NATIONAL CITY, CALIFORNIA 29 



Duck 



SELECTING AND MATING 



Ducks are usually mated in flocks of about thirty females with five or 

 six males. The number of males may be reduced to. one for every seven 

 females about the first of March and again changed a month later to one 

 male for eight to ten females. Active, healthy females of medium size 

 should be used for breeding; that is, weighing about eight pounds when 

 mature. Only mature females should be used as breeders. Select ducks 

 with short necks, medium long bodies, flat back, and of good depth to the 

 keel bones. Watery eyes are usually a sign of weakness in ducks. The 

 drake is usually coarser and more masculine in appearance than the duck 

 and has a distinct curl in his tail feathers. Ducks should usually be sold 

 after they are two years old, altho the best breeders or layers may be kept 

 over their third year. In holding ducks pick them up by their necks rather 

 than by their legs, as the latter are apt to break easily. Ducks lay their 

 eggs early in the morning, and should be confined to the house or pen 

 until 9:30 or 10:00 o'clock in the morning. If allowed to roam early in the 

 morning they may lay in^a pond or stream and the eggs may be lost. 



INCUBATION 



The period of incubation for ducks' eggs with the exception of Muscovy 

 Ducks, which takes from thirty-three to thirty-five days, is twenty-eight 

 days. The eggs may be hatched either naturally or artificially, but on prac- 

 tically all of the large duck farms the hatching is done in incubators. 

 Strong, fertile eggs are a prime essential in good hatching and are ob- 

 tained only from stock properly mated and kept under the best possible 

 conditions to secure health and vigor. Eggs from overfat breeding stock 

 do not usually produce a large percentage of strong ducklings. Ducks' eggs 

 should be washed if dirty, which does not appear to injure their hatch- 

 ing qualities. 



Before setting a hen dust her thoroly with insect powder. In applying 

 this powder hold the hen by the feet, with her head hanging down, and 

 work it thoroly into the feathers, giving special attention around the vent 

 and under the wings. If several hens are sitting in the same room, con- 

 fine them on the nests, only allowing them to come off once a day for 

 feed and water. Sitting hens should be fed whole or cracked grains, such 

 as corn or wheat. Place nine to eleven ducks' eggs under a hen, depend- 

 ing on her size and the season of the year, using the smaller number of 

 eggs in cold weather and the larger number in warm weather. Confine the 

 hens at hatching time and do not disturb them until the hatch is completed, 

 unless they become restless, when it may be best to remove the ducklings 

 that hatched first. It usually takes ducklings from twenty-four to forty- 

 eight hours to hatch, after they pick the shells; therefore it is advisable to 

 allow the hen to get off the nest for feed and water \vhen the first ducklings 

 pick the shell and then confine her to the nest until the hatching is over. 

 Ducks' eggs need more moisture than hens' eggs at hatching time, as it 

 takes the ducks much longer to get out of the shell. The eggs should, 

 therefore, be sprinkled with warm water previous to hatching. 



Incubators for hatching ducks' eggs are usually kept at a slightly lower 

 temperature than for hens' eggs. Keep the machine at 102 F. for the 

 first three weeks and 103 F. for the last week. The temperature may go 

 above 103 F. and sometimes will go as high as 104 F. at hatching time. 

 It is usually advisable to supply moisture for ducks' eggs during the last 

 w r eek or ten days of incubation. This depends upon the make of the in- 

 cubator, on the climate, and especially on the humidity of the place where 

 the incubator is operated. Many methods are used to supply moisture in 

 incubation, such as sprinkling the eggs with warm water heated to about 

 100 F. or placing a pan of water, a receptacle containing moist sand, or a 



