Part 4

=Description.=--By some raisers the Cayuga is considered to be as good as the Pekin for early markets, and the claim is made that it can be grown as cheaply. This assertion is not verified by any practical demonstration, as these ducks are rarely, if ever, seen on any farm where ducks are raised exclusively. Though raisers generally speak of their merits as making them profitable, and place them next to the Pekin for early markets, they prefer the latter for exclusive duck raising where early maturity and plump carcasses are wanted. Their black plumage is against them also, and many assign this as the reason why they are not more extensively bred. The farmer who desires a good, practical duck to raise on his farm in conjunction with other poultry will find this a valuable bird to keep. More time can be spent in dressing it for market than is generally given to the dressing of the white-plumage birds, and the profits will be proportionately as great. Duck raisers, like broiler raisers, are partial to white feathers for market fowls, but those who do not look with this partiality on the white varieties will find an excellent choice in the Cayuga duck.

Cayugas are splendid birds for a restricted range and breed well in confinement; they are quiet, docile, and form a strong attachment for their home, evincing no inclination or desire to stray far away from the place where they were bred. They are hardy and prolific, producing from 80 to 90 eggs in the spring, and sometimes they also lay again in the autumn. They are easily kept in good condition, but if fed too liberally they will fatten too quickly and will become too heavy behind. The ducklings are hardy and easy to raise, and attain good size and weight at an early age.

The head of the Cayuga is small, with glossy black plumage; bill rather short and broad, of dark color, black being preferred; the eyes dark hazel. The neck is medium, gracefully curved, clad in black feathers with a greenish luster; the back is broad, and the body long, well rounded, and very plump, the feathers being of a glossy black hue. The wings are long and are carried smoothly against the body, and are black in color, excepting those of the duck, which are sometimes of a dark brown. The coverts of the drake are a very lustrous green black; the tail feathers are black, as are the thighs. Black shanks, toes, and webs are preferred, though dark slate color is permissible according to the standard requirements. The color of the plumage must be lustrous black throughout, and feathers of any other color will disqualify a bird in the showroom.

=Weight.=--The standard weight of the adult drake is 8 pounds; adult duck, 7 pounds; young drake, 7 pounds, and young duck, 6 pounds.

COLORED AND WHITE MUSCOVY DUCKS.

=History.=--Muscovy ducks (fig. 6) form a distinct genus, having several peculiarities or characteristics which make them different from others. They are sometimes called the Musk duck, owing to the odor of musk which pervades the skin, but which is not noticeable when cooked. These ducks are found wild in the warmer regions of South America. In Brazil they are extensively domesticated and are prized very highly for eating. In this country and Europe, particularly in Germany, they are bred in large numbers. Wild Muscovies are easily frightened and very good flyers; they fly into trees when alarmed and remain there for long periods of time before leaving their place of concealment. They sometimes build their nests in branches of trees, and also in hollows near water.

=Description.=--Muscovy ducks are very unsatisfactory birds to keep on the farm with other poultry, owing to their quarrelsome and pugnacious natures. In the wild state, before pairing, the males tight desperately, doing great harm to each other; and this fighting, quarrelsome disposition is inherited by the domestic duck. The temper of the drake is spoken of as abominable; his persecution of other poultry is never ceasing, and he is credited with having attacked even children when his "dander was up." The flesh of the Muscovy is considered very good when eaten young, and compares favorably with that of any other duck. They do not lay nearly so many eggs as the common kinds. When bred they must be kept in yards by themselves, and their wings must be clipped to keep them from flying.

The head of the Muscovy duck is rather long, and in the drake it is large, the top being covered with long crest-like feathers, which rise and fall when the bird is alarmed. The bill is of medium length and very stout. The face is the most distinctive part of these ducks, the cheeks being naked, with a scarlet, fleshy space around the eyes, and the base of the bill carunculated also with scarlet folds. This large, red face gives them a savage appearance, and to some it is hideous. The neck is well curved and of medium length; back broad and flat, breast full and broad, and body long and broad. The wings are very long and stout, and the tail is rather long, with abundance of stiff feathering. The drake does not have the curled feathers in the tail, as do other ducks.

There are two varieties of Muscovy ducks, the colored and the white. The head of the Colored Muscovy is glossy black and white; the bill is dark horn in color; eyes, brown; the back in color of plumage is lustrous blue black, which is sometimes broken with white; the color of the breast and body is the same as that of the back. The wing coverts are rich, lustrous green black, and the tail feathers may be either black or white, the latter being preferred. The thighs, like the tail feathers, may be either black or white, white being preferred; the shanks, toes, and webs vary in color from yellow to dark lead or black. The White Muscovy in color of plumage is pure white throughout; feathers of any other color will disqualify the bird for show purposes. The eyes in the white variety are of a leaden-blue or gray color, while those of the colored are brown. The shanks, toes, and webs are of a pale-orange or yellow color.

=Weight.=--The standard weight of the adult drake is 10 pounds; adult duck, 8 pounds; young drake, 8 pounds, and young duck, 7 pounds.

GRAY AND WHITE CALL DUCKS.

=History.=--Call ducks are bantams, and are bred more for the fancy than for the profit there is in them for market. There are two kinds of Call ducks, the Gray Call and the White Call (fig. 7), and it is only a choice of plumage as to which is the better of the two. They are both of one character as to size, shape, and habits, and differ only as regards color. The Gray Call is very similar in color of plumage to the Rouen, and is indeed called by many the Bantam Rouen, and the White is generally called the Bantam Pekin. Their uses are only for the showroom, or as decoy ducks for wild-duck shooting. For the latter purpose they are sometimes crossed with the common "puddle duck" or with the wild Mallard. This latter cross is considered excellent, the progeny being distinguished for tameness and domesticity.

=Description.=--When breeding Call ducks, smallness of size is the first consideration; the smaller they are bred the better. The arts of skillful breeding for the showroom are being used in keeping down the size of these ducks. Inbreeding has been resorted to, while late hatching, scanty feeding, and nonbone-making food have been the means that have retarded their natural development.

The head of the Call duck is full and round; bill, short and broad; neck of medium length, and back comparatively short; the breast is round and full, and body short, round, and compact, with medium-sized wings; the thighs are short and stout, and shanks short.

The Gray Call drake is a beautiful little bird, with a rich, lustrous green head, dark-hazel or brown eyes, lustrous green neck, with a white ring on the lower part of neck, as in the Rouen. The back is of ashy-gray plumage mixed with green on the upper part, while the lower part and rump are a rich, lustrous green. The under part of the body on the sides is a beautiful gray, which grows lighter toward the vent, and ends in solid black under the tail. The wings are grayish brown, mixed with green, and have the broad ribbon-like mark of rich purple with metallic reflections of green and blue, distinctly edged with white. The primaries are a dark, dusky brown. The tail feathers are of a dark, ashy brown, the outer web in old birds being edged with white; the tail coverts are black, with very rich purple reflections. The bill is greenish yellow in color, while the shanks, toes, and webs are orange, with a brownish tinge.

The duck's head is deep brown, and has two pale-brown stripes on each side, like the head of the Rouen duck, running from the bill to a point behind the eyes. Her bill is of a brownish-orange color, and her eyes are dark hazel or brown. The neck is light brown, penciled with darker brown; breast, dark brown, penciled with lighter brown; back, light brown, marked with green, and the under parts and sides of body are grayish brown, each feather distinctly penciled with rich dark brown. The plumage of wing is grayish brown, mixed with green, and is crossed by a broad bar of rich purple edged with white; the primaries are brown. The tail feathers are of a light-brown color, with distinct, broad, wavy penciling of dark greenish brown; tail coverts are brown, with broad penciling of dark brown or greenish brown; thighs are dark brown; shanks, toes, and webs are orange brown.

The White Gall is pure white in plumage throughout, and feathers of any other color will disqualify it. It is in every respect like the Gray Call except in plumage, in the color of the eyes, which are a gray or blue, and the color of the shanks, which are a bright orange.

=Weight.=--No standard weight is given for Call ducks.

BLACK EAST INDIAN DUCKS.

=History.=--Another standard breed of ducks which is hardly considered a rival of the Pekin, Aylesbury, Cayuga, or Rouen, is the Black East Indian. This duck bears the same relation to those just named as does the bantam to the larger varieties of chickens. The Black East Indian and the Call ducks are the bantam breeds of ducks, being bred more for their smallness of size than for their profitableness. The same devices are resorted to in breeding them as were mentioned for breeding the Call ducks.

=Description.=--The East Indian duck is hardy, and would, if carefully bred from the largest and best specimens, grow to a fairly good size, and be profitable to keep. In weight they seldom grow larger than 2 to 2½, pounds each. The close inbreeding to which they have been subjected has been detrimental to their egg production, while those strains which have not been so closely bred have proved very prolific. It may be said in favor of these ducks, that if allowed to increase in size, which they will readily do under favorable circumstances, they would prove very profitable to those who prefer keeping small-sized birds to the larger ones.

The East Indian duck is very shy in its habits, and is given to long flights, but if attention is shown them in feeding they become attached to their home surroundings. They can not be successfully bred in confinement; their natures are roaming and they like freedom of life. The first eggs of a litter laid by these ducks are sooty or nearly black in color, but they gradually grow lighter until they assume the color common to the eggs of most varieties. They are splendid sitters, and will invariably steal their nests if permitted to do so, but the duck and brood when hatched should be confined for a couple of weeks, that the young may not be exposed until they have gained some strength and size.

The head of the black East Indian duck is short and small; eyes dark hazel; bill rather short. The head of the drake is of a dark yellowish green, free from all spots or blemishes, and the duck's head is very dark, almost black. The exact coloring of the bill of the drake is considered of the utmost importance. It is described by an enthusiast as being a sort of pale yellow, washed over with blackish green, the color being laid on thinly, as it were, so as to give an almost transparent effect, and shaded off at the tip into a kind of slate color. By another raiser the color of the bill is described as an olive green. The neck is neatly curved and short; back, of good length and medium width. The breast is full, round, and plump. The body is long and comparatively small; wings of medium length and nicely folded; tail short, and in the drake has the curled feathers. The thighs are short and stout, and shanks are short and rather small.

The plumage is a rich black, with a brilliant greenish tint throughout. The color of the plumage is of much worth to the beauty of these ducks; it must be intensely black, rich in greenish' reflections, and perfectly free from white. The plumage upon the neck, back, and shoulder coverts will show more of the green than will the underparts, the coloring of the drake surpassing that of the duck.

It is seemingly a difficult matter to breed specimens of the required color of plumage; more especially is it so with the duck, whose plumage is likely to be of a brownish tint. These ducks are quite likely to show more or less white in plumage. The white feathers usually appear about the eyes and also upon the breast. Birds that have been free from white as ducklings have been known to molt almost pure white. The ducklings when first hatched are black, with a shade of yellow on the breast, and with jet-black feet, shanks, and bill.

When breeding these ducks use two females to one male, and the eggs will prove very fertile. The young will be very hardy after five or six weeks of age, and there should be no trouble in rearing them after that time. Give the youngsters free range and they will find nearly their whole living in grasses, insects, etc.

=Weight.=--There is no standard weight given for Black East Indians; the smaller their size the higher they rank for exhibition purposes.

CRESTED WHITE DUCKS.