The basis of the ducks' diet is grain feed (barley, millet, corn, oats and their waste). Barley is a valuable product, which can be fed to both adult birds and young birds, since it promotes the formation of feathers. Oats are also required to be included in the diet, since it not only makes the feather cover thicker, but also prevents pecking. But for successful maintenance, not only high-quality food is needed, but also a comfortable room for the birds.
In the article you will find all the necessary information about raising and feeding ducks at home, depending on the season. You will also learn how to choose the right breed for home breeding and equip a poultry house for keeping livestock.
Note: When breeding ducks, eggs are also obtained, but due to their specific taste, they are practically not used for food, but are actively used for breeding young animals.
To raise poultry, it is necessary to equip not only a poultry house and a run, but also a small pond so that the ducks can get their own food.
For this purpose, you can buy ready-made young animals and raise them to the desired weight. In addition, at home they practice keeping decoy ducks and raising young animals in incubators (Figure 1).
Note: It is difficult to determine the breed of small chicks. Therefore, if you want to buy a certain type of bird, it is better to give preference to specialized farms or stores.
Day-old ducklings, unlike young birds of other birds, can be kept not in a brooder, but in a common poultry house. To do this, you need to equip a separate corner with clean bedding, a feeder, a drinking bowl and a heater. Chicks are very sensitive to temperature conditions, and in the first week the air should be warmed to at least 33 degrees. Subsequently, the temperature is gradually reduced and, already at the age of one month, the young animals can be released for walking.
The technology of breeding and keeping ducks at home requires certain preparation:
Figure 1. Features of breeding ducklings at home Feeding ration developed by breed and season. For example, in the summer, birds may look for food outside of walking on their own, and in the winter, the lack of green grass must be compensated for by mineral supplements.
The Peking breed is considered the most common. However, its meat has a high fat content and is not suitable for everyone. Meat with less fat can be obtained by breeding Muscovy ducks (Figure 2).
Representatives of these breeds are characterized by high early maturity and are ready for slaughter within 2-3 months after the start of cultivation. In addition, they have a fairly high egg production (about 100 eggs per year), and adult individuals are unpretentious in keeping and feeding.
Figure 2. Popular breeds for home breeding: 1 - Pekingese, 2 - Musk, 3 - Mulard Another suitable breed for breeding at home, according to consumer reviews, is the Mulard. Weight adult can reach 6 kg, they acclimatize well to a new place, are undemanding to feed, but they have practically no developed brooding instinct. Therefore, young animals can only be hatched in an incubator.
Despite the high nutritional value of barley, ducks do not eat it well in dry form. The grain must first be soaked in water for 10-20 hours, after which it should be released directly into the water, from where they will peck the swollen grain.
Wheat waste is fed only to adult birds and only as a component of dry mash. Rye waste is included in the diet in smaller quantities and only three months after harvesting, since fresh rye and its waste can cause digestive disorders.
Ducks are very willing to eat chopped beets, potatoes, rutabaga and turnips from succulent feed. Animal feeds include buttermilk, fish and skim milk. To increase egg production in laying hens, it is necessary to include grass meal, silage, carrots and baker's yeast in their diet.
Figure 3. Types of feed for ducks: juicy (left), 1 - barley, 2 - wheat bran, 3 - crushed shell for mineral feeding Mineral feeds include limestone, bone meal and crushed shells. In addition, ducks digest fiber relatively well compared to other poultry, but the proportion of fiber-rich feed should not exceed seven percent of the total diet (Figure 3).
It is necessary to equip the correct bird feeders, based on some recommendations:
From the video you will learn how to properly prepare various feeds for adult ducks and young animals.
It is cereal feed that forms the basis of the diet. They contain a lot of carbohydrates necessary for the normal functioning of birds. In addition, when consuming grains, ducks gain weight quickly and steadily.
For feeding, corn is best, but wheat, barley and oats are also suitable. You can also feed legumes, which contain not only a sufficient amount of carbohydrates, but also protein.
Such waste includes bran, cake and meal. From the point of view of preparing a diet for ducks, these feeds are very useful due to their high content of vitamins and microelements.
To replenish the diet with useful substances, bran or other processing waste is introduced into the menu, mixing it with grain feed or wet mash. You can also give birds dry bread soaked in water.
If there is a walk on the site with a pond, the ducks will independently obtain green food for themselves, eating aquatic vegetation and grass. But for proper feeding, it is necessary to add root vegetables to the diet (Figure 4). For example, birds can be fed grated carrots or pumpkin, and in winter they can be given silage and kale.
Figure 4. Example of a diet containing succulent feed and root vegetables You can also harvest green plants (nettle, clover, alfalfa) and provide them in chopped form directly in the pen.
In the wild, ducks eat not only aquatic vegetation, but also small fish and insects. Since it is difficult to obtain such food for birds at home, their diet needs to be enriched with food of animal origin.
Preference should be given to fish and meat and bone meal. These products are stored for a long time, and to replenish nutrients in the body, it is enough to add just a few grams of flour daily.
In addition, birds can be given dairy products. It is best to use low-fat cottage cheese, as fresh milk quickly sours and can cause digestive disorders.
Ducks need mineral supplements much more than other species poultry. Without such products, the process of digestion and absorption of nutrients will be slower, and the egg shells will be too thin.
Crushed shells, limestone and eggshells. Small doses are also added to the diet table salt, but only if the birds do not eat salty kitchen waste. On the walk, additionally place containers with large river sand or gravel. It is necessary for grinding food in the stomach.
In order for individuals to fully develop and be highly productive, their feeding diet must be completely balanced and include (Figure 5):
Figure 5. Components of a balanced diet: 1 - carbohydrate feed, 2 - succulent feed, 3 - protein feed (cake), 4 - mineral feed (bone meal) All components of the diet must be balanced. For proper feeding, the easiest way is to buy special industrially produced feed that fully meets the nutritional needs of ducks.
The most simple option summer feeding is considered to be grazing of birds in an open range with a pond (Figure 6). Under these conditions, they independently find food, which allows them to significantly save on feed.
Note: If the ducks are outdoors all day, it is enough to give them food only twice a day.
Figure 6. Feeding in summer For ducks that are constantly in the pen, a special diet should be prepared. IN in this case feeding is carried out 4 times a day. Twice they give out dry grain feed mixed with mineral supplements, and twice they give out wet mash, also consisting of cereals, as well as crushed root crops and aquatic vegetation.
Chopped greens can be scattered throughout the paddock throughout the day without restriction. However, the plants must be thoroughly washed and crushed before distribution.
When feeding, special attention should be paid to preparing wet mash. They should be prepared immediately before distribution and in such quantities that the birds eat all the food at one time. This condition is necessary so that the leftover food does not spoil and the birds do not develop digestive disorders.
Before serving, root vegetables are washed, all rotten or damaged fruits are removed, and grated.
In winter, birds do not have the opportunity to search for food on the range. That is why the question of what to feed ducks in winter at home is very relevant.
To maintain bird productivity and weight gain, it is necessary to correctly formulate a diet for the cold season (Figure 7). It must be balanced and include all the necessary substances for the full growth and development of individuals.
The main feature of winter feeding is that food is given not four, but twice a day. At the first feeding, a wet mash with silage is given, and at the second, a grain mixture with bran or other milling waste.
Figure 7. Feeding ration in winter The diet must include boiled potatoes, steamed hay and animal feed. This will preserve the productivity of the birds and prevent loss of live weight.
Features of the winter diet depend on the purpose for which fattening is carried out. For example, animals intended for slaughter for meat are given more feed containing carbohydrates (for example, grains). This will allow you to increase your body weight.
Laying ducks are given a more balanced diet. It must include mineral supplements, which will ensure the formation of strong eggshells.
Feeding ducks in winter depends on the type of individual. For example, laying hens are predominantly given concentrates, while reducing the share of succulent root crops and roughage. This diet begins to be introduced about a month before the start of egg laying.
Ducks intended for slaughter for meat begin to be intensively fed immediately after birth. This is due to the fact that only 3 months pass from birth to slaughter. During this period, the birds must accumulate enough muscle mass. In the first few days, small ducklings are given boiled eggs mixed with low-fat cottage cheese. Subsequently, boiled potatoes, ground grain and mineral supplements are introduced into the diet. About two weeks before slaughter, the percentage of protein feed is increased. This allows you to accelerate weight gain. Fishmeal is excluded from the diet, as it leads to the formation bad taste and the smell of meat.
When planning to breed ducks at home, it is necessary to provide conditions for keeping the birds. First of all, it is necessary to build a durable poultry house and equip a paddock with a pond.
Feeders, drinking bowls, perches and nests are placed indoors. You also need to take care of the optimal microclimate. For small ducklings, it is necessary to install a heater, and when keeping adult ducklings, it is necessary to ventilate the room.
Nests are placed in the darkest corners of the room. It should be borne in mind that there must be free access to the nest for collecting eggs and changing bedding.
Plywood is most often used as a material for making nests. A small box is made from it, 50 cm high. The width and length are 40 and 50 cm, respectively. A small threshold (no more than 8 cm) is made in the front part so that the duck can freely step over it and the eggs do not roll out of the nest (Figure 8).
Figure 8. Drawing and photo of nests for ducks The number of nests is calculated based on the number of individuals in the herd. The optimal ratio is 1:3 (one nest for three ducks). It is important to consider that birds lay eggs mainly at night and early in the morning, so it is better to collect them at the beginning of the day.
If you plan to fatten the ducks in spring and summer, they can also be kept in light plank buildings or under sheds. For year-round maintenance, it is necessary to equip more substantial buildings with a sufficient number of windows and external insulation. The site for constructing the poultry house must be dry, and drainage grooves must be dug around it to drain rainwater.
Figure 9. Drawing of the poultry house and its equipment inside and outside A solarium for walking with a 0.6 meter fence will be installed in front of the poultry house. If the climate is hot and dry, a small pond is also installed in the solarium, and so that the birds can freely go to the walking area, a special manhole is made from the poultry house, the perimeter of which is insulated. Examples of equipment for a duck house and solarium are shown in Figure 9.
Note: It is important that ducklings are very afraid of sudden rain. They do not run away from him, but simply stand with their beaks open. After rain, the chicks must be dried and warmed.
Ducklings intended for slaughter for meat, in summer time can be grown in limited water paddocks. A canopy will be installed near the pond to protect the chicks from rain and sun.
Adults do not require the installation of additional heating devices. To support optimal temperature in a poultry house, it is enough to make it from durable materials, insulate it and lay out high-quality bedding. Small ducklings need heating, so incandescent lamps are installed above the place where they are kept.
Note: If ducks are kept in winter in a region with a harsh climate, it is still worth installing heating equipment. To do this you can put stove heating in an adjacent room or use any other available heating method.
Ventilation is a necessary condition for the normal development of birds. Therefore, the chicken coop must have windows that open in the summer. You also need to install supply and exhaust ventilation, which will provide a flow of fresh air into the room.
Poultry house equipment must be made of durable materials that can be easily washed and disinfected with special hot solutions (creolin or soda ash).
Note: Metal feeders are used for wet mash, and wooden feeders are used for dry and mineral feeds.
Due to some peculiarities of eating food, duck feeders should be filled no more than a third full. In addition, they need to be made in the form of a trough or trough so that the birds do not scatter food while eating.
Drinking bowls are installed in the holding area so that the birds have access to fresh water around the clock. To prevent drinking bowls from becoming contaminated with droppings and bedding, their edge should be placed at the height of the back of an adult bird. For ducklings younger than ten days of age, the depth of the drinkers should be such that the chick can completely immerse its beak in the water and rinse its nasal openings.
Figure 10. Feeders and nests for ducks The poultry house must be equipped with nests for eggs, the bottom of which is covered with clean soft bedding. It is also important to ensure stable temperature regime, high-quality ventilation of premises and correct duration daylight hours. Options for equipping nests and feeders for ducks are shown in Figure 10. In addition, detailed instructions You will learn how to make feeders and drinkers for ducks in the video.
Breeding Mulard ducks at home is worth considering in more detail, since they have practically no developed brooding instinct, and getting young naturally will not work.
Note: The breed is a mixture of Muscovy duck and Peking duck. Like most hybrids, Mulards have lost the reproductive instinct, so they are bred exclusively artificially.
According to reviews, breeding this breed is profitable due to its rapid growth and low fat content in meat. However, to fatten poultry for meat, it is necessary to buy young animals from specialized farms, or hatch them yourself in an incubator. Most poultry farmers prefer to purchase chicks, since independent breeding is associated with certain risks and often does not lead to the desired result.
People who decide to start raising birds are often interested in how profitable it is to raise ducks. This is a profitable branch of poultry farming, because in 3-4 months you can get carcasses weighing about 2.5-3.5 kg. But in order to raise large, healthy birds, novice poultry farmers need to understand the nuances of breeding ducks on private farms.
Duck farming is easier and more profitable for people who have natural bodies of water near their home with abundant vegetation and the presence of animal food (frogs, tadpoles). But you shouldn’t give up breeding ducks on farms that don’t have water bodies near them. You can grow them on dry range by organizing the necessary conditions for the growth and development of waterfowl.
It can be difficult for novice poultry farmers to obtain a population of healthy birds that gain weight well. Experienced farmers recommend understanding the basic rules for raising ducks in advance:
Most often, ducks of the following breeds are chosen for raising at home:
Birds of these breeds gain weight well, so they are suitable for people who decide to raise ducks for meat. Representatives of the Moscow White breed are also distinguished by good egg production, and Peking ducks The instinct for breeding offspring is well developed. Those who want to get their own ducklings next year rather than buy them are advised to leave several large females and drakes for the winter.
Reference! Creating suitable conditions for wintering birds is labor-intensive process Therefore, many people prefer to purchase young chicks every year in the spring.
It is most profitable to buy day-old ducklings. But novice poultry farmers need to know in advance what conditions they should create and what feed to prepare.
Experienced farmers advise taking a responsible approach to the process of choosing ducklings. You need to buy only active and mobile chicks. Lethargy and poor appetite are signs of illness. In healthy ducklings:
Important! Healthy ducklings actively respond to the offered food. Even if the chicks have recently eaten, the new food should be of interest.
Having chosen healthy chicks, you need to properly organize their maintenance. Although ducks are unpretentious birds, you still need to adhere to the recommended rules.
In the first few days of life, ducklings can be placed in a box with a dense bottom. The recommended density is up to 16 heads per m2. From 4-5 days of life, the young animals are transferred to a special cage or equipped poultry house. In the first week of life, it is necessary that the air temperature is 30°C. Then they begin to gradually lower it. For ducklings at the age of 2 weeks, it is enough for the room to be about 20°C.
Beginning poultry farmers should pay special attention to lighting. From days 1 to 7 of life, ducklings should have light for 18-20 hours a day. Then the duration of daylight is reduced every week by 1-2 hours. But the main condition for getting a healthy bird is proper nutrition.
Only hatched ducklings are given food immediately after drying. If ducklings do not eat well, then experienced farmers advise giving them boiled yolk, pouring it on the backs of the chicks. Thanks to this feeding, it is possible to trigger natural instincts, interest in the surrounding world and food.
The purchased day-old ducklings already have a good appetite. In the first few days, their diet consists of boiled yolk, special feed, a mash of boiled cereal, and low-fat cottage cheese. You can add wet bran, crushed grains of oats, barley, and wheat to the menu. In the first days, the chicks need to be offered food every 2 hours; by the 5th day of life, 5 meals a day are sufficient.
After 5-6 days the diet is expanded. At this age, greens are added to ducklings:
Birds prefer soft aquatic vegetation. If possible, add hornwort, duckweed, and elodea to food. It is not advisable to stock up on greens in advance; during long-term storage, all useful substances are destroyed.
Ducklings should always have free access to clean water. On the first day of life, you can help the chicks by giving them water through a pipette. From 2-3 days they begin to drink on their own. It is better for kids to use vacuum drinkers, consisting of a jar and a special tray (saucer) into which water is collected.
As ducklings grow and develop, the requirements for housing, nutrition and space organization change.
For older ducklings, housing and nutrition standards change. For month-old birds, housing is organized in such a way that there are no more than 8-10 birds per 1 m2 of space.
A week before the planned date of transfer of ducklings to the poultry house, it must be washed and disinfected. The floor is covered with fluff lime at the rate that 0.5 kg is needed per 1 m2. Then lay out the litter in a uniform layer 7-10 cm thick.
You can feed grown young animals with complete feed or wet mash. In the first case, it is better to use automatic feeders made of plastic or metal, in the second - trough feeders. For chicks aged 10-30 days, feeders up to 1 m long, 15-18 cm wide, with a side height of 5-6 cm are optimal.
When feeding mash, the menu for grown ducklings should include:
Attention! From the 10th day of life, eggs are removed from the chicks’ menu. Mash made from cottage cheese and grass allows ducklings to saturate their bodies with essential elements and vitamins.
It is difficult for novice poultry farmers to determine how much feed to give to birds. You should focus on the following recommendations: the ducks should completely eat the mash poured in 20-30 minutes. If in the first 2-4 weeks of life the chicks are fed 4-6 times a day, then after one month of age they need to be switched to 3 meals a day.
In summer, it is recommended to provide birds with access to pasture. Free walking has a beneficial effect on the condition of ducks. On the pasture, you need to organize a shaded area where the birds can hide from the scorching rays of the sun.
The rate of weight gain and the health of the bird depend on the availability of a body of water. The chicks begin to be released to swim after changing from down to feathers. For domestic ducks, it is considered optimal if the diameter of the reservoir is about 15 m.
Comment! When planning to raise birds on an ongoing basis, you can do artificial pond For poultry, if there are natural bodies of water, it is advisable to fence off a small area for the bird to swim.
The older the ducks become, the easier it is for poultry farmers. Adult birds are not picky about temperature (except in winter) and lighting. It is enough to properly organize food and walking.
Having raised the chicks to 2-3 months of age, farmers can relax a little. After all, there are fewer problems with keeping adult birds. But to get large individuals, you need to remember the importance of drawing up the right menu.
In industrial rearing conditions, ducks are given mainly mixed feed. It covers all the nutritional and vitamin needs of a growing bird.
In conditions home grown Ducks are given mainly mash. They include:
The mash is given to birds on the basis that 1 duck requires 200-300 g of food. Ducks can eat more, but then their meat will become very fatty. In cold weather, birds are fed three times a day. In the summer, they are transferred to two meals a day, provided that they have free access to pastures with greenery.
But just watching your diet is not enough. It is important to remember other nuances of raising birds.
If there is no natural body of water near the home of a novice poultry farmer and there is no possibility of making an artificial one, then it is necessary to organize a place for the birds to bathe. Many people recommend simply burying the old unnecessary bathtub in the ground, leaving small sides. Some dig a shallow hole and cover it with thick polyethylene; its edges can be pressed down with stones.
Important! When raising large ducks, it is necessary to monitor the air temperature in the poultry house only during cold periods. It is undesirable for it to drop below +7 °C, but the ideal temperature is +10..+14 °C.
Poultry farmers should monitor the immunity of ducks and add foods that are a source of vitamins to the diet. To form strong individuals, the menu should include meat and bone meal, carrots, pumpkin, beets, and potatoes.
To prevent diseases, it is not enough to provide adequate nutrition. It is necessary to regularly clean the poultry house, ventilate and disinfect it. Birds require sunbathing and access to a body of water to fully develop.
The right approach to organizing bird keeping produces results. They are gaining weight rapidly. If you leave part of the flock for breeding, then next year you can get chicks.
To obtain eggs from which ducklings can hatch, it is necessary to properly form a parent flock. Strong individuals are selected for it so that for every 5-8 females there is 1 male. The optimal weight for ducks is 3 kg, for drakes – 3.5 kg. Good egg production in ducks lasts for about 3-4 years, after which they are replaced with young ones.
To obtain offspring, it is necessary to organize the following conditions of detention:
There are 2 ways to produce offspring: incubation by a mother duck or placement in an incubator. Many people use 2 of these methods at the same time. At the time when the duck sits down to raise its offspring, an incubator with eggs is placed at home. The hatched and dried healthy chicks are placed on the hen.
In order for a duck to sit down to hatch eggs, you need to organize a nest measuring 50*50 cm. It is best to make 3-4 nests in a row so that several ducks can be placed on the eggs at the same time. The nests have low sides (6-8 cm). Their height is calculated so that it is possible to equip a nest, there is a place for eggs, but at the same time the ducks can easily enter and exit it.
Food and drinking are organized so that the duck can leave the place where the eggs are hatched for a short time. The feeder and drinker are placed not far from the nest, the hens are fed at a time when the rest of the ducks leave the house.
Raising birds is a troublesome business. But poultry farming has many advantages.
Beginning poultry farmers opt for duck breeding. But this type of poultry farming has both advantages and disadvantages.
Table. Pros and cons of raising ducks
| pros | Minuses |
|---|---|
| Ducks gain weight quickly. | In the absence of places for free walking, ducks begin to actively lay down fat. |
| Birds do not require special care; it is enough to change the bedding and arrange lighting for the house. | Cellular content degrades the quality of meat. |
| Birds are omnivores; if pastures are available, it is enough to feed them twice a day; they will get the rest of the food for themselves. | The reservoirs used by ducks quickly become polluted (there will be a large amount of droppings on the shore, and fluff and feathers in the water). |
| Ducks are clean. | During the cold season, the poultry house must be heated. |
| Duck meat is a source of microelements necessary for the body. It has a delicate taste. | - |
| Poultry farmers can sell duck eggs from the parent flock. After slaughter, you can sell not only the meat, but also down and feathers. | - |
Under unfavorable conditions for rearing, birds begin to gain weight worse, and adults may stop laying eggs. Organize suitable conditions maintenance is possible if you approach the issue of building a poultry house competently.
The room in which the poultry farmer plans to keep ducks should not be too large. In addition, it will be much easier to insulate a small poultry house in winter. A room with a front wall height of 1.8 m and a back wall height of 1 m is quite suitable for birds. If there is no ready-made house for ducks, then you can build one using these instructions.
If you follow all the established rules for raising ducks, you can get large, healthy ducks. Experienced farmers recommend that beginners turn their attention to duck breeding, because it is a profitable branch of poultry farming. You can read more about keeping ducks at home in.
Ducklings, the raising of which has its own characteristics and nuances, are usually bred either for breeding or for meat. Feeding them in the first days of life is very similar to feeding chickens at the same age. You can give crumbled yolk and various kinds of mash. Animal feed begins to be fed around the tenth day. This is usually fish or bone meal. Sometimes you can give young animals fresh fish. From the second week, boiled potatoes and greens are added to the diet.
Ducklings, the raising of which is not particularly difficult, should receive food in special troughs. Some poultry farmers use pallets or trays for this purpose. This is acceptable, but not recommended. The fact is that ducklings will climb into them and trample down the food. As for drinking bowls, they must be vacuum. They usually take the form of a bottle inverted over a saucer.
It is best to install drinking bowls away from feeders. Otherwise, ducklings, whose rearing has such a peculiarity that in the first week of life they are fed six times a day, and starting from the second - four times, will run up to the drinking bowl after each peck, simultaneously washing off the remaining food from their beaks. As soon as the young animals turn one month old, it will be possible to switch to three to four meals a day.
Ducklings raised with dry feed mixtures and mash grow up healthy and strong. If possible, it is necessary to organize a walk. Ducklings are not released into the water until the down is replaced by feathers. This is the case if the young animals are raised without a duck. If the female herself hatches the eggs and raises the babies, the formation of thermoregulation occurs much faster in them. Therefore, they can start swimming with her without harm to themselves already on the fifth day of life.
Day-old ducklings up to two or three weeks of age are kept on deep, periodically changed bedding; when using electric brooder houses, dry straw is used as bedding; sawdust, shavings, sphagnum (moss) peat. The best bedding is dry peat moss, which contains almost 10 times its weight in moisture. Initially, the litter is laid in a layer of at least 10 cm, and then new litter is periodically added so that it is dry and not very dirty. The air temperature in the brooder house during the first week is maintained at 20-22’C, and directly under the brooders 28-30’C. After this, the air temperature in the room is reduced to 16-18’C and maintained at this level until the end of cultivation. In the southern regions of the country in the summer, starting from about three weeks of age, ducklings can be kept in open fenced areas with hard surfaces. In the center of such a site, feeders or a mechanized feed distribution line are installed. At a distance of approximately 3 m from the stern line to the edges of the site, manure collection trenches are arranged, covered with a metal grate, under which drinkers are placed.
Feedlots open areas be sure to be equipped with canopies to protect the young animals from the sun and rain. The density of birds on the site is up to 5-6 birds. per 1 m2.
From three or four weeks of age, young animals are kept in fattening houses.
Ducks have an increased sensitivity to lack of oxygen and they require a greater flow of fresh air into the room (3-4 times more than chickens). Therefore, the room where they are kept must be well ventilated.
However, such increased ventilation should not create drafts and reduce the optimal air temperature for ducklings of a particular age. Ducklings do not tolerate high air humidity well, so it should not exceed 70-75%.
Duration of lighting: in the first week around the clock, in the second week 16-18 hours, from the third week until slaughter for meat 10 hours. The lighting intensity for the first three to four weeks is 17-20 lux, subsequently it can be reduced to 7-10 lux.
Ducklings can be raised without bedding in chicken cages. Compared to floor-keeping, ducklings in cages grow 10-15% faster. When reared in two phases, the stocking density of ducklings up to 15-20 days of age is 30-40 heads, subsequently 10-15 heads per 1 m of cage floor. Young animals are selected for each cage, aligned in growth and development.
Replacement young animals up to 7-8 weeks of age are kept on litter or a combined floor of 30% metal grid and 70% litter. The cell size of the mesh floor is 20x20 or 30x30 mm. The floors in poultry houses are concrete. When kept in standard poultry houses, mechanized equipment such as KRU-3.5 or KRU-8 is used. Upon reaching the specified age, replacement young stock are transferred to acclimatization poultry houses. For every 100% of hens replaced, 115% of females are selected, and for every 100% of adult drakes replaced, 130% of replacement males are selected. When kept in acclimatizers, the normal bird stocking density for local bird populations is 3.5 birds/m2 and for heavy crosses 3.0 birds/m2. The specific front is fed or watered - at least 3 cm. At the age of 21-22 weeks, the young animals are transferred to poultry houses for adult birds. The duration of daylight in poultry houses is 8 hours, the illumination at the level of feeders and drinkers is 30 lux. The air temperature is 14 C, the relative humidity is in the range of 65-75%. IN transition period During the year, relative humidity is allowed to increase to 85%, and in winter - to decrease to 50%. During the warm period of the year, the air temperature in poultry houses is allowed up to 26 C and for a short time (no more than 4 hours a day) - up to 33’C. The minimum amount of fresh air supplied to the poultry house is 0.6 m3/h in cold weather, and 5.0 m3/h per 1 kg of live weight of ducks in the warm season. The optimal speed of air movement in the poultry housing area is no more than 0.2 m/s in winter and 0.4 m/s in summer.
The maximum permissible concentration in the air of a poultry house for ducks is: carbon dioxide 0.2% by volume, ammonia 15 mg/m3, hydrogen sulfide 5 mg/m3. The noise level should not exceed 60 dB.
In areas with hot, dry climates, breeding houses should have hard-surfaced sunrooms with bathing grooves covering an area equal area poultry house The depth of the grooves is not less than 25 cm, the width of the upper part is not less than 80 cm, the angle of inclination of the side walls is not more than 36′.
When breeding ducks, Special attention You need to pay attention to what to feed day-old ducklings, as well as how to care for day-old ducklings. Most often, day-old ducklings, especially musky ones, cannot begin to eat on their own and because of this they have to be fed.
Therefore, they probably will not survive without food entering the body. To avoid this, you need to know how and what to feed day-old ducklings. First you need to drink light pink potassium permanganate in a solution using a pipette. Ducklings should start feeding on their own during the first three days. Next, it is recommended to continue feeding day-old ducklings by pouring mixed porridge and boiled eggs onto a dark sheet of cardboard.
Ducklings also need to be fed food containing minerals, such as chalk, limestone, eggshells, and shells. For the first time 15-10 days after birth, food based on minerals in combination 1g. for each duckling once a day, later at 2-6 months the amount increases to 7-11 g.
The most important condition Fruitful rearing of ducklings means efficient consumption of feed from the first days. Therefore, it is necessary, sparing no time and effort, to ensure that all babies begin to consume food and drink water immediately after they are brought home. Sometimes, if there are a large number of young animals, it is necessary to additionally use an assistant during feeding.
To attract their attention to the food, you should imitate the behavior of a duck, take the food with your fingers and, rubbing it, tap on the feeder. Such actions increase the chicks’ interest in food several times over.
Considering the fact that the feed passes through the entire digestive system young animals in 3 hours, ducklings need to be fed up to 8 times a day.
Drinkers are placed close to the feeders, but not closer than 3 cm. It is recommended to add ascorbic acid to the water at the rate of 1 teaspoon per liter of water at room temperature. This helps stimulate appetite and activate metabolism.
From the 6th to the 15th day, ducklings are fed less often, namely 6-5 times a day. Now you can give wet mash. They need to be mixed with yogurt or skim milk. You also need to make sure that the resulting composition is not sticky, doughy or too liquid. Such food will clog the ducklings' nasal openings and may lead to unpleasant consequences. The basis of mash is crushed grain or bran, and in warm time year, it is advisable to include greens and grass from the garden here.
But remember that greens can only be given from the 15th day of life and not earlier. Well-chopped nettle, vetch, kale, oats and peas are perfect as green fertilizer. And finally, it is advisable not to forget to add concentrates of vitamins D and A, as well as fish oil, to the mash from the 6th day. This will contribute to the rapid growth of the chicks and good weight gain.
Feeding
Most of the vitamins and minerals that one-month-old chicks need are found in green foods. Feeding ducks, like other birds, is not limited to them. Grains, vegetables and peelings, as well as leftovers from other food, are added to the bird's diet. And yet, ducks cannot do without green grass, since this is the most accessible and favorite food for them.
The diet of poultry must be balanced across all nutrients: calcium, phosphorus, sodium, fiber, crude protein and amino acids (lysine, methionine, tryptophan). Regarding feed, industrial enterprises feed ducks at a rate of 100 g per day.
Feeding ducklings usually always starts with green food. Or grazing them in a meadow, because it is there that they receive a huge amount of useful substances by eating grass. Ducklings love nettles very much. Very young chicks can be given finely chopped boiled eggs and green onions, low-fat cottage cheese is also added to their diet.
Already at the age of one month, birds must be fed mash (boiled root vegetables and grain). Adult ducks, swimming in reservoirs, obtain duckweed for themselves, which they eat with great pleasure. Fattening ducks is a very profitable business that does not require much hassle or expense. From them they get eggs, meat, down, and feathers. These products are highly valued in many markets.
Feeding ducklings must be 4-5 times a day. Birds are taught to free-range as early as two weeks of age. Released into open bodies of water: rivers, ponds, lakes, and meadows. But the little ducklings must be watched by their mother.
When kept freely, feeding can be 2-3 times a day.
Chalk, shells, etc. can be used as mineral supplements. This is necessary to maintain the health of ducks. Feed supply (g/day) per head for ducklings up to two months:
grain mixture – 15-50;
wheat – 20-30;
corn – 40-70;
millet – 8-19;
meat and bone meal – 5-6;
fish oil – 0.1-1;
fishmeal – 9-12;
chalk, shell - 1-5;
yeast – 4-6;
salt – 0.5-1.A dry shed with free access to grass is ideal for keeping ducks. These birds do not require special care. Therefore, ducks are raised not only by farmers, but also by ordinary summer residents. To feed them, special feeders and drinkers are needed. The first ones are small troughs, elongated in shape. And drinking bowls are usually made in the form of an inverted bottle on a saucer. There should be a small distance between them.
Until the down is replaced by feathers, it is not recommended to let ducks into the water. This applies to ducklings without a mother. If the duck is involved in raising the chicks, then they can be in the water from the fifth day of life. This is explained by the fact that thermoregulation develops in them earlier if they are with their mother. If small ducklings are surrounded by low temperatures, they will die from hypothermia. They should not be allowed to overheat. Birds at the age of 1 month are more tolerant of cold. Therefore, they can survive indoor temperatures of about 8 degrees.
Raising meat and breeding ducks. These birds do not have any particular differences in diet. If all the rules for feeding and keeping ducks are followed, then at the age of two to three months they can already be slaughtered. The meat will be of good taste and high in calories. It is recommended to slaughter the bird before it begins to molt. Because plucking will be very difficult due to the formation of stumps. Breeding ducks are formed by 5-6 months.
The most important advantage of breeding any type of poultry is its waste-free nature.
After all, not only meat and eggs benefit, but also their fluff; big money can be earned 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 excellent liver.
Let us focus on the necessary conditions for keeping these birds, their feeding, obtaining young offspring, their further cultivation and caring for it.
Of course, no matter how simple raising poultry may seem, there are still a number of conditions and responsibilities that the poultry farmer must comply with.
First, let's look at the advantages and disadvantages of raising domestic ducks. 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 matter.
If you first prepare all the necessary conditions for these birds, they will present you with a very large amount of their products. Almost everything is very gain weight well, without requiring abundant feeding - they are able to obtain most of their diet on their own (especially if there is a body of water nearby).
Duck meat has a range advantages:
Also, do not forget about the existence of special breeds of ducks that are raised exclusively to produce 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 a lot of money. You can also sell duck eggs, which are household also have significant value: they are large, very high in calories, with a hard shell. However, many people do not like their unusual smell, although in general it is easy to get used to.
Among the others advantages Breeding ducks at home should be called:
Although we listed the cage method of keeping ducks as an advantage above, it has a negative effect on productivity. After all, the most the best way breeding of these birds is the presence of natural ranges with ponds.
Without such conditions, meat breeds can begin to deposit large amounts of fat, which also affects the quality of their egg production.
Cellular content is believed to influence the quality of duck meat. In terms of nutrition, you will also have to fully comply with requirements such as quality, nutrition and freshness.
The duck room does not need to be very large. Firstly, the birds themselves do not require this, and secondly - than smaller room, the easier it is to heat or insulate it in winter.
An important role in this is played by the fact that ducks lead an exclusively “down-to-earth” way of life, they do not need high perches or special climbing perches like chickens or turkeys.
In this regard, it is quite enough to build a poultry house with a front wall of 1.8 meters and a back wall of only 1 meter. And the density of ducks per 1m2 can be quite high. In such an area there will be enough space for 3 individuals.
It is very important that there is plenty of bedding in the room during the cold season. It is not only capable of insulating a poultry house, but also helps birds hide and keep warm, and build a nest for themselves. There should be approximately 6 kilograms of bedding for one adult duck.
You can use hay or straw. When it becomes very warm outside, it is better to remove the bedding altogether: after all, in the summer the birds will sweat from the heat, dry grass will absorb moisture (sweat), dampness will develop in the house, followed by various diseases.
During the laying period of ducks, it is optimal to maintain the temperature at 18-20 ºС, which will have a very favorable effect on their activity. When keeping small ducklings that have just hatched from eggs, the temperature must be maintained at a level between 29-32 ºC.
Every week it gradually decreases to 20 ºС acceptable for adults.
The need to increase the temperature can be determined by the behavior of the birds. If they start constantly huddling together, eating less, losing weight, this means they are freezing. In this case, you should definitely insulate the house by any means.
When the heat is very high, birds will begin to breathe rapidly, they will walk with their wings spread out, and they will drink a lot. In this case, it will be necessary to improve ventilation.
Too much humidity has a negative impact on how birds gain weight and may also cause their feathers to fall out. At very high humidity The immunity of ducks is greatly reduced. Very sharp changes in the described indicator should also not be allowed; ducks are very sensitive to this.
In winter, artificial ventilation with warm air flow will be needed. And in hot weather, the birds will constantly be on walks or in enclosures, so they will have enough fresh air.
In particular, with its help it will be necessary to extend daylight hours in winter, extending it to 12 hours (additionally including in the morning and evening). It is worth starting to turn on the lights 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 time Abundant artificial lighting stimulates the sexual activity of drakes well, so daylight hours are extended by 2-3 hours.
The most the best option keeping ducks, and the best for both the birds themselves and their owners are free range near natural bodies of water. This is good for birds because they get access to almost natural habitats.
The pond will provide them with the necessary food - duckweed, various insects and small fish. Also, these birds simply love to cool off in the water on very hot days. The advantage of this method of maintenance is noted by the fact that such conditions stimulate very rapid growth of young animals and their entry into puberty.
Adults also gain weight much better, and the ducks do not even become obese, since they get the opportunity to move a lot.
Why is walking near water bodies beneficial for poultry farmers? Yes, if only because in the summer you won’t have to build special pens for the birds and bother with how to provide them with the necessary amount of clean water and food.
By the way, you can also save a lot on feed – almost 5 times. When walking naturally, the birds themselves select the necessary diet, which has a very good effect on the digestive processes. Also, in this case, there will be no need to build special canopies for the birds, under which they could hide from the hot sun.
Your only task is to release them from the house in the morning and drive them to a pond, and in the evening give them some food and close them back in the house.
If your yard is small and there are no ponds, then all the necessary conditions will have to be created artificially. The most important thing is to build something similar to a pool or a small pond that can be constantly cleaned and replenished with fresh water.
Ducks will definitely need to be provided with a large amount of natural food, especially duckweed.
The pen itself should be large enough so that the birds can walk freely without disturbing each other. Ideally, the pen will be placed right next to the exit of their house.
Best suited for ducks combined type diet, when it combines not only feed, but also greens, wet mash, and mineral components. This makes the food balanced and has a positive effect on the digestive process of birds.
You can directly include:
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, You shouldn’t put a lot of food in the feeders at one time, but exactly as much as the flock will be able to eat at one time.
Also, among all birds there are often one or two individuals that like to climb into the feeder with their feet, trampling down the food and not allowing other relatives to eat. Therefore, it is important to make something similar to a handle above the feeder that would prevent the ducks from getting inside.
A pond can also serve as a drinking bowl for these birds, but they also need to be installed in the living area.
It is best to choose wooden ones with narrow walls. It is ideal if the water flows into them, that is, it is constantly fresh. For small ducklings it is convenient to install vacuum drinkers.
Ducks can be bred without problems either naturally using brood hens or using an incubator.
Both of these methods are quite effective, however, when using an incubator, the ducklings will not have a mother and will have to be very carefully monitored and cared for.
But the advantage of an incubator is that it allows you to get the largest possible number of offspring.
After all, when a duck hatches eggs, the hatchability of the young will depend solely on the manifestation of its maternal instinct.
Also, the larger the brood of ducklings you want to get, the large quantity hens will have to be purchased.
Newly born ducklings are fed boiled and mashed eggs. On the third day you can add cottage cheese to it, and a day later various boiled porridges. From the fourth day you can already add greens and meat waste to the mixture.
In the second decade, the ducklings can already be given boiled potatoes, but they will also have to be chopped. It is best to provide ducklings with moist mash, which will be easier for them not only to swallow, but also to digest.
Little ducklings need to be taught to eat food from the very beginning. This problem becomes especially acute when young offspring are born using 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 are very crowded, the strongest will take food from the weaker ones, thus further slowing down their development.
They can be released for walking already on the fourth day of life. However, be careful that the ducklings do not get stuck anywhere, get lost, or get caught in the teeth of a dog or cat. Gradually get them used to water.
