Page:Ducks- and how to make them pay (IA cu31924003102971).pdf/34

20 frightened in the least, it would either cause rupture of the egg-organs, or an egg would be broken in the oviduct. The latter means certain death, very often within twenty-four hours. When the owner or attendant wants to catch stock ducks he should never run them for that purpose, but merely drive them into their little house or shed, and catch them by the neck, not by the wing, as then they exert themselves very much more. When they are caught by the neck they should be carried under the left arm, holding the neck with the right hand. Those who are accustomed to hold or handle ducks always clip the body right across the back, holding the wings close to the body with the middle of the hand, so that the bird cannot get the wings loose to flap them, neither press its feet against anything. When they are carried in this way the exertion does not hurt them. When the owner begins to feed, especially for the production of eggs, he should begin to use a little meat, such as boiled greaves (granulated meat is better, only it is a little dearer than the greaves). The latter, too, is apt to stop up the passage leading into the gizzard, as there are pieces of bone in the greaves, and when little pieces of gristle and bone are attached to each other the duck sometimes swallows them, and they frequently block up the bird's gizzard, and it will die a very painful death. Pieces of meat skewers will often have the same effect. The greaves should always be boiled from an hour to an hour and a half or two hours—the longer the better; this will frequently soften some of the hard pieces. Whenever the greaves arc used for ducks, the attendant should notice to see that there are no more