80 



THE PEOPLE'S PRACTICAL POULTRY BOOK. 



nest her own time. On her moving with her brood, prepare a coop and pen 

 upon the short grass, if the weather be fine, or under shelter, if otherwise ; 

 keep a wide and shallow dish of water, often to be removed, near by them. 



THEIR FIRST FOOD 



should be crumbs of bread, moistened with milk ; curds or eggs boiled hard 

 and chopped fine, are also much relished by, and are good for them. After 

 a few days, Indian meal, boiled and mixed with milk, and if boiled potatoes 

 and a few chives or lettuce chopped fine be added, all the better. All kinds 



DRAKE. 



of sopped food, buckwheat flour, barley meal and water, mixed thin, worms, 

 etc., suit them. As soon as they have gained a little strength, a good deal 

 of pot-herbs may be given them, raw, chopped fine, and mixed with a little 

 bran soaked in water, barley and boiled potatoes beat up together. 



REASONS WHY THEY ARE USEFUL. 



They are extremely fond of angle-worms, grubs, and bugs of all kinds, for 

 which reasons it may be useful to have them run in the garden daily. All 

 these equally agree with young ducks, which devour the different substances 

 they meet with, and show, from their most tender age, a voracity which they 

 always retain. No people are more successful in rearing ducks than cot- 

 tagers, who keep them for the first period of their existence in pens two or 

 three yards square, feeding them night and morning with egg and flour, tilt 

 they are judged old enough to be turned out with their mother to forage the 

 field. It is necessary, to prevent accidents, to take care that the ducklings 



