The choice of duck in the household depends on personal preferences: type, type of bird, its content, productive qualities. There are three popular duck breeds:
Ducks are easier to keep than other pets. When raising ducks, some focus on one breed, others raise several. The practice of breeding ducks in the country during the summer season is very successful. Consider the content of the musk breed in the summer:
Who are musky ducks, what is inherent in them?
Muscovy - (Indo-duck) - duck profitable or not
Clever stall, calm bird, with a bright red crest "reptile", colorful plumage. Unlike other ducks, it has no genetic roots - it is an individual species. A mature drake weighs from 5.5 to 7 kg, a female duck 3.5 - 4.5 kg, an adult duckling - 2.5 kg, a duck egg 75-90 gr.
They have:
- cleanliness (the duck loves water procedures, does not dilute dirt, does not attract rodents);
- gluttony - in the summer in the country, the musky duck controls insects (flies, spiders, grasshoppers, ticks, mosquitoes, slugs);
- curiosity - the duck is attracted to shiny objects - she eats them (at the dacha in the yard it is necessary to keep cleanliness);
- intelligence - the Muscovy duck clearly understands a variety of words, gestures (nods its head, coos and wags its tail as a greeting);
- musky ducks are able to fly, this gives them a powerful sternum, fleshy legs.
Duck provision: summer house, nest, grazing, food
Keeping a bird in the country is in its comfort: Muscovy ducks are secretive, they love solitude. The summer house should be covered, ventilated, with tightly closing doors. For 20 individuals, 4 m 2 of area is enough, with a height of at least two meters. For hygienic purposes, the floors in the house are preferably concrete (wooden - they absorb litter secretions, creating moisture, which threatens the health of the duck). The floors are lined with dry straw. Muscovy ducks need a kind of flat, wide perch (15-20 cm), 20-25 cm high from the floor.
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Clean water is the main thing in keeping a Muscovy duck in summer: she drinks it endlessly, bathes in it. The container can be anything: a tray or a basin (it is necessary to change the water twice a day, the amount should be such that the duck can dip its head).
It is not difficult to build a nest: it is a box closed from above, 40 * 40 cm in size, with an exit hole of 20 * 20 cm and a lower threshold (so that the masonry does not roll out).
Raw materials for making a nest: croaker, tes or plywood. The bottom is lined with down, feather, straw.
In the summer in the country, the duck spends most of its time outdoors (meadow maintenance of ducks reduces the cost of compound feed by half). To be able to hide from the wind and rain, she needs a garden summer house with a feeder.
The duck grazing site (60-70 m 2) should not be swampy: choose a slope, hill or area with a drain for rainwater. A decorative pond can be a good addition to the country house.
The food of an adult Muscovy duck should be varied:
- greens (grasses: ambrosia, knotweed, dandelions, clover);
- grain (tear, germinated seeds);
- vegetables, fruits (pumpkin, cabbage leaf, beets, zucchini, apples, tops);
- river sand (healthy effect on duck digestion);
- compound feed (feed the bird 2 times a day, 110 grams per head);
- non-spicy food waste, aquatic animals and vegetation (duckweed is a favorite delicacy of the Muscovy duck, small fish, zooplankton);
- mineral supplements (charcoal, eggshells, shells, chalk);
- animal feed (bone, fish meal).
You can’t feed a muscovy duck with bread, nuts and chocolate.
How to get a good offspring of a musky breed in the summer in the country?
In early spring, purchase a thoroughbred drake and two or three ducks from a breeder. Breeding ducks in the country is a fascinating business. Muscovy duck is a good alternative to other types of poultry. The content is uncomplicated, while the Muscovy duck is valued for its excellent reproductive ability (20 eggs at a time).
Egg laying begins in early April. The incubation period takes 35 days: during this time, selfless musky hens lose weight, weaken (they are distracted by food once a day, for three to five minutes).
During the period of incubation, it is important to keep silence and muffled light in the house. You should know: each hen has a separate nest. Ducks should not see the owner entering the house (place the nest with the back side to the entrance). Food and calcium supplements, water for bathing and drinking are placed side by side.
- infrared or incandescent lamp.
- thick litter of fluffy lime (0.5 kg per 1 m 2) and chopped straw (no more and no less than 5 cm): ducklings eat small straw, thereby clogging the goiter and dying; long - it will become a wet mass, which is not hygienic for a musky duck.
Daily ducklings do not know how to eat, you need to teach them this: the crumbs of a boiled egg are poured onto their backs (everything moving attracts them), they begin to peck. Meals for the first three days:
- chopped egg and sweetened water;
- a mixture of eggs, milk and bran;
- cottage cheese, finely chopped spinach and beet tops are added to the mixture.
For strength and growth for three weeks, Muscovy ducklings need moist food.
Diet components for ducklings: corn (60%), oats (20%), barley (10%), concentrated feed (5%), mineral supplements (for example, Sunshine) and animal feed (5%).
The vitamin and nutritional content of ducks stimulates healthy growth, is beneficial to the immune system (protects against rickets and dystrophy).
Note to beginners:
- Muscovy ducks will be healthy when the maintenance of the house is carried out properly: regularly clean feeder and drinker, replacement of bedding, spring "general" of the room.
- During the summer season in the country, you can grow a heavy musky duck with a corn (90%) diet, limiting its movement.
- Muscovy duck meat contains a generous amount of nutrients. Duck egg and meat have a good effect on the epidermis, potency, vision.
- The duck will be scared away from food by carrots and red color (feeder or owner's clothes).
- Musk breed is not noisy like a chicken; not talkative like a goose; not cocky like a rooster. The quiet trill and hiss of the duck will not disturb the neighbors in the country in the summer.
- The water used by the duck will serve as fertilizer for the plants as well as its droppings.
- Muscovy duck flying, her fly wing is cut (asymmetry appears and wraps the body when trying to take off).
- There should be no random objects in the doorway of the summer house: the duck will not enter and exit until the passage is free.
- Ducks do not recognize loneliness and a limited area (from embarrassment they are anxious and do not eat well).
As you can see, the musk variety has unique qualities. The content is simple, it benefits both the breeder and the plants. For debutant poultry farmers: breeding Muscovy ducks in the summer in the country can start a year-round, very successful enterprise.
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Video: Poultry stirrer
Is it possible to breed ducks in the country? Indeed, in our understanding, a duck is a waterfowl that requires a lot of space for maintenance. And if I tell you that on a small plot of land with an area of 60-70 m² in the spring-summer period, you can grow 150 ducks, which will give 2.5 centners of meat at the exit, then you will agree: it’s hard to believe.
However, you have no idea how real and incredibly simple everything is.
Below, I will present you a simple scheme for growing, breeding and keeping ducks in the country with a minimum of investment and labor.
Optimal breeds for breeding in the country
This breed was bred 300 years ago in China. Since the middle of the 19th century, the Peking duck began to be massively imported to the countries of Europe and America, and today it is one of the most common breeds in the world. It is a fundamental breed for breeding various meat lines and crosses.
The young growth of the Pekin duck is not picky about the content and with abundant feeding by 60 days reaches a live weight of 2.5 kg. The slaughter yield of duck is 85-90%, where edible parts make up 60-65%.
Advice. Young animals intended for slaughter should not be kept for more than 55-60 days. After this period, molting begins in Peking ducks and the so-called hemp (rudiments of a new feather) grow on the skin.
These stumps are extremely difficult to remove when pinching the feather, and the carcass completely loses its presentation. The molt lasts 1.5-2 months, and during this time the ducks practically do not gain weight (only 05.-0.7 kg of live weight), and at the same time they will eat at least 6-8 kg of feed.
Muscovy ducks
Muscovy duck is native to South America. A characteristic difference is the coral outgrowth at the top of the base of the beak. Because of what, she has a distant resemblance to turkeys and among the people received the appropriate name - Indouka, although she was not seen in kinship with them.
Young Muscovy ducks gain weight more slowly than Beijing ducks and reach a live weight of 2.5 kg only by 90-100 days. But Muscovy duck meat is considered one of the leanest.
Advice. Muscovy duck is one of the few domestic birds that can fly well, and over fairly long distances (from 100 to 300 m). The desire to fly in a musky duck manifests itself in the spring, so at this time its wings are clipped.
Moulards are not a breed, but a hybrid obtained by crossing musky ducks with Pekin ducks.
Mulard from their parents inherit qualities such as rapid growth and low content of subcutaneous and internal fat.
They cross according to the following scheme: musky drake and Peking duck. A large muscle mass is inherited from the drake, and the rapid growth of young animals is inherited from the duck.
A simplified scheme for quickly growing ducks in the country
For this purpose, only Peking ducks, their meat crosses and lines are suitable for you.
Plot of land for breeding and maintenance
As I said, in order to grow 150 ducks during the spring-summer season, you need a small piece of land with an area of 60-70 m². It will house a poultry house with a capacity of 50 pcs. young animals, paddock and summer house. Try to choose a plot of land for ducks on an elevated place or on a slope. If this is not available, then be sure to equip the paddock with water drainage, since during and after the rain, the paddock should not resemble a muddy, muddy swamp.
room
If you want to grow up to 150 ducks in one season on the appropriate piece of land, then the room for them should be solid and warm. For the first batch of ducklings will have to be purchased in early to mid-March.
Of course, it is up to you to decide what to make a poultry house from, however, be sure to make the floors in the poultry house concrete. It's just that ducklings during the period of intensive growth, and indeed all birds, create high humidity in the house, especially in the floor area. And if it is wooden, it will absorb excretions from duck droppings, creating a dangerous environment and threatening the health of the ducklings.
Planting area for young animals - 5 pcs. per 1 m² of floor.
Buying and raising ducklings
If you are going to start breeding ducks, it is difficult for an ignorant person to determine that it is a Peking duck in front of him. And this is constantly used by dishonest merchants of feathered living creatures. Therefore, buy Beijing ducklings only in specialized poultry farms.
It is more expedient to grow ducklings indoors on a deep litter. To do this, fluffy lime is poured on the floor of the house at the rate of 0.5 kg per 1 m² of floor, and on top of the litter with a layer of 10-12 cm. As the litter gets dirty, add a new layer and stir it up so that it dries.
As bedding, it is better to use chopped straw 3-5 cm long.
If the straw is shorter, then the ducklings will begin to eat it and their goiters will clog, which often leads to the death of the young. If it is longer, then the entire litter will eventually turn into one sticky and damp mass.
Heating
Day old ducklings can be grown without special care immediately in the house. All that is needed is to select a separate corner, fence it off and create comfortable conditions for the ducklings.
Table of air temperature for ducklings aged 1-5 weeks.
As can be seen from the table, by the age of 4 weeks, ducklings can be released outside in warm weather.
Feeding
Duck is the only bird to which such concepts as gluttony and omnivorousness can be applied. In this regard, the Peking duck will outdo even a pig. And this is in our favor, since there are plenty of vegetable waste and weeds in the summer at every dacha. In addition, ducks are excellent foragers. They not only sweep away all pasture on their way (including ragweed), but also perfectly eat aquatic vegetation, zooplankton and small fish in reservoirs.
And if you have the opportunity to release ducks on extensive ranges, then be sure to take advantage of this, thereby reducing the consumption of concentrated feed.
As for ducklings, they are fed according to the following scheme:
- Age 10-15 days - 6-8 times a day.
- Age 15-30 days - 4-6 times a day.
- Age 30-60 days - 3 times a day.
Personally, I have never defined fixed feed rates. He did it simply: based on the above feeding intervals, he gave the ducklings food and, if they did not eat it for 20-30 minutes, then reduced the norms and vice versa, ate, increased the norms.
I used crushed grain as a starting feed in the following proportions:
- Corn - 60%
- Barley - 10%
- Oats - 20%
- Cakes and meals - 5%
- Premixes, shell, chalk, meat and bone and fish meal - 5%
The food was given in the form of moistened mash, with an admixture of boiled potatoes, eggs, cottage cheese and greens. But this is only the first time in 3 weeks.
Further, ducks grow well on concentrated feed with a low protein content. That is, on the cheapest compound feed intended for cattle. But if you want to get a fat and overweight duck for slaughter, then transfer it to a corn diet (up to 90% corn in the feed) and limit its movement.
From which it follows that in one short, two-month period of time you can raise up to 50 ducks on a small plot of land: 10 m² - poultry house, 50 m² - paddock and 10-15 m² summer house on a paddock, where ducks can hide from rain and bad weather .
Well, then the matter of technology:
- Buying 50 ducklings in early March, slaughtering in late April.
- Purchase 50 ducklings beginning of May, slaughter at the end of June.
- Purchase 50 ducklings beginning of July, slaughter at the end of August.
One month can be subtracted or added to such a scheme, because each region has its own climatic conditions.
Bird slaughter
This is an important point and here's why.
Firstly, before the ducks begin to shed, they must be quickly sent to another world, otherwise a pinch of a feather will turn into real hard labor for you.
Secondly, many do not know how to properly, quickly score and butcher a bird, while making unnecessary and not very pleasant body movements. However, before mass slaughter, take care to buy a freezer of the appropriate size, because you will agree: it would be stupid to put fresh juicy and fragrant duck meat on stew, which is already full in stores.
Before slaughter, the next batch of ducks is separated from the herd and stopped feeding 12-18 hours before slaughter, but they give plenty of water. This is necessary in order to empty the intestines and thereby facilitate the cutting of duck carcasses.
The duck is killed in two ways. The first is cutting off the head.
This method is extremely unpleasant and, I would say, incorrect. No one will take pleasure in looking at a headless body jumping around the yard and spattering everything in a row with blood.
Therefore, we apply the second, more professional method of slaughtering a duck.
To do this, we need a cone-shaped bucket, such as on a fire stand, only with a hole in the bottom area. The bucket is suspended, and our victim is placed upside down there.
We put the head of a duck into the hole and insert a sharp object (a thin knife or a pike) into the oral cavity and kill the bird with a sharp pressure towards the brain.
No extra fuss, the carcass is well bled, the feather is clean and the bird dies instantly.
Next, we lower the carcass into a container with boiling water, keep it there for 2-3 minutes (slowly turning), then wrap it in a dense rag for 8-10 minutes, then pluck and singe.
It is best to singe a duck with a gas burner, in no case with a gasoline burner, otherwise its skin will be saturated with the appropriate smell.
Conclusion
The breeding scheme for growing and keeping musky ducks and mulards is exactly the same as that of Peking ducks. The only difference is that they grow a little slower, but the meat of musky ducks is the leanest.
The most important advantage of breeding any kind of poultry is their wastelessness.
After all, not only meat and eggs bring benefits, but also their fluff, it is possible to earn big money by selling young animals.
Today we want to understand in more detail how easy or difficult it is to breed domestic ducks, since this bird allows you to get not only excellent tasting meat, but also an excellent liver.
Let us focus on the necessary conditions for keeping these birds, feeding them, obtaining young offspring, their further rearing and caring for them.
Domestic ducks - how useful is this bird? Understanding the pros and cons of breeding
Of course, no matter how simple the breeding of poultry may seem, there are still a number of conditions and obligations that the poultry farmer will definitely have to comply with.
To begin with, let's figure out what advantages and disadvantages the process of growing domestic ducks has. Therefore, let us turn to the experience of poultry farmers who have been raising ducks for a long time and know a lot about this business.
Advantages of domestic ducks and the advantages of their breeding
If you prepare all the necessary conditions for these birds in advance, they will give you a very large amount of their products. Almost everything is very gaining weight well, without requiring abundant feeding - they are able to extract most of their diet on their own (especially if there is a reservoir nearby).
Duck meat has a variety of virtues:
- a special delicate taste, unlike any other species, surpasses even the curtain in quality;
- a large number of trace elements that are easily absorbed by the human body;
- the meat of modern breeds contains a very low percentage of fats, making it dietary;
- one individual of a meat breed can produce about 2.5 kilograms of a good product.
Also, do not forget about the existence of special breeds of ducks, which are grown exclusively to obtain high-quality liver used to prepare the well-known delicacy of foie gras. At the same time, the weight of the liver of one adult duck can reach 0.5 kilograms.
Enterprising poultry farmers sell it to popular restaurants, earning big money. You can also sell duck eggs, which also have significant value in the household: they are large, very high-calorie, with a hard shell. However, many do not like their not quite familiar smell, although in general it is easy to get used to it.
Among the others virtues breeding ducks at home should be called:
- Ducks are practically omnivorous, they consume and digest both food of plant and animal origin without any problems. With water content, these birds also take on the role of natural water filters.
- They are one of the most productive and early maturing bird species.
- Of great importance is not only direct production in the form of duck meat, eggs and down, but also the droppings of these birds. It is one of the best fertilizers for garden beds.
- Ducks are clean, do not stain their feathers and down, which allows it to be realized.
- Ducks can even be grown in cages, which quite saves space, mechanizes the processes of supplying food and water, and collecting eggs. In cells, it is much easier to maintain a sanitary and hygienic environment.
Cons that accompany duck breeding
Although we have referred the cellular method of keeping ducks to the advantages above, however, it has a negative effect on productivity. After all, the best way to breed these birds is to have natural walking areas with ponds.
Without such conditions, meat breeds can begin to lay large amounts of fat, which also affects the quality of their egg-laying.
It is believed that the cell content affects the quality of duck meat. With regard to nutrition, you will also have to fully comply with such requirements as quality, nutritional value and freshness.
We build a comfortable poultry house for keeping ducks
The room for ducks does not need to be built very large. Firstly, the birds themselves do not require this, and secondly, the smaller the room, the easier it is to heat or insulate it in the winter.
An important role in this is played by the fact that ducks lead an exclusively "mundane" way of life, they do not need high perches or special climbing poles, like chickens or turkeys.
In this regard, it is quite enough to build a house with a front wall of 1.8 meters, and a rear wall of only 1 meter. Yes, and the density of placement of ducks per 1m2 can be quite high. On such an area there will be enough space for 3 individuals.
It is very important that in the cold season there is a lot of bedding in the room. She is not only able to insulate the house, but helps the birds to hide and keep warm, to build a nest for themselves. For one adult duck, the litter should be approximately 6 kilograms.
You can use hay or straw. When it becomes very warm outside, it is better to remove the litter altogether: after all, the birds will sweat from the heat in the summer, dry grass will absorb moisture (sweat), dampness will develop in the house, and various diseases will follow it.
Features of the microclimate necessary for ducks and their offspring
- Temperature requirements. Adult ducks are quite able to endure cold temperatures, but by no means frosty ones. Therefore, the house temperature must not be allowed to drop below 0°C.
During the laying period of ducks, it is optimal to maintain the temperature at the level of 18-20 ºС, which will have a very favorable effect on their similar activity. When keeping small ducklings that have just hatched from eggs, the temperature should be maintained at a level between 29-32 ºС.
Every week it gradually decreases to 20 ºС acceptable for adults.
You can determine the need to increase the temperature by the behavior of birds. If they begin to constantly huddle together, eat less, lose weight - this means that they are cold. In this case, be sure to insulate the house by any means.
When the heat is very high, the birds will have rapid breathing, they will walk with outstretched wings, they will drink a lot. In this case, it will be necessary to improve ventilation.
- Required level of humidity in the house. Ducks tolerate moisture very problematic, although they are aquatic birds. It is better that it does not exceed 65-70%.
Too high humidity is bad for how birds gain weight, and they may also begin to lose feathers. At very high humidity, the immunity of ducks is greatly reduced. It is also impossible to allow very sharp drops in the described indicator, ducks are very sensitive to this.
- Room ventilation is one of the main aspects of duck breeding. It is very important to make the poultry house in such a way that in late autumn and early spring fresh air can always enter the room, and dirty air comes out.
In winter, artificial ventilation with the supply of warm air currents will be needed. And in hot weather, the birds will constantly be on walks or in aviaries, so they will have enough fresh air.
- Artificial and natural lighting of the poultry house. Natural lighting should not be too plentiful, since this will have to make large windows - direct sources of cold. But if you want your birds to lay their eggs better and longer, it is very important to provide artificial lighting in the house.
In particular, with the help of it, it will be necessary to extend daylight hours in winter, reaching it up to 12 hours (additionally including morning and evening). It is worth starting to turn on the light from the end of December to the beginning of January, which will stimulate the loss of feathers in birds and improve the process of accumulating live weight.
In spring, abundant artificial lighting stimulates the sexual activity of drakes well, so the daylight hours are extended by 2-3 hours.
We organize the optimal space for walking ducks: what to do if there is no reservoir?
The best option for keeping ducks, and the best for both the birds themselves and their owners, are free ranges near natural reservoirs. For birds, this is good because they get the opportunity to access almost natural habitat conditions.
The reservoir will provide them with the necessary food - duckweed, various insects and small fish. Also, in the water, these birds just love to cool off on very hot days. The advantage of this method of keeping is marked by the fact that such conditions stimulate very rapid growth of young animals and their entry into puberty.
Adults are also much better at gaining mass, while ducks are not even obese, as they get the opportunity to move a lot.
Why walking near water bodies is beneficial for poultry farmers? Yes, if only because in the summertime you don’t have to build special pens for birds and bother with how to provide them with the necessary amount of clean water and food.
By the way, it is also very good to save on feed - almost 5 times. With natural walking, the birds themselves select the necessary diet for themselves, which is very well reflected in the digestive processes. Also, in this case, birds do not have to build special canopies under which they could hide from the hot sun.
Your only task is to let them out of the house in the morning and drive them to the pond, and in the evening give them some food and close them back to the house.
If your yard is small and there are no reservoirs, then all the necessary conditions will have to be created artificially. The most important thing is to build something like a pool or a small pond that can be constantly cleaned and replenished with fresh water.
Ducks will definitely need to be provided with plenty of natural food, especially duckweed.
The corral itself should be large enough so that the birds can roam freely without interfering with each other. Ideally, if the corral is placed right next to the exit of their house.
Duck diet: what is the best food to give to achieve rapid growth of birds?
Ducks are best suited for a combined type of diet, when it combines not only compound feed, but also greens, wet mash, and mineral components. This makes the food balanced, has a positive effect on the digestive process of birds.
You can directly include:
- Various grains - wheat, corn or barley (or all in turn).
- Cut off the wheat.
- Meal of soybean or sunflower origin.
- Peas (porridge from peas).
- Bone, feather, fish and meat and bone meal.
- Inedible fat.
- Powdered milk.
- Shells, trusted salt and premixes.
What feeders should be installed for birds?
Duck feeders can be placed directly on the floor as they are a type of bird with very low legs. In this case, it will be very convenient for them to eat. However, to prevent ducks from scattering food around, Don't put too much food in the feeders at one time., but exactly as much as the flock will be able to eat at a time.
Also, among all the birds there are often one or two individuals who like to climb into the feeder with their feet, trampling food and preventing other relatives from eating. Therefore, it is important to make something similar to a handle above the feeder, which would prevent the ducks from climbing inside.
Requirements for duck drinkers
The role of a drinking bowl for these birds can also be performed by a reservoir, but they also need to be installed in a dwelling.
It is best to choose wooden, with narrow walls. Ideally, if the water in them will flow through, that is, constantly fresh. For little ducklings, it is convenient to install vacuum drinkers.
Young offspring of ducks obtained through incubators and through hens
Ducks can be bred without problems both naturally with the help of brood hens and using an incubator.
Both of these methods are quite effective, however, when using an incubator, ducklings will not have a mother and will have to be monitored and looked after very carefully.
But the incubator is that it allows you to get the largest possible number of offspring.
Indeed, when a duck hatches eggs, the hatchability of young animals will depend solely on the manifestation of its maternal instinct.
Also, the larger the brood of ducklings you want to get, the more hens you will have to purchase.
How to raise duck young: feeding and living conditions in the first month after birth
Only ducklings that are born are fed boiled and mashed eggs. On the third day, cottage cheese is allowed to be added to it, and a day later, various boiled cereals. From the fourth day, you can already add greens and meat waste to the mixture.
In the second decade, ducklings can already be given boiled potatoes, but they will also have to be chopped. It is best to provide ducklings with wet mash, which will make it easier for them not only to swallow, but also to digest.
Little ducklings from the very beginning need to be taught to eat food. This problem is especially acute when young offspring are born with the help of an incubator. To do this, food should be brought directly to the beak so that the duckling grabs a little and feels its taste.
It is very important that the room for keeping ducklings is as spacious as possible. After all, if they get very crowded, the strongest will take food from the weaker ones, thus slowing down their development even more.
They can be released for walking on the fourth day of life. However, be careful that the ducklings do not get stuck anywhere, do not get lost and do not get into the teeth of a dog or cat. Gradually accustom them to water.
How to care for ducks to prevent obesity and disease
- Be attentive to the diet of your pets, try to make it as varied and nutritious as possible. Add minerals to it regularly.
- Provide the birds with as much space as possible to roam. This rule must also be observed in winter, since birds are especially prone to obesity at this time.
- The behavior of ducks is the most important symptom of the onset of diseases. Therefore, if you notice lethargy in birds, or vice versa, incomprehensible activity, immediately carefully examine the individual, protect them from possible interaction with the flock and proceed to treatment. helped
Growing duck young livestock at home is not difficult if you follow the rules of keeping. A novice breeder is interested in how to feed ducklings or how to care for them. For fattening for meat or breeding, you can take already daily chicks. To raise a healthy, productive flock, follow these tips for proper duck care.
Day old ducklings are quite suitable for creating a herd
Stages
At home, a new duck generation appears from the beginning of April to the end of September. To get livestock with maximum productivity, farmers raise ducks in three stages:
- early April (for breeding and meat by summer);
- beginning of July (meat exit by autumn);
- end of September (calculation for the winter).
Chicks grow quickly: in a week and a half, the weight of a representative of the Beijing breed is 200 g, by three weeks it is already 500, and by a month it is more than 2 kilograms. In cells, growth is more intense than with floor maintenance, by 10-15 percent.
Ducklings on free range grow more slowly than in cages
Young Animal Care
If we are talking about keeping day old chicks that you are going to raise without a duck, then they are kept in a brooder. This is a warm illuminated box where the chicks live up to 20-25 days of life. You can buy it or make it yourself from boards and slats. Requirements for the parameters of such a design (in centimeters):
- top - 45 to 45;
- bottom - 65 to 65,
- height - 45.
From the inside, the box is upholstered with a cardboard (plywood) sheet. In the middle, a jar or a cast-iron container with hot water is installed, carefully wrapped with a thick blanket or other dense material. A pillow stuffed with sawdust or shavings is placed on top. Such a device warms the brooder for 8 hours, in which young animals live from the first days of life. New hot water is poured three times during the day.
Planting density - no more than 16 copies per square meter. The temperature on the floor of the box is not lower than 15 degrees. For ducklings aged 1 to 5 days, the temperature regime is 28-30 degrees, from 6 to 10 - 22-24 degrees, and from 16 to 20 - 18-22. Make sure that there is no overheating, hypothermia or drafts. However, ventilation is required. Humidity is 65-70 percent.
The room is illuminated during the first days 18-20 hours a day, with an intensity of 2 to 4 watts per square meter. Then every next week this number decreases by 60-120 minutes. During rest, do not turn off the light at all, it is better to lower the intensity to 1 or 2 watts.
Ducklings need to be kept in a warm lighted box
Some poultry farmers do not buy ducklings in winter, but only after waiting for the spring-summer season, when the days are warm. During the day, a box with chicks stands outside, in a fenced area. Ducklings are released on the grass, making sure that direct sunlight does not fall and there are no drafts. In this case, you can not heat the brooder at night, but simply bring it into the house.
Until the young duck stock is 14 days old, do not let it into the water. Protect young animals from rain so that they do not catch cold and drown.
Menu for meat fattening
From the first day of life, young ducks can be given ready-made mash intended for young birds or dry food in granules. Food is constantly in the feeders. If you feed ducklings with wet food, then in the first 5-6 days, food intake is 7-8 times daily, then up to two weeks of age - 5-6, and up to a month - 4-5 times.
Chicks eat the food that moves, so in the early days you can pour food directly on their backs. If they refuse, they give an egg yolk mixed with milk with a pipette. To teach them to drink, gently dip the beak into the water.
The duckling needs to put food on its back so that the other ducklings can catch it.
First, young ducks are fed food mixed with yogurt. If the mixture is sticky, then it will seal their nostrils, fall on the fluff, and such specimens grow weak. They also give hard-boiled and finely chopped eggs, from the second day they add compound feed and low-fat cottage cheese to the menu. Be sure to introduce minerals that are always freely available in places of feeding:
- crushed shells;
- sand;
- gravel.
Juicy food appears at the beginning of the third week of life. In winter, this is carrot or bean silage, in the warm period - washed and finely chopped nettles, fodder cabbage, pea-oat mixture. In winter and early March, fish oil, vitamin concentrates (A, D) are added to the menu from the 6th day. Weight will quickly increase if fed with bread soaked in water. If the diet is balanced, then by the end of the first decade, on average, a representative of a brood of ducks weighs 220-240 grams, and by 55 days - already 2 or more kilograms.
Ducklings can be fed fodder cabbage
Fattening on a free pasture without reservoirs
When growing and fattening for meat in the summer, the brood can be kept in land conditions. In a fenced area, a canopy is installed under which young animals live. Observe the following rules:
- there must always be water in the drinkers, otherwise the herd will not give growth;
- keep ducks out of direct sunlight;
- keep the walking area and bedding clean and dry;
- take the drinkers outside the fenced area so that the ducklings do not splash water;
- offer dry compound feed or wet mash (in this case - 3-4 times during the day);
- feed in the same way as when kept on water paddocks;
- pour sand, gravel, crushed shells into separate containers.
Ducklings need to be protected from sunlight with a canopy
Fattening on a free pasture with a reservoir
When summer days come, domestic waterfowl are raised on fenced paddocks with a pond. A canopy is located on the site, and the paddock itself captures the territories (in m):
- shores - 15-20;
- reservoir - 10-15.
The length of the canopy depends on the number of specimens in the herd. It is made 6-6.5 meters wide, the height of the front part is 2.2 meters, and the back part is from 1 to 1, 2. It is important to dig the ground in the back so that a water outlet appears. The floor is rammed and left earthen. The walking area is divided into sections.
Wet mash, bread and water, young livestock are fed 3-4 times during the day, and in the evening they give crops. Per kilogram of growth, 3.8-4.2 kilograms of food is consumed, consisting of grain and flour products. The diet of domestic ducklings consists of (in percent):
- crushed barley - from 15 to 20;
- oats - 15-20;
- corn - 10-20;
- wheat bran - 20-30;
- waste (grains) - 26;
- flour of animal origin - 15.
Young animals up to 45 days old are given 20-30 percent of green fodder (chopped clover, nettle, beet tops or carrots), in the diet of the older generation this is 30-34 percent. The herd is also fed with juicy food - fodder cabbage, zucchini. In a mixture with bread, seeds of wild plants are added: horse sorrel, quinoa. Make sure that sour or spoiled food does not get into the diet. Throw away leftovers so they don't get moldy.
At the age of 50 days, the most fattened ducks are slaughtered, and 55 - those who have gained sufficient weight. Then comes the turn of two-month copies.
In case of wintering on the head, it is necessary to prepare (in kilograms):
- potatoes - 12-13;
- vegetables (carrots, cabbage, beets) - 8-12;
- hay - 6-8;
- mineral additives -1.
tribal cultivation
For breeding growth, it is better to leave the generation that appeared in the last two spring months. By the winter period, such specimens will gain weight, get stronger and easily survive the winter. Representatives of the future tribe are characterized by the following features:
- health and strength;
- no deviations from external breed standards;
- dense, smooth plumage.
During the first 27 days, ducks are fattened for breeding in the same way as for meat. After they are transferred to free-range or reduce the share of animal feed in the diet, they are fed with bread, food waste.
For anthelmintic prophylaxis, they are regularly given a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
Ducks are unpretentious, omnivorous (you can also feed them with bread), and if the conditions are met, keeping ducklings will not be difficult for a novice poultry farmer. These birds are characterized by precocity, and it is easy to get 2-3 broods during the season with meat and egg productivity.
Domestic ducks are among the first birds to have been domesticated. It happened a long time ago, the progenitor of the modern domestic duck was the common wild mallard. Now keeping and breeding ducks at home has become popular because they are not too whimsical in care and nutrition and are characterized by rapid weight gain.
Breeding and raising ducks at home involves primarily obtaining meat. It differs significantly, for example, from the more familiar chicken. Duck meat is darker, much fatter, has pronounced, large fibers and a rich taste.
In addition, when breeding and keeping ducks, you can get quite large eggs, but they are practically not used for food, as they have a peculiar taste. Eggs are used in the production of various food products, such as mayonnaise. In addition, they are incubation material.
Breeding ducks at home also gives duck down, which is a valuable material used to make pillows and blankets.
Duck droppings are considered the highest quality fertilizer, relative to the droppings of other birds.
Breed selection and performance description
Most often, Peking breed is used for keeping and breeding ducks at home, but its meat has a high degree of fat content. Peking duck females reach three kilograms of live weight, and drakes - up to four kilograms. The output of the edible part of the duck is up to seventy percent. Egg production reaches 150 eggs per year, which can be equal to about 100 ducklings. Since the breeding of the Peking duck in Russia has been going on for a long time, in many areas their own populations have been bred, which have different features and characteristics.
For those who prefer leaner and softer meat for breeding and keeping, Muscovy duck, better known as indoutka, is more suitable. It is quite large (a drake up to six kilograms), besides, it is less problematic in its behavior, does not create noise and does not start fights. The Indian is very hardy and is not exposed to most of the diseases characteristic of these birds.
Sometimes indoutok are crossed with Peking ducks in order to obtain hybrids - Mulard ducks. They grow quite quickly, have a lot of weight, but do not give offspring. Breeding and keeping hybrids is a fairly productive option, since the priority in households is breeding ducks for meat.
Requirements for the premises
With appropriate preparation, any available room can become a poultry house for keeping and breeding ducks. If it is made of logs, then plastering and caulking will be required, upholstery from plywood, dry plaster and packaging cardboard is used for boards or slabs with further puttying and whitewashing, reed walls are plastered with clay with the addition of straw. This is done to improve the comfort of keeping birds. The room should be warm enough in cold weather, and in hot weather keep cool inside. Particular attention when arranging a poultry house for keeping ducks is paid to the floors. They should rise above the ground (about 25 centimeters) in order to block the way to the house for rodents.
Provide a room for keeping ducks with bedding, the thickness of which should be about thirty centimeters. To do this, in the summer, prepare straw, shavings, peat or sedge, which are well dried and stored in an attic or other convenient place. Blanks are made at the rate of twelve kilograms of material per adult bird.
The egg production of ducks is directly related to the air temperature in the room and the light duration. In winter, keeping ducks requires maintaining a temperature of at least five degrees. Otherwise, the birds may completely stop rushing. All this is exacerbated by dampness and pollution of the poultry house. Therefore, make sure that it is dry and warm enough in advance. In addition, it must be well ventilated.
Compliance with the correct light regime is of great importance for breeding ducks. Under the action of sunlight, red blood cells, vitamin D are produced, and hemoglobin increases. All this increases the activity, and, accordingly, the productive qualities of the bird.
A good place for a hole for a bird to exit is the south and southeast side. Its standard dimensions are: width up to forty and height from thirty to forty centimeters. If the poultry house is equipped with deep bedding, then the hole can be made up to thirty centimeters high from the floor. Often, a vestibule is constructed from the outside, which protects from the wind.
When breeding and keeping ducks in the country in the summer, an aviary for walking is supposed. It can be done both on land and on water. A variety of materials are used for fencing: metal mesh, slats, shingles and even fishing nets. A fence on the ground is erected one meter high. If walking is done on the water, then in order to save the livestock, it is fenced fifty centimeters above the water and seventy centimeters under the water. This is done so that the ducks diving do not swim away. In the summer heat, fences are covered with canopies or arranged under sprawling trees.
Keeping ducks in winter also requires walking. To do this, use places cleared of snow, which are densely covered with straw. In warm, calm weather, ducks can be on the run all day, where they eat and drink. In no case should they be forced to walk, especially in strong winds and when the temperature drops below ten degrees below zero.
The house is cleaned every day, aired (so that drafts do not form). The manholes open only to release the bird.
Inventory
Properly selected equipment also has a great influence on the breeding and keeping of domestic ducks. It must be made of certain materials in compliance with the technology.
For feeders, a board is used, the thickness of which should be at least two centimeters. A bar must be installed on top, which prevents the bird from climbing into the feeders and trampling on the feed. It also functions as a handle. The feeder for mineral additives is divided into several compartments as necessary (for example, limestone, shell, gravel).
Ducks usually drink a lot, in connection with this, the drinker is made voluminous and convenient for the bird. You need to make sure that there is always clean water in it. The drinker can be wooden or metal. The daily norm of water for one bird is about six hundred milliliters. Based on this value, and the number of ducks, it is worth calculating the volume of drinkers. They are made about twenty centimeters high (the approximate height of ducks), which allows you to keep the water clean.
For arranging nests for laying eggs, wood and plywood are used. For their location, the darkest places in the house are chosen for the tranquility of the ducks. But at the same time, they must be provided with free access for egg assembly and cleaning. The standard size for a nest is forty by fifty centimeters, with a height of fifty centimeters. At the entrance to the nest, a low threshold is made (up to eight centimeters), which is necessary so that the litter material does not spill out of it and the eggs do not roll out.
The number of nests is made on the basis of: one nest for three birds. It is better to have them near the side walls of the house. Ducks usually lay their eggs at night or early in the morning. Therefore, it is customary to collect them in the morning and release the bird for a walk after ten o'clock so that there is no loss of eggs.
Any fright has a very negative effect on ducks, up to the complete absence of egg laying. To prevent this from happening while in the house, you should behave carefully and quietly. At night, it is recommended to leave low lighting, which has a calming effect on the bird.
Selection of a bird for a tribe
Keeping a duck in a winter poultry house starts from the 150th day of breeding. At this time, the last selection of birds is made by weight and plumage. The main flock requires birds of the same age and equal weight. As a rule, this is done taking into account the fact that up to eight females will correspond to one drake. Females in this case represent the maternal line, and drakes - the paternal line. Make sure that hybrid ducklings do not fall into this number, as they are not capable of breeding. If the parent flock is completed once, then it is better to leave the ducklings bred in July and August. With multiple - January, May and September.
When selecting, the main indicator is the appearance of the bird. It should be quite mobile and energetic. She should have a well-developed torso with a strong skeleton. If the formation of the parent flock and its further maintenance is successful, then you can get good egg laying as a result until they reach the age of fourteen months.
The key to success at this stage is the quick and correct organization of the process. The first eggs should be laid already in a room prepared for wintering. Carefully monitor the diet of the bird and the length of the light period, since at this time the ducks are especially sensitive to any changes and, in case of discomfort, can stop laying eggs, the restoration of which will require a lot of time. As a rule, most layers are used for six to eight months.
In breeding and keeping ducks - egg laying is one of the most important points. Therefore, following a number of rules will ensure its effectiveness. Daylight hours are gradually increased by half an hour per week until it reaches sixteen hours. At this time, low lighting of the poultry house at night is necessary to ensure peace for the bird and prevent its injury. In addition, under such conditions, ducks can freely eat.
If egg-laying occurs in warm weather, then a small number of nests should be installed on the paddock so that the ducks do not lay their eggs where they please.
Selection and requirements for incubated eggs
Incubation can be made from a herd in which all kinds of infections are excluded. Eggs are selected no older than eight days of age, maintaining a storage temperature of eight to twelve degrees. The eggs are carefully inspected for any damage. Their mass should be approximately equal: from seventy to ninety grams for a light breed of ducks and up to one hundred grams for heavy ones.
With a fertilization of eggs of ninety percent, when hatched, seventy percent of full-fledged ducklings are obtained. Duck eggs have a high fat content, in which bacteria develop that cause spoilage of the incubation material. You can detect such eggs with the help of an ovoscope, as well as by the unpleasant smell and blue tint of the shell. If found, they should be removed immediately to avoid infecting others.
natural incubation
When breeding ducks, it should be remembered that the Beijing breed has a very weak instinct for incubating eggs. Indo-ducks (musky ducks) or any other outbreds are more adapted for this. Recognizing a duck that is preparing for incubation is quite easy. She separates from the main herd, stays in the nest longer and constantly improves it, sometimes she pulls out the fluff and lays the litter. At this moment, deceptive eggs are laid on her, and if she remains in the nest, they are replaced with pre-prepared incubation material. For lining, you can use up to twenty eggs, making sure that the brood hen completely covers them. The mother hen may leave the nest to feed and bathe. Returning, she shakes herself off and sprays the eggs. Every hour, she turns the eggs, while a slight abrasion of the shell occurs, which has a beneficial effect on the development of the embryo and increases the percentage of hatching.
Nests for incubation are prepared more spacious with a large amount of soft bedding material. The fact is that hens are very fond of burrowing into nests. Nests are placed in a quiet place and separated by partitions so that the hens do not disturb each other. Keep the nest and eggs clean. Laying hens should not be fed wet mixes, so as not to cause stomach problems. With the correct development of the embryo, Pekin duck ducklings hatch from eggs in twenty-eight days; in the Muscovy duck, this period drags on to thirty-five days.
artificial incubation
When carrying out artificial incubation, you need to know that an important condition for successful hatching is a large presence of oxygen and constant ventilation. Regular monitoring of the process is also necessary. At the first examination with an ovoscope, which is carried out on the eighth day, the eggs are checked for the presence of an embryo, as indicated by the bloody mesh. The second examination is done after thirteen days, at the moment when the allantois should close and the embryo can begin to absorb nutrients. On the twenty-fifth day, the last examination takes place, which indicates the general state of development of the embryos. After that, the eggs are transferred to the hatch.
In the initial period of incubation, a temperature of up to thirty-eight degrees is provided, since the duck eggs themselves warm up very slowly. By the twentieth day of development, the embryo is already feeding on egg reserves and, on the contrary, it must be protected from excessive overheating. At this point, it is necessary to have good ventilation and cooling the temperature to thirty degrees. This will ensure normal metabolism and proper development of the embryo.
Offspring evaluation
For further breeding of domestic ducks, strong and well-developed young should be selected. This can be done according to the following signs of ducklings:
- Even pigmentation and fluffy plumage;
- The abdomen is soft and the umbilical cord is not bleeding;
- Bulging and shining eyes and wings pressed to the body;
- Homogeneous mass of at least fifty grams.
Properly selected young animals with proper maintenance will have a uniform and rapid development.
Rearing of young animals
Further maintenance of ducklings at home takes place in a warm, dry house without any drafts. In the first three weeks, the care and maintenance of young ducks is carried out at a temperature of twenty-two degrees, which is then reduced to twenty. As soon as the ducklings begin to go to the water, the temperature inside can not be maintained. Illumination at the beginning of cultivation should be about twenty-two hours, with a gradual decrease to the norm - fourteen hours. When keeping young animals, there should not be more than twelve ducklings per square meter of floor.
If keeping ducks at home involves raising ducklings without a duck, then they are taught to water after reaching three weeks of age. Particular attention is paid to the diet. It should start with boiled eggs, green fodder, mash, and top dressing with vitamins and minerals. For the preparation of mash, meat broths or milk are used. Frequent meals in the first week (seven times a day) are gradually reduced to the usual (three times a day).
Breeding and raising ducks for meat lasts no more than sixty days (depending on the breed), as then they begin to shed, lose weight and require more feed.
cell breeding
Breeding ducks in the country often involves keeping newborn ducklings in cages. The cage keeping of ducks is convenient in that there are usually significantly more ducklings per square meter than in a poultry house. Cages for breeding and raising ducks are made small, about seventy by seventy centimeters and about thirty centimeters high. More often they are in the form of a wooden frame covered with mesh, the floors are covered with bedding.
Feeders are installed for each cage, a drinker - one for two adjacent ones. Bird cage breeding requires daily cleaning. For heating, heating lamps are installed in the upper part of the back wall of the cage. With cage content, the temperature inside should be: the first ten days from twenty-six degrees, and in the following days - from twenty. The lamps are frosted so as not to frighten the ducklings. Breeding and keeping ducklings in cages lasts up to two weeks, then they are released for walking.
Of course, breeding ducks in the country and their further maintenance is an activity that requires a lot of patience, a sufficient amount of knowledge and time. But if you pay enough attention and care to the care and maintenance of ducks, your work will certainly bring the expected and effective results.
