FARM ANIMALS 339 



In a test of the value of animal feeds in New York 

 it was found that the rations which contained 

 animal food were far superior to those of exclusive 

 vegetable origin but having the same amount of 

 nutriment. It has been found possible to supply 

 from ninety-four to ninety-eight per cent, of the 

 total amount of nitrogenous material in the ration 

 in the form of animal food without any bad effect 

 on the ducks. As a rule about sixty per cent, of 

 the nitrogenous food in the ration may be sup- 

 plied in the form of animal feed. After this 

 large percentage of animal food has been fed for 

 the first five or six weeks it is more economical to 

 continue on the cheaper grain foods the remainder 

 of the fattening period. According to some com- 

 parative tests dried blood and bone meal appear 

 to produce a more rapid rate of gain in ducklings 

 than animal meal and milk albumen. One of the 

 finest animal feeds for ducks is skim milk. In 

 feeding any kind of poultry skim milk, however, 

 it should be placed in troughs or vessels in such a 

 way that young birds cannot soil themselves with 

 it as otherwise the feathers become sticky and the 

 birds are uncomfortable. Ducklings forced to an 

 early maturity at about the age of ten weeks are 

 profitable fowls to raise in any locality where a 

 market for these birds has been developed. In 

 Utah it was found that such ducklings produced 

 a profit of sixty-five cents per head from the food 

 consumed. 



Ducks are subject to some of the same diseases 

 which affect chickens and if such troubles break 

 out they may be treated in the same manner. As 

 a rule, however, ducks appear to be more hardy 

 than chickens and do not suffer from such diseases 

 as scaly legs, sore head, tuberculosis, leukemia or 



