DUCK DOLLARS 83 
deep, and use the dirt to bank up the walls outside. Build the walls of 
stone and cement. Put a roof over it, and a door at the end. Venti- 
late it well. Don’t forget the ventilators, because’ egg-shells are porous. 
Dead air, with a large proportion of carbonic acid gas, and little oxygen, 
will badly _ influence the ducklings growing in the eggs. 
Q—Why do you keep ducklings of different ages separate? Why 
not turn all in together, the young and the old? 4.—Because the old 
and strong birds would trample on and kill the smallest and weakest 
ones. 
Q.—At what age can ducklings be put outdoors safely? 4.—When 
they are six weeks old, rain and cold will not hurt them, and they can be 
left out in their yards all night, unless it is bitter cold and stormy, and 
they will thrive better for it. 
Q.—At what age does a duck begin to lay? A.—When she is from 
four and one-half to five months old. 
Q.—Don’t you lose any ducklings after you have hatched them? A.— 
There is a loss of only about two out of every hundred. 
Q.—What is the color of eggs laid by Pekin ducks? A—White. 
Q.—Can I get along without an incubator? A.—If you try to work 
without an incubator, you must have hens to sit on and hatch the ducks’ 
eggs. The ducks are not broody and will-not sit on and hatch their 
eggs. Better have an incubator. 
Q.—In case I do use a hen, how many duck eggs shall I put under 
her? A.—-Nine under a small hen, and eleven or twelve under a large 
hen. 
Q.—Will a hen brood the young ducklings, or would you provide a 
brooder? A.—Get a brooder. A hen is awkward in brooding ducklings, 
as a rule, injuring some by crushing. 
Q.—How would you advise working up a duck market in a place 
where ducklings are comparatively unknown? A.—Make the prospective 
customer a gift of a duckling and let him or her serve it for dinner. 
He will be won over by the experiment and, we predict, will report to 
you that the dish is ahead of chicken or turkey. Sales will follow as a 
matter of course. This is a good way to get acquainted with a hotel 
or restaurant keeper. 
Q.—Is your system of feeding followed by many? A.—There are 
some breeders of ducks who care more for low cost than they do for 
flavor of meat. They-feed fish caught from the ocean or lakes in nets. 
Ducklings fattened on fish taste fishy and their flesh is not fine-grained. 
Q.—Would you advise a woman to go into duck raising? A.—lIt 
depends on the woman, as it does on the man, also. Some men get 
enthusiastic, and like to figure the money they are going to make, but 
after a while cool off and become lazy and indifferent. A woman who 
likes hens and chickens will like ducks. The work is not much different. 
We know of good work done by women raising ducks. Of course 
women should hire help if they run a large duck farm. Some women 
are better fitted for poultry raising than men. 
Q.—What would you advise with regard to the selection of a farm? 
A.—No matter how poor and how cheap the land, the manure from the 
ducks will fertilize it. Land which has a gentle slope, or which is 
