e end of the season depends upon how late
the breeders continue to lay at a profitable rate.
_The Last Feed for Market Ducks._ It is important in order to have the
dressed ducklings appear to the best advantage and also in order to
insure their keeping qualities as much as possible that they should have
no feed in their crops when they are killed. This means that if they are
to be killed in the morning, which is the usual practice, they should be
fed for the last time the previous night. If, however, they are not to
be killed until afternoon they can be fed lightly in the morning.
_Sorting Market Ducklings._ When a pen of ducklings which are being
fattened are deemed ready to be killed they are driven up to the killing
house and a few of them at a time driven into a small pen where it is
easy to catch and examine them. Each duck as it is caught is examined to
make sure that it is in proper market condition. The examination
consists of feeling of the duck's body to see that it has a good smooth
breast so that the breast bone cannot be readily felt. If it is in that
condition it is ready to kill. Ducks which do not show this condition
are thrown out and returned to the yards where they are fed for a longer
period unless it is desired to ship them alive.
At the proper season of the year when breeders for the next season are
to be selected, suitable birds for that purpose are picked out from the
market lots as they are examined. In any lot of ducks there will be
found some cripples. It is common practice to sort these out and group
them together in a pen by themselves where they are held until they are
in suitable condition for marketing. It is doubtful whether it pays to
hold these cripples as they are hard to get in good condition and in
many cases are probably kept and fed at a loss. Some ducklings will show
twisted wings but as a rule they are thrifty and will fatten readily and
be in good market condition.
[Illustration: FIG. 39. Awaiting slaughter. The fattened ducklings are
driven into these catching pens. (_Photograph from the Bureau of Animal
Industry, U. S. Department of Agriculture._)]
[Illustration: FIG. 40. Carrying the ducklings from the catching pen to
the killing place. (_Photograph from the Bureau of Animal Industry, U.
S. Department of Agriculture._)]
_Killing._ As the ducklings suitable for killing are selected, 10 or 12
of them, depending upon the capacity of the killing room, are hung up by
their feet, the head being fastened down by