El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-08-31
POULTRY DEPARTMENT
Pekin Ducks Best for Results
By an Ell PasOan for El PasOans.

, idIv is this growth that at eight weeks
of age they are ready for the market
and Zip the scales easily at six pounds
each and readily sell for so to So cents
per pound and it can be said from eX-
perience of others that nowhere do
ducks thrive better than in the vicinity
of FL PaSO. As a matter of fact, While
ducks enjoy water, it seems that our
dry climate and absence of dews and
dampness is conducive to their hardi-
ness and growth and it is strange that
some one has not before this launched
a Pekin duck farm. 1t would not be
a get-richquick scheme, but the
youngsters are easily raised and can
be depended on at ten weeks of age
to net the breeder on the market close
to 81 each
In selecting breeding stock, size and
hardness are greatest desideratiOns-
By selection and culling you can i'm
prove your flock from year TO year,
bearing in mind always to save your
breeders from earliest matches.
Where kept in large flOcks one drake
to five or six ducks should be the
rule and eggs viii run 95 percent fer
tile the year round Both brakes and
ducks or 8 years of age are prefer
able to younger stock. producing hard
Ter and thriftier young.
On commercial scale the eggs are
incUbated by machines and reared in
brOOders exclusively. Any other pro
cess is too slow and then young ducks
are more easily raised in brooders
than any other class of poultry. They
are an independent set and care but
little for the attentions of a mother
In incubating let the chief aim be
to prevent the eggs from overhead
ing Better run uniformly too low
than TO ever let it reach too high a
point 1t is fault with most opera
tors OF incubators to run them too high
and with ducks this will not do at an.
Under no circumstances should the
thermometer register more than los
degrees and during the first two weeks
of incubation 1O2 degrees is about
right As to moisture you need not
be afraid Of getting too much Even
with chickens in this climate that is
a practical impOssibility and with
duck eggs absolutely so. No need of
hygrometer with them. Just keep
the machine full of moisture all the
time and you viii be right.
As with other poultry, do not feed
for two or three days after Matching
and then lightly. For first few DAYS
feed a mixture of wheat bran and
corn meal damDened with sweet milk
or raw eggs. After about three days
of this ration add about 5 percent in
bulk of clean sand and percent blood
meal or beef scraps Finely ground
bone or oyster shell should also be added
in small quantity. When one week old
they have full grown appetites and the
oftener they are fed the faster they
grow Some breeders even have an
electric light in their yard and feed
them once or twice during the night
From the first feeding they should be
supplied with an abundance of green
stuff All fowls require this. but none
so much as ducks. This can be sup
piled IN any way good judgment would
suggest Alfalfa meal mixed with
every mash. can be used successfully
If nothing else can be obtained
Water for drinking purposes and
deep enough for them TO immense their
bills should be at all times convenient
to their feeding trOuShs as ducks de-
light in taking frequent swallows of
water during their meals.