Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1886-12-10
rAnM AND moUsEHOLD.

A Duck FARM.-There Is huge
duck farm near South Easton, Mass.
which last year made record that was
commented upon all over the country,
and attracted much interest. James
Rankin Is the owner Of the enterprise.
This year he again gives his yearly rec
ord, and the matter is worth reading.
He says:
'We have got out the present season
some z 900 ducks, chicks. and goslings.
Over 1000 ducklings have already gone
to market. We have l 200 Of the choic-
est reserved for breeding purposes. 500
of which are already engaged at prices
considerably aboye their market value.
The maximum prices obtained for duck
lngs were 30 cents per pound; the min
imum, 10 cent?; the average, about 81
cents. Careful estimates and repeated
experiments have, convinced us that
ducks can be put upon the market at
cost to the grower Of not over cents
per pound. As these ducklings, when
carefully fed, are ready for market when
nine or ten weeks old. IL follows that
three months from the time when the
machines are filled with eggs the duck
lings are put upon the market ut profit
of over 400 per cent, on all investments.
eve sell principally to large retail
ing firms, and they have told us re-
peatedly that our artificially grown
ducks are the best fatted and plumpest
birds in the Boston market, that they
will pay us 2 cents per pound more than
they pay for other stock and that they
will not order elsewhere so long as we
can supply them, so that in order to sell
our ducks we simply have to remain ut
home and fill all the orders we can.
eve wintered the past season $50
ducks, with the proper complement of
brakes. Those ducks commenced lay
ing January l, and up to recent date,
have furnished us with IS 400 eggs, or
little more than 1913 eggs each. Our
young ducks, Matched March 10, com
menced laying August l, and have been
laying ever since. We are getting quite
basket of eggs daily from these young
ducks. OF the lS,460 eggs above re-
ferred to, some four thousand Of them
we used for purposes Of Incubation, and
the rest were sold at remunerative
prices for others to hatch. Many of our
orders Wa were quite unable to fill.
Many complain Of losing their duck
lings through weakness in their legs
and inability to stand. This. we think,
is owing to too highly concentrated
food. The natural food of the duck in
its wild state is grass and fish Of all
kinds. This can be supplemented by
grain diet composed Of equal parts Of
good wheat, bran and cornmeal, with
plenty of vegetables of all kinGs-pota-
toes, turnips, beets, cabbage, etc. We
led one bushel of cooked turuips per day
throughout the entire winters OF 1885
anu looO. uIAeu Will medi, eHOi 70 anu
beef scraps.
Ducks will not thrive on an eXclu-
sive grain diet. They are grass feeders,
requiring larger quantity OF food tina u
hens, but are not particular as TO quail
ity. We grow our young ducks in
yards of about 10 by 100 feet in extent,
putting 100 in each yard. IL is abso
lutely necessary 10 confine them thus,
as they will not only run their flesh off,
but will greedily eat all manner OF in
secrs, which they do not stop o Kill. and
too often pay The penalty with their
lives.
1--WE give water regularly. the same
as food, and only sufficient for them To
drink. Shade is essential. 1t is aston
ishing to see how ducks and apple pear
and plum trees harmonic. The ducks
thrive upon the insects. shade and fall.
ing leaves, and so enrich the ground
that the trees are loaded with large.
fair fruit. Our ducklings dress upon
an average OF five pounds at nine weeks
old. so that we usually grow two and
sometimes three crops Of them on the
same land each season. These yards
are plowed up and reseedeG with grass
and rye in the fall, the crop. of course,
disinfeciing the ground, besides fur
nishing green food Tor the ducklings
during the early spring. We feed large
" during the summer on green fodder.
which is cut up fine. The young birds
not only fatten on it readily, but seem
to enjoy it hugely, especially the stock.
We are careful not to feed more than
the birds will eat clean. and if too much
Is fed gather up the residum. Our
losses with ducklings have not averaged
more than one per cent. for the last two
yenrs, and that mostly by accident"