Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1903-11-19
DUCKS FOR THE MARKET.
The Best Are Those That Have Never
seen a Duck Pond.

The Best Are Those That Have Never
Seen a Duck Pond.
.The little ducks that come to mar
ket nowadays" said wholesale dealer
in New York. and even the little ducks
that stay at home are as different from
the ducks we used to sell four or five
years ago as dried figs are as different
from the fruit fresh from the vines. It
seems an almost unnatural thing to
think of a duck without duck pond,
but the latest and best ducks we sell
now never saw duck pond.
Duck farming is still comparative
" recent thing. but it is developing
along new lines all the time. Expert
ence has taught that ducks allowed
only sufficient water to quench the
thirst and not a dirty. muddy pond to
wallow and swim in are more tooth
some for the table and bring higher
prices in the market. Where there is a
pond there are fish of some sort. and
the ducks will eat the fish. That gives
their meat fshy favor. of which
housewives complain.
There is as much If not more mon
ey in raising ducks than in raising
chickens; but, as it takes more capital
to start a duck farm than it does to
build a hencoop. there are fewer per-
sons in the business, and ducks, unless
they have a pond and are allowed to
roam at their own sweet will. are more
troublesome to take care Of than chick
ems. There is not much variation in
the food of duck fattening for the
market. It is fed regularly three times
a day. and it gets mash for every meal.
Nothing else agrees with a healthy
duck like mash. About once a week a
little cracked corn is thrown in by way
of variety, but the ducks do not seem
to care whether it is there or not.
Breeders have an odd way Of get
ting around the natural craving of
ducks for animal food 1t takes long
time to cure the birds OF this. and
they are very irritable during the
process. Breeders make a stew of ami
NAL flesh and ground bones mixed and
strain off the water This is mixed
with the water given the ducks to
drink and also to moisten their bran.
The compound gives to their mash a
mealy flavor that gratifes their appe-
tite and adds to it substance that
makes them strong.
In fattening ducks breeders try to
make them eat as much as they can.
And it is astonishing how much a
healthy duck can eat Some ducks viii
easily dispose of four pounds Of food
a day without having indigestion
enough solid material to sustain
hard working Iongshoreman. If a duck
refuses to eat more than enough to sat
isfy its appetite the breeder thinks it
is sick
ION farm the ducks are not allow
ed to mix at viii. They are kept in
pens in focks Of fifty or seventy, &C
eording to their condition for market
ing. The greatest care must be taken
with their bedding. Fresh hay and
atraw every other night, and at certain
seasons of the year every night, is inn
perative for healthy ducks. They do
not sleep in houses like chickens and
turkeys do. Ducks prefer to huddle to-
gether and sleep in the open. But their
feet must be kept warm. A duck with
cold feet is usually dead duck.
"The proportionate returns from
Matching ducks eggs. as compared with
hens eggs. is ridiculously small. About
one-half the eggs sent to hatch are
sheer waste. In fact. it does not pay
the breeders in New York and New
Jersey to raise from eggs they can buy
hereabout 1t is cheaper for them to
buy and raise young ducks shipped
from the west. This industry has be-
come SO large that cars are built spe-
cially for the duck trade and men sent
along who know how TO feed and take
49, 4 u l. y