666 



FARMER'S CYCLOPEDIA OF LIVE STOCK 



are much slower. Growing houses need 

 not be more than 6 or 7 feet high in 

 front and 2 or 3 feet high in the rear. 

 There are absolutely no interior arrange- 

 ments, the birds roosting on the ground, 

 which should be covered with straw, dried 

 leaves or chaff. The Muscovy breed 

 prefers roosts, and will use them if pro- 

 vided. 



Feeding breeding ducks — Breeding 

 ducks should be given an abundance of 

 pasture and, in addition, Rankin recom- 

 mends a mash made up of three parts 

 wheat bran, one part low grade flour, one 

 part corn meal, 5 per cent beef scraps, 

 and 3 per cent grit. In winter and early 

 spring they should have all the green 

 food they will eat in the shape of corn 

 fodder, cut fine|, clover) or oat fod- 



alive in summer, excepting green ducks, 

 and dressed in winter. Dressed ducks 

 are either dry-picked or scalded and 

 picked. When scalded, the water should 

 be just under the boiling point, the 

 back first dipped in and then the breast, 

 two or three times. After scalding, the 

 birds are wiped dry with a sponge, and 

 the breast feathers first picked. The 

 feathers on the wing and tail, neck and 

 head are left, and usually the birds are 

 marketed undrawn. Markets differ in 

 this respect, and the commission mer- 

 chant should be consulted. Like chick- 

 ens, ducks should be fasted 12 to 24 

 hours before being killed. The birds 

 are killed by a cut made across the roof 

 of the mouth just below the eyes, after 

 which they are stunned by striking the 



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Fig. 421 — YARDS AND COLD HOME OF A LARGE DUCK PLANT 



der. The mash is fed twice a day, giv- 

 ing the birds all they will ea* 



For laying birds, a mixture of equal 

 parts wheat bran and corn meal, 10 per 

 cent beef scraps, 20 per cent low grade 

 flour, 10 per cent boiled turnips or pota- 

 toes, 15 per cent clover rowen, green rye, 

 or refuse cabbage chopped fine, and 3 

 per cent grit is recommended. They 

 should be fed this mash twice a day, giv- 

 ing the birds all they will eat, with corn 

 and oats at noon in addition. Grit and 

 ground oyster shells should be constantly 

 before them and all the mashes mixed 

 with cold water or skim milk. 



MARKETING DUCKS 



If ducks are shipped alive, the direc- 

 tions given for shipping chickens may 

 be followed. They are commonly shipped 



head against a post or with a paddle. 



In picking, the body feathers and 

 down are saved and sold; the amount 

 secured from each bird is about 2 ounces 

 which is nearly sufficient to pay for 

 picking, the price varying from about 

 30 cents a pound for colored feathers to 

 45 cents for pure white. 



In dry picking, the operation must 

 be done as soon as the bird is stunned. 

 The feathers are removed more easily 

 while the birds are warm than when they 

 have become cold. The longer pin feath- 

 ers are removed with the thumb and a 

 dull knife. The down is taken off by 

 rubbing the moistened hand over the 

 tightly-drawn skin. Good pickers can 

 dress three dozen birds a day. After 

 picking, the birds are thoroughly washed 

 and plumped by dipping first in boiling 



