The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1916-01-31

PEK1Na DUCKS ABOUT SEVEN WEEKS OLD
IN FATTENING PEN.
which time they should weigh from
four and one-half to six pounds.
The duck farm should be located on
light sandy soil, generally on sloping
land, which can be kept sweet and
clean. Good shipping facilities are
necessary in order both to market the
product satisfactorily and to bring in
supplies. Convenient watering ar
engagements are essential, too, as ducks
require large amount Of drinking wa
ter. It is also advisable to allow con-
siderable yard space, and double yards
which may be rotated and planted to
quick growing crops are useful on large
farms.
Simple buildings similar to hen
houses are used for breeding ducks. A
shed roof house from twelve to fifteen
feet deep, seven feet high In front and
four feet in the rear is satisfactory. A
good sized muslin curtain and one win
dow in the front of each pen makes
good front. Plenty Of ventilation is es-
sential, and in the south it is usually
advisable to have an opening under
the caves in the rear Of the house for
this purpose. Plenty Of litter should be
used on the floor, and the ducks should
be allowed to make their own nests,
because they are more apt to break
their eggs If nest boxes are used. A
convenient formula for estimating the
size Of the house or pen is to allow six
feet of floor space for each duck.
Mating tho FIooI<s.
Ordinarily from five to six males
are allowed for a flock of thirty fe-
males. About the LIST Of May this
number may be reduced to one male
for every seven females and later in
the year still further.
Neither the Peking duck, used chief
~ for the production Of green ducks
for market, nor the Indian Runner
duck, which holds in the duck family
a position somewhat similar to the
Leghorn in the chicken family, ia a
good sitter. In consequence practically
all Of the large farms hatch their eggs
In incubators. Formerly lamp incu-
bators of from 200 to 400 egg capacity
were used, but in many cases these
have been replaced by the larger sized
Incubator. Duck incubators are usual
" kept at a slightly lower tempera-
ture than those used for chickens. For
the first three weeks the machine
should be kept at about 1O2 degrees +.
and for the last week at 103 degrees or
slightly higher at Matching time. It IS
usually advisable to supply moisture
for ducks eggs during the last week
or ten days.
All eggs should be tested at least
twice during incubation, preferably on
the seventh and fourteenth days, and
the lnfertile eggs removed. Those with
dead germs should also be taken out
at once, as they decompose very rap
idly. The infertile eggs make good
feed for ducklings or can be used for
cooking. The testing should be done
in a dark room and the large end of
the egg held up, so that the size Of the
air cells may be seen. When held be-
fore the tester an infertile egg will
look perfectly clear, much like fresh
egg. The fertile egg, on the other
hand, will show a small dark spot,
known as the embryo, with mass of
little blood veins extending In all di-
rections. When the embryo is dead
| the blood settles away from it over the
edge of the yolk, forming what is
known as blood ring. After the
fourteenth day eggs with living en-
bryos are dark and partly filed up.
The brooders and brood.ng systems
used for chickens give good results in
rearing ducklings.