Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1886-12-11
A Duck Farm.

There is huge duck farm near
South Easton, Mass, which last
wear made record that was com
mpnted upon all over the country,
sad attracted much interest. JAS.
Rankin is the owner of the enter.
prise. This year he again gives
his yearly record, and the matter
is worth reading. lie says:
I'VE have got out the present
season some 1000 ducks, chicks
and goslings. Over 1000 dnck-
lings have already gone to market.
We have 900 of the choicest re
served for breeding purposes. 800
of which are already engaged Nj
prices considerably above their
market value. The maximum
prices Obtained for dncklings were
30 cents per pound; the minimum,
Is cents: the average; about u
cents. Careful estimates and re
peateI experiments have convinced
us that ducks can be put upon the
market at il cost to the grower OF
not over 5 cents per pound. As
these tucklingS, when carefully
ted. are ready for market when
nine or ten weeks old, it follows
that three months from the time
when the machines are filled with
cc|S the tlucklimgS are put upon
The unn kct at 81 profit of over 4U0
! er cent. on all investments.
I'VE sell principally TO large re
failing firms, and they have to!duS
repeatedly that our artilicially
grown ducks are the best fatted
and plnmrest birds in the Boston
market; that they will pay us 3
cents per pound more than they
pay Tor other stock. and that they
will not order clSewa here so long MS
we can supply them, so that m or
der 20 sell our ducks we simply
have to remain at home and ill all
the orders we can.
We winltrcd the past season
1875 ducks, with the proper compile
mrnt of brakes. Those duck com
mcrced laying January l, and up
to ii recent date, have furnished us
with Is, AGO eggs, or Il little more
than rs eggs each. Our Young
ducks. matched March 10, comnlenc-
ed laying August l, and have been
laying ever since. We are getting
quite IA basket OF eggs daily from
these Young ducks. CT The Is, 46G
eggs above referred TO, soIiie four
Thousand of them we used for rur
poses OF Incubation, and the rest
we've sold at remuucrarive prices
iui. others 10 hatch. Many of orr
orders we were quite unable to fill.
Many complain of losing their
duckl inGs through weakness i'll
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 al kinds.
This can be supplemented by Il
gram diet composed Of equal parts
81 good heat, bran and corn meal,
Will plenty of vegetables OF all
kinds-potatocs, tu'nipS, Gcets,
cabbage. etc. We fed one buslei
of cooked turnips per day fhrough-
out lie entile winters CT 1885 and
1856 mixed with meal, shorts and
beef scraps.
:'Duchs will not thrive on an cx-
elusive grain diet. They are grass
feeders, requiring larger Quanti-
KY OF food than hens, but are not so
i'ayticular as to quality. We grow
oulSaoung ducks i'll yards Of about
10 liy 100 feet in extent, putting
Ice i'll eacl, yard. 1t is absolutely
necessary to confine them thus, as
they Will not only run their flesh
OF. but will greedlly eat all man
ner of insects, which they Go not
stop TO kill, and too often pay the
penalty with their lives.
I'VE give water regularly, the
same as food, and only sufficient
fer them to drink. Shade is essen
tial. II is astonishing to see how
ducks and apI,le, pear and plum
trees harmonic. The ducks thrive
nron the insects. shade anu falling
leaves, and so curicil the ground
that the trees are oaded with large
IAN fruit. Our ducklirgs dress up
Oh an average of five pounds at
nine weeks old, so we usually grow
two and sometimes three crops of
Item on the same lard each season.
These yards are plowed UP and re
seeded with grass and rye in the
tall, the crop, OF course, disnIectins
tie ground, besides furnishing
g!ecnioo1 for the ducklingS during
the early spring. We feed largely
ON green corn fodder during he
slniIncr, which is cut mp fine. The
young birds not only iattcn on it
readily, but seem tocnjoy it huge
~, especially The stock. We are
cilelui not 10 iced more t.an the
Lids will eat clean, and iftoo much
is led gather up The residuum. Our
.csse> with ducklings have not av-
Gagged more than one per cent. for
the last Two Years, and that mostly
by accident.