FEEDING AXD FATTENING DUCKS 



99 



The young ducks in brooder houses are usually given 

 water in drinking fountains of the inverted-cup type. As 

 the%' grow larger the water is put in pails or troughs ot 

 such size and construction that the birds can drink and 

 can get their heads and necks well into the water but 

 cannot get into it bodily and foul it with their droppings. 

 Where a. few ducklings are raised with hens it is best to 

 give them water in a pan that they can get in, and to 

 rinse it out and give clean water with each feed. This 

 will enable the little ducks to keep themselves free from 

 any lice that may come to them from the hen. If the 

 ducks are fed indoors and this results in too much wet- 

 ting of the floor or of litter on it, the head lice whicii 

 are most troublesome when ducks are hatched and reared 

 with hens will be kept off if the water vessel is such 

 that the duckling can get its head well under water. 



When the breeding stock is confined to the house i i 

 winter, special care must be taken to keep the ducks from 



of determining in advance which ducks need it and which 

 do not, makes it the best policy for the novice in duck 

 laising, or for all who do not observe symptoms of trou- 

 ble as soon as they appear, to take no chances. In exper- 

 imenting on this point the writer found that some duck- 

 lings would go off their feed unless given sand at the start, 

 while others seemed to have no need of it, until he tried 

 putting ducklings out for their first feed on grass (as we 

 do goslings). From that time he found no occasion to put 

 sand in feed for young ducks. One of the advantages of 

 raising ducks, however, is that they will do better than 

 any other kind of poultry where the natural conditions 

 are not good, and probably the greater number of those 

 who grow even a few ducks cannot start them on gras-\ 

 The effect of lack of sand or grit in the feed is to make 

 ducklings appear weak and listless, and indisposed to 

 move or take any particular interest in anything. A little 

 feed containing coarse sand or fine grit will revive them 



FEEDING TIME AT ATLANTIC DUCK FARM, SPE'ONK, L. I. 



Taking the litter in a large part of the floor wet by their 

 dabblings in the water and running about while wet. The 

 usual plan is to have the water pail in a wooden frame 

 about two and a half feet square, sunk into the floor un- 

 til the top is only a little higher than the iloor. This top 

 is of slats with the edges up (strips of furring will answer) 

 and with a space left in the middle into which the pail 

 will go just deep enough to be firmly held in place. The 

 floor under the frame is dug out as much as necessary to 

 drain away all the water that is slopped out and conies 

 through the slats. Where ducks have access to running 

 or standing water in their yards or on range, it may not 

 be necessary to provide water especially for drinking at 

 feeding time. That depends on the amount and condition 

 of the water, and its accessibility. 



In feeding young ducks in brooders, or ducks with 

 hens, if they have not an opportunity to eat growing tender 

 green feed from the first, it is important to put a little 

 coarse sand or fine gitt in their mash. Some duck grow- 

 ers put sand or grit regularly in the mash for quite a 

 long time, others use it only for a few days. It does not 

 appear that there is any advantage in continuing it longer, 

 nor is it necessary in all cases, though the impossibility 



almost as soon as swallowed if given when the symptoms 

 are first noted. 



Another important particular in which ducks are un- 

 like other poultry is their ability to digest, assimilate, and 

 thrive remarkably upon rations having proportions of ani- 

 mal matter that would be highly injurious to chickens, 

 turkeys, or geese. Ducklings can stand for some time 

 meat scrap up to 30 per cent or more of their ration. It is 

 not economical to feed it so heavily for any considerable 

 period, but the ability of the duck to use strong feed 

 makes it possible often to force growth very rapidly, and 

 this is of great advantage both in bringing on ducklings 

 that are a little backward as they approach the age for- 

 killing as green ducks, and in forcing lots to get them on 

 the market as soon as possible when prices are declining. 



While ducklings can use heavy rations containing 

 large amounts of animal feed to advantage, they need lib- 

 eral supplies of green feed. In fact, the use of large 

 amounts of animal feed is necessary and profitable only 

 when ducks are grown in confinement where they obtain 

 little or nothing by foraging. When a few ducks are grown 

 on good range, or are liberally supplied with green feed, 

 they will grow quite as well as those grown on heavy 



