OSAKA >> For rice farmers, ducklings aren’t all about cuteness, they’re working animals, and shipments of the birds peaked in early June at a breeding facility at Tsumura Honten in Matsubara, Osaka prefecture.

About 1,000 chirping ducklings raised at the company will be released in chemical-free rice paddies to help farmers tackle pests and weeds.

Shipping of the aigamo ducklings — a cross between wild and domestic ducks — started in May. The company sent about 3,000 ducklings to farms across the country through the end of June.

“Orders from younger farmers are increasing,” said a Tsumura Honten worker who raises the ducklings. “I have high hopes for the growth of this type of farming in the future.”