TURKEYS, DUCKS AND GEESE 



COOLING OR AIRING THE EGGS 



For a long time in the earlier years of his business Mr. 

 Rankin used to hatch with hens, the Pekin Duck seldom sits 

 and when she does cannot be depended upon as a reliable mother. 

 He found that where the hens were confined to the nests and 

 only allowed off for a brief interval each day to feed, drink, 

 exercise and dust, the results were better than where the birds 

 were allowed their own sweet will. Further he made the inter- 

 esting discovery that by protecting the eggs, covering them 

 while the hens were off the nest, he got better hatches of stronger 

 chicks and ducklings. This led him to believe that while it 

 is necessary for the hen to leave the nest to feed and attend to 

 Nature's needs, so allowing the eggs to cool, it is not proof that 

 the eggs need cooling. Some incubator manufacturers have 

 advised cooling or airing the eggs daily for the simple reason 

 that the hen allows them to cool, losing sight of the fact that 

 while it is a necessity for the hen to leave the nest it may not 

 be helpful to the embryo. When the hen leaves the nest and 

 the eggs cool, they quickly return to the temperature when she 

 covers them again with her warm body and in a very short 

 time they have regained their normal temperature. With an 

 incubator it is different and it may require an hour or more to 

 regain the lost heat. He firmly believes that cooling and 

 airing the eggs is in a large measure responsible for the poor 

 hatches obtained by some who employ artificial means. In this 

 belief he is supported by the opinions we have heard expressed 

 by many other experienced poultrymen. The eggs get sufficient 

 colling and airing while turning them twice a day in all ma- 

 chines where eggs are turned by hand. Where eggs are ma^ 

 chine turned without removing them from the incubator it is 

 well to air them a few minutes at each turning. 



When operating in cold weather the doors of the machines 

 are kept closed while turning, in warm or hot weather they 

 may be allowed to remain open at this time. The eggs are 

 turned twice daily beginning in the morning of the third day. 

 The eggs are always turned by hand and their relative position 

 in the trays changed daily to help offset any inequality of the 

 heat in the egg chamber. Hand turning in this manner more 

 than pays for the labor involved by the better hatches ob- 

 tained. When turning eggs in a very cold room they are turned 

 as quickly as possible to avoid too much cooling. Care is taken 

 not to jar or shake the eggs overmuch while turning as the less 

 shaking they get the better. 



TEMPERATURE OF EGG CHAMBER AND TESTING 



The temperature of the egg chamber is maintained at 102 

 degrees with a thermometer on a live egg until the animal heat 

 begins to get well established which is on or about the fifteenth 

 or sixteenth day, when the heat is allowed to go to 103 degrees, 

 at which point the temperature is maintained throughout the 

 balance of the hatch. Readjustment of the regulating device 

 is frequently necessary when running a machine filled with 

 strongly fertile eggs, as there is always a tendency to a rise of 

 temperature, and this is considered a good sign. 



The duck eggs are tested out after they have been incu- 

 bated about seventy hours and all the clear' eggs are sent to 

 market. Mr. Rankin assured us that these infertile eggs brought 

 a price equal to strictly fresh eggs and that they were really 

 considered a superior article because of their keeping qualities 

 Being so short a time in the machine they do not dry down 

 appreciably and in appearance are equal to any egg fresh from 

 the nest. They are not in the least injured for any cuUnary 

 purposes and will boil perfectly, which is considered one of the 

 best -tests of a fresh egg. In keeping qualities these tested 

 out infertile eggs are superior to all others as they will keep 

 in perfect condition for months, if kept in a cold, dry place. 



The sales of these eggs total up a very comfortable figure during 

 the season. 



A second test is always made on the tenth or twelfth day 

 and all eggs missed at first test, or those in which the germs 

 have died, are removed. A final test is usually made on or 

 about the 24th day. Whenever a dead egg becomes putrid it 

 is smelled out and removed. These can often be detected by 

 the color or marbled appearance of the shell. 



The wire cloth of the egg trays is covered with or replaced 

 by burlap which is less liable to injure eggs and makes turning 

 easier, as the eggs do not roll about on it as they do on wire. 

 Moisture is used in the machines from the 18th day and is 

 considered a necessity in incubating duck eggs. The usual 

 method is to sprinkle the burlap on the tray and the eggs thor- 

 oughly with water at about the temperature of the eggs, the 

 object being to saturate the air of the egg chamber with mois- 

 ture. 



On the 26th day the eggs and trays are made quite wet 

 with moderately warm water and the machine closed to remain 

 so until the hatch is over. The ducklings are usually all out 

 on the 27th day and are removed to the brooders on the 28th. 



THE BREEDING STOCK 



At Maplewood they are carrying this year (1906) 1,100 

 head or prime young breeders, and they have carried as high 

 as 2,500. All of these breeders are fine lusty, healthy, vigorous 

 youngsters. Mr. Rankin does not believe in carrying any con- 

 siderable proportion of one or two-year old birds over for breed- 

 ing purposes. He pushes aU his growing stock for all that there 

 is in them, and gets all the growth and eggs he can in the short- 

 est possible time. The breeders are picked from the growing 

 pens before the birds go to the fattening yards, and only the 

 choicest and most vigorous, healthy specimens are selected. 



He selects his best drakes for next winter's breeders from 

 the growing yards containing this year's January, February 

 and March hatched ducklings. At the time these birds are 

 chosen the flocks are in their best possible shape just prior to 

 the final finishing for the market, and will average to weigh 

 about six or seven pounds each and worth at market prices 

 from 25 to 30 cents a pound. So it will be seen that his breed- 

 ing stock stands him at market prices from $1.50 to $2.00 a 

 head. Add to this the fact that these birds when selected are 

 but eight to ten weeks old and must be fed and cared for until 

 nine months old before breeding them, it is not surprising that 

 breeding birds do not sell for less than $3.00 to $5.00 each. 



Choosing the breeding ducks is done in the same manner 

 but is seldoni begun before the March hatched duckUngs begin 

 to develop. As a rule ducks will mature for breeding about 

 twelve weeks earlier than the drakes, so that as a breeder a six 

 months old duck compares favorably with a nine months old 

 drake. 



We show herewith a picture of a flock of Imperial Pekin 

 Drakes which our artist took for us at Maplewood. This flock 

 contains nearly 300 fine breeding males, all early hatched youngs- 

 ters that have been carefully selected as the pick of the season's 

 production. Never before have we seen a more handsome lot 

 of Pekin drakes in one bunch and it is extremely doubtful if 

 such a lot was ever before duplicated, many of them going ten 

 pounds and over in weight and all in the pink of condition. 



The Rankin method of selecting ducklings, taking the pick 

 of the flock to save for breeders as soon as their good points 

 can be determined, is a particularly good one and worth follow- 

 ing. Raising as he does from 25,000 to 30,000 ducklings annu- 

 ally this gives him a grand opportunity for the selection of the 

 best sort of breeding stock for all essentials, including standard 

 points, profitable tendencies as to development, size shape and 

 vigor. 



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