The sun., 1910-01-09
PIN MONEY FROM EGGS.
Experience OF a Delaware Farmers wne
Win an Runner Ducks. 4,

/, WIN huulan Huuner HpUChe. !
The most prolific egg producer with
which | have ever had any experience
is.the Indian runner duck. The speak er
was the wife of Delaware farmer who
makes her pin money by raising eggs
for the city market. 1T is to the duck
family what the Ieghorn is to the chick en-,
small in size and remarkably heavy
layer. S,
About five years ago while in Ireland
my attention was attracted to these
ducks as they were bred for market by
a friend. On my return | brought two
ducks and a drake. That year those
two ducks rewarded me for my trouble
by giving me 44S eggs. sold all those
eggs excepting two settings OF thirteen
each. Out OF that number twenty-one
duck lings were Matched and / raised
seventeen. The year following those
two old ducks and their descendants
gave me an average of 22s eggs each.
Though the Indian runners cannot
compete in our market with the Pekins
and the Aylesburys because of their
inferior size they make the finest sort
OF SQUAD ducks and attain their growth
very quickly. Their speciality. how
ever, is laying and as prefer raising
eggs for market they suit my purpose
to perfection. They are much harder
than chick kens or any other poultry that
have ever tried to raise. they require
less food and much less in the way Of
housing during the cold months.
"On our farm they have a good range
on pasture land along brook and in the
open season the full grown ducks receive
only one feed each day. Though they
are always on the move and cover a good
distance, often going to the limits of our
enclosure. they are always back home
at night, This homing instinct is one
of their good qualities.
|. They usually lay during the night
or very early in the morning. so to prevent
their dropping their eggs about the farm
I keep the door OF their pen shut until
about o O'Clock. This with their simple
feed Of grain and bran IN AL the attention
my doek gets during the open season.
During the winter my ducks are housed
in an pen shed in one corner OF which
they have their he'd Of coarse hay. They
don't mind either cold or snow. So far
have had no disease or ony sign of weak
ness. Though mine have always had the
brook to paddle in | do not believe that
having water to swim in makes them
either healthier or happier. They must,
however. be kept well supplied with drink
ing water. They also enjoy having their
food given them in water.
so far have always Matched the eggs
under hens. They require about one
month brooding and hatch remarkably
well. The young duckkMgs that do not
reach maturity are usually killed by some
accident or eaten by an enemy. For
their first food / usually give them pre-
pared duck food moistened with water.
With this 10 mixed little clean sand and
some green stun, as chopped clover.
The first few days this mixture 10 given
them twice daily with three other feeds of
green stun mixed with wheat bran and
ground corn or oats. This makes five feeds
a day and find il quite sufficient. though
they are such ravenous feeders that
believe they would eat twice as often
IL they had the chance.
After they are a week old begin grad
ually 10 substitute the mixture OF green
stuff and bran for the duck food. increas-
ing the proportion Of bran and adding
meat scraps and whole grain. As they
get older they relish the whole grain more
and more.
The eggs are large and OF a firrner
quality than hens eggs. By judicious
feeding. adding double portion Of meat
scraps to their ration during the cold
months, they continue TO lay almost as
regularly as in the summer. The eggs
sell well for all purposes except for boil,
ing .