El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-11-18

~ ness IS one OF the rest enter
Drises one can select. from a
money making point, for it is not only
profitable, but as a business 1t is cas-
lily learned and what is more, there is
less work attached to raising ducks
than there is raising chickens To be-
gin with the feeding is the most i'm
pOrtant, and this part Of the industry
should be given serious thought and
study, for one mistake and your labor
is ali for naught.
Study your flock and watch care
fully that they get their feed at regu-
lar intervals during the day and also
be sure you have clean water Tor them
to drink.
Don't feed today at 6 o'clock in the
morning, and tomorrow wait until
or maybe 10 o'clock before you feed,
but be punctual eacn day at the nour
for feeding and you viii always find
your ducks ready for feed. Remember
your breeding ducks, those OF h1gn
grade, are not to be handled as you
would your utility stock, Tor high
grade ducks are bred from the choic-
est of your flock and should be penned
away from the more common grade
and fed accordingly. You should es-
tablish a rule of feeding those penneds
say five or six times daily, and always
give them the heavy feeding at night,
for a reason you soon learn II you IN
tend to raise ducks OF fine quarry ana
keep them in condition.
Utility stock man be let run ona good
range and when they get hungry they
will always come to the 1eed1ng place.
but never neglect to feed them when
they come to their feeding place. Tor
if YOU do YOU will soon discover a
large decrease in the eggs supply
and also on examining your 1Iock OF
ducks that they are getting thin ana
their feathers are taking on rOunQ
appearance, all on account of your
neglect and laZiness, no one to blame
but yourself. Ducks cant talk, but
when you are about them for a short
time the signs and noise they make
will soon teach you what they want.
In summer your ducks can be fed on
8 much cheaper scale than IN winter,
for when winter comes on and you
want your ducks to help pay mort
gage or help send the children to
school, YOU must treat them as you DO
yourself, give them plenty OF cooked
food and see that the houses are IN
good condition and also see that the
ducks have plenty Of straw to roost
You ask what is best to feed ducks,
but you don't say for what purpose,
whether Cor breeding. or for market,
or for eggs alone. You have to class
ffy the different demands and make
each demand a careful study, II you
are in mating season you viii Ieed
your mated stock different ratlons
from your utility stock, for the fine
mated stock is IN pens and your util-
ity stock is out over r1ne range ana
naturally do not need the same 1000
as those who are not allowed their
freedom. For penned up ducks, bal
anced ratiOns are good, and keep IN
mind that ducks are great meat eat
ers and when you make up your mat
ing pens that the ducks selected for
stock must be given more meat IN
proportion than those out on range.
What to Feed.
The following if used viii be found
a good feed for your mated stock:
Morning feed-Hulled oats, wheat
and boiled rice; plenty Of grass and
Vegetab Ies all the time.
Noon feed-Cracked corn, small
quantity.
seasOning), vegetables chopped, meat
You can add to any Of the feeds
whatever you think necessary but
keep within a certain amount as TO
weight of feed for each duck, allow
for each duck on three feeds-morn-
ing, noon and night-about -FOUR
ounces, and for the two or three pc
tween feeds about two ounces to the
If you find the fowls do not clean
up at each feeding cut out one feed
ing until such time as you think
necessary to begin again with more
feed. For your utility duck an allow
ance Of six ounces Of feed day is
plnety Give mostly grain. for utility
ducks get plenty OF bugs, etc, on the
range. Keep your 6ueks from PI,ay-
ing in the water. for If you allow
them the pond to play in they get thin
and will in a majority Of cases drop
their eggs in the water. one hour a
day is plenty for ducks to be in the
water.
Keep ducks penned up at morning
until layers have deposited their eggs.
If you wish to know more about the
feeding of ducks please drop me
card. as I have not the time or space
haw n
wish to give the subject of Matching
and raising ducks few lines also.
Don't forget that number is what
counts, so when you start your hatch
ing season be sure 10 have plenty Of
material to work with. plenty Of eggs
and patience. water and sand to start
with after the ducklings are Matched 4
and you are on easy street until the
more.
Select and season your eggs for
Matching purposes, Use none but the I
largest and most perfect shaped eggs /
and let them season from six to ten |
days before being placed in the incu- /
bator or under the hen. Have a tenn /
perature box to keep your eggs in /
during the seasoning process, where (
the temperature is about 55 to 60 de- I
grees, turn eggs once each day until /
ready to be put to be Matched. Keep /
little end Of the egg down.
II you use hens to hatch with, let I
do IS to see that she gets fed regu- I
larly If you use incubators go ac- 4
cOrding to instructions and wait pa
tiently for results. As for myself 1
am partial to Mrs. Biddy," for she /
matches according to the rules Of the 4
book Of nature and very seldom makes /
a mistake. When you take off your /
baby ducks, give for the first As to 4
so hours nothing but pure, clean wa
ter 70 drink and sand to eat for ma
ture has provided substance enough /
for them to exist that long without I
ordinary food. If you want to be sue
cessfu1 with the raising Of your
young stock never reed soft feed OF /
give the duckling the freedom of a 4
duck pond. Chick feed. such as little I
chicks are fed is the best feed you /
can give them: but don't feed them
any food that has to be moistened be- |
fore being given TO the little ducks, 1
for mOistened or soft food gives duck /
lings indigestion, and in most cases /
sore gizzard, which the raiser can /
seldom cure. After the 10th day you
can let your small ducks have the /
Of q select range where grass /
is plenty and you viii have but very
little trouble until the time comes to |
fatten for market purposes. Select |
your future stock from your young
ducks when about four months Of age. /