Zhao Xinchun, deputy head of the Locust and Rat Control Office in Xinjiang, where the birds are trained and used, explains: “Farmers knew that chickens were very fond of eating locusts, so we did some tests [and] found that ducks can eat more than chickens [up to 400 locusts each per day], are tougher than chickens in bad weather and do not get eaten by eagles or weasels....
Zhao Xinchun, kepala deputi Kantor Pengendalian Hama Tikus dan Belalang di Xinjiang, tempat unggas - unggas itu dilatih dan dikaryakan, mengatakan, ” Para petani tahu betul bahwa ayam sangat gemar makan belalang, maka kami mengadakan pengujian [dan] mendapati bahwa bebek dapat makan belalang melebihi ayam [sampai 400 ekor belalang per hari], mereka lebih kuat menghadapi cuaca buruk ketimbang ayam dan tidak dapat ditangkap oleh burung elang atau musang....