DUCKS AND GEESE 



the weather is mild the doors are left partly open, 

 if cold they are nearly closed, while when the 

 weather is hot they are left entirely open. A good 

 scheme is to use a sort of Dutch door so that the bot- 

 tom or top half can be opened independently. In 

 this way the top part of the doors can be left open 

 so as to let in the sunlight and still keep the ducks 

 in the house or the top may be left closed and the 

 bottom opened so as to allow the ducks to go in or 

 out and still cut down the amount of ventilation. 

 When the weather is warm the doors may be left 

 entirely open except for a board 18 inches to 2 feet 

 wide inserted in the bottom of the door when it is 

 desired to keep the ducks in. 



Shade is essential for the breeders and if not pro- 

 vided naturally by trees must be supplied by means 

 of artificial shelters. 



Bedding and Cleaning the Breeding Houses. Us- 

 ually straw, meadow hay, or swale hay is used for 

 bedding. Shavings make good material for this pur- 

 pose if they do not contain too much sawdust. The 

 principal objection to shavings is that it takes longer 

 to bed with them. Often a few joists are laid at the 

 back of the house on which to pile bales of straw or 

 other bedding so that it will be kept dry and will 

 serve as an emergency supply available for bedding 

 the house in stormy days. The houses should be 

 bedded fairly often in order to keep the floors clean 

 and dry and so as not to allow the ducks' feet to get 

 cold. The frequency with which bedding is neces- 



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