ean or
unfeathered legs it is likewise necessary to guard against any breeders
which show down on the shanks or between the toes as this sometimes
occurs.
[Footnote 1: For a more detailed discussion of the principles of
breeding as applied to chickens and which is equally applicable to
ducks, the reader is referred to "The Mating and Breeding of Poultry" by
Harry M. Lamon and Rob R. Slocum, published by the Orange Judd
Publishing Company, New York City.]
In selecting the mating for any one of the meat breeds use birds which
have good length, width and depth of body so that they will have plenty
of meat carrying capacity. For breeders of market ducks, birds which
are active, well matured and which are not extreme in size for the breed
are preferable as the fertility is likely to run better than with the
extremely large birds. Where birds are bred for exhibition purposes, it
frequently happens that it is desirable to use large breeders and to
hold them for breeding purposes as long as they are in good breeding
condition. Where this is the case it becomes necessary to mate a smaller
number of females to a drake than would be the case with smaller and
younger breeders. Where old birds are used as breeders better results
will be secured by mating old ducks to a young drake or vice versa than
by mating together old birds of both sexes. While ducks of any of the
meat breeds are kept primarily for meat production, it is essential that
the egg production be good throughout the breeding season in order to
raise as many ducklings and secure as great a profit as possible.
Selection of the females as breeders should be made therefore on the
basis of good egg production as well as good meat type if the conditions
under which the ducks are kept are such as to make it possible to check
this in any manner.
In selecting the mating in the Runner breed it is necessary to keep in
mind that the general type of body is quite different from that of the
meat breeds, being much slimmer and much more upright in body carriage.
For this mating select thrifty, healthy birds and those which are
active. Some breeders trapnest their Runner ducks or have some other
means of checking up the better layers. As in chickens, it is of course
desirable to use these better layers as breeders since the purpose in
keeping this kind of duck is primarily egg production.
In selecting the mating in the Call and East India breeds it is
necessary to use the smaller ducks since the object here is to ke