WATER FOWL 245' 



should dogs or visitors be allowed in the breed- \ 

 ing yard because the egg yield is sure to be re- 

 duced. After the breeding pens are once made up 

 the groups should be maintained without change. 

 Ducks quickly miss one of their companions, so if 

 stock is to be kept for sale it should be separate' 

 from the breeding flocks. 



Breeding ducks should be given free range or at' 

 least water in which to swim. They may be fed 

 on almost any kind of mill feed. When they can-', 

 not have free range and thus pick up animal and 

 vegetable life, they should be supplied with animal 

 and vegetable food of some kind. Chopped clover, ; 

 cabbage, kale, alfalfa ; in fact, almost any vegetable, 

 will do. This should be mixed with the wet mash 

 to which bone meal or beef scrap and grit have been 

 added. There is no reason why duck food should 

 be cooked. Ducks do fully as well on raw feed. 

 It is best that they do not have whole grain, be- 

 cause they cannot grind it as well as hens and tur- 

 keys do. At all times they must be supplied with 

 water close to their feeding troughs. A reasonably 

 full meal morning and evening is all that is neces- 

 sary, especially where the ducks have free range. 

 When ducks at range are to be fattened for the 

 table, they should be removed from the general 

 flock and fed only such food as will not give the 

 flesh an unpleasant flavor. Fish and some of the 

 vegetable matter that they might get in the marshes 

 and ponds often impart unpleasant flavors to the 

 flesh. ■ 



For breeding ducks Long Island growers use a' 

 mixture of one pailful each of wheat, oats, mid- 

 dlings, two pails of bran, four of cornmeal and two 

 bushels of cut clover grass or other green thor-' 



