ABOUT DUCKS 



Duck Eggs vs. Hen Eggs What 

 difference, if any, should there be in 

 running an incubator with duck eggs 

 from hen eggs? I am very success- 

 ful with hen eggs but never succeed- 

 ed very we'll w r ith duck eggs; the 

 same eggs hatch 90 per cent under a 

 hen, and the first test from the incu- 

 bator is about 90 per cent and then 

 they die in the shell. J. W. *-L. 



Answer Duck eggs require differ- 

 ent treatment than the hen eggs. Af- 

 ter the first test when you take them 

 out to turn them, sprinkle them every 

 day with warm water. Leave them 

 out a few minutes to partially dry off, 

 fan the stale air out of the incubator 

 and then replace them. By this 

 means I think you will have a better 

 hatch. Duck eggs require more dry- 

 ing out than hen eggs and yet the 

 shell must be dampened to make it 

 brittle. Putting water into the incu- 

 bator does not do as well as sprink- 

 ling. 



Food Good and Bad 1. Would 



lettuce make good greens to sow in 

 runways for Indian Runner ducks? 



2. Will some whole wheat hurt 

 them if they are provided with grit? 



3. At what age should ducks 

 hatched in March commence laying? 



4. Will beef suet and chopped 

 fresh beef do to feed them? Mrs. 

 F. H. 



Answer 1. Lettuce is good for all 

 fowls and would be good for the 

 ducks as long as it lasts, but I am 

 afraid the little fellows would soon 

 pull it all up. 



2. Whole wheat is not as good for 

 little ducks as bran and corn meal. 

 See article in this book. 



3. Indian Runners hatched in 

 March will commence laying in Sep- 

 tember. 



4. Beef suet is not the food for 

 ducks, but if you want to fatten them, 

 you might add a little of it to their 

 mash. 



Indigestion What is wrong with 

 my ducks? They are almost full 

 grown, and they turn over on their 

 backs and are unable to get up; they 

 are very weak; their eyes scale over 

 and some of them have died. They 

 act very much like chickens with the 



roup, only they clo not swell around 

 the head. Mrs. J. G. C. 



Answer Your ducks are suffering 

 from indigestion and also from their 

 heads being stopped up. The indi- 

 gestion comes partly from their not 

 having sufficient sand with their food, 

 and their heads being stopped up, 

 comes from the drinking vessel not 

 being deep enough so they can rinse 

 their nostrils out many times during 

 the day. If you remedy these two 

 causes of trouble in the duck yard 

 and feed them properly, giving but 

 little whole grain, I think they will 

 soon recover. 



Incubator Ducks We want to 

 know the proper way to operate an in- 

 cubator to hatch ducks. I have had 

 fairly good luck hatching chickens but 

 not with my ducks. I got only 40 out 

 of 112 fertile eggs, and this time we 

 should like to have a few directions 

 to go by. 



Do they require as much as chick- 

 ens as to moisture; do you sprinkle, 

 also how often, and as to airing the 

 eggs, what time of day and how long 

 do you advise to leave the machine 

 open; how often do you test the 

 eggs? Mrs. W. 



Answer Duck eggs require quite 

 as much heat as those of the chickens; 

 they require more airing. Should be 

 sprinkled with warm water once the 

 first week, twice the second and every 

 day thereafter, but do not put any 

 water in the pans. Sprinkling the 

 eggs helps to make the shells more 

 brittle so the ducks will get out 

 easier. Test the 5th day and again 

 about once every week to take out 

 the dead germs, as they putrify and 

 are injurious to the rest. When you 

 air the eggs, which you should do 

 twice a day, that is every twelve 

 hours, fan the stale air out of the in- 

 cubator and then close up. Com- 

 mence to air the eggs when you com- 

 mence to turn them, that is 48 hours 

 after they have been in the machine. 

 The air space in the egg should be at 

 the large end. I think if you follow 

 the directions from the maker of the 

 machine, and these hints, you will 

 have a good hatch. 



To Secure Fertility I am starting 

 to raise Indian Runner ducks and 



