The walk should be separated from the pens by laths three inches apart,
to allow the birds to feed and water from the walk. This method
simplifies the labor very much, as it enables the operator to load his
barrow, travel the whole length of a 200-foot building and feed and
water 500 ducks in a few minutes. This arrangement has many other
advantages besides, as it permits the birds to feed and water readily
from the walk without being able to waste either, or mix the contents of
food and water-dishes with filth. It also prevents the birds from
sopping the straw in the bottom of their pens, or of soiling their white
plumage, both of which they are bound to do if possible, and as the
duck, especially the Pekin, is a very timid bird, this plan familiarizes
her with the appearance of the attendant without bringing her into
actual contact with him.
Use Half the Pens for Feeding Purposes.
One-half or ten feet of the twenty-foot pens should be utilized for
feeding purposes. The lower board of this slat partition should not be
more than three inches wide and should rest upon the ground so the birds
can readily feed over it. As this ten-foot partition is but two feet
high, the attendant can readily step over it to pick up a stray egg
occasionally. Six feet of this partition should be portable and secured
with a groove or button so it can be easily removed to allow the
entrance of a barrow in cleaning out the pens; this should be done when
the birds are out, never when they are in.
The remaining ten feet of the pen should be used for nest boxes, which
can be fifteen inches square and one foot high. A board four inches wide
may be fastened in front to prevent the nest material from being drawn
out. This latter may be composed of finely cut hay or chaff. This must
be perfectly dry, as the duck while laying will work it all over and
cover her eggs carefully, which as they are pure white, become easily
soiled and stained; this will necessitate washing unless things are kept
dry and clean. This is a vital point with us, as it never did seem as if
a filthy egg would hatch as well as a clean one. I abominate a machine
filled with filthy eggs; it actually hurts my feelings to handle them.
These nests should be covered closely and the partition above them be
correspondingly high, as the birds will often mount upon the boxes. The
back of the nest boxes next the walk should be closed with a board
hinged below so that the attendant can let it down readily and secure
the eggs from the walk.
The Room for Mixing Feed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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