MANAGEMENT OF THE BREEDING STOCK 



the laying ration. Some of the breeding ducks will 

 usually begin to lay about December 1 although 

 they will not lay heavily at that time. The laying 

 ration described later should be begun about that 

 time or a couple of weeks earlier. 



Number of Females to a Drake. As a rule on com- 

 mercial duck farms the birds are mated in the pro- 

 portion of about one drake to seven ducks. This 

 proportion will vary to some extent under different 

 methods of management and weather conditions 

 and may run all the way from 1 to 5 to 1 to 8. The 

 smaller number of drakes should be used late in 

 the season while the larger number will give better 

 fertility early in the breeding season. 



Since the drakes do not fight seriously, flock mat- 

 ings can be made. Better results will be obtained 

 from smaller flocks than from large flocks and there 

 will also be less cracked eggs and less very dirty 

 eggs from the smaller flocks. Before the ducks are let 

 out in the morning there isatendency for them to run 

 back and forth through the pens, and in this way 

 they tramp over many of the eggs which are laid any- 

 where about the floor. The larger the flock the more 

 cracked and dirty eggs will result. While the drakes 

 do not fight each other they do at times injure and 

 kill the ducks to some extent when three or four 

 drakes may chase one duck. In this way they may 

 injure the ducks' backs and often pick their eyes and 

 necks. Whenever a duck is found which is injured 

 she should be removed from the flock. Difficulty of 



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