DUCKS AND GEESE 



necessary to have sufficient water to permit swim- 

 ming although many breeders prefer to do this and 

 feel that they get better results from it. However, 

 breeding ducks have been and are being kept suc- 

 cessfully in dry yards where water is supplied to 

 them simply in an amount sufficient to allow them to 

 drink and to clean themselves. Where water yards 

 are provided this should not be on stagnant water 

 but there should be some circulation of the water 

 so as to keep it clean and fresh. Where the lay of 

 the land is such that it is not possible to run all the 

 yards down to a stream for this purpose it is some- 

 times possible to dig a canal or ditch from the stream 

 to the yards so as to allow the ducks access to the 

 water. Where the yards can extend into the water 

 it saves a great deal of labor or considerable ex- 

 pense in equipment as it is not then necessary to pro- 

 vide the ducks with drinking water by means of 

 some artificial arrangement such as a concrete gut- 

 ter or ditch extending through the yards or by 

 means of artificial ponds. 



If the water yards used freeze over in winter it is 

 necessary to cut holes in the ice so that the ducks 

 can get water for drinking purposes. Sometimes 

 the ducks will go into these water holes and after 

 getting their plumage wet will come out and sit 

 down in the yard and freeze fast to the ground. Dur- 

 ing such weather conditions it is necessary to make 

 the rounds of the yards frequently and to loosen 

 any ducks that have frozen fast. If they are left in 



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