iS3S] 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



123 



plumage. It is not usual for these birds to lay 

 more eggs than tliey can iiatch, thongh occasion- 

 ally, a valuable uniividual may be louiul in a dis- 

 trict, whose wonderful achievements in laying, as 

 well as hatching, two and three broods in a year, 

 are recorded. 



Their indications of a wish to incubate, though 

 not so obvious as those of hens, are nevertheless 

 sufficiently marked; and no one who is not very 

 unobservant, can be deceived. VVe are averse 

 from the plan, of placing duck eggs under a hen 

 to be hatclied. It is not only cruel, to keep the 

 j)oor bird a whole week longer in her office, (lor 

 they requi.e that extra period), but nature is 

 thwarted in ihose fine instincts of that proud and 

 happy period of herlile, by the untoward iiabitsof 

 her nurslings. A pond is not essential lor the 

 well-domg of these lowls. If a large shallow tub 

 be sunk in a convenient spot of the premises, to 

 which the old birds can have access, in order to 

 dip and ivasli themselves daily, it is all that will 

 be required; and indeed, young ducklings ouo^lit 

 not to be permitted to go to any water for the first 

 six weeks, excepting that contained in wide shnl- 

 low pans, in which they will dabble occasionally 

 without injuring themselves; whereas, if they were 

 allowed to Ibllovv their luother to a pond, they 

 would remain too long, and be liable to become 

 cramped. 



The same object'on exists with respect to coop- 

 ing ducks upon grass, which attends that locality 

 for chickens, namely, danger from damp. VVe 

 cannot too strenuously impress the necessity to 

 guard poultry fi-om exposure to moisture; dry cold, 

 however severe, is seldom inimical to them. II 

 the coops be placed on grass, even in hot and arid 

 weather, there are heavy dews in the earhr morn- 

 ing, into which these little creatures will icander, 



flavored birds; to say nothing ofthe comfort that a 

 proprietor must derive, from the certaintj' that 

 those creatures over vvhi(;h he has control, are in 

 the enjoyment of the few requisites which consti- 

 tute their happiness. 



Geese. — What is more delicate than a young 

 well-fed goose, fi-om September till .lanuiiry; what 

 more rank and detestable than an old, tough bird, 

 quickly falted on the greasy abominations that 

 constitute the food of those which are too Irequent- 

 ly to be' met with at a poulterer's. It is quite a 

 mistake to suppose that a Christmas goose must 

 be coarse and strong: those who depend upon a 

 purveyor will rarely find it otherwise, we adnfit; 

 but they who have reared these birds, and attend- 

 ed to their regular lt?eding, can refute the asser- 

 tion. If it be desirable to fat two or three, with 

 the intention of enjoying the treat at that festive 

 season, without the trouble of hatching a brood, 

 we would advise that the number be purchased 

 from a flock half grown, at the beginning of au- 

 tumn. It is not necessary fcjr them to have ac- 

 cess to a pond, a deep pan or trough, constantly, 

 that is daily, supplied with li'esh water, will be 

 sufficient. Three feeds, one of barley-meal, one 

 of dry barley, and the third of oats, every day, and 

 water only to drink, should be their sole aliment 

 for the last fortnight of their existence; before that 

 time, they shouLi have the run of a common or 

 some waste piece of grass, for of this green food 

 they eat largely; but they make a pasture unbeara- 

 ble to animals, therefore should never be admitted 

 where cattle are g-razing. During the last week 

 or two, they may be confined during the day 

 within four hurdles, (which ought, f()r the sake of 

 cleanliness, to be removed every alternate day,) 

 and driven under shelter at night. As they are 

 social birds, they will not thrive alone, two or more 



draggling their downy covering, and ensuring an j must be fatted tofrerher, or they will pine and lose 



almost certain death li'om cramp, or, if ducks, 

 fi-om that complaint locally and vulgarly called 

 "the sprawls." It is very desirable, however, 

 that they should be admitted into a field for a few 

 hours every day, when the weather is dry. Bar- 

 ley-meal is the best food for ducklings, it should 

 be frequently renewed, as well as fresh water in 

 their pans, as ofien as they shall be emptied by 

 the splashings and dabblings of the little brood. 

 Straw should be placed in a coop with a duck, but 

 not with a hen, as the young ones of the former 

 being constantly wet, require to be dried as well 

 as warmed, when they retire to the shelter of 

 their mother's breast lor occasional repose. As 

 the ducks approach to full growth, one of their 

 three daily meals should consist of whole oats, 

 which must be thrown into a pan of water, for 

 this food they will seek with avidity and deligh'; 

 their natural manner of feeding will be thus imi 



flesh rapidly. A lag, as it is locally termed, con- 

 sists of a ixander and five geese. If the spring be 

 mild, the latter will evince indications of wishing 

 to sir, in the open weather of February, when a 

 bundle of clean straw should be placed in an open 

 shed, of which they will proceed to construct their 

 nests, side by side, without requiring any assist- 

 ance or attendance. It is surprising that any mys- 

 tery should be made, or difficulties thrown in the 

 way, of so simple a matter as rearing poultry; 

 nothing can be jnore simple, or certain to succeed, 

 where a few raiional rules are kept in view, and 

 attended to. Cleanliness, dryness, kindness, and 

 full feedin<T, are the secrets of success. Geese 

 grow with nreat rafiidity, and require a large 

 quantity of fiiod, and at Irequent intervnls; indeed, 

 what young ci'eatiire is an exception? Chiklrcm 

 ought to be allowed as much nutritious simple 

 food as they desire; adults require less in quantity 



tared, which is effected by sifting, as it is called, j and at louirt^r intervals. The treatment of a goose 



The fine network at the edges of their bills sutlers 

 the water to pass through, but retains whatever 

 particles of sustenance may be floating in the fluid. 



Ducks are more easily and pleasantly reared 

 than chickens; for unless the fences round the gar- 

 dens and pleasure-grounds are close and hitrh, 

 the latter will infallibly effect an entrance, and dis- 

 tort the gravel-walks by their vigorous scratch- 

 ings, much to the discomfiture of a gardener's 

 equanimity. 



We repeat, that good, nay, high feeding frnm 

 the first, is the best way to obtain fine, firm, tiill- 



with her young brood ouijht to be the same as 

 that which we have detailed, for the duck, substi- 

 tuting (for a coop) a crate, such as glass and chi- 

 na are packed in, with a sack or mat thrown over 

 the fop, to jirotect them from rain. Barle3--meal 

 to be the first lood. 



PluckiiLg. — Suffering of all kinds, especial!}- 

 unmerited sufierintr, among those unoffending 

 creatures, which we make subservient to our 

 wants, is ahva^'s distrpssin<r to an uiivitiated na- 

 ture; it lifliiives every one, therefore, to dir^cuiinte- 

 nance the tcuilency to iufiict pain, in which h;ud 



