236 PO UL TR r- CRAFT. 



On another farm the houses are built without walks; are 15 ft. wide, 8 ft. 

 high in front, 5 ft. 4 in. high at the back, with shed roof. In the front are the 

 doors to outside runs, and half-windows every ten feet. In the back, at the 

 middle of each pen, is a half-window through which bedding is renewed and 

 litter removed. For economy of construction and convenience in working, 

 this style of house is hard to excel. 



On still another plant thirty-five breeding ducks are kept in each 13 x 

 13 ft. pen, connected with which is a yard 26 x 125 ft., of which 26 x 36 ft. is 

 water. 



Fixtures. The necessary interior furnishing of the duck house is of the 

 simplest. When the ducks are fed and watered indoors, drinking fountains, 

 feed troughs, and boxes for shell and grit, complete the furnishing. Some 

 breeders feed outside. Nest boxes are not needed ; duck keepers agree that 

 fewer eggs are broken or lost when the ducks scoop out nests in the litter or 

 earth, each one as it suits her. 



Fences. The yard fences, like the inside partitions, are low, 2 i*t., 2j ft., 

 sometimes 3 ft. high. Wire netting attached to stakes driven into the ground, 

 is used for fencing. 



Brooder Houses, as described in ^[46, 47, and illustrated in Figs. 29 32, 

 are used for ducklings. Separate brooders are also used. The partitions, 

 both in the houses and outside, need be only i ft. high for the small ducklings. 



DUCKS DESCRIBED. 



347. Kinds of Ducks. Fowls were described in f 68 as : common, or 

 mongrel; cross bred; grade; pure bred, and Standard bred. These terms 

 apply to ducks also, though crosses are much rarer than among chickens. 

 Many flocks of so-called Pekins are grades produced by the systematic use of 

 Pekin drakes on white ducks starting from common white ducks. Common 

 ducks are often very good layers, but grow slowly, and their meat is inferior 

 to that of the improved varieties. 



348. Pekin Ducks. Though White Pekin ducks may not merit all that 

 is said of them by enthusiastic breeders, it is certain that without the Pekin 

 duck the business could not have grown to its present proportions, and that 

 as a market duck this breed has no rival. They are hardy, quick growers, 



in producing to the full capacity of the plant. But, if without any diminution of sales of 

 other poultry, five hundred ducks can be profitably sold as in many cases they could 

 be, it would pay to raise that many ducks, and the ducks would probably pay pro- 

 portionately better than the chickens. At the same time, it might be a bad mistake to 

 suppose that because the ducks were paying better it would be wise to reduce the produc- 

 tion of other stock, and increase the number of ducks grown. 



