Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1909-02-12
DUCKS M E
Profits Can Bo Made from Them If
They Arc Properly Handled.

Profits Can Bo Made from Them IL
They Arc Properly ndle
Waterfowl have attracted more than
passing attention of late for market.
The cultivation Of reproducing strains
of ducks has made possible the keeping
of ducks at Il greater profit; where
ducks will lay sufficient Eggs during a
year to hatch q brood or two anu to
pay for their own feed, they are a
profitable product, say the Country
Gentleman. They are easily kept with
in an Enclosure, grow fast, cause little
trouble or anxiety after they are a
week or ten days old. The consumption
of ducks as dressed poultry is largely
on the increase, and for some reason
or other they always sell at the higher
price at the same season OF the year
than that obtained for poultry.
Geese, while growing in favor, are
more difficult to manage; they do not
pay SO well unless you have rough
waste lands, with swimming pools, from
h fact that geese are heavy grazers.
Some assert that six geese will eat as
much grass as a COW. This is not an
actual fact, but geese do consume a
wonderful amount of heritage of many
kinds. For this reason low, marshy
lands that cannot be mad use of for
other kinds Of grazing can be most
proftably utilized for the growing Of
geese. On lands of this kind they can
be kept through the entire year, pro-
viding there is a high place on dry land
that they car come to at night during
the stormy weather. Lands that are
unfit for other kinds of stock may be
most profitably made use of for the
growing of geese.
In selecting geese it may well be
remembered that feathers are one of
the profitable considerations, and that
white feathers will sell for l or ? cents
more a pound than will colored ones.
There are many kinds of geese that
may be made use of, eac grower Sc
lecting the kind best suited to his To-
cality. More pounds Of goose meat
can be grown in the same numbe OF
days with less cost per pound than in
almost any other fowl, from the fact
that more than one-half their entire
]sustenance can be grazed from the
marshy lands, being fed only for the
first two or three weeks of their exist
ence and after cold weather sets in,
when they are to be fed and fattened
for market.
To have the best results from tur-
keys, ducks and geese one should select
and nave in mind on his farm the stock
to be made use of as producers the next
year prior to the first Of the year.
Ducks and geese brought on to a place
after the first Of March are not likely
to prove profitable during that season.
A well-set flock of geese do best in their
second year, and continue to do re-
markably well as producers for many,
many years. 1t Is always best 20 change
the ganders at least once Ii two OF
three years. Keep the old geese so
long as they will lay eggs and produce
a flock Of goslings.
Ducks do not continue as profitable
breeders much beyond the third year.
Old geese cannot be made alataDle Tor
dressed poultry. Ducks can be quickly
fattened into palatable food at almost
any stage; if taken when quite l
in flesh and fed on rich, %fattening foods
they will fill up with juicy. palatable
meat in a few weeks and make fairly
pood market fowls,