DUCKS AND GEESE 



this sort is most prevalent about the 1st of March. 

 If the trouble gets very bad it can be stopped to 

 some extent by cutting back the upper bills of the 

 drakes about one-fourth of an inch with a tinsnip 

 or by reducing the proportion of drakes. 



Securing Breeding Drakes. It is common prac- 

 tice on duck plants to avoid inbreeding by securing 

 drakes from some other flock each year. This is 

 usually accomplished by buying the drakes outright 

 from some neighboring duck farmer. It may also 

 be accomplished by purchasing a few ' eggs for 

 hatching in order to secure new blood. In any par- 

 ticular community there is a tendency for the duck 

 farmers to trade breeding drakes among themselves 

 for a period of years with the result that they all 

 have much the same blood and not a great deal of 

 benefit is obtained from securing the drakes from 

 some neighbor's flock. It is undoubtedly good prac- 

 tice to go farther afield occasionally for a supply of 

 breeding drakes. In purchasing stock for new blood 

 be sure that it is as good as the home stock and bet- 

 ter if it can be found. It will do no good to pur- 

 chase and use inferior stock and may do much harm. 



Houses and Yards for Breeders 



The breeding flocks are usually confined to breed- 

 ing yards. The size of these yards depends upon the 

 size of the breeding flock but large yards are not re- 

 quired. A yard for 200 breeders is not as a rule 



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