1908.] Cost of Rearing Ducklings. 



665- 



obtaining similar information with regard to ducklings, an 

 experiment has been carried out during the present year, and 

 a trial of the value of what is known as the Hopper system 

 of feeding for ducklings was carried out at the same time. 



Description of Birds. — For the purpose of this experiment 

 forty ducklings, hatched artificially on 28th April, 1908, were 

 selected. These were from eggs laid by the stock of Aylesburys 

 bred upon the College Poultry Farm, Theale. These birds have 

 been carefully selected for purity of race, excellence of laying, 

 meat properties, and vigour of constitution. While not of the 

 huge size found in some Aylesburys they are very good in 

 colour of bill and flesh, and when forced have proved to be 

 rapid in growth. No duckling died during the experiment. 



Management. — The ducklings were all hatched artificially 

 in the same incubator, and when twenty-four hours old, the 

 forty birds were placed in heated Hearson brooders with small 

 grass runs, where they were kept for two weeks, at the end of 

 which time (13th May) they were divided into two flocks of 

 twenty, each of which was put in a cold Hearson brooder with 

 100 square feet of grass run ; when four weeks old (27th May) 

 each lot was put into a small house with a large grass run, and 

 one week later (3rd June) they were removed into ordinary duck, 

 houses near a stream, where they had large grass runs and free 

 access to water for swimming. 



During the whole period after they were two weeks old all 

 the birds in each lot were fed as shown below, and no attempt 

 was made to force growth, either by keeping in small runs, by 

 withholding from swimming water, or by feeding upon fattening 

 foods, as the ducklings were intended to be kept as breeders 

 for autumn killing. The cost of producing early ducklings 

 for killing, which is a special branch of the industry, remains 

 for further experiment. , 



Cost of Eggs and Hatching. — The eggs were set in March, 

 when their actual cost of production on the College Farm was 

 about lod. per dozen, but for easier calculation is. per dozen is 

 taken as the cost, although these eggs were saleable at a higher 

 price for hatching purposes. Fertility was very good, and the 

 average hatching was 73 per cent, of fertile eggs, but as in- 

 fertile incubator duck eggs are not of much value the hatching 

 percentage of the total number of eggs put in, namely, 67, is 



(451 0 2 U 



