MANAGEMENT OF THE BREEDING STOCK 



that condition they are apt to injure themselves in 

 trying to pull free and if left too long will die. 



Feeding the Breeders. Breeding ducks are fed 

 twice a day, in the morning and at night. It is us- 

 ual practice to feed the breeders last in the morning 

 and first at night. The reason for feeding them last 

 in the morning is that they are usually fed in the 

 yards rather than the house and they should be kept 

 in until they are through laying which will be after 

 daylight. A good breeding ration consists of the 

 following, the proportions being given by measure 

 in bushels. 



1 bushel bran. 



1 bushel low-grade flour. 



1 bushel com meal. 



1 bushel green feed. 



i bushel either raw or eooked vegetables. 



1 bushel in 10 of beef scrap. 



i bushel in 10 of cooked fish. 



This ration will keep the breeding ducks in good 

 flesh but there will be no difficulty in their getting 

 too fat. It is also a good laying ration and will pro- 

 mote good egg production. The vegetables used in 

 this ration usually consist of sugar beets, cow beets, 

 potatoes, etc. However, if potatoes are used the 

 amount of flour in the ration should be reduced a 

 little so as not to make the ration too heavy. Beets, 

 when used, are fed raw cut up and mixed in the 

 feed. Small potatoes, boiled and mixed in the feed 

 are more valuable as they have a greater food value 

 than beets. Some duck growers feed fish entirely, 



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