160 Ilatching — Treatment. 



ter if otherwise ; a wide and fiat dish of 

 water, often to be renewed, standing at 

 hand ; barley, or any meal, the first food. 

 In rainy v/eather particularly, it is useful to 

 clip the tails of the ducklings, and the sur- 

 rounding down beneath, since they are else 

 apt to draggle and weaken themselves. 

 The duck should be cooped at a distance 

 from any other. The period of her con- 

 finement to the coop, depends on the wea- 

 ther and the strength of the ducklings. A 

 fortnight seems the longest time necessary ; 

 and they may be sometimes permitted to 

 enjoy the pond at the end of a week, but 

 not for too great a length at once, least of 

 all, in cold wet weather, which will aifect 

 and cause them to soour and appear rough 

 and draggled. In such case, they must be 

 kept within a while, and have an allowance 

 of bean or pea meal mixed w^ith their ordi- 

 nary food. The meal of buck wheat and 

 the former is then proper. The straw be- 

 neath tlie duck should be often renewed, 

 that the brood may have a dry and com- 

 fortable bed : and the mother herself be 



