gon and driven around to the various
yards where it is shoveled off on to the feed troughs or trays. On some
large duck plants a track is provided which runs over the yards and over
this a car loaded with feed is pushed and the feed shoveled into the
feed trays.
The breeders should be fed in the same place. If feeding is begun in the
house this practice should be continued. If feeding is begun in the
yards it should be continued there. To change disturbs the ducks and
interferes with their egg production.
Coarse ground oyster shell about as large as corn should be kept before
the breeders all the time in boxes where they can help themselves. A
flock of 700 or 800 breeders will eat upwards of 200 pounds a week of
this material. Unless sand is available in the yards where they can get
it, ducks should also have access to a supply of good sharp creek sand
but when kept in sand yards no other form of grit need be furnished.
The usual method of feeding is to utilize flat troughs on which the feed
is shoveled. Only as much feed should be given at the regular feeding
time as the ducks will eat up clean. This makes it necessary to watch
the feeding carefully and to regulate the amount accordingly. It is good
practice to gather up any feed that is left by the ducks so that it will
not lie there to sour and spoil as such feed is bad for the birds.

Egg Production
The average egg production of Pekin ducks kept under commercial farm
conditions will run from 80 to 125 eggs per head for the season. This
will vary somewhat from year to year and also with the management and
feed given the ducks. The laying begins to a small extent about December
1 and gradually increases until the ducks are laying freely in February.
As the hot weather of summer begins to come on the laying drops off
until about July 1 and after this not enough eggs are produced as a rule
to pay to hold the breeding ducks longer. Often many ducks will stop
laying considerably before this, especially those which have started
laying early and it may not pay to keep such pens later than May. Laying
takes place early in the morning and practically all the eggs are laid
soon after daylight. It is for this reason that the ducks are usually
shut up at night so that all the eggs laid will be secured as some of
them would otherwise be lost by their being laid around in the yard or
in the water. In the spring the ducks can be let out about 6 a. m., as
the laying will be pretty well over by that time, but in wi