of the unusual six-week-old duckling created a buzz on the fairgrounds and Saint eventually had to label its cage with a warning for fairgoers against reaching into the cage and harassing it.
The duck’s third leg hangs limp from its underside and doesn’t affect its mobility. Saint, who has raised ducks for three years, said she doesn’t intend to have the leg inspected by a vet, because the duck seems to function normally.
“It doesn’t seem to bother it,” she said. “It’s just as fast as the other ducks, if not faster. It just doesn’t use that leg.”
Saint said she probably won’t show the duck in the future, but she hasn’t found a rule against it. The duckling’s parents are both best in show ducks.
“Somehow, we just ended up with a three-legged duck,” Saint said.
