CHAPTER n 



Breeds and Varieties — How to Mate to Produce Ex- 

 hibition Specimens — Preparing Ducks for the 

 Show — Catching and Handling 



Breeds of Ducks. There are 11 standard breeds 

 of ducks. All of these breeds with the exception of 

 the Call, Muscovy and Runner consist of a single 

 variety. The Call is divided into two varieties, the 

 Gray and the White; the Muscovy consists of two 

 varieties, the Colored and the White; and the Run- 

 ner consists of three varieties, the Fawn and White, 

 the White and the Penciled. 



Duck breeders, of course, whether raising the 

 birds for fancy or for profit, keep one of the stand- 

 ard breeds or varieties. Frequently, also, the farm 

 flocks consist of standardbred ducks but on many 

 farms, probably a great majority, the flock consists 

 of the common or so-called "puddle" duck. In cer- 

 tain parts of the South there is a duck known as the 

 "mule duck" which is a cross between the Muscovy 

 and the common duck. This is a duck of good mar- 

 ket quality but will not breed from which character- 

 istic it gets its name. Most of the common or 

 "puddle" ducks which are found on farms are of 

 rather small size, are indifferent as layers, and do 



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