570 



THE BOOK OF POULTRY. 



many more coloured specimens than he h'kes. 

 The prices paid for the eggs are 2s. and is. 6d. 

 per dozen, in accordance with the time of year, 

 and farmers find the production of eggs at these 

 prices profitable. 



" So far as hatching is concerned, during 

 some of my former visits to Bourne Hall I 

 found that Mr. Walsh then used a considerable 

 number of hens ; but these have now been 

 altogether discarded. He is the inventor of 

 what is known as the Acme incubator, a 

 machine which is regulated by means of a 

 capsule, and very similar in many respects to 

 the Hearson. During the season of 1901 he 

 had sixty-five of these incubators at work, each 

 of which holds about 100 duck eggs. They 

 were accommodated in five rooms, not specially 

 built, but simply some of the existing farm places 

 adapted to the purpose. They would have been 

 better for the purpose had there been more 

 ventilation. He does not keep a great number 

 of machines in a room, and believes that this 

 gives better results than having one large 

 incubator house. His e.xperience is that in- 

 cubators arc more reliable, and more easily 

 managed than hens, provided of course that 

 proper attention is given to the machines, and 

 this work he does almost entirely himself. No 

 moisture is placed in the trays ; but every time 

 of cooling the eggs are damped. Mr. Walsh 

 does not attempt to keep records, but says that 

 the near-by eggs (that is, those produced in 

 the Fylde district) give much better results than 

 those coming from a distance. 



" When the ducklings are 'hatched, and 

 thoroughly dry, they are removed to a large 

 foster-mother, whicli is fitted with circular pipes, 

 and under these pipes they are placed in trays, 

 where they are kept for two days. This foster- 

 mother accommodates 1,000 young ducklings 

 at one time. They are then placed in other 

 foster-mothers, which are kept out in the open, 

 and at a low temperature. This is to harden 

 the birds off, and the heat given depends largely 

 upon the period of the year, in warm weather 

 being comparatively low. 



" At the end of nine days the ducklings are 

 divided into flocks of 100, and placed in 

 small houses. These houses are of the very 

 cheapest make, in fact consist of large packing 

 cases, which are bought at about 6d. each, 

 and require very little alteration ; a door being 

 simply cut from the lid, which is then nailed 

 on to the box, the door alone being hinged, 

 and the cost of each house being under a 

 shilling. Each case is on an average about 

 30 inches square, and when the ducklings are 

 first put out, two of them are placed in each 



run of about twenty feet square, and after 

 feeding they are put back, fifty in each case. 

 As they increase in size, another box is added, 

 or even two to avoid overcrowding. The runs 

 are formed of inch-mesh wire netting one foot 

 wide, and (as mentioned shortly) are put down 

 temporarily. The birds are fed at first every 

 two hours, as also while in the foster-mothers, 

 and gradually the period is extended until the 

 feeding is five times a day. They are allowed 

 out in the runs for feeding, but as soon as 

 satisfied they are driven back into the houses, 

 and kept there until the next time of feeding. 

 Thus they are not exposed at this stage to 

 the air except during the feeding. 



" The food given is as follows : When first 

 hatched clear eggs are used, hard boiled, 

 chopped fine, and mixed with the best bread, 

 special loaves being baked, weighing 8 to 10 

 lbs. each, with plenty of crumb. The bread is 

 used new, and this method of feeding is con- 

 tinued for about a week, but during the last two 

 or three days a little bran is added to the bread 

 and hard boiled egg, the whole being slightly 

 moistened with milk. At the end of about a 

 week the feeding is changed, and now consists 

 of barley meal, bran, middlings, oatmeal, and 

 a little maize meal, in accordance with the 

 prices at which the meals can be purchased. 

 Oatmeal is greatly preferred, but it can only 

 be used to a limited extent by reason of its 

 cost. In the second week meat is added in 

 the shape of tallow scrap-cake, or liverine. The 

 food is prepared by steaming, but is not always 

 given hot. This system of feeding continues 

 until the birds are five to six weeks old, in 

 accordance with their development. Mr. Walsh 

 has found by experience that when they are 

 about from three to five weeks old they must 

 have animal food, as this is the stage when 

 the feathers are growing, and if denied this they 

 are found to pull the feathers from each other. 

 The system pursued during this period yields 

 an astonishing frame in about six weeks, when 

 the final process of fattening commences. 



"The birds are now placed in larger runs 

 about twenty-five yards square, divided by wire 

 netting in the same manner as already indicated, 

 and from this time until the period of killing 

 are not kept under cover at all, but allowed to 

 sleep in the open air entirely. During this last 

 stage they are fed chiefly upon Indian meal and 

 fat, with which is mixed a little of the best 

 broad bran, the object of which is to keep the 

 bowels in proper order. Mr. Walsh would pre- 

 fer to use rice, to secure the best quality, but 

 finds this too expensive for his particular class 

 of trade. The system here described yields 



