62 DUCK DOLLARS 
For the last two weeks previous to killing the ducklings should be kept 
on bare (dirt) ground. The object of green food is to keep the bowels 
of the birds in a good, open, healthy condition. Too much eating of 
green and too much lying on green grass make their flesh yellow. 
In our latitude we use for green stuff much winter rye. We buy the 
seed not of a seed man, because he charges seed prices, but of a grain 
man, at grain prices. We sow this winter rye in the 
latter part of September and the first part of October. 
Sow it in September and you have a chance to cut it twice before freez- 
ing. The ground where we plant it (the runs) is so rich with the duck 
manure that the winter rye grows much faster than on the average farm. 
It does not freeze in the winter, but stays green. If a warm day should 
come and the snow melt in the winter, you can cut the winter rye and 
feed it to the ducks. Just before we expect a snow-storm we cut it 
and keep it frozen in a building where no sun penetrates. It will keep 
well. Use as necessary. 
Winter Rye 
Killing, Picking, Shipping 
The killing is done by the picker, who stands, holding the duckling 
between his legs, takes a sharp knife, double-edge, opens the mouth of 
the bird and cuts the roof of the duckling’s mouth inside, 
making a cut of considerable depth so as to sever all 
the blood passages. 
Then he stuns the duckling by striking it with a club. This club 
is generally about eighteen inches long and not too heavy. Part of a 
wagon stake or a hoe handle answers very well. The bird is struck a 
good sharp blow so as to make it insensible. One blow is all that is neces- 
How to Kill 
Knife Used in Picking 
This knife is seven and one-halt inches long overall. The blade is three and 
three-quarters inches long, and three-quarters of an inch wide. It must be of good 
steel so that a razor edge can be kept on it. Each professional duck picker has 
from half a dozen to two dozen of these knives, and it is an important part of his 
business to keep them sharp. 
Sticking Knife 
The duckling is killed with this knife. The blade is six inches long and one 
inch wide. The whole knife, handle and all, is ten and three-quarters inches long. 
The back should be ground and sharpened two inches down from the point, as well 
as the front edge, and the point should be kept sharp. 
