The Yale expositor., 1903-06-12
POULTRY
DUCK CULTURE.
NO. II.

From The Farmers Review; Our
nursery brooder Ia $50 feet long. "a
feet wide, a heater at one end with
four hot water pipes running the
whole length down the middle. over
these is n board walk about four feet
wide. one and one-quarter inch pine.
Heater pipes are 6 inches from ground
floor. They gradually rise until at
farther end they are over ~ inches
from floor. Every feet Is partition.
ed on for n pen with cloth tackled
on each side OF walk 20 keep tn
warm air under pipes. This cloth is
slit nearly 20 top every 3 or 4 inches.
so ducklings can 50 In or out by
pressing on same.
The FIRST one or two days we keep
n board up edgeways about one foot
from hover. This is 90 keep them
near the heat until they learn 10
80 In and out themselves. After this
they have the whole pen, 5Ki2 petit.
ton in center OF walk under pipes.
one on each side walk until two
weeks old. when they are lot run IN
outdoor pans 5x5O. Our first feed is
equal parts cornmeal, bran and brok.
en- crackers. II we can get them. with
little fine sand like graduated sugar.
the whole mixed with warm water
that has stood in sun an hour. We
feed four times daily what they eat
mp quickly first four days on Nat
boards, after that in small V.shaped
jroughs.
When ducklings are four weeks old
they are removed 10 the cold brooder,
which has a hot water pipe running
around house on inside one foot high.
IN summer this IS not heated This
house should be 80 feet wide, petition.
cd In the middle. pens running both
ways feet wide. 100 feet long Duck.
lings are waterci and fed out.
side II weather will permit Flat
bOttomed troughs inches wide
and four feet long are used for
Feeding. and same size for water.
Pipes running through pens furnish
water. Inside troughs for feeding in
nursery are V-shaped with a fountain
for water holding a pail OF water. In
cold brooder ducks are fed equal part
cornmeal. bran, ground oats. with
enough low.grade -four 10 make Il
ball up nicely. and per cent beef
scrap. When six weeks old they are
removed 10 pens 25xlOO and fed and
watered In trough same as for breed
ing ducks. For two weeks they are
fed equal parts cornmeal and bran,
with somo low-grade -four, and 10
per cent beef scrap. The next two
weeks they are fed two.thirds corn.
meal. one-third bran, some wgrade
-four and Il per cent beef scrap.
They are now ten weeks old and
should be ready for market. weighing
8 TO 8 pounds each. Some use shed
for them 10 run under In last pens
Others not any. but have pens well
drained. When ready 10 Kill, ducks
are driven into n shed and latest
ones are killed by hanging up by the
feet and n slit cut in throat crosswise,
the head being held firm by n wire
run through the nose. When through
bleeding. they are taken down and
given TO the pickers. who scald them
in hot water, then remove the feath.
ors quickly, after which they are
pumped by plunging into hot water.
then into ice water. They are now
placed In tubs OF water for two or
three hours. until animal heat Ia all
out. then packed In barrels OF ice
water and kept until shipped TO mar
ket. which Is every day In the after
noon.-W. Il. Curtlss. Niagara County,
New York.