Jasper County Democrat, Volume 15, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 May 1912 — WINTER CARE OF THE DUCKS [ARTICLE]

WINTER CARE OF THE DUCKS

Feed Any Green Stuff That Happens to Be Handy—Not Much of Any One Plant Given at Time. During winter I feed my ducks any green stuff that I happen to have handy. Turnip, parsnip and carrot tops, cabbage leaves, beet leaves, onion tops, purslane, pigweed, tender crab grass, lettuce, radish, mustard, cut fine, all make good bulky feed. These are dried in the shade during the summer and stored like hay. When I want to feed them a quantity is boiled for 12 hours and mixed with finely cut roots, such as potato, turnip, parsnip, carrot, onion and beets. Apples are also used, says a writer in the Orange Judd Farmer. These are all cooked. Not much of one kind of plant is given at a time. Four measares of any one with four of corn chop, to each of wheat bran, red. wheat shorts and boiled fresh meat are fed as a mash—all the ducks will eat up clean in few minutes. If any of the mash is left, it is at once removed to avoid its getting sour. This feed is given twice daily during the winter and three times in spring. It has always proved satisfactory.