Show INDIAN RUNNER IS GOOD LAYING DUCK ability may exceed any of the breeds of hens by poultry authority A u L low la in the rural new Y yockir e r U s service avice the outstanding characteristic of indian runner ducks as compared with other varieties is their superiority perio ity rity as egg producers good strains may equal or exceed any of the th e breeds of hens in this respect they are lighter in weight than the meat breeds of ducks and give place to the on duck farms where large numbers are annually produced for the markets the standard weight of the indian runner drake is 4 wi pounds of the duck a halt half pound less they lay a white egg larger than the hen egg and make fair broilers weighing from wt 2 to 3 pounds at six weeks of age they are not suited to the production of large green ducks but rather to the production of ducklings duc klings of broiler size they are active hardy and non sitters in other countries where they have been longer bred for egg production they are said to show an average of eggs or more per year ducks require more food for growth and egg production than hens more floor space and more labor in caring for and shipping the eggs As an offset they are less susceptible to disease some years ago the indian runner duck was exploited as a competitor of the hen as an egg producer and achieved a popularity upon general or poultry farms that it does not seem to have held some part of the loss in this being doubtless due to the greater feed consumption cons UM atio of the duck coupled with the more limited year around demand tor for duck eggs while duck eggs are larger than those of the hen and should command higher prices they are not given their due in this respect during the 9 greater reat part of the marketing season |