5/4 



THE BOOK OF POULTRY. 



and it is admitted by most that swimming- 

 water really is better for fertility, and promotes 

 stronger hatches. The almost universal pro- 

 portion of breeders is one drake to five ducks ; 

 and the great majority keep five drakes and 

 twenty-five ducks in one pen, those who have 

 water often reducing the proportion with 

 warmer weather to one drake in six or eight. 

 Some, however, keep more together, penning 

 forty or fifty or even sixty together. They are 

 generally taken out from the general flock of 

 breeders and mated up early in November. A 

 very usual arrangement for the breeding ducks 

 is a long large house with a passage up the 

 centre, each side being divided into pens about 

 ten feet square, which have outside yards of the 

 same width and about ICX) feet or more long, 

 the water-range (where there is any) being at 

 the bottom and also wired out in divisions. 



The general diet for breeders is a mixture of 

 one part of maize meal to one varying to two 

 parts of bran, as the foundation ; with this is 

 mixed about 25 per cent, of cooked vegetables, 

 10 per cent, meat meal or " beef-scrap," and a 

 portion of grit. This is fed twice a day, and in 

 addition most give a good allowance of green 

 food, such as cut cabbage, cut clover, or chopped 

 green rye. This plenitude of green food, with 

 adequate regular animal food, is an integral part 

 of the system. It is found that any sudden 

 change of diet affects laying very seriously, 

 and that in particular a failure in supply of 

 the beef-scrap so largely used, will, in two or 

 three days, bring down the egg-yield by an 

 alarming figure, and also affect the fertility. 



Of the eggs incubated, on an average about 

 50 per cent, hatch, counting the whole season, 

 the early eggs being, of course, less fertile than 

 later on. A few do rather better, something 

 depending upon the incubator used, and much 

 more on the stock and the feeding. In considering 

 this average, it must be remembered that it is 

 the result of birds kept in many hundreds, and 

 of eggs incubated in many thousands, in winter 

 as well as in spring. When hatched, the ducklings 

 are never left less than twenty-fourhours, and more 

 commonly thirty-six hours, without feeding; then 

 transferred to brooders or brooder-houses, with 

 the hovers kept at about 90° the first day or two, 

 gradually reduced. After a week old, they are 

 often shut away from the hovers in daytime on 

 warm days, and may or may not be let out into 

 small open yards in front of the pens, according 

 to the weather. As soon as possible, they are 

 got into cool brooder-houses, also divided into 

 pens, and with yards in front of these averaging 

 100 feet long, each pen and yard carrying 50 to 

 100 ducklings, according to size. Some bed the 



covered pens with pine sawdust, others with 

 shavings and chaff, or cut straw, and they are 

 kept wholesome and dry. 



All do not feed quite alike, though a general 

 method prevails. Messrs. Seeley give for the 

 first week equal parts of rolled oats and cracker 

 (biscuit) crumbs, to which is added some chopped 

 egg and some grit ; for the next two weeks 

 equal parts of rolled oats, cracker crumbs, maize 

 meal, and bran, to which is added 5 per cent, of 

 meat and 5 per cent, of chopped green food, 

 with grit ; then, till eight weeks old, equal parts 

 of maize meal and bran, with 5 per cent, meat 

 and green food as before ; and the final two 

 weeks before killing, two-thirds maize meal and 

 one-third bran, with 10 per cent, of meat. Mr. 

 Hallock's system is, for the first week equal 

 parts of maize meal, bran, and coarse flour, with 

 10 per cent, coarse sand; thence till eight weeks, 

 equal parts of same meals, but adding 10 per 

 cent, beef-scrap, I2i per cent, green food, and 

 10 per cent, sand ; for the final two weeks, two 

 parts maize meal, one part each bran and flour, 

 I2i per cent, beef-scrap, \2\ green food, and 

 coarse sand as before. The general principle is 

 to increase maize meal and meat during the 

 finishing period, giving all through regular green 

 food, and grit or sand. They are fed first every 

 two hours, after a few days five times a day, 

 gradually down to four and three times. The 

 food is by some given in troughs, by others 

 on boards; and water is kept close at hand, as 

 Pekins appear to need to wash down every two 

 or three mouthfuls ; but many raisers do not 

 leave water by them between meals. Milk to 

 drink has been tried by some small raisers who 

 had enough of it to make the experiment, but 

 was found to get into the eyes and make them 

 sore, and it is never given except in the food 

 occasionally. " Bad eye " is also sometimes 

 produced by over-crowding upon sawdust. 



Pekin ducks are found to need special care 

 in regard to several points. They are never 

 caught or handled by the legs, which are very 

 tender and easily sprained, especially with their 

 great weight — always by the neck. They are 

 also very timid and nervous, especially at night 

 — if disturbed with a lantern it often upsets 

 them for the whole night, and causes a set back 

 in weight. If anything is done at night in the 

 routine, it is usual to leave enough lanterns to 

 see by, burning in their pens. Adequate shade 

 is provided in hot weather by canvas or other- 

 wise, hot sun being fatal ; as also found in 

 England. If any do really ail at all, the hatchet 

 is usually applied at once, as possibly avoiding 

 danger, and almost always saving trouble in the 

 end. Besides " bad eye," and bowel complaints 



