Part 2

=Description.=--Muscovy ducks are very unsatisfactory birds to keep on the farm with other poultry, owing to their quarrelsome and pugnacious natures. In the wild state, before pairing, the males tight desperately, doing great harm to each other; and this fighting, quarrelsome disposition is inherited by the domestic duck. The temper of the drake is spoken of as abominable; his persecution of other poultry is never ceasing, and he is credited with having attacked even children when his "dander was up." The flesh of the Muscovy is considered very good when eaten young, and compares favorably with that of any other duck. They do not lay nearly so many eggs as the common kinds. When bred they must be kept in yards by themselves, and their wings must be clipped to keep them from flying.

The head of the Muscovy duck is rather long, and in the drake it is large, the top being covered with long crest-like feathers, which rise and fall when the bird is alarmed. The bill is of medium length and very stout. The face is the most distinctive part of these ducks, the cheeks being naked, with a scarlet, fleshy space around the eyes, and the base of the bill carunculated also with scarlet folds. This large, red face gives them a savage appearance, and to some it is hideous. The neck is well curved and of medium length; back broad and flat, breast full and broad, and body long and broad. The wings are very long and stout, and the tail is rather long, with abundance of stiff feathering. The drake does not have the curled feathers in the tail, as do other ducks.

There are two varieties of Muscovy ducks, the colored and the white. The head of the Colored Muscovy is glossy black and white; the bill is dark horn in color; eyes, brown; the back in color of plumage is lustrous blue black, which is sometimes broken with white; the color of the breast and body is the same as that of the back. The wing coverts are rich, lustrous green black, and the tail feathers may be either black or white, the latter being preferred. The thighs, like the tail feathers, may be either black or white, white being preferred; the shanks, toes, and webs vary in color from yellow to dark lead or black. The White Muscovy in color of plumage is pure white throughout; feathers of any other color will disqualify the bird for show purposes. The eyes in the white variety are of a leaden-blue or gray color, while those of the colored are brown. The shanks, toes, and webs are of a pale-orange or yellow color.

=Weight.=--The standard weight of the adult drake is 10 pounds; adult duck, 8 pounds; young drake, 8 pounds, and young duck, 7 pounds.

GRAY AND WHITE CALL DUCKS.

=History.=--Call ducks are bantams, and are bred more for the fancy than for the profit there is in them for market. There are two kinds of Call ducks, the Gray Call and the White Call (fig. 7), and it is only a choice of plumage as to which is the better of the two. They are both of one character as to size, shape, and habits, and differ only as regards color. The Gray Call is very similar in color of plumage to the Rouen, and is indeed called by many the Bantam Rouen, and the White is generally called the Bantam Pekin. Their uses are only for the showroom, or as decoy ducks for wild-duck shooting. For the latter purpose they are sometimes crossed with the common "puddle duck" or with the wild Mallard. This latter cross is considered excellent, the progeny being distinguished for tameness and domesticity.

=Description.=--When breeding Call ducks, smallness of size is the first consideration; the smaller they are bred the better. The arts of skillful breeding for the showroom are being used in keeping down the size of these ducks. Inbreeding has been resorted to, while late hatching, scanty feeding, and nonbone-making food have been the means that have retarded their natural development.

The head of the Call duck is full and round; bill, short and broad; neck of medium length, and back comparatively short; the breast is round and full, and body short, round, and compact, with medium-sized wings; the thighs are short and stout, and shanks short.

The Gray Call drake is a beautiful little bird, with a rich, lustrous green head, dark-hazel or brown eyes, lustrous green neck, with a white ring on the lower part of neck, as in the Rouen. The back is of ashy-gray plumage mixed with green on the upper part, while the lower part and rump are a rich, lustrous green. The under part of the body on the sides is a beautiful gray, which grows lighter toward the vent, and ends in solid black under the tail. The wings are grayish brown, mixed with green, and have the broad ribbon-like mark of rich purple with metallic reflections of green and blue, distinctly edged with white. The primaries are a dark, dusky brown. The tail feathers are of a dark, ashy brown, the outer web in old birds being edged with white; the tail coverts are black, with very rich purple reflections. The bill is greenish yellow in color, while the shanks, toes, and webs are orange, with a brownish tinge.

The duck's head is deep brown, and has two pale-brown stripes on each side, like the head of the Rouen duck, running from the bill to a point behind the eyes. Her bill is of a brownish-orange color, and her eyes are dark hazel or brown. The neck is light brown, penciled with darker brown; breast, dark brown, penciled with lighter brown; back, light brown, marked with green, and the under parts and sides of body are grayish brown, each feather distinctly penciled with rich dark brown. The plumage of wing is grayish brown, mixed with green, and is crossed by a broad bar of rich purple edged with white; the primaries are brown. The tail feathers are of a light-brown color, with distinct, broad, wavy penciling of dark greenish brown; tail coverts are brown, with broad penciling of dark brown or greenish brown; thighs are dark brown; shanks, toes, and webs are orange brown.

The White Gall is pure white in plumage throughout, and feathers of any other color will disqualify it. It is in every respect like the Gray Call except in plumage, in the color of the eyes, which are a gray or blue, and the color of the shanks, which are a bright orange.

=Weight.=--No standard weight is given for Call ducks.

BLACK EAST INDIAN DUCKS.

=History.=--Another standard breed of ducks which is hardly considered a rival of the Pekin, Aylesbury, Cayuga, or Rouen, is the Black East Indian. This duck bears the same relation to those just named as does the bantam to the larger varieties of chickens. The Black East Indian and the Call ducks are the bantam breeds of ducks, being bred more for their smallness of size than for their profitableness. The same devices are resorted to in breeding them as were mentioned for breeding the Call ducks.

=Description.=--The East Indian duck is hardy, and would, if carefully bred from the largest and best specimens, grow to a fairly good size, and be profitable to keep. In weight they seldom grow larger than 2 to 2½, pounds each. The close inbreeding to which they have been subjected has been detrimental to their egg production, while those strains which have not been so closely bred have proved very prolific. It may be said in favor of these ducks, that if allowed to increase in size, which they will readily do under favorable circumstances, they would prove very profitable to those who prefer keeping small-sized birds to the larger ones.

The East Indian duck is very shy in its habits, and is given to long flights, but if attention is shown them in feeding they become attached to their home surroundings. They can not be successfully bred in confinement; their natures are roaming and they like freedom of life. The first eggs of a litter laid by these ducks are sooty or nearly black in color, but they gradually grow lighter until they assume the color common to the eggs of most varieties. They are splendid sitters, and will invariably steal their nests if permitted to do so, but the duck and brood when hatched should be confined for a couple of weeks, that the young may not be exposed until they have gained some strength and size.

The head of the black East Indian duck is short and small; eyes dark hazel; bill rather short. The head of the drake is of a dark yellowish green, free from all spots or blemishes, and the duck's head is very dark, almost black. The exact coloring of the bill of the drake is considered of the utmost importance. It is described by an enthusiast as being a sort of pale yellow, washed over with blackish green, the color being laid on thinly, as it were, so as to give an almost transparent effect, and shaded off at the tip into a kind of slate color. By another raiser the color of the bill is described as an olive green. The neck is neatly curved and short; back, of good length and medium width. The breast is full, round, and plump. The body is long and comparatively small; wings of medium length and nicely folded; tail short, and in the drake has the curled feathers. The thighs are short and stout, and shanks are short and rather small.

The plumage is a rich black, with a brilliant greenish tint throughout. The color of the plumage is of much worth to the beauty of these ducks; it must be intensely black, rich in greenish' reflections, and perfectly free from white. The plumage upon the neck, back, and shoulder coverts will show more of the green than will the underparts, the coloring of the drake surpassing that of the duck.

It is seemingly a difficult matter to breed specimens of the required color of plumage; more especially is it so with the duck, whose plumage is likely to be of a brownish tint. These ducks are quite likely to show more or less white in plumage. The white feathers usually appear about the eyes and also upon the breast. Birds that have been free from white as ducklings have been known to molt almost pure white. The ducklings when first hatched are black, with a shade of yellow on the breast, and with jet-black feet, shanks, and bill.

When breeding these ducks use two females to one male, and the eggs will prove very fertile. The young will be very hardy after five or six weeks of age, and there should be no trouble in rearing them after that time. Give the youngsters free range and they will find nearly their whole living in grasses, insects, etc.

=Weight.=--There is no standard weight given for Black East Indians; the smaller their size the higher they rank for exhibition purposes.

CRESTED WHITE DUCKS.

_History._--The Crested White duck (fig. 8) is what may be called an ornamental duck, much the same as Polish chickens. They are not bred to any great extent in this country, and they are very seldom seen in the showrooms. They have no especial value to the farmer, as better and more easily-bred birds are to be found in the Pekin and Aylesbury.

=Description.=--These ducks have a medium-sized head; medium-sized bill; a large, well-balanced crest upon the crown of the head; a rather long neck; a medium-length back; breast, round and full; body, round and of medium length; medium-length wings that smoothly fold; hard, stiff tail feathers, with well-curled feathers in the tail of drake; and short and stout thighs and shanks. Their eyes are large and bright and of a deep leaden blue or gray color. The shanks, toes, and webs are of a light-orange color.

=Weight.=--The standard weight of the adult drake is 7 pounds; adult duck, 6 pounds; young drake, 6 pounds, and young duck, 5 pounds.

MANAGEMENT OF DUCKS.

Duck raising has been developed within the last ten years into a flourishing industry. Prior to that time the duck was not considered a profitable fowl to raise; its flesh was never prized very highly by the masses. Ducks were raised without constraint in waterways, feeding mostly on fish and water insects. This food gave the flesh a strong fishy flavor; hence it was not particularly sought after, save by the few who were partial to that class of diet. The duck centers of Long Island and New England were then producing a limited number each season, and it was with difficulty that these were sold with any profit. In fact, one of the most prominent duck raisers may be quoted as saying that he was obliged to visit the city markets personally and tease the dealers to purchase his birds, in order to secure anything like satisfactory prices.

Artificial incubation and brooding, combined with judicious feeding, have been instrumental in the development of the industry. Machinery has enabled the duck raiser to accomplish his ambition of having his stock in the markets when prices are the best, and also of raising large numbers of birds in a limited space of time. The season for raising ducks is about six months--from February to July. The methods employed by the most successful raisers will be given in this bulletin, and the most approved buildings, appliances, feeding, and care will be treated in detail.

Duck raising is to be recommended to farmers as a profitable source of revenue; and by careful attention to the work, as knowledge increases, the scope of the industry may be extended. There are numbers of farms in this country to-day that are devoted exclusively to raising ducks, averaging from 5,000 to 20,000 ducks as an annual output. An idea of the proportions of the business may be had from the fact that as high as three tons of feed are used daily by a single raiser during the busy season. The profits are the very best, and good incomes may be made when once the business is thoroughly mastered. But the reader should not jump imprudently to the conclusion that these results can be easily obtained. Duck raising is an arduous task; one that requires an apprenticeship and absolute knowledge of the business before success is reached. Those who have been successful in raising ducks have learned the business much as one does any other vocation. The beginner should start modestly, and increase his plant as his knowledge of the work increases. The average farmer has all the facilities for raising a goodly number of ducks, and may with a little outlay add considerably to his income.

It is not at all necessary that ducks should have access to water to be raised successfully; they grow and thrive as readily without. There are successful plants where thousands of ducks are raised that have no water, save that which is given them as drink. It has been a matter of much dispute which is the better way. Some duck raisers use water and allow their breeders the freedom of it; some allow their growing stock intended for market free access to water until they are eight weeks old, when they are penned and fattened for market. On the other hand, there are raisers who have no water on their farms, excepting wells, who are just as successful and raise as many birds as those who have the water. The only noticeable difference between "upland" and "water" ducks is that the latter are of prettier and cleaner plumage than the former.

STARTING A PLANT.

A duck plant should be located on a line of railroad in direct communication with the city markets, and not too far from the station. Almost any location will do for the plant, and worn-out land, that can be had cheap, will do as well as the richer and more fertile land costing several times as much. Sandy sod is to be preferred. The buildings should be arranged to secure good drainage and be convenient to each other, that labor may be reduced to a minimum. The labor attached to raising poultry is an item that is overlooked by many, and the cost of it often reduces very notably the earnings of the plant.

Every department of the plant should be so located as to economize the time of the attendants. The incubator cellar should be convenient to the brooder house, the brooder house to the growing house and pens, and these to the killing house. The feed house should be located conveniently to the brooder and growing houses and the breeding pens. The task of feeding the growing stock four times a day and the breeding stock twice a day is no small one. Watering is also to be thought about.

The exact arrangement of a plant suited to all locations can not be given, as each locality differs from others in some respect, and what may be suitable for one will hardly do for the other. The plans of no two of the largest plants are alike. They differ in location of the buildings to suit the lay of the land; but they all have the same general idea of the convenience of each building to the others. Illustration of this will be seen in fig. 9. When laying out a plant, make provisions for future enlargement; allow plenty of room on all sides to extend the buildings without rendering inconvenient the work that will be necessary to attend to the additional stock.

BUILDINGS FOR BREEDING DUCKS.

Houses for ducks are single affairs. They are built plain and comfortable, and have no furnishings whatever. A duck is differently constituted from a hen, and must be cared for under different conditions. The hen needs warmer houses and drier surroundings than does the duck. A duck does not mind the cold, if she can keep her feet warm; cold feet will affect a duck as a frozen comb does a hen, retarding laying and inducing ailments. The feathers of a duck are almost impenetrable and will withstand almost any degree of cold. Again, a duck can not stand the amount of confinement in a house that a hen can; she is more restless in disposition and is given to exercise in a greater degree than is a hen. Indigestion is not so prevalent with ducks as with chickens; the duck's ceaseless motion aids the digestive organs and keeps her generally in good health.

In fig. 10 is shown a simple house that may be built at small expense. It is plain and has a shed roof. Such a house should be built of rough boards, 12 inches by 1 inch, and joints covered by 3-inch by 1-inch strips. The roof should be made water-tight and covered with tarred paper, shingles, or tin. The outside should be well drained around the bottom, that it may not be damp. Some advocate board floors, raised from 6 to 8 inches from the ground and covered from 4 to 6 inches with dry earth, straw, or leaves. The writer favors the using of board floors in all houses for chickens, but thinks it not essential for ducks. If the house is well drained on the outside and the earth floor is covered with hay, straw, or leaves, it will be perfectly satisfactory. There must not be dampness in the house, as the birds will not do so well; while they are given to water on the outside they must have comfortable quarters in which to "warm up," or "dry out."

The building shown in fig. 10 may be constructed of any dimensions desired, according to the size of flock to be kept. A house 12 by 14 feet will accommodate nicely a flock of a dozen. There are no interior arrangements whatever, simply the floor surface of the building. It is better not to use nests. Some raisers use a plain nest, as shown in fig. 11. These nests are made of 1-inch boards, 12 inches high and 16 inches long, set 14 inches apart, and held together in front with a 3-inch strip. The nests are nailed to the back of the house. But more than half the eggs are laid on the floor of the house or in the yard, and, if permitted, a duck will build herself a nest to her liking. Again, a duck is liable to injure herself by falling over the strips in front of nests or other obstructions that may be in the house. In fig. 12 is shown the nest of a wild duck.

When two or more breeding pens are to be kept, the plan of the house shown in fig. 10 may be extended to any length desired, as shown in fig. 13. In figs. 14 and 15 are shown two more designs of duck houses, which are practical and cheap, and may be built singly or in rows for a number of pens. Either of these houses, and also that shown in fig. 10, make excellent breeding houses for the farmer to keep ducks in. An inclosure should be given the breeding ducks, as they do better confined than when at liberty. Give plenty of room and inclose the run with 2-inch wire mesh 2 feet wide. If water is accessible, it should be inclosed by the mesh-wire fencing of the same width as for the run. In fig. 16 is shown a duck house with water runs, and also the arrangement of wire runs in the water. This is an admirable plan for farmers who have running water on their farms.

BROODING HOUSES.

The general construction of a brooder house is similar to that of the breeding house, and differs only in interior arrangements. The latter has no interior arrangements whatever, while the former has the system of heating and covers necessary for giving warmth to the young stock. In fig. 17 is shown a design of single-brooder house and ground plan that is generally used by duck raisers. This house should be built upon a good foundation and be entirely proof against rats. A good plan is to sink half-inch wire mesh about 2 feet in the ground and around the entire inside of the building; this will make it perfectly secure against rats and mice.

The accepted plan of a brooder house makes it 15 feet wide and as long as desired. The building is 4 feet high in front and 5 feet in rear.

GROUND PLAN.

It is divided into pens 12 feet long and 6 feet wide, and has a 3 foot passageway extending the entire length of the building. The ground plan (fig. 17) shows the general arrangement of the interior and location of the brooders.

The brooder box is next to the passageway, or walk, and runs the entire length of the building. This box is 30 inches wide and 8 inches high; the sides are 7 inches high and nailed securely; the top of the cover is nailed across with cleats to make it substantial, and the cover has an inch strip nailed underneath in front and back to keep it in position. These strips rest against the 7-inch sides and make the brooder snug and tight when closed. The heating pipes are directly beneath the cover and are 2-inch pipes, flow and return. Some prefer 1-inch pipes, using two flows and two returns. When three pipes are used they should be about 8 inches apart from center to center. These pipes rest on the partition boards of the pens. The front of the brooder, leading into the pens, is cut out in the center about 4 inches deep and 4 feet long (fig. 18, _A_), while the ends and the other side are solid, being 7 inches high. The construction of the brooder is clearly shown in fig. 18, _B_, with cover removed, while fig. 18, _C_, shows cover. The heater is located at the end of building.

Another plan of brooder house is that shown in fig. 19. This house is known as a double brooder house, with walk in the center and pens on either side, and with heater at the end. Many prefer this plan to the single brooder house, as the care and attention required for the youngsters is much less and the cost of heating is reduced, one heater being sufficient for both lines of pipes. Then, again, this latter plan shortens the length of the building by one-half and makes the work more concentrated. The arrangement of the interior is the same as that of the single brooder house.