The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-02-15
BOYS SUCCESS WITH DUCKS
Building Up a Profitable Business
by Raising Duo ks and Guinea Fowls
by N. Il.


One of my boy friends who has
for the last tour years Ia-sed gu-neas,
which nave netted him a neat little
sum, has now added ducks to i
poultry Saro. He has found that they
in no way interfere with the care of
his guineas and have more than dou-
bled his profits.
He has old quite a number OF set
stock, pecauae OF the h CHER price
commanded lOr their feathers.
This boy got his first stock OF ducks
by exc hanging two Of his %guineas for
a setting of fourteen eggs, which ne
piated under two hens IN sittings OF
seven each. Out of the fourteen eggs
eleven sturdy ~ducklings were hatched.
Last year this boy set $50 duck
eSss. OI these 152 eggs Matched. La
ter two were carried away by ratS.
Eight more died before the boy
lea ned that his water-ioving ducks
could Withstand even less danpnesS
than the ordinary chick.
Ducks are ready tor the market at
eleven weeks, sometimes a tritle ear
her. He sorts over the young DroodS
and always markets his green ducks
before they reach five pounds.
He has never sold any Of his ducks
for less than $3.50 per dozen. Last
TALL ne sold two ducks and a drake tor
81 for the three. They were his
choicest stock, however, and had won
the prize at the county fair.
He has sold quite a number of sit
tings and has never received less
than so cents per dozen for them
His ducks began laying the latter
part of February. He says this is
becaus they are we'll sheltered and
we'll fed. He will not sell the first
eggs for setting. or set them II M
sci, for he has learned hat the first
eggs are almost certain not to hatch
His Lighthouses are made chiefly
from dry goods boxes and the floors
are several inches off the ground. A
board With several bits of lathes
mailed across it serves for a door
step.
The houses are all sma1l-none
more than six feet in length, half that
in breadth and about three fet t high.
Only one drafe is sheltered in each
house, and one drake and half a
dozen ducks make a most am.abie.
ple asant family.
This boy covers the floors Of these
houses with dried grass. corn husks,
hay, and sometimes, for the lack Of
better material. with pine shavines.
Each house is cleaned once a week.
He never sets more than twelve
eggs under a duck. and only nine IL
under a hen. If the weather is very
dry and warm, or the nest is off the
ground. he s~~-o+i~os Sprinkies the
| SS"S Win q iilIIc "dIhI
The first Weeh alter the duckln@S
are Matched he keeps them in a coop,
taking great care that its floor is PEI
fectly dry. After h second W. K
they may be flowed to run at large
in charge. OF course, of the mother
duck or the stepmother hen, but they
must not be turned out lille the
dew Is on. They will. of their W
accord. return home to upper and to
bed before the dew falls. =.
For the first week the hoy feeds
the young ducks nothing but coarse
yellow cornmeal scalded with water
or milk. After hat stale bread
crumbs. beef scraps chopped very fine.
. ~~-a cots, chopped green clover or
any finely chopped green feed can
lie aou-u to their bill Of fare.
Later he adds cracked corn. crushed
barley and table scraps. In a quart
Of their food ne mixes from one to
three tablespoonful Of sand.
even the very young fucks are not
fed oftener than four times a day,
and after the fourth week. il they
have a run where there is plenty of
plantain, clover. dock or fresh green
yrass, they VII only need TO be fed
each night and morning on a mixed
feed Of bran, crunched barley or the
cracked corn mixed with table scraps,
and still reach the market weight be-
x-oa. Ton ND a1ox-ar yunaIS