56S 



THE BOOK OF POULTRY. 



and hiring hens, in the old way. The cost of 

 rearing a duckling to 4 lbs. weight at eight or 

 nine weeks old, was usually reckoned at is. 6d. 

 to 2s. per bird. They should be read\- by that 

 age ; and must at all events be marketed before 

 they are eleven weeks old. as about that age 

 they begin to moult into their adult feathers, 

 after which they grow no heavier for many 

 weeks, whilst the pin-feather lowers both quaUty 

 and price terribly. 



Since 1S90 further changes have taken place 

 in British duck-farming. The industry has 

 grown and developed verj- largely, either find- 

 ing or creating a much larger market than in 

 former years ; but the Aylesbury Vale portion 

 of it has not done more than hold its own, if it 

 has even done so much, the extension taking 

 place in other districts. For this some reasons 

 have already been given ; but it should also 

 be obser%-ed that a large part of the new 

 demand has been due to the middle classes, and 

 the more prosperous portion of the working 

 classes, who have required ducks at more 

 ordinary' seasons and at lower prices, thus 

 prolonging the season for hatching, and con- 

 tinuing sales into September, though at lower 

 prices than during the spring trade. Some have 

 connected with this change in length of season, 

 the more extensive cultivation of Pekin ducks, 

 or crosses with them, which have formed a 

 large portion of the new supplies ; but the 

 results of inquiries which we have made go to 

 show that these ducks have also gradually 

 found favour in the London spring market, and 

 that crosses are beginning to form part of even 

 some of the Aylesburj- trade. In Bucking- 

 hamshire itself a system of large rearing-sheds 

 has been introduced to some extent, thus 

 replacing in a way the birds no longer allowed 

 in cottage rooms ; but otherwise the old cottage 

 methods are still followed prett>' largely. The 

 following description of duck-farming as now 

 carried on in England was contributed to our 

 last edition by Mr. Edward Brown, F.L.S., 

 who made special personal investigation in 

 order to prepare it for these pages. 



" Since the first publication of the Illustrated 

 Book of Poultry many and great changes have 

 taken place in the English duck-raising industry. 

 About the year 1875 the bounds were broken, 

 first over the border into Bedfordshire, where 

 large numbers are reared around Eaton Bray, 

 and subsequently the area has been still further 

 extended. Probabl}' more ducklings are now 

 produced around Chesham and Princes Ris- 

 borough, in Bucks, and in the eastern districts 

 of Oxfordshire, than in the Aylesburj' district 

 itself; and other parts of England have shown 



that they can equal Buckinghamshire as to 

 qualitj', and excel it as to quantity of ducklings 

 produced. Aylesburj' men still claim that their 

 birds are the finest in the world, but their pre- 

 eminence has been lost, and birds from other 

 districts now compete with them successfully. 

 That many of these duckers are yet verj- skilful 

 is unquestionable ; but their very success has led 

 to neglect They have been content to con- 

 tinue in the old ruts, have neglected the pre- 

 vention of tainted soil, and being firmly con- 

 \-inced that their locally bred ducks were the 

 best, have bought stock from each other, so that 

 in-breeding has resulted, with consequent de- 

 generacy. Soft-bill, which appears to be a 

 result of close breeding, and other weaknesses, 

 are now seriously prevalent in Bucks, whilst 

 they are practically unknown elsewhere. Re- 

 cently there has been an awakening among the 

 younger duckers in that count}' ; but much of 

 the trade has gone, never to be regained. From 

 the national point of view this is not regret- 

 table, as it has led to a great increase in duck- 

 raising in other parts of the countrj-. 



" In the districts of Bucks and Beds to which 

 reference has already been made, the method 

 adopted is ver>' much on the old lines, with the 

 exception that in a few cases artificial methods 

 are now being introduced, and in others opera- 

 tions are carried out upon a larger scale than 

 formerly. I have visited a farmer near Eaton 

 Bray in Bedfordshire, who markets about 10,000 

 ducklings a year. In this case, as in most 

 others, he buys the eggs, hatches them under 

 hens, and rears and finishes off for the market 

 For the work of rearing he has a long range of 

 shedding, with doors in front similar to those 

 fitted to stables, divided into two parts so that 

 the birds can be enclosed within the building 

 and yet obtain plenty of air and light This 

 shed is about ten feet wide, and divided into 

 compartments si.x feet or more in width as the 

 birds grow larger, each holding about fifty 

 birds ; the divisions being simply boards about 

 iS inches in height, which can be easily stepped 

 over. In front are enclosed yards where the 

 birds are fed. In his case, as in many others, 

 there is great \-ariety in the food given to the 

 birds. It is generalh' conceded that the best 

 food during the latter part of the feeding is rice, 

 but in many cases barley meal and Indian meal 

 are employed by reason of their cheapness, 

 though it is universally admitted that the 

 results are not so satisfactory as with rice-feed- 

 ing. Most of the duckers employ tallow greaves 

 for mi.xing with the meal or rice, as the case 

 may be, and large quantities of greaves are used 

 in this way. 



