Answer.—Five ducks to one drake. Later in the season, six or eight ducks to one drake.
Question 9.—How can I distinguish the sexes?
Answer.—It is easy for the expert to detect the sex of the bird when very young. The drake has a longer bill, neck and body, with a more upright carriage. At two months old the duck may be distinguished by her coarse quack, the drake by a fine, rasping noise, and later on by the curled feathers in his tail.
Question 10.—How soon will a young duck begin laying?
Answer.—At about five months old, often at four and a half months old. At present, September 1st, we are getting some three dozen eggs per day from our young birds, and we are trying to hold them back all we can by light feeding.
Question 11.—Which will lay first, old or young birds?
Answer.—Young birds will usually lay from two to three weeks before the old ones, but as the first eggs of the old birds are usually more fertile than eggs from the young ones, there is very little discrepancy in the result.
Question 12.—How many eggs will a Pekin duck lay in a season?
Answer.—About one hundred and forty. Their fecundity is wonderful, excelling that of any other duck. We have birds in some yards with a record of one hundred and sixty-five eggs to each bird.
Question 13.—To what age is it profitable to keep a duck?