Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-04-29

AhN VI IuChS IOF
cial purposes has been greatly stimu-
! lated in the past ten years by the
marvellous laying records of The In
dian Runner, and by the uniform scale
OF prices obtained at all seasons.
Duck culture is profitable and inter-
esting, and may be conducted on land
that is of no value for other purposes.
The industry may be said 10 be di-
Vlded into three divisions: U) breed
ing for fancy fowls; (2) for egg pro-
auction; (3) and for table meat.
Choosing the Breed
INHE varieties of ducks best suited
to the production of ornamental
fowls and as pets are many.
Ihey include about dozen varieties
In our Standard of Perfection; the
Mallard Duck, semidomesticated, and
a surprising number of wild ducks, of
| varied and mostly brilliant plumage
and raised chiefly for exhibition and
Tor sale as ornamental stock. These
may be seen in large numbers dis
porting themselves in artificial ponds
at the large shows. One that attracts
| instant attention everywhere is the
plump little Chinese Mandarin Duck,
related despite his Imperialism, to the
Wood Duck of America. The drake
j sports most gorgeous coat of many
SOiOiS, IdTbely warm Drown, with yell
low and red. The Chinese regard these
easily domesticated ducks as models
of conJugal affection. Black, white,
| blue, gray, brown and all mixtures of
these ornamental ducks have great
beauty.
Since the big market breeds, some
OF them weighing as high as seventeen
pounds TO the pair, alive, are not we'll
suited to being bred especially\for lay
ing, it behooves the prospective
breeder to carefully consider which
line he likes best and whether all
conditions favor his choice. This
must mean knowledge in advance OF
adopting the work. The Standard of
Perfection is clearly definite about
shape. weight and feathering of ad-
mitted varieties, and there are also a
few available books dealing practically
with Runners and with market ducks
in general. Really, however, the only
ducks worth while to breed as layers,
| exclusively, are the (black) Cayugas
! the Indian Runners and perhaps the
| Orpingtons, now called Buff Ducks.
| Only the Runner lays an egg exactly
fitted to market needs and with the
| popular white she'll Individuals in
some strains of the Runner lay eggs
! nearly a robin's-egg blue tint Most
! ducks lay well in early Spring; but
the Runner is an all-the-year-round
! layer.
! Inc meat DreedS may he narrowed
| down to the Pekin, here in America,
while England favors the big Ayles-
bury, and the Rouen, a French duck.
! The Runner also has a most delight
/ full tenderness and sweetness. and is
well suited to the epicure. 1t is
| grown largely for critical private
! trade, including that of high-class
! restaurants
Breeding and Hatchlng the Young
Breeding, for market and laying
birds, is scarcely more than placing
a selected drake with well descended,
well-grown, selected, segregated fe-
males-five to ten, according to va
riety-and providing some sort of
bathing and exercise pond. This
pond sometimes shrinks to a mere
tub, in the case of the Indian Run
ners; but some bathing facilities are
almost imperative, for several rea-
sons: fertility is likely to be better:
the birds get varied and therefore
more exercise, and water keeps them
free from lice.
The feed for breeding birds should
not he so fattening as that for market
ducks 1t should be mixed with
milk; or, as a substitute, ground beef
scrap should be used. up to Is per
cent. and fed twice a day, provided
insect life is not plentifuE a goodly
allowance of green feed is mixed with
the rations for yarded breeders.
Hatching' may be done either with
hens or with incubators The big mar
ket duck-producing farms use incu-
bators and the matches are very good.
A lower temperature for the first
week, and more moisture than normal
Tor hens eggs are found necessary.
The longer incubating period-four
weeks-is rather more trying. nat
urally.
Care of DucLlIings
Both artificial and natural brooding
are successful. Small growers prefer
to use hens. After thirty-six hours.
the ducklings are removed to a
sanded, short Uttered, floored coon. in
sunny spot in cold weather. but
| lightly shaded during hot spells. It
| is mistake to feed them before they
demand it; also, to feed them with
out supplying water of a mild tenn
| perature. Usually, they want water
first, especially in summer
The very best first feed known Is
| bread, milk-soaked, squeezed, and
! clean-sanded lightly Most growers
| feed four times day, at first After
three days. little sprouted oats
| may be given for one feed. At this
| time. bran is added gradually, with
| the dust OF ground meat scrap Then
cornmeal. middlings. a very little In
| seed meal, or any good, smooth mus
| cle-building feed may be used. Soaked
ground clover and beet pulp as a
IOundaton Tor the mash, grow good
| ducklings. These feeds are added
| gradually after the first month
| Pennlng is best for the Youngsters
| Floored coops with close-netted
| frames for night closing, are impera-
| tive II rats abound, for sweet, tender
| ducklings are very toothsome to these
pests. For the first few days close
supervision is necessary, lest the flat
! ducklings should get helplessly cast on
! their backs, and chilled. For three
or four days they are most sensitive to
| cold; after that. quite Independent of
! mothering, except in rain. Convul-
| sions from chilling or bowel stoppage
| is about the only ailment to be feared.
! Accident from their swarming under
| foot, or getting hung in the hens
| gummy feathers. take a few. Indi-
| gestion goes with intudicious over
| feeding, and the adult birds occa-
| sionally have rheumatism: but. aside
| from these. 7 know of no diseases
which attack ducks, and II is easy to
raise 90 per cent. of those Matched,
year after wear. the 10 per cent. loss
allowed including those lost through
accldent. These facts show duck
! breeding a far safer proposition than
! chicken raising. after the very simple
methods of handling are grasped.
Possibilities I'm Duck Growing