The poor duckling was born much larger and uglier than the other ducklings. He was constantly bitten, pushed, made fun of, and laughed at by all the other poultry on the farm. The duckling was miserable because of how ugly he was and how he was treated by the whole farmyard. Even his own brothers and sisters were unkind to him. Eventually, the poor duckling could not take it anymore and ran away, frightening the small birds in the hedges as he flew off.