RANKIN'S DUCK BOOK 



once. By the time these oats are two or three inches high 

 they can be reoccupied by young birds, so that two crops can 

 be grown upon the same ground each season. 



My plan was this: I did not heat my brooding-house 

 artificially after the first of June, as the building was always 

 warm enough at that date for ducklings ten days old, without 

 artificial heat. I located some of my large duck-brooders a 

 short distance apart out-of-doors, building a square pen in 

 front of them, 8x12 feet, with boards a foot wide. Into these 

 brooders I put the newly-hatched ducklings as they came out. 

 They need artificial heat the first few days. Of course it 

 would' be poor policy to run the heater for the benefit of a 

 few when it would be a decided injury to thousands. 



When the ducklings no longer required heat, which would 

 be in a very few days, I removed them at once, either to the 

 brooding-house or to the vacated yards above mentioned, 

 when by that time the oats were high enough to furnish them 

 with green food. The business was managed in this way as 

 long as there were eggs to hatch. I used the eggs for incu- 

 bating long after I ceased putting them out; for, if there is 

 but one-third fertile, it is more profitable to hatch them than 

 to market them, as the prices on young ducklings after the 

 middle o* October usually rule some three of four cents high- 

 er per pujnd than during August and September. 



During the spring and summer months, when things were 

 under full headway, there was naturally great care and re- 

 sponsibility. It would not do to make too many mistakes 

 or neglect necessary duties. The young birds had to be fed 

 regularly and given the different prepared foods according to 

 age, — water supplied, grass and corn fodder cut and distribut- 

 ed according to need. Lamps to be trimmed and replenished, 

 eight thousand eggs to be turned twice each day; a new hatch 

 of ducklings coming off nearly every day; the machine to be 

 filled with nicely washed eggs ; one to two thousand pounds 

 of ducklings to be dressed and packed for market daily; clean- ; 

 ing and disinfecting yards; entertaining visitors, who flock 

 there by the dozens, — furnished all the occupation we needed. 

 Indeed, were it not for the immense profits attending the busi- 

 ness, we might have considered it rather more than we ought 

 to do. 



I disinfected my duck yards with rye about Sept. 1. 

 When, in this climate, frost has destroyed all green vegetable 

 life, then rye is in its prime. If sowed September 1, in duck 

 yards, it will attain a height of eighteen inches, and if sowed 

 thickly will crop many tons to the acre. When corn-fodder 

 has gone, we used green clover, then turnip, cabbage and 



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