BROODING AND REARING YOUNG STOCK 



check. About the best thing that can be done, is to 

 turn them out in a roomy yard, one with a growing 

 green crop, if available, where they will be so busy 

 as to stop the feather eating of their own accord. 

 Rats. — Rats are very destructive if they get into 

 the brooder house. A single rat has been known to 

 kill and drag oflf as many as 200 ducklings in one 

 night. If a rat gets into the brooder house it is there- 

 fore of the utmost importance that it be hunted 

 down and killed without delay. Otherwise serious 

 losses will result. 



Cooperative Feed Association 



A very large proportion of the feed used on a 

 duck plant is that which is fed to the market ducks. 

 By purchasing feed in considerable quantities the 

 duck grower is able to cut down the cost to some 

 extent. A number of the duck raisers on Long Island 

 have developed this idea further by forming a co- 

 operative feed organization. Stock in this concern 

 is held both by the duck growers and by outsiders 

 but is controlled by the duck growers. The feed as- 

 sociation maintains a feed warehouse, purchases 

 feeds in quantity and does business both with the 

 duck growers and with other persons in the market 

 for feed. The existence of a cooperative feed pur- 

 chasing association of this sort not only cuts down to 

 some extent the cost of feed but likewise makes it 

 possible for the duck growers to have greater assur- 

 ance of securing the supply which is so necessary to 

 them during the growing season. 



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