DUCKS. 115 



looks but injure their health. After the first few 

 meals of bread and milk, equal parts of corn meal 

 and wheat bran, wet with milk or water, may be fed. 

 A little fine-ground meat scraps, or meat-meal, should 

 be added. After ten days every other meal may con- 

 sist of cracked corn and wheat. Care should be taken 

 to have all their food crumbly rather than doughy or 

 sticky. At first they should be fed every two hours, 

 but at the end of a week they can get along with four 

 meals a day. Like all other birds they need grit as 

 soon as hatched. To supply this at first it is a good 

 plan to sprinkle a little coarse sand on the feeding 

 board or in their feeding trough. When a little older 

 put the grit in the bottom of the drinking vessel. 



The yard in which the ducklings are placed should 

 contain short grass, but if it does not, green food in 

 some form must be supplied regularly and bountifully. 

 Lettuce, beet tops, cabbage, green clover, or green 

 corn cut fine, will be greedily devoured. 



While they are hearty eaters they are, for this 

 reason, rapid growers and will increase in weight 

 about twice as fast as chickens. They are usually 

 slaughtered when from seven to ten weeks old. 



In warm weather it is important to have some 

 shelters for ducks and ducklings confined in yards. If 

 the latter contain no trees, vines or bushes, temporary 

 shelter of boards, brush or canvas must be provided. 



Temporary yards may be made for ducklings by 

 the use of wire netting two feet wide, stapled loosely 

 to stakes driven into the ground. Such a fence is 

 easily moved by pulling up the stakes with the wire 

 on them and rolling all up together. 



