size of the flock. For a breeding unit of 200
ducks, which is a good unit to use, a house 20 feet deep and 30 to 40
feet long is suitable. No floor is used in the house but it should be
well filled up with dirt so that the water will not come in.
One or more good sized openings are left in the front of the breeding
house for ventilation, or windows may be placed in the front which can
be used for this purpose. Good ventilation is necessary. Additional
ventilation is secured from the doors. If the weather is mild the doors
are left partly open, if cold they are nearly closed, while when the
weather is hot they are left entirely open. A good scheme is to use a
sort of Dutch door so that the bottom or top half can be opened
independently. In this way the top part of the doors can be left open so
as to let in the sunlight and still keep the ducks in the house or the
top may be left closed and the bottom opened so as to allow the ducks to
go in or out and still cut down the amount of ventilation. When the
weather is warm the doors may be left entirely open except for a board
18 inches to 2 feet wide inserted in the bottom of the door when it is
desired to keep the ducks in.
Shade is essential for the breeders and if not provided naturally by
trees must be supplied by means of artificial shelters.
[Illustration: FIG. 17. Upper--Rear and end view of house or shed used
for fattening ducks. Lower--General view on a duck plant, showing open
front fattening houses in the foreground and houses for breeders in the
background. (_Photographs from the Bureau of Animal Industry, U. S.
Department of Agriculture._)]
[Illustration: FIG. 18. A good house for breeding ducks. It is 20 feet
deep, 40 feet long, 7 feet high in front and 4 feet in the rear and will
accommodate 200 breeders. (_Photograph from the Bureau of Animal
Industry, U. S. Department of Agriculture._)]
_Bedding and Cleaning the Breeding Houses._ Usually straw, meadow hay,
or swale hay is used for bedding. Shavings make good material for this
purpose if they do not contain too much sawdust. The principal objection
to shavings is that it takes longer to bed with them. Often a few joists
are laid at the back of the house on which to pile bales of straw or
other bedding so that it will be kept dry and will serve as an emergency
supply available for bedding the house in stormy days. The houses should
be bedded fairly often in order to keep the floors clean and dry and so
as not to allow the ducks' feet to get