244 MAKING l-OULTRY PAY 



KILLING AND PICKING DUCKS 



The Muscovy and Pekin ducks are the leading 

 market birds. The Muscovy has to be from two to 

 four weeks older than the Pekin before it can be 

 dressed, and is sometimes four months old when killed. 

 After a duck gets its age it is rather deceptive as to 

 weight, as it is then fat and solid. Pure-bred Pekins 

 of proper grade should weigh about eleven pounds 

 per pair at eleven weeks old. The smaller birds serve 

 a purpose in hotels and restaurants. A quarter of a 

 bird is served to each customer, and in that way the 

 smaller birds answer the purpose just as well as the 

 larger, nicer-looking ones. It does not pay to raise 

 these small birds as well as it does to raise the large 

 ones, for it costs just as much to raise, dress and 

 market them, and they will not reach the largest birds 

 by one cent per pound, though there is a season when 

 there is a call for the small birds. One great draw- 

 back with ducks is that the shrinkage is so great as 

 compared with other poultry that it seems a high- 

 priced meat. 



In different parts of the country, modes of dress- 

 ing differ. In the west they are headed and drawn 

 and sometimes scalded, but generally dry picked. A 

 dry-picked bird holds its color better than one scalded. 

 Scalded birds appear puffy and are likely to turn dark 

 by exposure to the air. The market price of scalded 

 lairds would be from two to four cents per pound less 

 than for dry-picked birds. In New England scalded 

 birds could not be sold unless there was a shortage in 

 the market. 



Green ducks are shipped with heads on and 

 undrawn. They are picked down one-half of the neck 

 and to the first wing joint. The feathers from the 

 white ducks are quite valuable, being worth thirty- 



