Store shelves today tend to be full of poultry meat, with 80% of such products being chicken. This is not surprising, because growing chickens is very beneficial for businessmen, and the purchase of such products is available to consumers. However, cheap chicken meat quickly becomes boring, and often customers want diversity. And dilute the boring table is quite capable of duck meat.
You can start killing your ducks after 9 or 10 weeks. Usually, but week 10, they are quite thick, but you will need to determine this, having carefully studied your ducks. It makes no sense to kill at this age, if they do not have enough meat on their bones. However, one more thing to think about that at this time your ducks will start shedding. No matter how much you feed them after this period, they did not gain much weight and any weight they gain will be made very slowly.
If you allow your ducks to simply feed without additional feeding, your ducks will take much longer than 9 or 10 weeks to gain weight for slaughter. Another factor for growing ducks and choosing a duck breed will be based on how much space you can offer your ducks. If space is a premium, you should look at more small breedssuch as Elizabeth ducks or black oriental Indian ducks.
Ducks - the kind of bird that was domesticated one of the first. In addition to delicious red meat from ducks, you can get small eggs of different colors, which can also be used in cooking.
For beginning farmers and businessmen, a pleasant surprise will be that duck breeding is a matter that does not require a huge amount of knowledge and skills, but at the same time is one of the ones along with or from.
They are also best bought as a pair, as lonely domestic females often fly in the spring to find a mate. It is much more reasonable to buy them as ducklings. When they grow up in familiar surroundings, they are less likely to fly away as adults. However, if you can come to terms with this, then the benefits of having there in your veggie patch, which contains worm worms, caterpillars, slugs and snails, far outweigh the small damage to yours, having them there. In addition, they will leave behind their manure, which contains a large amount of nutrients and nitrogen, which are returned to the soil.
Breeding ducks at home for beginners
Anyone can breed ducks in his farm. This is also available to beginners who do not yet have their own farms. All that is required is a small start-up capital and strict adherence to instructions and advice.
Choice of breed
To choose the right breed for you, first of all you should pay attention to what you would like from your farm. Domestic ducks differ in the degree of egg production and meat quality. Most often, in the farmsteads bred musk ducks (or indoutok) and Beijing. Peking duck meat is fat, which may seem like a minus for those who love lean meat. Both breeds of ducks are distinguished by the least whimsicalness, and food for them does not cost too much.
Ducks will also go to food in the orchard, which is also good, because any fruit flies that may think about laying eggs will soon hunt your resident ducks. You can also feed your diet with chopped tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs and earthworms.
However, the food for food is not enough for the duck, if you want it to be a good layer and be a fat bird for your table. You will need to feed your birds twice a day; in the early morning and late afternoon. It may consist of corn, wheat, barley and flaky oats. From time to time, add spinach and leafy greens to your diet if they don't get it from your veggie patch.
Tip: for breeding ducks, you can purchase a pair of adult birds, and several ducklings for breeding. And in fact, and in another case, there are pluses. If you buy adult couples, you can gain experience in caring for them. Buying ducklings will result in less expense for you, but it is worth considering that you need special care for them.
Roasted bread can also be given as occasional. Make sure they have enough water to swim and play, and, where possible, clean it once a week and refill clear water. Dipping an old plastic mollusk sandbox that your kids grow is one way to recycle and provide water for several ducks.
However, any pond built for your ducks should be designed in such a way that all ducks and ducklings can easily crawl out. Therefore, the sloping sand plate slightly allows ducks to safely get out. If the ducks can't get out of the pond you created, they get tired of trying to get out and actually drown.
Choice of room
Whatever breed you choose, the requirements are about the same. The most important requirement is that the room should be warm in winter and in summer. Specially heated it is not required, but it is important that at night the birds do not remain outside. In principle, an old shed can be used as a bird house, insulating it properly, but it would be better to build a new one from scratch from logs, which can then be shifted by tow.
Drinking water for ducks should be provided at all times and kept clean. Ducks like to insert all their bills into water to drink, so the water should be at least 4 inches deep for adult ducks and at least 12 inches across. House ducks should be strong, well-ventilated, but not cross-cutting. It must be waterproof, and the hole must be turned from the prevailing weather. Litter should be placed on the floor and removed once a month and included in the compost pile. Inserts can be placed so that they can be opened from the outside, which is very convenient for those who collect eggs.
Under no circumstances should the flooring of the house be directly on the ground. This decision is fraught with frostbite paws of birds. The floor should rise above the ground by about 20-40 centimeters. In addition, such a floor will be a barrier to penetration into the room of rodents. Having executed a floor from a tree, provide it with a laying. For this fit dry straw, hay, peat or sawdust.
It is necessary to include in the business plan of a duck farm
Unlike chickens, your ducks do not need perches. Sometimes, raising ducks, they will get sick, although they are calm and the diseases are rather unusual. Big time problems arise when water is allowed to stagnate, when they are fed rotten food waste, have not received a proper diet, have been improperly dosed for treatment with worms, or have been bitten by snakes or bitten by bees, wasps, spiders or ants.
To keep your ducks from getting worms, add a small amount of Condi crystals to your duck's drinking water once a week. The crystals cut out the duck's gut, preventing any parasites from sticking to it. Another great addition is a cabbage or two cider vinegar. However, if you add cider vinegar to water, make sure that the water is in a plastic container, not a metal one, since the vinegar will cause the metal container to leach. A small amount of garlic given to your ducks from time to time is also a prophylactic against worms and parasites.
In addition to warm walls and the floor, duck egg production is also affected by the presence of light in the house. Therefore, in any case have to make a small window. Best of all, if the window can be opened and closed. In the summer it can be very hot indoors, and in the winter, on the contrary, it is cold. The temperature should not be less than 5 degrees Celsius.
Walking is essential for poultry. First, in a close room, it can die, and secondly, it needs fresh air and sunlight to provide the body with vitamin D. Therefore, a special pen should be added to the house using wooden sticks, boards, beams and metal mesh. Ducks will need to have free access from the premises to the street and back.
Your birds should be placed in sanitary conditions that are well ventilated, but not drafted. They should be released from the duck house every day. They should be cleaned weekly. Like all birds, they can also be susceptible to ticks and worms, and should be treated accordingly. Any serious illness must be accompanied by your local veterinarian.
Raising ducks is a rewarding experience, and if you are in permaculture, they are a vital player in the ecology of your farm. They eat snails, slugs and other nasty bugs in your veggie garden without destroying your greens. In addition, they provide great for enriching your soil. Depending on the breed, you will be regularly supplied with flour of duck eggs, and one or two birds will decorate your dining table from time to time.
Inventory selection
Of course, like any other bird, ducks will need troughs and drinkers. You can make the feeder yourself using wooden boards. All that is required is to make a small oblong trough, which will be stable both on the wooden floor and on the ground. To prevent the ducks from climbing into the trough with their paws and the risk of its turning over to zero, it is worth setting a special restrictive bar over it.
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Ducks need a lot of water to drink. Therefore, the drinker should be installed large enough. The daily rate of water for an adult individual is about 500-700 milliliters. To make or choose a drinker follows from the calculation of the number of birds. Water should be constantly changed to clean.
Duck sockets also need to be installed and adjusted manually. As a frame, you can use wooden boxes from under glass containers or construct them yourself, which will be quite simple to do. You can make them out of tesa and plywood. Straw or soft dry hay should be placed inside the box. The installation of the finished nest must be carried out in the darkest and most peaceful place in the house and ensure free access to it for both the bird and itself for collecting eggs. The diameter of the nest should be approximately 40-50 centimeters, in addition, it is necessary to install a special threshold to 10 centimeters to it. One such nest will be enough for three birds, for 6 ducks you will need, respectively, two nests and so on.
Duck rearing is a terrific experience! They are cute and bring a lot of fun into the yard. However, ducks are unique creatures. Many people think that raising ducks and chickens is one in one. In a sense, they are similar. However, there are serious differences. Understanding ducks and their needs is what you need to understand before jumping with them.
Beijing come as my most recommended breed for ducks in the backyard. They are great for many reasons. First, they are such big ducks that they are too heavy to fly. Therefore, you can allow them to move freely around your yard, because their average weight is about 10 pounds.
How to choose a bird on the tribe?
When the winter season begins for the birds, it is time for the last selection of young animals for the tribe. It is necessary to choose individuals according to the following criteria:
- Good plumage;
- Approximately the same mass in selected herd;
- There should be about eight females per drake;
- In a selected herd there should only be individuals of pure breed without hybrids;
- Healthy, mobile bird.
Maintenance and care of selected herd
A selective herd in the future should make a herd of parents, because it is important that it is healthy and capable of breeding. The most important factor, especially in winter, is a clean, warm and covered floor. The litter must also be constantly changed, and the flock must be cleaned. At night, the bird should be provided with complete rest, then the laying of eggs will take place in the right mode and without problems. If the weather is warm outside, the bird will spend more time there, which means that there is a reason to install several nests near their permanent habitat so that eggs do not occur directly on the ground. The bird’s health should be continuously monitored and preventive procedures should be carried out from time to time.
Being so heavy you don’t have to worry about trying to fly south in winter. Peking ducks are big feeders, as well as a very friendly duck. They are an excellent source of meat because of their size, as well as excellent layers of large white eggs. It is noted that if you want to raise the Beijing ducks, this usually requires an artificial adjustment, because chickens are not good setters.
Our female Beijing was a great setter. They are smaller in size but have limited flight. It is important to find a breed that is limited in flight, because otherwise it is difficult to keep them at home. They are marked as large layers, as well as large white eggs. However, these ducks are also noted as a more loose breed compared to Beijing's mustache.
Duck feed
Balanced nutrition is just as important for ducks as it is for humans. Choosing and preparing food for them should be based on their usual diet in natural environment. Food at home can be grain (millet, wheat, oats, barley, corn), animals (dairy and fish products), fruit (fruits of vegetables and fruits), or the bird can be fed with compound feed. In pet stores and veterinary pharmacies, you can take mineral complexes and additives.
As stated in their name, it is khaki. The color of their legs varies by sex. Males have orange legs, and females have brown legs. If you have normal dog, you have to keep the ducks from her. Keeping the ducks fenced is a wise option due to hawks and other birds of prey. Placing them in a fenced backyard or even placing fences around their area should keep them safe.
Hawks are not easy to focus on how to pull the animal out of a small fenced area. They cannot work as a helicopter, so if you have a fence that prevents them from “attacking” down, then it adds protection to your ducks. Ducks do not require or want a fancy house.
Tip: if your bird lives near a reservoir, fish products are not necessary for it. With mineral and vitamin supplements, too, be careful. After all, the selected food may already contain all the necessary elements.
Incubation and incubation of eggs in a natural way
As a rule, eggs that are not older than eight days of age from healthy, full-fledged birds are selected for incubation. Before laying under the duck or in the egg incubator, you should check for damage and shape defects.
In fact, the more they run through the house, the happier they seem. Because ducks are waterproof, they like to be as wet as possible. Giving them a house where they can keep some moisture in their house and have a lot of air flow seems to please them.
Video - Avtopoilka for poultry
People who never raised ducks could assume that they need water to have them. Ducks do not require water other than drinking. Even for this, fill the 5 gallon bucket with fresh water every day and they will be very happy! Although ducks do not require water for swimming in order to survive, they love water.
For offspring of eggs are used as natural conditions, and artificially created by the incubator. It is believed that a live duck hatches ducklings better than a device, but in practice both technologies are used.
Musk and mongrel ducks are endowed with a more pronounced maternal instinct, and the broods of them are better than those of Peking ones. To choose a hen, it is enough to determine the duck, which itself prepares for incubation. As a rule, such an individual stands out from the general herd, tries to beautify the nest and spends a lot of time in it. When she remains permanently in the nest, she can lay extra eggs up to 15-20 pieces. It is important that the torso of the bird covers them completely.
They love to swim and will swim all day in a plastic pool for children! They can badly spoil their food and spend a lot if certain steps are not taken to prevent it. The most important thing to do is to keep your food and water separate.
They love to play in the water, and they love to eat so of course they are going to try and mix them! Ducks make fodder, so they will eat all the weeds and any other plants that you offer them. Here you need to feed them inexpensively. Corn will make them much thicker, so if you plan to use them for meat, be careful how much corn you feed them.
So that the duck does not have to go out of the nest, it is important to locate it in a place inaccessible to other individuals, and to prepare a drinking trough and a feeding trough next to it. Every hour the bird will turn the eggs so that the embryo develops correctly, and the shell is slightly erased for easier removal.
A good incubator will be a worthy replacement for a live hen. In such a device must be present temperature controller, accurate thermometer, good ventilation and a uniform supply of oxygen. At the initial stage, it is necessary to maintain a temperature of about 38 degrees Celsius, and in the subsequent period non-critical temperature fluctuations are possible. By the twentieth day, as a rule, the embryo begins feeding on egg stocks, so it is important at this time not to expose it to overheating for normal development and metabolism.
Ducks are a gardener's best friend! They will patrol your plants for all the bugs that may be trying to eat them. They are great for pulling bugs from plants without harming a real plant. The only word of caution is not to allow your ducks in your garden until the plants pass the seedling stage. Ducks tend to step on small plants and kill them.
Ducks are great for growing as a source of meat, especially Peking ducks. They can grow to 10 pounds in 3-4 months. It does not take long to have a viable source of meat. They are excellent feeders, so they help feed themselves to pack weight.
Regardless of the conditions in which the offspring was obtained, it will be important to select it for quality. A healthy duck should have a soft, non-bleeding belly, uniform plumage, wings pressed to the body and brilliant bulging eyes.
How to grow young?
After brood, the stage of care for young individuals begins. At first, the ducklings must be kept in a small warm room, the temperature of which should not be below 22 degrees. For this, a wooden box is quite suitable. cardboard box. It can be equipped with a conventional light bulb to provide light and heat. But here you need to be careful and do not allow overheating of the offspring.
If the original content of ducklings passes without a duck, they will have to learn to eat on their own. From the first day they can eat only boiled chicken or duck egg, which should be grated on a fine grater. To teach them to eat, you will need a lot of time and patience. To reduce the cost of these resources, you can get away with cunning: pouring food directly on the backs of ducklings. Moving white pieces of food will attract their attention, and they will gradually peck them up. When the young growth becomes stronger and the first wings instead of the previous fluff begin to appear, the cottage cheese, chopped grass, corn grits and further special food for young individuals can be introduced into the diet. At this point, the temperature of the content can be lowered to 20 degrees, and later transferred to a new, more spacious room. After reaching the age of 3 weeks, ducklings can be accustomed to swimming in the water. Breeding ducks for meat lasts no more than 60 days from the time of hatching.
Tip: if the maintenance of chicks is performed next to the mother, the task of primary education for the farmer is simplified. If separately from it, then at the first stage it is impossible to miss the moment when you need to teach the ducklings to eat and drink. If you let it go, the young will die in a couple of days.
Breeding ducks as a business - where to start and how to succeed?
Typically, farmers breed ducks for their own farm, but over time they begin to conduct business on the basis of their farm. And it can bring good returns. Of course, experienced owners are much easier to build their own business on breeding ducks, because they will only have to take a few steps to achieve the goal and further earnings. Those who want to initially build a business on breeding ducks from scratch will have to work several times more.
Regardless of whether you are going to use it or want to open your own, the first thing you need is a business plan.
Tip: If you are an experienced entrepreneur, then you will not be difficult to draw up a business plan yourself, but if you are a beginner not only in the field of breeding ducks, but also in business, then you should contact the experts. In addition, a professional will give you a picture of the profitability of your undertaking and give you some tips on your activities.
Since the business will be built on the breeding of poultry, you will certainly need veterinary examinations and continued support of veterinary clinics. In addition, if you officially register your activities, then you need to think about the general standards of SES, imposed on farmers.
Even if you passed all the checks, registered your activities and received all the documents, you should not relax. Order in business and on the farm must be maintained constantly, as well as the quality of the habitat of your ducks and their health must be monitored. In particular, poultry houses must be cleaned and disinfected on time. Thus, you will achieve the absence of unnecessary checks and low-quality products of its production.
Constantly observing all the rules and instructions, it is easy to succeed in agriculture and business. When your duck breeding business at home begins to generate a good income, you will have the opportunity to expand the scale of production or invest in a new project. For example, you can equip.
Today in agriculture you can find a huge number of profitable business ideas. In particular, a very profitable business is the breeding of ducks at home. At first, it is important to strictly follow the instructions, notes and advice of experienced farmers. After all, without having practical knowledge and experience, it is impossible to build a farm or production aimed at receiving direct income.
Breeding ducks - one of the least troublesome (compared to the content of other poultry) ways to provide the family with delicious nourishing meat, and in some cases also earn good money. The demand for duck has always been high due to the high nutritional qualities of meat, and duck liver is considered a delicacy. There are other advantages to keeping ducks: duck down is in demand as a natural filler for outerwear, blankets and pillows, and the dung of these birds is used as fertilizer.
Due to the specific taste, duck eggs are not eaten, but they will be useful in incubating chickens. Boiled duck eggs mixed with cottage cheese - an excellent food for young.
The profitability of keeping ducks depends on the choice of breed. All of them are divided into three types:
- meat;
- meat-egg;
- egg.
For home breeding preferably breeds of meat direction, i.e. those that are characterized by rapid weight gain. The following are common in Russia: meat breeds weft:
- beijing;
- black and white;
- moscow white.
Peking ducks the most unpretentious in the diet, they consume almost everything, ranging from algae and ending with tripe. Females of the Peking duck gain weight up to 3.5 kg, drakes - 4. This breed belongs to the early maturity: the young grow up to a bottomhole weight very quickly. Peking ducks are very hardy: they do not get sick when cold weather comes and are resistant to the main avian viruses. The minus of the breed can be attributed to their "talkativeness": the birds react violently to any noise on the farmstead with a deafening grunt.
Black white-breasted - a hybrid, bred specifically for breeding conditions middle band. The female weighs 3.6-3.6 kg, drake - 4 or more. Black white breads are valued for fatty and very tender meat. Duck breed Moscow White also has a high taste, besides it is quite large birds: males gain weight up to 4.5 kg, and sometimes up to 5.
Requirements for the room
Ducks are not as demanding as pheasants or quail, but minimal amenities are required. Under the house you can convert any utility room, as long as it is dry, well ventilated and sufficiently lit. If you plan to keep a small (up to 10 heads) herds, you can equip a duck pen in a room where other poultry or cattle are kept. If a separate room is being constructed for the Utyatnik, then it is advisable to choose a place on the south side, on a small hill. The ground under the duck should be dry, not flooded by groundwater: although ducks belong to waterfowl, they do not like to live in a swamp. In the pen with bare log walls, the ducks will be uncomfortable, it is advisable to warm them with foam plastic or sheets of plywood.
When building a house, they are guided by the number of birds in the herd. Per 1 sq.m. the area can accommodate no more than three adults. In addition, it is necessary to provide a place for feeders and drinkers (in the calculation of + 1.5-2 square meters to the area).
Video - Birdhouse from the greenhouse. Keeping ducks in winter
Nest arrangement
Unlike chickens, ducks do not need perches, they can be kept on the floor. The need for nests depends on the method of breeding ducks. If you keep “seasonal” livestock under the face, then it is not necessary to equip the individual nests, it is enough to provide the birds with a good bedding, but when keeping laying hens they are needed. At the same time it is not necessary to allocate one for each head: the nests should be half as large as the layers.
Under the nests you can adapt wooden boxes or pallets or independently knock them out of plywood. Recommended dimensions of the "seats":
- width - 60-70 cm;
- height - 25 cm;
- threshold height - 7-10 cm.
If parts of boxes are used as nests, they should be separated by partitions. Putting nests right next to it is impossible - the ducks will pinch each other. Place the places for layers along the wall, opposite the feeders. Placing nests in front of the entrance is undesirable - ducks do not like to be "in sight" when they lay eggs. Nests fill the litter, which change as pollution.
Choice of litter
The main requirement that is imposed on the litter for the duckling is good moisture absorption. Dampness and moisture affect duck plumage: their feathers ruffle, losing their heat-saving properties. As a result, the birds get cold and start to hurt. Best suited to keep the room dry deep litter, which provides for the regular addition of fresh material over the already compacted. In the cold season, the deep litter is changed 2-3 times a month, in the warm one, when the birds are on the walking part of the day - 1-2 times. The frequency of changing litter depends on the material used (sawdust, straw, peat).
Peat bedding is considered the most convenient: the absorbing properties of peat are twice as high as that of sawdust, and three times that of straw. Another advantage of peat flooring is that it absorbs ammonia odor well, which occurs during the disintegration of bird excrement.
The density of the litter depends on the temperature outside the window. In summer and spring, you can pour less litter, in the cold months it is better not to save. The thickness of the flooring in the cold season should be at least 25-30 cm, in the warm months - up to 20. The average consumption per 1 adult duck per season:
- sawdust - 12 kg;
- peat - 12-15 kg;
- hay, straw - 16 kg.
In winter, the consumption of litter material increases, because it is necessary to lay out not only a duckling, but also a paddock, so that the birds do not freeze their paws.
In order to extend the life of the deep litter, it must be regularly agitated, not allowing the scum to form at the top. The litter that has begun to dampen can be saved by adding slaked lime (0.5 kg per square meter) to it, and pouring a new layer thicker over it.
The deep bedding laid in compliance with all the rules is an additional source of heat in winter and autumn. In its upper layers, the temperature is maintained at 12–17 ° C, and in deep layers - up to 28 ° C.
Heating and ventilation
Most meat and meat-egg breeds ducks normally tolerate lower temperatures, but cold in the room affects weight gain. You can heat the paddock with a stove or electric stoves. In case of furnace heating, the furnace should be separated by a heat-resistant partition. With an external temperature of up to -5 ° C, they heat the stove once every 2 days, with more severe frosts, the stove will have to be fired daily. Ducks do not need “tropics” - it is enough that in winter the temperature in the room does not fall below -5 ° C. For convenience of control temperature conditions It is desirable to hang a thermometer on the wall.
For heating the house with electricity on the wall at a height of 2 m. LED lamps of the blue spectrum with a power of 50 W are mounted. To provide desired temperature in the pen for 10 heads 5 such lamps are enough.
A separate ventilation system in the duckling is not needed. It is important that there are no drafts in the room, so if possible the windows should be as high as possible. It is desirable that the window could open in two positions: completely and for airing. Slots near windows and doors should be caulked carefully. When keeping livestock on a deep non-replaceable bedding, daily ventilation of the room is necessary. In winter, they do it while walking the birds. At the end of the airing it is necessary to bring the temperature in the room to the desired level by turning on the stove or LED lamps.
Feeders and drinkers
The design of the "dishes" for ducks used for wet mash must be as simple as possible so that it is easy not only to fill it with food, but also to clean it. The optimal format of duck trough - trough, divided into sections. The height of the walls of the trough should be sufficient so that the birds could not get into it with their feet.
For dry feeds, bulk feeders mounted to the wall are well suited. Bunker models that provide feed dosage will also be a convenient option. There are also automatic feeders that help consume the most economical feed, but they are more expensive than others.
Birds should have access to water around the clock, so along with feeding troughs in the pen for keeping the ducks should be drinking bowls. They can be made from improvised or buy ready-made. The most convenient are nipple drinkers, providing automatic water supply. Buckets or coasters as drinkers are not suitable, because Birds can climb there and turn over.
If ordinary (non-nipple or vacuum) drinkers are used, water should be changed in them at least 2 times a day. It is necessary to ensure that the bottom of the tank does not overgrow algae. Every 1-2 weeks it is desirable to disinfect the drinkers with a solution of potassium permanganate.
Video - Avtopoilka for poultry
Diet
Despite the unpretentiousness of the ducks in the diet should be properly formed their diet to achieve good indicators of weight gain. The main types of feed consumed by domestic ducks include:
- Cereals (corn, wheat, oats, barley, legumes). Cereals - the base of the duck diet, they guarantee stable growth and development of birds.
- Green mass (clover, alfalfa). In the warm season, chopped green mixtures are an affordable way to provide livestock with vitamins.
- Algae (ryast, elodeya). They contain special proteins necessary for the formation of immunity.
- Vegetables (pumpkin, cabbage, carrots, zucchini). As well as green mixtures, are sources of vitamins. Vegetables in a grated form are added to wet mashes.
| Feed Type | Picture | In winter (g / day for 1 head) | Summer (g / day for 1 head) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 120 | 130 | ||
| 30 | 30 | ||
| Green food |
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