POULTRY FOR PROFIT 215 



meal ; 10 per cent beef scrap ; 20 per cent low grade 

 flour; 10 per cent boiled turnips; mangel beets or 

 potatoes; 15 per cent clover, alfalfa, green rye or 

 refuse cabbage, cut fine; 3 per cent grit. At noon 

 they get a light feed of corn and oats. Clean grit and 

 oyster shell always before the birds in boxes. Mash 

 never cooked, and always mixed with cold water. 

 The houses are kept clean and well aired and the 

 bedding frequently changed. Lighted lanterns kept 

 in the yards at night to keep the ducklings quiet. 



The Indian Runner. 



The Indian Runner duck is the laying duck, and 

 so famous has it become for the number of its eggs 

 that it is often called "the Leghorn of the duck fam- 

 ily." It is doubtful whether there is foundation for 

 all the reports of phenomenal laying on the part of 

 Runners, but they are undoubtedly as good layers 

 as the average of hens, and probably better. The 

 eggs usually bring a somewhat higher price, being 

 large and absolutely free from tubercular taint. 



There are two colors of Runners, the fawn and 

 white, which is the standard color, and the pure 

 white, which is much less common, but is now a 

 recognized variety. These ducks have been sup- 

 posed to be natives of India, hence the name, but 

 Robinson says there is little doubt that they were 

 imported from the Netherlands. They are much 

 more erect in carriage than the Pekin and much 

 smaller, standard weights being: drake, four and 

 one-half pounds; duck, four pounds. The body is 

 long and narrow, the breast well developed. The 

 fawn and white or (sometimes) gray and white 

 variety is colored in a peculiar pattern, the dark 

 color occurring in patches on the crown and cheeks 

 and on the back, breast and fore part of the body 



