258 Farm Poultry 



for those breeds which are the most profitable 

 for farm use. It is true that some of the less profit- 

 able breeds, so far as meat production is concerned, 

 are able to use their wings to good advantage 

 and are quite as troublesome to keep within inclo- 

 sures as Mediterranean fowls. Another reason 

 why farmers frequently prefer ducks to hens, is 

 that the young grow much more rapidly. Those 

 who make a practice of fattening young ducks 

 for the market, expect to secure birds that will 

 weigh four and one-half or five pounds at nine or ten 

 weeks of age, while good chickens would weigh only 

 about half as much. 



Ducks are adapted to the various parts of the 

 country where chickens thrive well. They may 

 be reared under a great variety of conditions as 

 regards climate and exposure. Because ducks, 

 in a state of nature, select shallow water or marshy 

 land as their feeding-ground and largely prefer 

 bodies of water to dry land, it is thought by many 

 that streams or ponds are necessary for the suc- 

 cessful rearing of domesticated birds. However, 

 many of the most successful duck-raisers, who 

 produce large numbers of young birds for the 

 market, do not depend on streams or ponds of 

 water for their fowls. It is true that the plumage 

 of both young and old birds will be kept in a 

 somewhat cleaner condition if the ducks have 

 access to ponds or streams, but this is a matter 



