RANKIN'S DUCK BOOK 



scattered in a trough in the empty pen adjoining, the duck- 

 lings will rush under in a moment, then the board is dropped. 

 The same process is continued until all are moved and the 

 building filled. 



The building just described we termed our nursery, and 

 had a capacity of about 2,500 birds. When full, the older 

 birds were probably about two weeks old, and of course these 

 older ones must be removed to make room for successive 

 hatches of younger birds. For this purpose, we constructed 

 a building 125 feet long, 32 feet wide, which we styled our 

 double brooding house. It ran east and west with a walk four 

 feet wide through the centre, with brooding-pens on each side. 

 This building had the same capacity of a single building 250 

 feet long, and accommodated about 5,000 birds. On the south 

 side of this walk our brooder boxes were arranged. 



At one end of the building was a heater, from which an 

 inch-and-a-half flow and return pipe ran under the brooder 

 boxes the entire length of the building and furnished heat for 

 the little birds. The brooder-boxes were located twenty inches 

 from the side of the walk. The ducklings were fed and wat- 

 ered in this space, and were not allowed in it except for that 

 purpose. To effect this, the covers of the brooding-boxes, 

 which were six feet long by two feet wide, were cut in the 

 centre length, and hinged with a perpendicular lip, which when 

 closed, met an upright board below, some two inches high, 

 shutting brooders tight, excluding ducklings from feeding 

 apartment, so that it was always sweet and clean. 



By this arrangement, the ducklings can all be fed and 

 watered from the walk, thus reducing the labor to a minimum, 

 while there is no danger of crushing the little birds under foot 

 or under the troughs. The attendant is not hampered in his 

 movements, but can work as quickly as he likes. All he has 

 to do is to distribute the food and water, throwing the covers 

 back as he goes, when the ducklings, which are always wait- 

 ing, rush in and soon fill themselves. Twenty minutes is all 

 that is required for them to eat and drink. 



A person of good judgment can easily determine about 

 how much the birds will consume, though it is well for him 

 to pass along the walk, giving a little more food where their 

 wants are not satisfied, or taking up what is left over, shut- 

 ting the covers down when the birds are through. 



As this building was well piped, distributing water at 

 both ends, as well as at the mixing-box and heater, it makes 

 the feeding almost a pastime, the work was done so easily. 

 This building was just what we had been looking for. There 



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