MANAGEMENT OF THE BREEDING STOCK 



sary will depend upon the weather. In winter it may 

 at times be necessary to bed every day. In May it 

 may be necessary only twice a week and still later in 

 the season only once a week. In wet weather the 

 ducks track in lots of mud and water and frequent 

 bedding helps to keep the eggs clean. The houses 

 are cleaned out only once a year and this is usually 

 done after the ducks have stopped laying. To clean 

 out the houses while the ducks are laying would 

 disturb them and tend to stop their egg production. 



Cleaning the Breeding Yards. The yards should 

 be cleaned whenever they need it, that is, whenever 

 they begin to get sloppy or sticky. It is a matter of 

 judgment to decide when this is necessary. The 

 character of the soil influences this, as sandy yards 

 absorb the droppings better and do not need clean- 

 ing as frequently as heavier soils. In the yards for 

 the breeding ducks, or the water yards, this will as 

 a rule not be over 2 or 3 times a season. In dry 

 weather cleaning is accomplished by sweeping the 

 yards with a broom. In wet weather the droppings 

 spread over the yard and are packed down by the 

 ducks' feet until they form a layer of putty-like ma- 

 terial which cannot be swept off but is scraped off 

 by means of a hoe. 



Water Yards for Breeders. Formerly it was the 

 consensus of opinion that breeders needed water in 

 which they could swim in order to keep in good 

 breeding condition and to give the best results in 

 fertility of the eggs. At present it is not considered 



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