LOCATION FOR DUCK GROWING — BUILDINGS— FENCES. 



25 



especially desirable for the tal)le. The native duel; left to itself frequented streams and puddles 

 that were ofteii IJltby, and ate food which imparted strong odors and tastes to both its flesh and 

 its eggs. Any duck left to itself develops the same habits, but the grower of the large improved 

 breeds of ducks finds it worth while to keep them up and see that they are cleanly ted. For 

 the meat of such ducks the demand constantly increases, though the demand for duck meat 

 will always be much less'than for ohicken, because duck is too rich for a great many, and too 

 expensive for many more. Thus the consumption of ducks is limited, and New York city Is 

 probably the only market in the 

 country which can use all the green 

 ducks which mij;ht be sent it. 

 Outside of large cities and pnpuiiir 

 resorts the demand for ducks is 

 light. A poultryman who could 

 easily dispose at good prices of 

 several thousand chickens will find 

 the same market requiring only as 

 many hundreds of ducks. 



Hence for most of those who read 

 this lesson the question must be o( 

 the production of a few hundred 

 ducks as a part of their undertak- 

 ings in poultry, and it is on this 

 liasis that we will treat the sul)- 

 ject, making only occasional or 

 incidental reference to the methods 

 of the large growers. Anyone 

 wishing to start the business in a 

 large way ought to learn it first on 

 a large duck farm. One who begins 

 with a few and raises not more 

 than 200 to 300 at first can get along 

 very well by applying the informa- 

 tion here given. p^^,„ ^uck. 



Location for Duck Growing. 



For growing the young ducks for market no water except for drinking purposes is ueeaed. 

 Tiie ducks grow faster when kept from the water. For the breeding stock, and for ducks 

 grown for stock purposes, water is not absolutely necessary, but results are generally more 

 siitisfactory if the ducks can have access to a stream or to the margin of a pond or lake. Many 

 duck growers who have such a location build the houses near enough to the stream to admit 

 of making yards partly in the water. When the stream is shallow the fences may run right 

 through it. When it is so deep that fences can be used only near the bank the yards may run 

 a short distance into the water. Contrary to the common idea, ducks neither require nor 

 thrive in damp quarters. Though they like to frequent streams and marshy places, they need 

 well drained ground to which they can go when tired of the water, and the house site should 

 be as dry as for hens. 



Buildings and Fences. 



Houses for ducks are built on the same general plans as hen houses. A building 12 to 16 ft. 

 wide, about 6 ft. high at the sides, and 8 or 9 ft. in the middle, is perhaps the most satisfactory 

 style when many pens are to be kept in one house. For a single pen almost any sort of out- 

 building will do, and if a house is to be made especially for the ducks, it need not lie other than 

 of the cheapest boards, covered with roofing material or shingles to keep out the wet. It is 

 not necessary that the house should be warm, but it must be dry. 



When a number of pens are kept in the same building, it is more convenient to have a 

 passage along the rear wall. The partitions between pens and along the passage need not be 



