The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1901-06-04

Experience with Ducks.
1. X. Felch, writes In Farm-Poultry
as follows:
My duck experience may please
some young reader in these enlight-
ened days. | had a cousin who with
me purchased sitting of eggs. We
set the eggs In our respective hay
lofts, on the same day. We had be-
come exercised in our minds as to
how these ducks with round bills
were to liberate themselves on the
twenty eighth day, and we concluded
that they must have help. So early on
the twenty-eighth day we proceeded
to help by breaking an egg. AS the
yolk was found not fully absorbed we
concluded that the duckling was de-
formed, and to put it out of its mis-
cry we pulled its head Off Thus we
dissected the whole nestful, and adj
journed to my hen. On finding the
first two in the same fix | vetoed any
further help, saying that they might
as well die in the shell as be killed
out of it. Having secured our expert
ence at Charley's expense. conclud-
bility of releasing her young. The re-
suit was six ducklings. To make them
a swimming pond flor in those days
it was thought that ducks must have
water to do WELD, sawed barrel at
the second hoop, and sunk it into the
ground. For few days it was kept
even full of water, then boy fashion,
neglected it, and on missing my ducks
one day / repaired to my artificial
one exhausted, literally drowned. The
one l revived by placing it in the oven
of the kitchen stove
For night quarters for another sub
seQuent brood l turned a barrel on its
side, with the open end higher than
the other. A storm came up in the
night and beat in, and the bilge being
water tight, all were drowned. This
was dearly bought experience-this
learning that ducks could drown.
Poor consolation l got, for mother
told me was being punished for
killing Charley's ducks in the nest, as
described. But l was getting expert
ence, and after that l would bore a
hole in the bilge of barrel and fill
in with earth to the level of the
ground outside. Barrels, with stakes
driven into the ground to confne the
hens. while giving the chicks liberty
were universally used then for chick
en- coops. l never saw anything else
used for the old hen and chickens VI
to that time. Then on seeing in the
Plowman a cut of tent-shaped coop
/ at once went to work to make them
of that shape, and never used barre
again after that summers experience
But l am running away from m,
ducks. My lone specimen proved tc
be drake. In the spring | procured
mate for him at cost of one dollar
and fifty cents. They were both near
ly white. The duck persisted in lay
ing her eggs in the brook. Morning
after morning l would hunt the watel
until l found the egg. Soon nay duel
was missing. stolen as l supposed b.
fox But to my surprise and gratif
cation in a month she came waddlini
home from the swamp with min
young ducks.
But trouble was brewing Tor me.
A vicious cannibal of a drake viii
discount hawk in his ravages amonl
young chicks. I was losing my yer,
young chickens in most unaccount
able way. l thought it the work O
rats, but one day l saw the drake, tn
apple of my eye. grab chick. II
Drained it in an instant, aHd shoe
"a l.
frog. Nothing will cure a drak
which once contracts this hsbit-so
killed him. To pick him and then t
pick the down was a half a day
, work. / graduated then and there a
, a picker of ducks. l sold che fiocl
and not even the gilded description
of duck culture in the present da
have enticed me to again follow tn
breeding of them.