Little Yo's Home
Yilan Jiaoxi’s brand-new family-friendly attraction “Jianniao Garden” has officially opened! Transformed from a traditional duck shed, “Jianniao Garden” allows children to experience the joy of ecological observation and understand the meaning of life through activities such as feeding ducks and fish, rice-duck co-cultivation, as well as DIY workshops and delicious duck-themed cakes. Join the five-star duck home to immerse yourself in nature!
■ Admission: NT$100 (can be fully deducted from purchases), free for children under 100 cm
■ Address: No. 209, Kailan Road, Jiaoxi Township, Yilan County
■ Phone: 03-928-8152
■ Opening Hours: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
■ Official Website: https://produck.tw/
■ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/yyproduck
After leaving the King Car Bio-Technology Aquaculture R&D Center, we headed to the new Yilan Jiaoxi attraction “Jianniao Garden,” just a 10-minute drive away. This time, we dubbed our Yilan trip a green healing animal journey—after seeing marine life, it was time to witness the wonders of the duck world.
Traditional duck sheds usually look old and have a mix of various smells. Even so, animal lovers like us still enjoy getting close. I remember previously visiting a duck shed story house where we picked up duck eggs, watched ducks slide, and made duck eggs—the kids had a blast.“Jianniao Garden”—“Jia” plus “Niao” means duck, so it’s a duck garden. It completely reinvents the traditional duck shed model, and from the parking lot exterior, you’d never guess it’s a place that raises ducks.It just feels like a beautiful little spot tucked away in the alleys, drawing people in to take a look.
First, we arrived at the experience area, which also serves as the main building of “Jianniao Garden.” It offers light meals and DIY activities, and as soon as we entered, a staff member was at the door collecting admission fees.
The NT$100 admission fee can be fully used toward purchases. We used two tickets to exchange for two bottles of feed—one for the ducks and one for the fish.
Even the restroom is stylish—when was the last time you saw such a beautiful duck shed bathroom?
The good weather made the scenery at Jiaoxi’s “Jianniao Garden” even more delightful. The landscape pond outside the building is planted with lotus flowers. “Jianniao Garden” takes from the ducks and gives back to them. The excrement from the healthy ducks is reused to grow vegetables, rice, and flowers, and once the plants mature, they are turned into feed for the ducks. This cyclical, resource-efficient duck-raising method is not only clever but also environmentally friendly and Earth-loving—it’s hard not to admire the owner’s ingenuity.
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Jiaoxi’s “Jianniao Garden” was founded by duck-raising expert Lai Chang-sheng, who, with 50 years of rich experience, transformed a traditional duck shed into an ecological park over three years, integrating the Jiaoxi environment. He hopes to share more accurate knowledge about ducks here and help everyone better understand ecology.
After walking around for a while, we still hadn’t seen any ducks yet! We were just captivated by this ultra-modern exposed-concrete building.
This is actually the “home of the ducks” at “Jianniao Garden”! Designed meticulously by architects, the five-layer rooftop structure uses arched roofing to allow natural air circulation, with large windows bringing in bright, natural light. To adapt to Yilan’s rainy climate, functional drainage columns were installed so rainwater from the roof can flow back into the pond, enabling water recycling.
What a huge duckhouse! As soon as we entered, we heard ducks quacking all around, filling the space with vibrant sounds. This is home to laying ducks, meat ducks, and Yilan’s famous cherry ducks.
Seeing the ducklings felt full of hope!
Walking along the corridor and looking at the ducks through transparent glass was a novel experience. But some ducks were quite shy—we had barely approached when they hid inside. We had to tell Yo we should step back a bit so we wouldn’t scare them!
Next to the duckhouse is the “organic rice-duck area.” Using a water recycling method, the treated excrement from the ducks is transported to the rice paddies. The ponds are stocked with tilapia and bass that absorb these natural organic fertilizers, while crops like J white bamboo shoots and hydroponic water spinach are grown, putting organic farming methods into practice to form a “cyclical symbiosis.”
In the past, this traditional duck shed raised three breeds of local ducks, two breeds of local ducks, and Peking ducks, but it later switched mainly to raising cherry ducks.
Surprisingly, despite multiple outbreaks of avian flu in the past, the ducks here were never affected. Because they are kept healthy, they live healthily, and the owners take even greater care of them, putting a lot of effort into their diet and living environment. You can really feel his deep affection for the ducks!
On the other side of the duckhouse at Jiaoxi’s “Jianniao Garden,” there’s an area open for feeding, which attracts many ducks. Getting up close and personal excited the kids!
At first, Yo planned to scatter the feed like when feeding fish, but found that most of it ended up falling directly into the pond below, with the ducks barely getting any.
Changing tactics, he decided to feed them by hand. "Aren't you afraid of being pecked?" "No, because I'm just feeding them food and not harming them!" Having taken many ecological tour courses, Yo is brave and proactive when it comes to getting close to small animals. After observing the ducks' habits from the side and confirming that they are very gentle and not aggressive at all, and seeing that the hungry ducks only had eyes for food, he decided to feed them by hand.
These ducks seem to never have enough—after one group eats, another comes along, giving the kids a great sense of accomplishment in feeding them. What's it like to have ducks eat from your hands? After feeding them a few times, he found that they control their strength and won’t peck people just to fight over food. The experience is a little ticklish, actually.
"Why are they back again?" Yo thought: Didn’t you just eat? Haha, they all look the same—how do you know this batch has already eaten?
Seeing how much fun his son was having, Daddy Dong also wanted to give it a try. Being needed by a whole flock of ducks is quite an accomplishment too.
After feeding the ducks, it’s time to feed the fish Up next.
Interestingly, the ducks eat fish food too. As soon as it was scattered into the pond, tilapia and bass swarmed over, and even the ducks came running. From feeding inside to feeding outside, the day’s good deed was thoroughly carried out—he felt really satisfied.
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"Daddy, look, a duck is flying!"
Sitting in the beautiful fair-faced concrete building, watching the ducks in their habitat is both relaxing and enjoyable. Time seems to stand still. Slowing down and carefully observing the surroundings can sometimes bring unexpected rewards. It’s so important to calm the mind.
Visiting the new attraction in Jiaoxi—"Jia Niao Yuan" (Bird Garden)—besides enjoying the ecology, you can also try your hand at DIY mosaic tile collage.
The park also sells its own production and processing: chemical-free duck cakes, pound cakes, chocolate cookies, handmade egg rolls, as well as drinks like coffee and lotus tea, to accompany everyone for a pleasant time.
Because of the care put into it, people feel reassured. I really like the philosophy of the owner of Jia Niao Yuan in Jiaoxi.
With a spirit of perseverance to ensure quality, every detail is carefully managed, and their commitment to environmental protection and loving the Earth is put into practice. Bring your kids to visit Jia Niao Yuan and experience the power of nature together.
[1+1=3 Play Learn Fun Lifestyle] Authorized reprint. Original source: [New Yilan Attraction—Jiaoxi Jia Niao Yuan ~ A Five-Star Parent-Child Eco Tour at Aya’s Home].