ABOUT DUCKS 



211 



Answer— The number of Indian Run- 

 ner ducks to one drake is ten. This has 

 been found to be the best number for 

 Indian Runners, although you can mate 

 fifteen ducks to one drake and have good 

 fertility. I want, however, to warn you 

 that the eggs are not nearly so fertile 

 in the fall and winter as they are in the 

 spring, so you must not be disappointed 

 if at least half of the eggs are infertile 

 at this time of the year. To increase the 

 fertility, would advise you to increase 

 the amount of animal food you are feed- 

 ing. You can tell in five days of incu- 

 bation whether the eggs are fertile and 

 those that are not fertile should be re- 

 moved from the incubator and can be 

 used for cooking or eating. They are 

 merely infertile eggs that have been 

 kept in a warm place for five days, and 

 are better than most store eggs. 



Weight at Ten Weeks— Will you 

 please inform me what weight most of 

 the duck men can put on Indian Runner 

 ducks at ten weeks? — I. L. R. 



Answer — Indian Runners at ten weeks 

 of age weigh as much as do the Pekins 

 at that time, namely, about eight pounds 

 per pair. They should be sent to mar- 

 ket at from eight to ten weeks of age. 

 After that the pin feathers develop, 

 making them very hard to pick. I think 

 you will be greatly pleased with the 

 ducks when you try them. Their flesh 

 is very delicious, fine grained and the 

 bones are small. They have very much 

 the flavor of the canvas-back, and I have 

 heard, are sometimes sold instead of 

 them. They are also the greatest layers 

 of any known fowl; the eggs are white 

 and very delicious, with no strong taste 

 like the eggs of other varieties of ducks. 



Feeding for Eggs — I bought some In- 

 dian Runner ducks, thirty-six in all, and 

 six drakes. They were laying up to the 

 middle of December; since that time 

 have layed none. I feed them about ev- 

 ery thing that would come from a first- 

 class hotel — bread, meat, oat and corn- 

 meal mush, all kinds of vegetables and 

 fruit. Three times a week I mix cracked 

 corn and bran. I feed in the morning, 

 twelve quarts, same amount at night. 

 They have access to plenty of running 

 water and keep perfectly clean. The 

 pen is covered with forest leaves that 

 makes it warm. What I want to know 

 is, am I feeding right for laying later 

 on ? Is it customary to pick them ? Does 

 it affect their laying? I have over two 



hundred eggs engaged at 10 cents apiece. 

 I want to raise all I can the. coming 

 season. — J. W. A. 



Answer— I think that your hotel waste 

 may have rather more bread in it than 

 is good for egg production. Indian 

 Runner ducks usually stop laying in Oc- 

 tober, commencing again in December, 

 and getting into full lay in February. 

 The best time for hatching Indian Run- 

 ners is from the first of February to 

 the end of July; the eggs are very fer- 

 tile at such time. It may be that you 

 are fattening the ducks too much, as 

 overfat ducks do not lay well. They re- 

 quire much more animal food than 

 chickens. In their wild state they live 

 on grasses, fish, frogs and insects, with 

 but very little grain. If you think they 

 are getting too much bread, you might 

 save some of it for chickens, and in- 

 crease the amount of meat; keep them 

 well supplied with coarse sand, grit and 

 crushed oyster shells. 



Eggs, Goose and Duck — I would like 

 to know what care duck and geese eggs 

 should have when a hen is sitting on 

 them instead of the goose or duck. 

 Also, what feed should they have when 

 first hatched ?— Mrs. J. A. P. 



Answer — Goose and duck eggs require 

 more heat and a longer period of incu- 

 bation than hens' eggs. Five goose 

 eggs are sufficient to place under a hen, 

 and be sure that she turns the eggs ev- 

 ery day or the gosling will be a cripple. 

 The goose eggs are heavy for a hen to 

 turn, and for this reason, and also be- 

 cause they require more heat, the hen 

 should not have more than five to care 

 for. From nine to eleven duck eggs 

 are the number, for the same reasons, 

 that should be given to a hen. 



Goose eggs require thirty days of in- 

 cubation; duck eggs twenty-eight. Hens 

 are apt to desert them toward the last 

 and should be watched, as they get tired 

 of waiting for their chicks to come out. 

 I also have had hens that were so much 

 afraid of the queer, green looking babies 

 they hatched out that they would kill 

 them. They seem to know that they are 

 not proper chickens. I feed the little 

 geese hard-boiled eggs, chopped fine, and 

 cracker crumbs moistened with water, 

 and sprinkle a little sand on the food. 

 This is the first food. The next day they 

 get the same, with lettuce chopped fine. 

 After this I add breakfast oats with it 

 and bran. As early as possible I nut the 



