Ducks and Geese

In Short

Written in 1922 by USDA poultry specialists Harry M. Lamon and Rob R. Slocum, Ducks and Geese serves as a detailed, systematic manual for raising waterfowl for market and exhibition. The book details everything from breed standards and housing infrastructure to specialized feeding formulas, artificial incubation, and processing techniques. By bridging the gap between massive commercial duck ranches—such as those on Long Island—and modest farm flocks, the text endures as a primary historical benchmark for agricultural operations, showing how meticulous management turns everyday livestock into structured, high-yield enterprises.

The Story

The book opens by establishing waterfowl production as a highly specialized branch of agriculture. The narrative progression begins with selecting appropriate stock, comparing the standard breeds of ducks—such as the heavy, white-feathered Pekin and Aylesbury, the dark Rouen, and the upstanding, active Runner—against unproductive, mixed "puddle" ducks. Proper selection requires an eye for ideal conformation, correct bill coloration, and the elimination of physical disqualifications.

From breeding selections, the text advances to facility infrastructure and operation setup. A commercial duck plant demands significant investment in specialized buildings: incubator cellars, long brooder houses equipped with heated pipes, feed houses, and extensive outdoor runs. Industrial efficiency is paramount; large plants employ hand-pushed cars on dedicated feed tracks to transport mash, alongside power feed mixers, automated water pumping systems, and electric lighting designed to prevent nocturnal panic in the yards.

The life cycle of the stock forms the core operational arc. It begins with incubation, where maintaining precise moisture levels and proper cooling cycles yields a successful hatch. Once hatched, ducklings transition through a series of numbered brooder houses, each phase requiring distinct adjustments in ambient temperature and ration formulations. The authors detail precise mash mixtures combining corn meal, bran, wheat flour waste, and animal proteins like beef scrap or fish meal, supplemented with freshly harvested green crops such as rye, oats, and creek grass.

As ducklings reach market weight, the focus shifts to processing and distribution. The text lays out the step-by-step procedure for commercial slaughter, including scalding in water kept just below boiling, plucking body feathers into specialized boxes, removing down via rosin dips or hand-shaving, and chilling the finished carcasses before shipping them to urban wholesale markets.

The second half of the work transitions to goose production. Unlike ducks, which thrive under intensive confinement, geese are presented as ideal grazers suited for general farm pasture. The text outlines the major recognized breeds—notably the massive, dewlapped Toulouse and the pure-white Embden—detailing their seasonal breeding schedules, simple housing needs, and winter maintenance rations. Goslings require minimal brooding heat and grow rapidly on pasture alone. The operational arc culminates in the unique commercial goose-fattening industry, where thousands of birds are shipped in three-deck stock cars to specialized yards, penned in large lots, and finished on whole corn before market processing.

How It Unfolds

Selecting the foundation stock Breeders evaluate standard varieties against strict ideal types, discarding inferior crossbred birds and selecting specimens with proper keel depth, correct bill color, and desired feather patterns.

Building the commercial plant Operators construct specialized facilities, laying feed tracks between brooder houses and installing power mixers, water tanks, and yard lights to manage thousands of birds efficiently.

Incubating and brooding the young Hatching eggs are carefully tended in incubator cellars, after which newly dried ducklings move into heated brooder houses for systematic feeding and multi-stage rearing.

Fattening and market dressing Growing stock receives heavy grain rations to build weight before being slaughtered, scalded in hot water, plucked of feathers and down, chilled, and packed for shipment.

Managing pasture flocks of geese Farmers keep breeding geese on open pasture through the warm months, providing light winter grain rations and supplemental mash to prepare them for spring laying.

Transporting and yard-fattening geese Consigned birds travel in multi-deck livestock cars to central fattening operations, where they are penned outdoors and fed heavy corn rations prior to final processing.

The People

The Commercial Duck Grower Seeking maximum financial return on a compact land footprint, this operator requires high capital investment, rigid daily schedules, and automated feeding infrastructure to manage thousands of market ducklings simultaneously.

The Farm Flock Owner Operating on a modest scale, this farmer treats waterfowl as a profitable sideline, utilizing existing pastures, low-cost housing, and natural foraging to produce meat and feathers with minimal overhead.

The Incubator Man Tasked with overseeing large-scale hatchings in subterranean cellars, this specialized worker relies on precise temperature and moisture adjustments, earning seasonal performance bonuses when hatch rates exceed forty percent.

The Market Picker Working in processing houses, this skilled worker handles the physical labor of slaughtering, scalding, plucking, and removing fine down using dull knives or melted rosin.

The Goose Fattener Operating specialized finishing yards, this manager purchases thousands of range-raised geese, housing them in open pens to put on heavy weight via intensive corn feeding before market holidays.

In Its Own Voice

"On a comparatively small area thousands of ducklings can be reared and marketed yearly." — The authors establish the intense spatial efficiency of commercial duck farming in the book's opening preface.

"The legs of this breed are longer than those of other ducks and this accounts for the fact that they run rather than waddle when they move about." — A description explaining the unique posture and locomotion of the Runner duck variety.

"A single night's work on the part of one rat may practically clean out a small flock of ducklings." — A stark warning regarding the constant threat posed by predatory pests in young waterfowl pens.

What It's Really About

The book presents an argument for modern agricultural rationalization: turning traditional, informal farm poultry keeping into a predictable, standardized industry. Through meticulous organization, uniform feed formulas, and mechanical automation, the authors show how natural biological cycles can be optimized for predictable market delivery. Underneath the technical instructions lies a strong push toward purebred standardization over unstructured crossbreeding. The text continually emphasizes that keeping uniform, standard-bred stock yields superior meat conversion, higher egg production, and better market prices than relying on common, unselected farm birds.

Why Read It Today

Ducks and Geese appeals to agricultural historians, homesteaders, and readers interested in traditional farming methods. It offers a detailed window into early twentieth-century American agribusiness, demonstrating how farm operations functioned before the advent of modern automated poultry processing and factory farming complexes. Readers will appreciate the direct, matter-of-fact writing style, which avoids speculative theory in favor of practical, field-tested directions.

The reading experience is clear and procedural, organized with clear technical focus. Historical readers should note that the text reflects its 1922 era, featuring older processing terminology—such as live-plucking practices mentioned in historical context—and period operational standards. What remains with the reader is an appreciation for the sheer ingenuity and labor required to manage large-scale livestock operations using early industrial technology.