The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1897-11-13
THOUSANDS OF DUCKS.
PASSED ON A PENNSYLVANIA FARM
FOR THE MARKET.
Batched Out in wooden Incubators' ana
the Youngsters Are Not Allowed 10 20
Near the Water-Feathers Are Vaiuapie
"A Big Profit in the BUSINESS.

In many instances the OF modern
farm industries has been so sudden
that few city jewellers are yet aware OF
their Importance or of the extent 10
which they have been carried out.
Think of a poultry farm, Tor IN
stance. seven acres in extent, where
10 600 ducks are confined. 1t seems
almost incredible that such place
should be under our very nose, SO TO
speak, without our having any exact
knowledge of it, situated, too, IN the
heart of one of the richest farming
districts in the state, near Allentown.
IF one becomes accustomed to the
deafening clack-clack made by tne
thousands of feathered denlzens OF
this novel duck farm, which is owned
by Oliver Gittnet, most interesting
holiday can be spent on the place:
Close by, at the Duck Farm hotel, kept
by Alfred Griesimer, entertainment
for man and beast to suit the most
fastidious, is to be secured. MI.
Griesimer's duck suppers are
speciality well worth the trip aione'
the yery finest ducks from the farm,
selected with great care, being served
on these occasions.
The most interesting feature about
the modern poultry farm is the wooden
mother or incubator, indeed, 1t Is just
this Yankee invention which has made
duck farming on the scale to which 1t
is carried on the Allentown farm pos
sible. There are two classes OF this
apparatus, one heated by hot WATER
the other by hot air. Some are regu.
lated by thermostatic bars maze Oh
brass. iron, rubber and aluminium:
others by alcohol, ether, electricity
and the expansion of water Naturally
the first place to be inspected on the
duck farm is the incubator cellar,
room especially constructed for the
purpose, partially underground to
secure more even temperature, as
the eggs during the process OF lncuba-
ton are most susceptible to sudden
changes of weather.
When the poultry farmer prepares
70 hatch out a brood in his incubators
he places the eggs in trays, winch
trays are put in the incubators
directly under the tank which supplies
the heat to the egg chamber The
incubators are built double-walled and
the air space packed with asbestos to
prevent the sudden changes OF tenn
perature from affecting the egg
chamber. In size the smaller incuba-
tors range from % to 600 eggs capac-
ity, and can be operated the year
round.
The most successful seasons, how
y ever. are in the spring or fall, or even
, in the winter, the results in summer
. being the least satisfactory. During
; the period required to hatch the eggs
81 days, the temperature in thesincu
| bators is maintained at 103 degrees
However a change of two or three
degrees ia either direction will not, O.
a rule, result seriously.
> For "a hours after Matching tn
Young ducks are left in the incubator
y to dry. Then they are transferred t.
brooders, some of which are made I
. hold as many as three thousand ducks
. These brooders are constructed IN lonl
:: narrow houses about IA feet wide an
u 800 feet in length. They are heate
by hot water, and the ducks are re
tanned in them for five weeks, afte
which they are transferred to the col
;. brooders or ordinary houses atfordin
, them a comfortable shelter. The pei
!, centage of eggs successfully hatche
: in the incubators is about 60 per cent
i while the loss of young ducks is abor
o 10 per cent. Thus about so per cen
!. of the eggs resultin marketable duck
,o One great advantage of duck farm
% ing over chicken farming is that I'll
i ducks are ready for market weeks b
q fore the young chickens can leave tt
o. % farm. At the age of eight OF te
4. weeks the ducks are usually in COZ
IA dition for sale, weighing about fol
ed and half pounds.
nd Another feature of duck farming al
vn an important item in the profits,
d. the feathers. About 1000 pounds a
secured annually on the Attention.
d, farm. these feathers fetching on I
[r. average about Is cents per pound.
ut. the popular mind ducks are general
at associated with water, and many sm'
tut poultry raisers bar ducks from the
ew farmyard because there is no suitat
Ike stream in the vicinity for them
nut paddle about in. 1t is, therefor
til rather interesting to learn that t
he ducks which are bred for market
ly, the Allentown farm are not allowed
ey go near the water, although Ced
IN creek, stream of the purest watt
;he flows through the farm. The bree
nd ing ducks, however, are allowed
free run of this creek, much to t
-ay envy of their brothers and sisters, W
ing are being fattened for sale on
eet other side of the Enclosure.
Although the modern incubator
uf- simplifed and made poultry farmi
to on large scale possible and pro
emit able, at the same time the incuba
es. does not fulfill all the requirements
7si- the successful breeding of due
led Great care must be taken of the you
Re- broods after their arrival in this wor
After the first. few weeks of til
life the young ducklings require
closest watching and much experiel
Ga to bring them to marketable age.
M. The matter of feeding is not by {
ur- n,aonc tho least imnortant of the