u6 THE HOME POULTRY BOOK 



come clogged with soft food or mud and the birds 

 are in danger of smothering unless water is at hand. 

 The ducks should be kept in a yard by themselves 

 and in clean, dry quarters free from draughts. If 

 allowed to run with the other poultry they will gob- 

 ble up more than their share of the food and make 

 nuisances of themselves in other ways. The duck- 

 lings must not be allowed out in a shower nor per- 

 mitted to swim even in a mud puddle until they are 

 feathered out — and they acquire feathers much 

 more slowly than chickens. 



Low, rough shelters are sufficient for the ducks. 

 A dry goods box will answer for a small flock and 

 one side may be left open or covered with muslin 

 tacked to a light frame. There should be a liberal 

 supply of sawdust, shavings or straw on the floor 

 for a litter, so that the floor will be dry, and this 

 litter will need frequent renewing, for the webbed 

 feet of the ducks carry much water and mud. The 

 ducks should be confined until the middle of the 

 forenoon in the laying season, for they almost in- 

 variably lay their eggs in the morning, often drop- 

 ping them on the litter wherever they happen to be, 

 but sometimes fashioning temporary nests. 



Indian Runner ducks eat about as much as hens. 



