The Profitable Duck. 127 



grees, and the result of overheat is dysentery. The food has 

 little, if anything, to do with the matter (remember this). 

 By far more ducklings, and chicks, too, are killed by overheat- 

 ing them in brooders than by all other causes combined, and, 

 strange to say, the mortality is always attributed to the food. 

 A temperature of from 75 to 80 is quite sufficient, started at 

 80 and reduced to 75 after a few days. 



Food should always be prepared in anticipation of the re- 

 moval of the birds from the machine, and should be placed on 

 a clean board on which strips of lath should be nailed half 

 an inch high to prevent the ducklings from scraping the food 

 off, or any dirt on, the board. The food may consist of 

 cracker-crumbs or stale bread, mixed with infertile eggs boiled 

 hard and chopped fine about one part of egg to four of 

 bread. All they will eat and no more of this should be fed at 

 least once in two hours. Water should be given at the same 

 time. We use little fountains for the purpose, so .that the 

 ducklings can get all they want to drink without smearing 

 their bodies. Care must be taken about this, as ducklings for 

 the first 48 hours are more susceptible than chicks, to both 

 wet and cold. They should be fed in this manner for the first 

 three or four days, when equal parts of meal and bran scalded, 

 with a little animal meal mixed in, can be substituted, the pro- 

 portion of meal being gradually increased and that of bran 

 decreased as the birds grow older. The scalding may be 

 omitted when they are ten days old. It is well to scatter a 

 little sharp, dry sand on the bottom of their feeding-troughs 

 about once a day to assist their digestion. Finely ground 

 shells should be kept by them at all times, also a liberal sup- 

 ply of green food, in the shape of refuse cabbages chopped 

 fine, green rye or green clover, according to the season. 



When ducklings have reached the age of two or three 

 weeks, there is great complaint from amateurs of weakness in 

 the legs, This is attributable to one of two things, viz. : too 

 much heat in the brooders, or too highly concentrated food. 

 While chicks and ducks are young, and quick growth isdesira- 



