RANKIN'S DUCK BOOK 



we ever selected another poultry ranch we would locate our 

 neighbors at a distance. We did so, and afterward had no- 

 trouble from this source. 



We found that the Cayuga duck was a more precocious bird 

 than the Rouen, and were better layers. The eggs were more 

 fertile. They were also much hardier, and, as a consequence^ 

 there was less mortality among the young. But they were 

 rather small in size, dressing only seven to nine pounds per 

 pair. The Rouens were nearly four pounds heavier, but had 

 their disadvantages. They were not so productive in eggs, 

 and those did not give us the same percentage of hatch, while 

 the mortality among the little ones was much greater. We 

 do not like to condemn any variety of birds on -one trial, as 

 we may be unfortunate in our selection of a strain/ but cur 

 subsequent experience with these birds fully confirms the 

 above; and though they are a large, attractive" bird, we do 

 not consider them as hardy as either Pekin, Aylesbury of 

 Cayuga. ] 



W r e conceived the plan of crossing this bird with the 

 Cayuga, with a view of increasing the size, not knowing 

 whether the good or the negative qualities of the two birds 

 would prevail. We were very much pleased with the results 

 of this cross, as it gave us all the good qualities of the Cayuga 

 with the largely increased size of the Rouen. It gave us also. 

 a good table bird, the flesh of which was far better flavored 

 than that of the puddle duck. We made the duck business 

 then supplementary to that of growing chickens. Our chicks 

 were hatched out early in the winter in order to secure the 

 high prices. Our ducks during the spring and summer were 

 not marketed until fall. We did not expect those ducks to lay 

 till the first of April, and they did not disappoint us. If any- 

 one had told us that young ducks could be made to lay at 

 four or five months old, and that we could have our young- 

 broods out by the thousands at that time, we should have 

 called him insane. We then gave our ducklings free range, 

 and, as a consequence, lost large numbers of them from eating; 

 injurious insects, which, in their haste, they did not stop to 

 kill, and paid the penalty with their lives. 



Now, the genuine duckling is proverbially stupid. He has 

 an immense faculty for getting himself into trouble, without 

 the first idea as to how he shall get out. As, for instance, 

 we had taken up some old fence-posts one day, and carelessly 

 left the holes (some two feet deep) unfilled. When feeding 

 time came at night we missed many of our little ducklings, 

 and at the same time, heard a great squeaking, which we could 



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