Licking Valley courier., 1918-04-11
Ducks Golden Crop.
KATE V. SAINT MAUR

Iu-oC dlIu DO plOAldDlC do SllSh-
ens-that is, of course, if you
start with good stock and exer-
else common sense in caring for
them. They are different in
many ways from chickens and
must be cared for according to
their peculiarities.
The small common white duck
is not worth keeping but Imperial
Pekins and Runner ducks are
sure money-nakers.
The most common mistake in
raising ducks is thinking that
they can stand damp and dirt.
The fact that ducks like to swim
and play in the water is no guar
antee that they can live and
grow in ill-kept houses. A coop
or house for ducks should have
a wooden floor, slightly lower at
the rear where two boards of the
floor can be left about a fourth Of
an inch apart so that moisture
can drain away. The bedding
should be changed at least twice
a week; the droppings from
ducks and geese contain much
more moisture than chicken drop
pings and so defle the floor very
quickly. What is more, ducks
lie on the floor all night so they
really suffer if it is not kept dry
and clean.
Whole grain, especially corn,
should be fed very sparingly to
ducks. In fact. | never feed
whole corn to ducks at all. Morn
ing and night they should have a
mash made of: cornmeal, one
part; ground oats, two parts
bran, one part; good clover hay
three parts; and beef scrap, ont
part. Make the mash mucl
softer than for hens and mi,
with either milk or water. A
noon they should have eithe
green or cooked vegetables.
use the small apples, carrots, tur
nips or beets, sometimes boiliDi
or MASKING them but more fire
quently passing them thru a bon'
chopper. Cabbage, Swiss charC
or rape is thrown into the yards
whole for the ducks to tear W
for themselves. Animal anC
vegetable food is imperative, fol
it is impossible to get fertile egg!
without them.
When the fact is borne in minC
that at twelve weeks old Whit,
Pekins weigh four and fv,
pounds apiece, and from May t,
December bring from eighteen t,
twenty cents a pound, it is evi
dent that they are worth rearing
Ducks make such bad mother
that it is better to hatch thei
eggs under hens or in incubators
The first few eggs a duck lay
each season are seldom fertile
Eleven are a full setting and
! requires twenty-eight days fo
their Matching. Examine tn
nest when the hen comes off
feed, and take away the egg
that are dark or mottled, for the
are dead and will not hatch.
When the hatch is over at tn
end of the twentv.eighth da!
have ready a box about a foC
deep and three feet long, wit
the top and one end taken Of
Place the open end against Il
, coop door, so making a little rul
way with a board floor whiC
should be covered with an inc
9 of dry sand or earth.
Ducklings need even more pr
n lection than chicks. Therefor
n if the weather is bad, keep Il
n coop and runway under cover;
A fine, put them where they can
e in the shade part of the time, f
t. the ducklings cannot stand Il
full glare of the sun. After
week the hen can be remove
but the ducks should be ke
It within bounds on short grass al
Is not allowed to run out of t
Ie coop until the dew is gone.
1t For twenty-four hours fe,
III nothing. Then for the frst we,
sr feed a mixture of half a pint
rolled oats, some stale bre
or crumbs, two hard boiled eg
lr chopped fine, half a cupful
coarse sand and just enough mi
to moisten. Feed four times
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