Fig. 22.—Two-pen house for growing ducks.
Fig. 23.—Three-pen house for growing ducks.
A Pekin duck at 10 weeks is quite large, weighing close to 4 pounds. It is quite as large as a full-grown duck of some of the other breeds. In the space of two or three weeks from the time the ducklings are placed in the growing houses they will be marketed at the weight of 4 to 5½ pounds each. This weight is easily obtained, and when reached the profitable time to sell has arrived, as they then command the best prices. Often a bird kept after this time loses in weight and becomes unprofitable. The growing houses are built after the plan of the breeding houses, only much smaller. They need not be more than 4 or 5 feet high in rear and 1 or 2 feet high in front. Such a house is shown in [fig. 21]. This and other houses shown in figs. [22] and [23] may be built singly or in rows, with 12-inch boards separating the runs.