The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1909-10-22
DUCKS, AN ExPERIENcE,

n. u ~
are profitable under certain condi.
lions, the ducks themselves sell wen.
and besides there is the harvest Of
features, but-well my experience
was admit not all that / would al
ways have liked it to be.
When began with ducks I knew
about as much about them as novice
usually does which was nothing at al
but ! was confident 4 could learn and
did, many things.
I began with three or four which
were given me and when they began
to lay in February i carefully saved
every egg. / did not set the first
ones however for they were too old
before ] had any hens that evinced a
desire to set on them. When I did
set them however they Matched well
and ! was just in love with the pretty
downy balls, that were the result. I
never saw anything in my life that
could get away with the amount of
food that those young ducks could.
fed them mostly ON meal mash and
how they did grow. For the
first few weeks / kept them in a
yard that my husband made for me
but when they were nearly half
grown ! decided that they might
be let to run, and let them
out a portion Of each day.
This did very we'll for time
for they always came at feeding time
and leased for their feed but at length
they began to wander and one day
they went to the river that was a
short distance from the house. Now
the old ducks always went there and
i had always been told that running
water was the best thing for them,
but one night alas they failed to re-
turn. AS / had seventeen in this first
flock naturally began to look for
them but ! never found even sign
Of one Of them.
was greatly mystified for some.
time but later a person old in the
business told me that without doubt
the mud turtles had taken them. Well
had learned one lesson, the rest of
my young ducks were not let to run
to the river. fixed large dishes
and although it was quiteNa bit OF
labor to keep them supplied with wa.
ter did it and lost no more ducks
that year. +
Another thing found out was that
the old ducks if allowed to be too
much in the damp will sometimes
contract rheumatism, SO provided
them with a high dry place to roost
in winter and shut them into it, at
night the same as did my chickens,
this will usually do away with the
trouble and it was about the only
thing that ever tpubIed them. They
are surely about as easy a thing to
raise as there is in the poultry line
Another thing when they become used
to being shut up nights it is easy to
keep them in while in the morning
and one does not lose so many eggs
as they do when they are allowed to
run at will
Do not ever attempt however to
keep the ducks in the same house
with the chickens, it might not hurt
the ducks but for some reason il is
not good for the chickens, yard by
themselves keeps them from pollut-
ing the drink water given the chick
ems which they will do every time
they will get into it.-Indiana Farmer
NOTES.
Twenty minutes every other day
with tea kettle of scalding hot
water poured over the drinking foun-
tains and feed troughs will keep down
disease germs this hot weather.
Too much shade is not good for
poultry, but some is always necessary
during the hot summer months. Low
shrubbery or something like a plum
thicket affords an excellent retreat.
II possible have your poultry yard
slope to the south, and don't locate
it in the woods where there is too
much shade and dampness and where
droppings can not be used to advan-
tage in the production of green food.
Poultry should be given as much
attention as any branch of the farms
income. 1t should be studied as care,
fully as dairying or hog raising and
the farmer will find his profits from
this source are not inconsiderab,e
AS the weeds and grass are tall
now. owing to extra rains timber
neck may be expected if dead chicks
are allowed on the range or runs.
The tall weeds and grass easily hide
the dead chicks. Weak ones often
drop over during the day and are
not found except by their mates Re-
suit timber neck
Porto Ricans Interested.