210 



MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK 



ABOUT DUCKS 



Duck Eggs vs. Hen Eggs— What dif- 

 ference, if any, should there be in run- 

 ning an incubator with duck eggs from 

 hen eggs? I am very successful with 

 hen eggs but never succeeded very well 

 with duck eggs ; the same eggs hatch 90 

 per cent under a hen, and the first test 

 from the incubator is about 90 per cent 

 and then they die in the shell. — J. W. L. 



Answer — Duck eggs require different 

 treatment than the hen eggs. After the 

 first test when you take them, out to 

 turn them, sprinkle them every day with 

 warm water. Leave them out a few 

 minutes to partially dry off, fan the stale 

 air out of the incubator and then replace 

 them. By this means I think you will 

 have ei better hatch. Duck eggs require 

 more drying out than hen eggs and yet 

 the shell must be dampened to make it 

 brittle. Putting water into the i"cu- 

 bator does not do as well as sprinkling. 



Food — Good and Bad — 1. Would let- 

 tuce make good greens to sow in run- 

 ways for Indian Runner ducks? 



2. Will some whole wheat hurt them 

 if they are provided with grit? 



3. At what age should ducks hatched 

 in March commence laying? 



4. Will beef suet and chopped fresh 

 beef do to feed them? — Mrs. F. H. 



Answer — 1. Lettuce is good for all 

 fowls and would be good for the ducks 

 as long as it lasts, but I am afraid the 

 little fellows would soon pull it all up. 



2. Whole wheat is not as good for 

 little ducks as bran and corn meal. See 

 article in this book. 



3. Indian Runners hatched in March 

 will commence laying in September. 



4. Beef suet is not the food for 

 ducks, but if you want to fatten them, 

 you might add a little of it to their 

 mash. 



Indigestion — What is wrong with my 

 ducks? They are almost full grown, 

 and they turn over on their backs and 

 are unable to get up; they are very 

 weak; their eves scale over and some 

 of them have died. They act very much 

 like chickens with the roup, only the* 

 do not swell around the head. — Mrs. 

 J. G. C. 



Answer — Your ducks are suffering 

 from indigestion and also from their 

 "leads being stopped up. The indigestio 1 ' 



comes partly from their not having suf- 

 ficient sand with their food, and their 

 heads being stopped up, comes from the 

 drinking vessel not being deep enough 

 so they can rinse their nostrils out many 

 times during the day. If you remedy 

 these two causes of trouble in the duck 

 yard and feed them properly, giving 

 but little whole grain, I think they will 

 soon recover. 



Incubator Ducks — We want to know 

 the proper way to operate an incubator 

 to hatch ducks. I have had fairly good 

 luck hatching chickens but not with my 

 ducks. I got only 40 out of 112 fertile 

 eggs, and this time we should like to 

 have a few directions to go by. 



Do they require as much as chickens 

 as to moisture; do you sprinkle, also 

 how often, and as to airing the eggs, 

 what time of day and how long do you 

 advise to leave the machine open ; how 

 often do you test the eggs? — Mrs. W. 



Answer — Duck eggs require quite as 

 much heat as those of the chickens; 

 they req.uire more airing. Should be 

 sprinkled with warm water once the 

 first week, twice the second and every 

 day thereafter, but do not put any water 

 in the pans. Sprinkling the_ eggs helps 

 to make the shells more brittle so the 

 ducks will get out easier. Test the Sth 

 day and again about once every week to 

 take out the dead germs, as they putrify 

 and are injurious to the rest. When 

 you air the eggs, which you should do 

 twice a day. that is every twelve hours, 

 fan the stale air out of the incubator 

 and then close up. Commence to air the 

 csrgs when you commence to turn them, 

 that is 48 hours after they have been 

 in the machine. The air space in the 

 egg should be at the large end. I think 

 if you follow the directions from the 

 maker of the machine, and these hints, 

 you will have a good hatch. 



To Secure Fertility— T am. starting 

 to raise Indian Runner ducks and want 

 to ask you how many ducks to put with 

 one drake of this variety, so as to se- 

 cure the highest possible fertility of 

 eggs without keeping unnecessary 

 drakes? I have a flock of 20 ducks and 

 within a few days will be ready to start 

 my incubator, so if you will kindly re- 

 ply as soon as possible. I will be very 

 much obliged to you. — L. F. R. 



