IHick Rearing 239 



hens. A fence two or three feet high should 

 suffice for them under all ordinary conditions, 

 particularly for those breeds which are the most 

 profitable for farm use. It is true that some of 

 the less profitable breeds, so far as meat pro- 

 duction is concerned, are able to use their wings 

 to good advantage and are quite as troublesome 

 to keep within inclosures as Mediterranean fowls. 

 Another reason why farmers frequently prefer 

 ducks to hens, is that the young grow much 

 more rapidly. Those who make a practice of 

 fattening young ducks for the market, expect to 

 secure birds that will weigh four and one half 

 or five pounds at nine or ten weeks of age, while 

 good chickens would weigh only about half as 

 much. 



Ducks are adapted to the various parts of the 

 country where chickens thrive well. They may 

 be reared under a great variety of conditions as 

 regards climate and exposure. Because ducks, 

 in a state of nature, select shallow water or 

 marshy land as their feeding ground and largely 

 prefer bodies of water to dry land, it is thought 

 by many that streams or ponds are necessary 

 for the successful rearing of domesticated kinds. 

 However, many of the most successful duck 

 raisers, who produce large numbers of young 

 birds for the market, do not depend on streams 

 or ponds of water for their fowls. It is true 



