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1 " When chickens or turkey hens are used to hatch duck eggs, they should be treated for lice and mites several days before their setting chores commence. "
― , Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks: Breeds, Care, Health
2 " Their clownish countenance notwithstanding, raccoons are the most destructive of all fowl thieves in many regions of North America. "
3 " Followed close behind predators, improper nutrition is the second leading cause of problems encountered by duck keepers. "
4 " Keeping ducks locked up in yards covered with deep mud and stagnant water holes is an invitation to trouble. "
5 " Ducks of all breeds with abnormally humped backs should be avoided for breeding purposes since they typically have poor fertility. "
6 " In single-male matings, a drake can usually be given two to five females, although males sometimes have favorites and may not mate with the others. "
7 " It is almost magical—the way a newly incubator-hatched duckling will devotedly follow a human who is many hundreds of times larger than itself. The phenomenon of day-old animals following the first vocal and animated being it encounters has been labeled imprinting. "
8 " Once ducklings reach maturity, they sometimes fairly abruptly stop tracking the person they have imprinted on and integrate with other ducks. "
9 " Large duck eggs have also been hatched by turkeys, chickens, and small geese. Any chicken that is a faithful "broody" can work. "
10 " Sitting hens are temperamental and should not be disturbed by people or animals. "
11 " Many people find the quacking of ducks an acceptable part of nature's choir. However, if you have close neighbors, the gabble of talkative hens may not be appreciated. "
12 " Some breeds are noisier than others—a fact that should be taken into consideration when you have neighbors in close proximity. "
13 " Adult ducks do not require a lot of time-consuming care or specialized facilities. "
14 " Every truly successful duck raiser I have observed over the years has had the ability to step out of a predator mentality and has learned how to look at the world from a duck's perspective. "
15 " Your job when working around your flock is to move and work in a way that does not startle them or make them feel they are about to be devoured. "
16 " People who have kept all types of poultry generally agree that ducks are the easiest domestic birds to raise. "
17 " Meat-type ducks that are raised in confinement and fed an appropriate diet are capable of converting 2.6 to 2.8 pounds of concentrated feed into 1 pound of bird. "
18 " Ducks are omnivores and will eat most food items that come from the kitchen or root cellar. The rule of thumb is this: If humans eat it, ducks most likely will also—as long as it is in a form they can swallow. "
19 " A valuable by-product of raising ducks is manure. Duck manure is an excellent organic fertilizer that is high in nitrogen. "
20 " Ducks are masterfully designed, down to the smallest detail, for both aquatic and terrestrial life. "