RANKIN'S DUCK BOOK 



ered with rye. But the ducklings must be kept growing at 

 all hazards, and a vegetable supply must be procured from 

 outside. 



Rye comes first in the season (I always cultivate it for 

 the purpose), and when coarse, it must be cut so that it can 

 be leadily eaten; then grass; and next corn fodder, which is 

 best of all. It is astonishing how much of the latter these 

 birds will consume— hundreds of pounds each day. It should 

 be cut very fine, not more than one-third of an inch in length. 

 Unlike the hen, the birds prefer the stalk to the leaf. Give 

 them all they will eat, once each day. (But we have forgot- 

 ten that empty machine. After the ducklings are taken out 

 it will be found running at 85 to 90 degrees. Gauge it up to 

 102 and fill it with fresh eggs at once, not forgetting to fill 

 one tray in the little tender). There is one bad habit to 

 which ducklings of four to five weeks old are addicted, and 

 that is feather eating. First the down will begin to' disap- 

 pear from their backs ; next, as the birds grow older, the quills 

 which grow out from the end of the wings will disappear, 

 and they are all exposed for tempting morsels. 



These quills bleed profusely when disturbed, which, ol 

 course, Seriously retards the growth and progress of the birds. 

 This vice should be checked at once, for vice it is — superin- 

 duced by idleness and close confinement. When the first in- 

 dications of these troubles appear, the attendant should watch 

 the birds closely for a few moments, when the aggressors 

 can soon be detected. They should be removed at once and 

 confined by themselves, or placed in yards with older birds 

 already feathered out, which affords them no temptation to 

 practice their newly acquired art. 



If this is not done at once the vice becomes general, and 

 disastrous consequences are sure to follow. If it has already 

 attained headway, before the novice detects it, he must 

 change them to new quarters; a grassy area is best, where 

 they usually forget all about it. This can be readily done, as 

 the operator should always have a spare roll of eighteen-inch 

 wire netting on hand with which he can enclose a given area 

 in i few moments. Too much cannot be said in favor of this 

 wire, it is so cheap, portable and convenient. It can be taken 

 up and removed in an incredibly short time to facilitate plow- 

 ing and disinfecting the yards. While it effectually separates 

 the birds, it affords little or no impediment to the attendant 

 during the process of watering and feeding. Fasten this wire 

 up to short stakes driven in the ground, using small staples 



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