Twin Oaks ducks rule the roost

By Jacob Marrocco
Posted 6/21/17

By JACOB MARROCCO It's just the morning routine for Billy DeAngelus III. The Twin Oaks owner heads downstairs to a backdoor with his 4-year-old German Shepherd, Teddy, and scoops up a large container of feed. He goes out back and descends the steep

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

Twin Oaks ducks rule the roost

Posted

It’s just the morning routine for Billy DeAngelus III.

The Twin Oaks owner heads downstairs to a backdoor with his 4-year-old German Shepherd, Teddy, and scoops up a large container of feed. He goes out back and descends the steep cement to a ladder that brings him down to the pond. That’s when the quacking becomes deafening.

DeAngelus bends and dumps the feed into a trough, from which his flock of 24 Peking ducks nourish themselves before hopping back into the water.

It’s all in a day’s work to continue his family’s tradition.

“When I was a kid, my grandfather always had ducks,” DeAngelus, 61, said. “He always had them here. About 15 years ago, we didn’t have them for years, my brother’s friend owns Antonelli Poultry [and] he would go there and visit and feel for [the ducks]. He would buy them because they were going to get [killed].”

DeAngelis said those ducks, which were Pekings and Muscovys, started mating together and there were eventually 15 to 20 floating around the pond. That number recently got down to just one after the others died or were eaten by local predators.

An April 15 trip to Tractor Supply in Coventry changed that. DeAngelus walked out with 25 3-day old ducklings to raise behind the restaurant. Now those ducks, sporting a coat of white feathers, reside in the pond and swim over to the shore when it’s feeding time. They always know.

“If they were over there, and I whistled, they would come flying over here like crazy,” DeAngelus said.

That’s just a figure of speech, though, as Pekings are flightless. They mostly swim around the pond or walk on the coast, so they will be staples of Twin Oaks as long as they are fed twice a day.

They eat quite a bit, too. DeAngelus said they’ve consumed nearly 150 pounds of food in the past 10 days alone.

The ‘Duck Whisperer’ doesn’t limit himself to just one avian species, though. He recently brought a new fixture into the upstairs office: a parakeet named Petey. He found him outside of the restaurant and the two struck up a quick connection.

“He walked right up to me, I put my hand down and he got right on my finger,” DeAngelus said. “Even the dog didn’t spook him. I called the Cranston Police and I said I’ve got the bird, gave them my number. He can fly so god knows where he came from.”

Make no mistake, though. The ducks rule the roost.

“They kind of have free reign of the pond,” DeAngelus said.

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here