How to properly raise ducks at home?

Duck is a fairly common poultry in a rural backyard. It can often be found in rural areas, especially if there is a body of water there. Ducks are raised for meat. By the age of one month, young animals weigh up to 2.5 kg. An adult drake weighs about 4 kg. In addition, ducks lay up to 120 eggs throughout the year.

In this article, we will talk about breeding and raising ducks at home for beginners. In addition, we will learn how to properly feed ducklings at home, what kind of mash, compound feed, what is their composition.

How to breed and raise ducklings for beginners?

Keeping ducks at home for beginners is not much different from raising chickens or geese. But, there are some nuances that should be considered when breeding this bird. You should definitely dwell on them in more detail. Including how long ducks live.

Raising and breeding ducklings hen

An interesting point is that duck eggs can be placed under a chicken or turkey, and they will hatch eggs, mistaking them for their own. But a duck or goose is unlikely to want to do the same with other people's eggs. So, any of three poultry is chosen as a brood hen - chicken, duck or turkey. Of course, it is better if it is a duck.

Up to 15 eggs are usually placed under the duck if the brood is planned to be obtained in the summer and up to 12 if in the spring. This is due to the ambient temperature. Naturally, more eggs are placed under the turkey, which is explained by its large size, and less under the chicken. The main thing is that all eggs in the clutch are under the hen in order to evenly heat them by the body of the hen.

For the hen, a wreath-shaped nest is made of straw so that the eggs do not roll in different directions. The hen will add the rest of the components (for example, feathers). On the bottom of the nest, if it is located on the floor, put sawdust and chaff.

Raising ducklings with a brood hen

It is best to make the nest on a small hill and away from direct sunlight, in the darkest part of the house. There is no need to artificially shade this place. If it seems uncomfortable to you, make an impromptu partition. This will separate one nest from the other and create a feeling of extra comfort.
The first brood is obtained as early as 27 days after the start of incubation.

All chicks should hatch in 1 to 2 days.So that the hen does not overwhelm them, the ducklings are taken to a separate box immediately after birth. To do this, you can take a cardboard box lined with straw and a floor. The normal temperature for them at this time is 30 degrees. Therefore, if the brood turned out in spring, take care of an additional source of heat.

Keep the box, crate or basket where the ducklings are kept dry.

After all the ducklings are born, they are returned to the hen - the duck. Better to do this in the evening. Make sure that the mother duck accepts them, as chicks especially need warmth during this period.

How can you raise ducklings in an incubator and how long does it take?

The main advantage of raising ducklings in an incubator is the ability to get a brood at any time convenient for you. In addition, there is no need to take care of the hen, and the incubator can be made with your own hands. Modern home incubators are equipped with temperature and humidity controls. Therefore, you just have to monitor the process, turn the eggs (if this is not provided automatically by the design of the incubator) and occasionally open the apparatus for their small short-term cooling and to remove the accumulated gases.

Before laying, the incubator is heated by setting the temperature 1-2 degrees higher than necessary for incubating eggs at the very beginning of the process. Besides, it is recommended to make high air humidity. For this, several trays of water are installed on the pallet.

Due to the fact that the shell of duck eggs is stronger than chicken and they are larger in size, somewhat different in chemical composition, the brood appears later.

Duck eggs need more care than chicken eggs and require high humidity for themselves.

In the first week after laying, the temperature in the incubator should be at 38 degrees (the first 3 days - 38.2, the next 4 - 37.8). Humidity is required to be kept at 60%. After two weeks of eggs in the incubator, it is worth opening the incubator door for 30 minutes twice a day, reducing the temperature to 32 degrees. Then the temperature regime is resumed.

Grown incubator ducks in the paddock

If you have an ovoscope, you need to check the eggs for embryos after 9-10 days. A sharp drop in air temperature must not be allowed. Chicks hatch on the 27-28th day within one or two days. Air humidity is maintained at 55%. After the chicks are dry, they are transferred to a box, basket, box, after putting dry sawdust, chaff, and straw on the bottom.

Install an additional heating source so that the ambient temperature at the litter level does not fall below 28 degrees and the air humidity up to 80%.

Proper maintenance and care

In the first 20 days of life, ducklings need increased attention in relation to compliance with the temperature regime. If they are near the duck, there is no need to worry about an additional source of heating - the duck itself is able to protect them from low temperatures. In the first week of life, the temperature should be maintained at the litter level of 27-30 degrees; in the second week - 23-26, in the third - 19-22. Then they get used to the natural air temperature.
As said before, the litter must be dry. Otherwise, the ducklings freeze and get sick.

The duration of daylight hours at the beginning of life should be at the level of 20 hours with a gradual decrease to 12 hours at the age of one month.

Ducklings with a duck are allowed to walk in the morning and afternoon after five days of age. In the evening, they are closed in a room with additional heating if the air temperature is below the above marks. And after three weeks of age, you can even leave them outside the room around the clock.

The presence of a reservoir is very good for raising ducklings. With an adult bird, they are released into the water after three weeks of life. Independently - after a month. You can keep ducklings in cages for the first two weeks. Then they are given more freedom.That is, partly to walk. Monthly young animals are transferred entirely to the content of the walk.

Duck keeping. Ducks outdoors behind a hedge

How to feed ducklings: compound feed, mash and vitamins with your own hands

Feeding ducklings at home for beginners is simple. Youngsters quickly get used to receiving food at the same time. Therefore, you do not have to teach them in addition to a specific diet. Ducklings grow and gain weight quickly. At the age of three weeks, he weighs about half a kilogram, after six weeks his weight is on average one and a half kilograms, and at 2.5 months he can already be slaughtered, since his weight reaches two and a half kilograms.

But it is better to slaughter them before the onset of frost, since in summer and autumn, the main diet of ducks is greens and everything that they themselves find on the pond. That is, you have to spend little on food.

Feeding in the first days of life

Feeding ducks at home in the first week occurs 6-8 times during the day. A schedule can be made so that the first feed is early in the morning and the last before dusk. Finely crumbled boiled eggs, low-fat cottage cheese, and other milk-based products are the main diet of ducklings during this period.
It is advisable to give food from narrow troughs, since wide dishes in the form of a brazier contribute to the fact that the ducklings simply trample the bulk of the food. Drinking bowls should not be placed next to food, as the latter quickly becomes wet and the water dirty.

The fact is that a duck is a waterfowl. At a very young age, she manifests an instinct to eat food, either in water, or to drink it directly after it enters the beak. Thus, if you put the drinker away from the food, the duckling, until it reaches the drinker after eating, will already swallow the bulk of it. In this way, clean water can be kept. By the way, it is recommended to dilute a little potassium permanganate in it, but in such a dosage that it cannot turn the water pink.

After five days, they begin to prepare mash for ducklings from the above products with the addition of ground corn and wheat skins.

As always, you need to ensure that the water in the drinkers is fresh and clean. This is important because dirty and stagnant water carries many diseases.

What food should be given to individuals from one to three weeks?

How to feed small ducks at home? After a week of life, the ducklings are accustomed to greens, because in the future it will become the main food in the diet of these birds. At this age, the duckling eats about 40 grams of various foods. Gradually reduces the proportion of boiled eggs and dairy products, replacing them with large portions of wheat and corn skins. The diet is supplemented with animal feed: fish and meat and bone meal.

By the age of two weeks, the duckling needs about 60 grams per head. By this period, boiled eggs, cottage cheese and other dairy products are completely excluded from the diet. More greens are given instead. Ideally, if it is duckweed. This bird eats it with pleasure in almost unlimited quantities. At the same time, intensive growth and mass gain begins.

It should not be forgotten that a growing duck eats significantly less. After 20 days of age, the ducklings are released into the pond together with the mother duck.

You can use "dry" feeding, in which the main diet will be purchased compound feed for ducklings. In this case, growing them will be more expensive, but ducklings grow faster.

The mash is cooked just before feeding the birds, as wet pre-cooked food will turn sour quickly.

How should ducks be fed from one month of age to slaughter?

How to feed ducks at home in a month? Grinding of various grain crops, millet, meat and bone and fish meal, shells, chalk, sunflower meal, fodder yeast and greens - these are the components that make up the diet of young animals during this period of life.

In addition, grazing them on a pond will diversify food and reduce the cost of maintenance by about 2 times. The total part of the grass in the diet is 40%, greens - 30%. If a duck has the ability to eat duckweed, then the component of greens in the diet increases by one and a half times.

Adult duck looking for food

How to keep adult ducks at home?

An adult duck (drake), depending on the breed, can weigh from three to four kilograms. The most common breeds of meat duck breeds.

• Beijing: grows and gains weight quickly, tolerates winter well. Two-month-old young animals have a live weight of about 2.5 kg. An adult duck - up to 3.5 kg, and a drake - up to 4 kg. Egg production - up to 110 eggs per year. The meat is delicious.
• Bashkir color: the meat is of excellent quality, it adapts well to new conditions of keeping, the fat content is low. Productivity is high.
• Black white-breasted: the weight of an adult duck is 3-3.5 kg, a drake is up to 4 kg. The meat is delicious. A distinctive feature of this breed is increased egg production - up to 130-140 eggs per year.
• Moscow White: the weight is the same as that of the black white-breasted. The meat is very tender and tasty. Egg production is high - up to 160 pieces per year.
• Gray Ukrainian: live weight of drakes is 3-3.5 kg. Weft - up to 3 kg. Egg production is very high and sometimes reaches 220 pieces per year.

Among the meat, egg and egg breeds, the following can be noted.

• Khaki Campbell - meat and egg breed of ducks. Differs in a calm character. Average egg weight - 75 g, egg production - up to 330 pieces. Drake weight - up to 3 kg, ducks - up to 2.5 kg.
• Indian runner - egg breed. It got its name from its high mobility. Egg production and weight similar to Khaki-Campbell. The meat tastes like chicken.

To decide on the choice of the breed, you need to decide for yourself for what purposes you undertake to breed them. Meat breeds weigh more, egg production is less, in meat-egg and egg breeds - on the contrary. White and French ducks are also good for growing.

The ducks are kept indoors or outdoors. In the first case, they should feed more intensively due to compound feed and low mobility of the bird.

The room should be well ventilated, moderately light and warm. An adult duck tolerates winter well, but it is better that the indoor temperature during this period does not drop below 5 degrees Celsius. For 1 sq. m of the area are bred 4 ducks.

Walking way for this bird is better. But it depends on the ability to do such a walk and the presence of a reservoir. In this case, it is better to split the livestock into small groups - 10-15 heads each, dividing them with low partitions. Of the reservoirs, shallow rivers and lakes are preferred. The walks are fenced off with a low fence. They can be made adjacent to the poultry houses so that the ducks can hide in a covered area if they wish.

Adult ducks on a walk by the pond

The feed is the same as for the young. Emphasis is placed on the grains of cereals and corn, with more corn in the composition. Do not give ducks bread crumb, which negatively affects the digestive system of the bird.

It is also forbidden to give not fresh mash. In general, if there is a suspicion about the quality of the feed, it is better to refrain from feeding it to the bird. Do not forget to give green mass or release it for walking in the pasture, if there is no reservoir nearby. If there are nearby rates or a lake - drive them there. On it, ducks will find the bulk of their food.

If you feed the ducks with non-purchased compound feed, then their composition may be as follows:

1. 40% of grains of a mixture of grain crops, of which at least half is corn;
2. 30% green mass;
3. 10% grain waste;
4. 7% cake and meal;
5. 7% animal feed;
6. 6% shells, chalk, feed yeast, vitamins, mineral supplements, etc.

It is very important to give vitamins to ducklings and adult ducks, especially in the autumn-winter and winter-spring periods, when there is not enough sunlight and there is no greenery at all. If it is problematic to buy vitamins, you can use brewer's yeast, which contain a lot of proteins, carbohydrates and fiber.

Breeding ducks is no big deal. The main thing at the initial stage of their cultivation is to be attentive to the feeding processes, to give balanced food and to find a place for them to walk and a reservoir for them. Then not only will your family have tender and tasty meat, but you will also be able to cover the costs of keeping this bird with interest by selling surplus products.

Keeping ducks on a personal plot is a very profitable business. More than 100 eggs and about 50 ducklings can be obtained from one individual per year. Of course, raising ducks for meat at home is a procedure that requires compliance with some rules. In particular, they need to be adhered to by those who decided to start breeding this bird in order to generate additional income. In the review, we will tell you what a novice businessman needs to know and how to create your own business.

Which breed to choose: Muscovy ducks

Of course, starting a business should be by choosing a variety of poultry. One of the reasons for the low popularity of duck meat on the market is its fat content. Therefore, in recent years, farmers are increasingly paying attention to such a breed as musky. The meat of these ducks is lean and at the same time juicy.

Red skin growths are located under or above the beak of individuals of the musk breed. Their plumage is usually white or black and white. Because of such an unusual appearance, the people of these birds were nicknamed Indo-women. The weight of an adult duck of this breed can reach 2.5 kg. Drakes grow bigger - up to 5 kg. This bird is ideal if you decide to do such a thing as raising ducks for meat at home. See a photo of a musk breed below.

Moscow whites

This fairly new breed was obtained by crossing Peking ducks with Hakikempbella. One of its distinctive features is its long head and wide beak. The mass of drakes of this breed can reach 4 kg, ducks - 3.5 kg. One of the undoubted advantages of Moscow white is delicious tender meat.

Ukrainian breed

These birds are also quite common in household plots. Their color can be gray, clay or white. The last option is the most common. The mass of Ukrainian drakes is on average 3.5 kg, ducks - 2.5 kg. Up to 220 eggs can be obtained from one hen per year.

What should be a poultry house

Of course, raising ducks for meat at home is possible only if there is a fairly spacious barn. The poultry house can be frame, cobbled, stone, etc. The floor in the barn is best done with stone or brick. Small animals - ferrets, mice, rats, etc. - can harm ducks very easily. Before laying bricks, the soil in the house must be carefully compacted.

A soft bedding is arranged over the hard floor. It can be made from hay, straw or sawdust. You can also cover the floor in the shed with dry sand. It is imperative to arrange manholes in the duckhouse above the floor itself. They are necessary so that the bird can freely enter and leave the barn.

In the duckhouse, you need to install feeders, drinkers and nests. A small fenced enclosure is arranged next to it. Here you also need to put a couple of drinkers and a feeder. The former can be made from buckets (not galvanized) by digging them into the ground. Special troughs are usually installed as feeders. It is important to choose the right sizes. One head should have about 10 cm of the perimeter of the side. Drinkers should be deep enough for the bird to flush the nasal openings.

The dimensions of the barn are determined based on the fact that 2-3 ducks should have about one square meter of space.

Nests

Farmers wondering how to raise ducks for meat at home should also be aware of what the nests of this bird should be.Duck eggs lay slightly less than chickens. However, of course, it is necessary to provide special places for masonry in the barn. Ducks nests are rather large - 50x50x35. They are ordinary boxes with a straw bottom.

Basic rules of content

Of course, those who decide to start breeding this bird as a business need to be aware of how to care for it. First of all, it should be borne in mind that raising ducks for meat at home is a procedure that without fail requires compliance with the regime. The productivity of the bird directly depends on this. Usually in households, the following method is practiced:

• In the morning, the bird is released into the reservoir. You can open the duck house no earlier than 10 o'clock. Birds usually lay eggs in the morning.
• After 5-6 hours, the ducks are driven into the paddock for feeding.
• Then they are released back to the reservoir.
• In the evening before going to bed, the troughs are again filled with food.

At night, the bird is driven into the barn. Soon the ducks get used to this routine and they themselves come from the reservoir to the poultry house at the time of feeding.

Slaughter

Raising ducks for meat as a business is quite profitable. During the season, if desired, you can grow 3-4 broods. The whole summer, ducks are not kept like chickens. They are usually slaughtered before the first juvenile molt - at 50-60 days of age. The carcasses of such ducks have a marketable appearance, since there are no hemp on them. There is one more reason for such an early slaughter - purely economic. The fact is that up to two months of age, the amount of feed consumed per individual during a month is only about 2.5-5.5 kg, depending on the age of the bird. Individuals older, on the other hand, begin to eat a lot, gaining fat. By 3-5 months. ducks should be given up to 20-25 kg of feed. Two month old ducklings weigh about two kilograms, six month old - 4 kg. Therefore, keep ducks for more than 2.5-3 months. impractical.

All summer long, the same brood can be kept only if the farm is located on the banks of a large reservoir, where the ducks can get themselves a sufficient amount of food on their own. However, even in this case, many owners of such a business prefer to slaughter the poultry earlier. In large ducks, the meat is usually too fatty.

Raising ducks for meat at home: feeding

As already mentioned, this bird is usually given food twice a day. In the morning, you can feed with concentrated feed (crushed). In the evening they give mash. The latter can consist of fresh grass, root vegetables, vegetables, etc. You can also use kitchen waste, whey, meat and bone or fish meal, mineral additives, etc.

The share of cereals and mealy in the diet of ducks should be about 80%. The remaining 20% ​​are damp mash and various additives.

How to get ducklings

The question of how to raise ducks for meat comes down to, among other things, how you can get your own young. These birds are not as good as chickens. However, some individuals do sit on eggs. A way out can be found even if not a single duck does this. Very often eggs are simply placed under the chickens. The young duck are hatched just a few days later than the chickens.

The chicken will take care of the babies. But young animals brought up by a grouse are usually not allowed to enter the pond. The sight of floating "chickens" severely traumatizes the psyche of the hen. In any case, it is impossible to launch babies into a pond, if they are raised without a duck, until their fluff comes off and real plumage appears. The fact is that very small chicks do not have subcutaneous fat. Therefore, they can just catch a cold.

Sometimes ducklings are also obtained in incubators. In this case, it will be somewhat more difficult to feed them. But it's worth trying. When laying eggs in an incubator, you need to be prepared for the fact that not all of them will hatch chicks. The yield of young animals in any case (under duck, chicken or in an incubator) is usually no more than 50%.The fact is that there are no antibacterial substances in the protein of duck eggs. As a result, many embryos die during the developmental stage.

Ducklings care

Of course, the young of this bird, like any other, need to be provided with optimal conditions for growth and development. Immediately after hatching, ducklings are usually brought into a warm room and kept for several days at a temperature of at least 20-25 grams. However, it would be better to put them in boxes or cages (20-25 pieces per 1m2), with heating up to at least +30 gr. This air temperature can be achieved using conventional incandescent bulbs. They are installed in the cage lattices. After three weeks, the ducklings are seated in different enclosures in such a way that there are no more than 12 of them per square meter. By the same time, the temperature is reduced to 16-18 grams. (gradually). Lighting for newborns is arranged around the clock. By three weeks of age, it should be about 16 hours long.

How to raise ducks for meat. What to feed the chicks

The diet of newly hatched ducklings usually includes boiled eggs and very finely crushed oatmeal. From the second - third day of life, cottage cheese is included in the diet, and from 5-6 - finely chopped greens and aquatic vegetation (in a ratio of about 0.5x1). From ten days of age, potatoes and finely chopped root vegetables can already be added to the ducklings' mash.

At first, babies are given food 6-8 times a day. Starting from the 10th day and up to one month of age, the number of feedings is reduced to 5-6, then - to 2-4 times a day.

Keeping ducks in winter

By private owners, the cultivation of ducks for meat in the country is practiced most often only in the summer. Farmers who breed this bird to sell carcasses usually keep it in winter. During this time of year, certain rules must be followed for successful cultivation.

In winter they feed the bird not two, but at least three times a day. In the morning and in the afternoon they give mash, in the evening - grain. Ducks tolerate cold weather quite well. However, it is impossible to allow the air temperature in the house to fall below 5 degrees. You should also protect the ducks from drafts. If the litter in the barn is damp, they will have a decrease in egg production. Therefore, dry hay or sawdust should be periodically sprinkled on the floor in the house. In this case, putrefactive processes with the release of heat will begin to occur in the lower layers.

An ice hole can be made in the duck bathing pond in winter. The complexity of its equipment lies primarily in the fact that in order to prevent the bird from falling under the ice, its edges will have to be fenced off with a net. But you can keep ducks in the cold season and without swimming.

In order for the ducks to fly better, additional lighting should be arranged in the house. Light bulbs turn on in the mornings and evenings. They will not reduce the egg production of ducks in winter only if there is lighting for at least 14 hours a day.

What should be a pond

Sometimes this bird is also kept overland (in cages or aviaries). It is this method that is practiced in the event that ducks are reared for meat in an industrial environment. But for small farms, free range is still considered more preferable. The reservoir intended for this bird should have a fairly large area and shallow depth. Ducks dive very well and can get food from the bottom up to 1 m. It is not recommended to arrange very deep reservoirs on the site. In this case, duck droppings, sinking to the bottom - where the layers of water do not mix - begins to rot with the release of methane. As a result, the lake "blooms". In flowing ponds, the stocking density of ducks can be significantly reduced.

Useful Tips

And finally, we will give several recommendations that may be useful to novice business poultry breeders:

• The daily routine for ducks should be followed without fail. Otherwise, the bird will reduce productivity.
• Do not move ducks to another room when the laying period begins.Otherwise, the bird may begin to molt. At the same time, duck eggs will cease to be laid.
• This bird is very shy. Therefore, you need to handle it carefully.

As you can see, raising ducks for meat at home is not particularly difficult. The main thing is to arrange a comfortable barn for the bird, develop a diet correctly and observe the regime. In this case, you can get tens of kilograms of delicious, environmentally friendly and expensive duck meat per season.

When breeding ducks, you need to figure out in advance how and what to feed your poultry. If a poultry farmer buys eggs for hatching in an incubator, or takes day-old chicks, he should additionally figure out how to raise ducklings at home, what to feed?

How to raise ducklings at home, what to feed?

Feeding and caring for adults

A well-formed diet is essential for good weight gain, improved egg production and prevention of poultry disease. Every day, ducks should eat:

• cereals;
• vegetables;
• succulent herbs;
• sand;
• animal feed;
• seashells;
• chalk.

Organization of feeding ducks

Females and males are given:

• chopped corn, legumes, crushed barley, oats, wheat;
• meal and cake obtained from oil plants;
• potato waste;
• beet cake;
• bran;
• aquatic plants (elodia, duckweed);
• juicy greens: cut clover, peas, young nettles, alfalfa;
• combined silage (juicy herbs, pumpkin, beets, carrots are used for cooking);
• grated vegetables;
• fish and meat and bone meal;
• dairy products.

The diet will depend on the season and the purpose for which the bird is grown. The menu for laying hens is significantly different from the menu for ducks, which are fattened for meat or left to the parent flock.

It should not be too hot in the house during the summer.

But it is necessary to monitor not only that the food is complete and balanced. It is important to understand the conditions for keeping poultry. The house should be warm during the cold season and cool during the summer heat. The egg production of females directly depends on temperature, and the duration of daylight hours also affects it. The number of eggs laid is significantly reduced if the females are kept in damp and dirty rooms.

In the poultry house, a bedding about 30 cm thick is made on the floor. For its preparation in the summer, straw, peat, wood chips, sedge are harvested and dried well.

Keeping ducks with chicks

Ducks need space to walk: it is desirable that the birds have the opportunity to swim in bodies of water. In the absence of such conditions on the ground, containers with water are installed in which they will swim. An aviary for birds is necessary not only in the summer, but also in the winter. In the cold, ducks are taken out for a walk in areas cleared of snow. Frosting of the paws can be prevented by covering the ground with a dense layer of straw.

Duck with ducklings for a walk

During the period of walking on the street, poultry farmers clean and ventilate the poultry house. Compliance with the requirements for care and feeding allows you to maintain a healthy duck flock, to ensure good weight gain and excellent productivity. If the poultry farmer decided to start fattening ducks for meat, then it is important to draw up the menu correctly from the first day of the ducks' life.

How to compose a diet for ducklings?

First of all, the poultry farmer must decide what exactly he wants to feed the emerging brood. It is allowed to use granulated feed or a complete mixture from the first days of life.

Newborns need protein foods. They are given:

• boiled eggs;
• fat-free cottage cheese;
• other fermented milk products.

On the first day, the chicks are soldered with a manganese solution or mild antibiotics. This is done to prevent mass deaths from common infections and to increase defenses.

Feeding chicks

Poultry farmers should understand that chicks purchased from a poultry farm will not eat normal homemade food well. It is better for them to give compound feed, otherwise it will not be possible to quickly fatten such ducklings for meat. Chicks that were bred at home, especially those kept with a brooding duck, are given standard homemade food from day one.

When drawing up the menu, it is necessary to take into account the following nuances when feeding at home:

• during the first 6 days, food is given up to 8 times a day;
• from 7 to 15 days, the number of feedings is reduced to 6;
• from 16 to 30 - reduced to 5;
• from 31 to 4.

When feeding with a special balanced compound feed, it is not recommended to give vitamin and mineral supplements separately. The feed is poured so that it always remains in the trough after a meal. This will be a guarantee that the young are eating their fill. Separately put in containers sand, crushed shell, fine gravel, chalk.

Chalk feed

In the first 2-3 days, the farmer makes sure that there are no hungry chicks left. Otherwise, the death of young animals from hunger cannot be avoided. Individuals that do not eat on their own have to be force-fed. Initially, a weak solution of manganese is instilled with a pipette. A crushed egg is poured near the place where the starving birds are sitting.

Important! If the ducklings do not start to eat on their own, then experts advise poultry farmers to dilute the yolk with milk to a mushy state. The resulting mixture is fed to hungry babies through a pipette. Usually, once is enough for the ducklings to start feeding on their own.

From day 3 (some even recommend doing this from day 2), the chicks begin to be fed with mash made from green onions, corn or semolina. They also add a boiled egg.

Feed mix

Some experts recommend starting to add green food from 3-4 days, others advise to wait until two weeks of age. At the beginning, greens should be about 10-15% of the total amount of food. In this case, you should monitor the bowel movements. With diarrhea, the menu is revised.

By the age of two weeks, the diet expands. Chicks are fed with what adults do. The only difference is the amount of feed.

But it is not necessary to prepare your own formula for feeding. Many people go the other way: they buy ready-made compound feed. It contains all the required trace elements and vitamins. Some compound feeds contain antibiotics and medicines intended for the prevention of many diseases.

Compound feed for birds

With a mixed diet, it is allowed to pour a mash three times a day, and in the evening - mixed feed. Herbs, grated vegetables, fruits are added between feedings. Weeds plucked from the garden are used as juicy forages.

Experienced poultry farmers recommend feeding newborns with nipple drinkers. This will prevent stagnant water. But small containers of water should be placed separately: they are needed to wash the beaks.

Drinking bowls for ducklings

When feeding at home, it is recommended to add vitamin complexes to food. They give fish oil, concentrates of vitamins A and D. Purchased mineral supplements are replaced with ground shells and chalk. An unbalanced diet and a lack of vitamins leads to poor weight gain and the appearance of diseases.

Fish fat

Common mistakes

Knowing about the need to add animal feed and grain production waste to the diet, some breeders begin to give large quantities of fish or bread. But fish is added to the feed not earlier than 5 days of life, and it is better to wait with bread. It provokes fermentation in the stomach and can even lead to the death of young animals.

Bread provokes fermentation in the stomach of young animals

Some novice poultry farmers do not properly prepare mash. They should not be pasty, too runny or sticky. When eating such mixtures, the nasal openings of the chicks can be clogged, and this is fraught with the appearance of unpleasant consequences.

You can avoid mistakes if you know how to properly expand the diet, figure out when and what to feed young ducks.

Feeding chicks of different ages

If you feed the ducklings with compound feed, then there are no questions. It is enough to figure out how much you need to pour on each head.

1. At the age of 1 to 10 days, 25 g of compound feed is enough.
2. Ducklings aged 11-20 days are given about 70 g.
3. Chicks aged 21 to 30 days are supposed to pour 110 grams.

The process of feeding the young

But many farmers are interested in the peculiarities of making homemade feed. The optimal composition of the feed mixture for ducklings is shown in the table.

Boiled eggs (up to 3 days of age)	3	—	—	—
Juicy greens (finely chopped) in summer	15	50	90	90
Cottage cheese	3	—	—	—
Duckweed	—	15	—	—
Silo (in winter)	—	10	20	20
Food waste	—	15	40	50
Boiled potatoes	—	10	40	60-80
Wheat bran	5	10	30	40
Milled cereals (barley, corn, oats)	2	40	55	80-100
Curtains and cake of oil crops	1	3	7	15-20
Grain waste (shit)	—	20	30	50
Yeast	0,2	0,3	1	1
Chalk (seashells)	1	2	4	6
Bone, fish meal	0,5	1,2	4	6
Salt	—	0,2	0,4	1
Fine gravel	—	0,5	1	1
Skim milk	5	15	20	—

Weight gain indicates proper feeding. So, by 10 days healthy ducklings should weigh 200, by 20 - 500, and by 30 - 800 grams. Fattening for meat lasts only 2-2.5 months. Grown-up individuals weighing 2 kg or more are slaughtered. But for a good set, not only proper feeding is important, but also caring for the bird.

Features of breeding and raising ducklings at home for beginners

Having received offspring from eggs or bought day old ducklings, you should figure out how they need to be kept. The main requirement is to provide heat. If the chicks are kept in a box or basin, then a bedding should be made on the floor (you can put a piece of cloth or a disposable diaper). An incandescent lamp is hung from above so that the young cannot reach it. If the ducklings get cold, they will clump together under the light bulb.

Ducklings in a brooder

In the first 5 days, it is necessary to maintain the temperature at the level of 26-28 ° C, from 6 to 11 days, 22-26 ° C is enough, and by the 20th day it can be reduced to 18 ° C. Monthly birds can live at a temperature of 16 ° C.

From two weeks of age, ducklings can be bathed. They are not immediately released onto open reservoirs, they are placed in a container with heated water in which they will swim. But with long swims, the chicks can get overcooled and get wet. Therefore, the farmer is closely monitoring the bathing time.

Features of keeping young ducks

But you should not worry about the kids who are with the hen. The duck itself provides them with the necessary heating and leads them to swim from the 3rd day of life. The hen lubricates the wards with fat, which prevents them from getting wet. But it is advisable for the poultry farmer to ensure that only hatched babies are in the water for no more than half an hour.

Video - How to raise healthy ducklings

Poultry farmers should know the peculiarities of growing poultry on free land and water ranges.

Fattening and keeping on free grazing without reservoirs

In the summer, many people practice fattening birds for meat on land. On the fenced off site, special sheds are installed for young animals. Novice poultry breeders should understand the recommended size of fences: the fence should be at least 1 meter high.

Important! For overland maintenance, a good water supply is required. Water must be available at any time of the day. If there is no water, then appetite worsens, the rate of weight gain decreases.

It is also necessary to ensure that the ducklings have the opportunity to hide from the scorching rays. In the absence of natural shade (for example, from trees), special shelters are made. Experienced poultry farmers advise doing double walks - from the north and south sides. This allows the young to find the coolest places for themselves.

Container for washing beaks and bathing

Particular attention is paid to the cleanliness and dryness of the places of detention. Even in a rainy season, birds are not allowed to have wet bedding or get dirty in the mud.Otherwise, there will be podoprevny feathers on the chest at the time of slaughter.

Proper installation of the drinkers helps to ensure dryness. It is better to place them behind the net so that the birds have to pull their heads through the holes. This will prevent water from splashing around where you are walking.

Drinker placement option

Free-range ducklings are fed at least 4 times. They are advised to sprinkle mash with whey or yogurt. Also, separate containers should always contain shells, small gravel. The menu for chicks in free overland housing does not differ from the menu for chicks who have access to swimming ponds.

Fattening and keeping on free grazing with a pond

Experienced poultry farmers recommend providing access to water bodies for ducklings in the summer. But water enclosures should be fenced 50 cm above the water level and 70 cm down. The underwater fencing is necessary so that the ducks do not have the opportunity to dive in and swim away. They build fences from metal nets, slats, or even fishing nets.

The size of overland and water walks is approximately the same. Sheds are placed on the land side. Their length and width are determined based on the number of birds kept.

Mash for ducklings

In the area where streams flow, walks are organized near them. You can fence off plots and put fences on either side of the stream. Thus, double walking is formed. But feeders are placed on one bank, the other side is intended for birds to rest.

As in the case of overland keeping, grown ducks are fed 3 times with mash. Grain is poured into the evening feeding. Intensive feeding and proper keeping conditions allow them to be slaughtered for meat at the age of 50-70 days.

Feeding meat ducks at home

From the first days of life, ducklings should be properly fed. With a competent approach, they gain at least 2 kg of weight in 2 months. Young animals at the age of 2-3 months are distinguished by excellent taste characteristics, so most of the grown ducklings are slaughtered.

Fattening ducks

In the early days, the chicks are given protein foods: boiled eggs, cottage cheese. Poultry farmers need to check the freshness of the food, because the digestive system of young animals is sensitive.

Low fat cottage cheese is a good source of protein for ducks

To fatten the flock, they adhere to the standard ration for young animals. An approximate diet of young ducks, which are raised for meat, is shown in the table.

Juicy greens	20-40 (depending on age)
Barley (crushed grains)	Up to 20
Shredded corn	Up to 20
Grain waste	Up to 25
Wheat bran	Up to 20
Meat and fish meal	Up to 15
Chalk, shell	Up to 1

When breeding ducks, you need to figure out in advance how and what to feed your poultry.

When breeding ducks, you need to figure out in advance how and what to feed your poultry.

Read also: Indoor meat breed Indoor meat breeds are becoming increasingly popular among poultry farmers. The peculiarities of this breed allow both experienced farmers and novice bird breeders to breed it.

For each kilogram of live weight gain, it is necessary to feed about 4 kg of feed.

Attention! The older the ducks get, the more fresh greens are included in their diet. If at the age of 1.5 months, juicy green fodder gives no more than 30%, then by 2 months of age their number increases to 40%.

Duck mash

The preparation of mash is considered mandatory (with the exception of those cases when the bird is fed with a balanced compound feed). They are given twice a day: on the first morning feed and in the afternoon. For the preparation of wet mash, the following components are taken:

• corn, wheat, pea, barley groats in equal amounts;
• reverse, whey or yogurt.

Read also: Broiler ducks Breeding broiler ducks is one of the most affordable and simple ways to increase the profitability of your farm. An overview of the varieties of ducks, feeding, care, building a duck house with your own hands and arranging it.

But many do not stop there, adding zucchini, pumpkin, boiled small potatoes, carrots, cabbage and other root vegetables to the mash. This has a positive effect on the state of health, because the body of birds is saturated with vitamins and the young quickly gain weight. You can speed up the set if you pour crushed grains in the evening feeding. It is a high-energy food that contains protein.

Boiled potatoes

In the hottest period, the feeding regime is changed. In the heat, birds lose their appetite, they stop eating normally. The situation can be corrected by pouring food into the feeders before dawn (around 3 a.m.), the last feeding is carried out at dusk. Wet mash can be poured in the evening: the birds will eat them at night. This provides excellent weight gain.

Duck grain

On a note! Feeding begins 2 weeks before the planned date of slaughter. The wefts are restrained in movement. At the same time, the amount of protein food is increased in the diet: peas are added in large quantities, and cottage cheese is added again. The amount of food is increased in the last week, with special emphasis on feeding mash and boiled potatoes. Such a diet contributes to the intense formation of body fat.

Domestic ducks are not picky. They can be given any feed, the main thing is to monitor their freshness. Experienced poultry farmers say this is a profitable business. Young animals rarely get sick and gain weight in record time.

Many aspiring farmers find poultry breeding a challenging process. But in fact, there is nothing complicated about it. This is especially true of ducks, which are considered the most hardy representatives of poultry. Because of this, they are very popular, but nevertheless, certain difficulties can arise when growing them. How to raise ducks at home? For novice farmers, this article will be of some benefit.

general information

Many experienced poultry farmers advise novice colleagues to start raising ducks. This choice is quite justified. These birds completely unpretentious and undemanding, they can be kept in a small area, they do not require long walks. With proper care and maintenance, they can endow the breeder with a large amount of their products.

How to raise ducks at home? There are a few basic things to know:

All of these listed items should be considered in more detail.

Room preparation

Ducklings should be placed in small box... They will live there for the first two weeks. Such a box should have high walls so that the chicks cannot get out of there. Also, you should make small holes for ventilation. The box must be insulated using an incandescent lamp for this. The bottom must be covered with plastic wrap or oilcloth, and a dense layer of hay or sawdust is poured on top. You need to change the bedding every day.

For grown bird required paddock or converted barn... Such a room must meet certain requirements.

The height of the walls must be at least one meter. As for the area, five juveniles or three adult birds should be placed per 1 square meter. To protect the house from precipitation or rodents, it is recommended to raise the floor by 25 cm. It is also necessary to provide for ventilation, light and insulation of the room. The floor should be covered with hay or sheeting.

The room must be installed drinkers and feeders... Moreover, you need to make sure that the birds cannot turn them over. You may also need:

• spare lamps;
• heating pads;
• first aid kit.

The poultry farmer must be ready for the cold, the appearance of diseases, and a reduction in daylight hours.

Choice of young

Keeping ducks provides for the right breed for this. Before purchasing chicks, you need to pay attention to the following points:

• healthy appetite;
• smooth legs without any defects;
• clean ass, no diarrhea;
• dense and uniform down;
• lack of turbidity and dragging on the eyes;
• noisiness, curiosity and mobility.

If the chick does not meet at least one of these listed criteria, then you should not purchase it.

Also, you should decide on the choice of breed. If the purpose of growing is getting meatthen it is best to purchase blue or white Peking ducks... They are the most unpretentious and very easy to care for. This breed is characterized by a large weight - about 3-4 kg.

If the goal is getting eggsthen it is best to purchase indian runners... Their weight rarely exceeds 2 kg, but egg production is at the proper level. They are capable of producing about 200 eggs per season. To enhance their performance, Indian runners are often crossed with meat breeds such as Peking Ducks.

Maintenance and care of ducks

Although such birds are unpretentious in care, this does not mean that it is enough for them to add food every day and this is where all the work ends. In order for pets to grow and develop normally, they need to create comfortable conditions.

Feeding and hygiene

The maintenance and care of ducks includes proper nutrition... Thanks to this, their immunity is strengthened, the size and egg production increase, and the meat becomes very tasty.

The following components must be included in the diet of ducks:

• wet mash;
• mineral supplements;
• green food;
• compound feed.

The last point should be considered in more detail, since compound feed is the basis of every duck's nutrition, containing proteins, fats and carbohydrates. To prepare it, you will need following ingredients:

• barley;
• seashells;
• premix;
• powdered milk;
• salt;
• fish or meat and bone meal;
• fat;
• sunflower meal;
• corn;
• wheat.

They should be mixed in a large container and then served to the ducks. Feed rate per day - 200 - 300 g per head. If you give more of it, then the bird will overeat and its meat will be too fat.

In winter and early spring the duck needs to be fed 3 times a day. Wet mash should be given in the morning and at lunchtime, and compound feed in the evening. Summer, when poultry feeds on ranges, feeding during the day is canceled and transferred to two meals a day.

When raising ducks in a pen, you need to keep it clean. The litter should be changed every day, otherwise parasites and diseases quickly start there, which almost instantly spread to the bird. If you keep ducks without bedding, then they begin to freeze very much, especially on cold nights.

Temperature regime

Not many novice farmers know what is the best temperature for raising ducks. In winter, it should not drop below + 5 ... +7 degrees, and ideally is 7-14 degrees. In summer, the room temperature is considered the norm, but it should not exceed + 30 ... +35 degrees.

How can a novice poultry farmer determine if the birds are too hot or cold if thermometers or other meters are missing? You need to look at them behavior... If they huddle together and flock, then they are frozen. But if they have rapid breathing, they begin to spread their wings and drink a lot, then the birds are too hot.

These problems are solved as follows. If they are cold, then the room needs to be insulated, a warm mat should be laid and provided with warm water. If it's hot, then additional ventilation should be done in the pen.It is also necessary to install additional drinking bowls with water, thanks to which a normal level of air humidity will be maintained in the room.

Breeding ducks at home for beginners

Breeding birds is closely related to keeping and raising birds, but there are several points that need to be considered in more detail.

Nest

It is necessary to start by equipping a nest for duck and ducklings. The width and height of the structure should be 50 cm. Such a nest is made in the calculation for three hens... To make it convenient for the bird to climb inside, a nut with a height of 6 - 8 cm is made at the entrance. In the nest, the duck should be in comfortable conditions. It needs to be provided with light, warmth, access to food and water, and most importantly, complete peace.

Incubator

Ducks are not bad brooders, but with natural incubation, some of the chicks are necessarily lost. To minimize these losses, you can purchase a professional incubator, which is a box of arbitrary sizes, which is well insulated and has internal lighting. Eggs are laid in it, from which ducklings hatch after a while.

Formation of the parent herd

For the parent flock, healthy birds of the same age and weight should be selected, without any physical defects. There should be one male for 5 - 8 females.

Selection principles:

• birds should be 5 months old;
• the optimal weight for males is 3.3 kg, for females - 3 kg;
• birds should be energetic and mobile;
• you need to choose ducklings with a powerful bone and a well-developed body;
• there should be no hybrid individuals among them;
• the chicks should have already passed the first molt.

Good egg production is maintained for 3-4 years, after which the females need to be changed.

Maintenance of the parent flock

In order for duck breeding at home to be effective, they should ensure optimal conditions of detention:

• daylight hours should last at least 16 hours;
• you need to walk them after 10 o'clock in the morning;
• the diet should be varied with mineral supplements;
• you need to create a calm environment for the birds, exclude too bright light and extraneous sounds;
• the litter in the nests needs to be changed every day;
• the temperature in the room should be + 18… +20 degrees.

Under poor conditions, birds may stop rushing. It will take a lot of time to restore normal egg production.

Breeding young

Chicks are taken out two ways - with the help of natural incubation and incubator. In any case, the owner of the duck herd should choose.

Before placing eggs under the duck, a bird is identified that is ready for incubation. It is not difficult to find it: the future hen spends quite a long time in the nest, scoops up the straw with its paws and beak, and also pulls out the fluff and uses it to warm the box. There should be no more than 20 eggs per female.

Incubation nests should be much deeper than normal nests. They should be located in a calm, dark place so that the female is not afraid of loud sounds.

If there are several hens, then they should be fenced off from each other with thin wooden partitions. Indoor ducklings, with proper incubation, appear after 35 days, and Peking duck chicks - after 28 days.

When the ducklings hatch, they are taken away from the brooding duck because it may accidentally crush some of the babies. As soon as the babies are completely dry, you need to start selecting. Since not all hatched chicks are viable, the task of the farmer is to identify sick individuals and destroy them.

Healthy ducklings should have uniformly colored down, soft belly, shiny convex eyes and wings pressed to the body. It is these chicks that will develop quickly and correctly.

Thus, raising and breeding ducks at home is an exciting and not burdensome occupation.You will have to spend only on the equipment of the poultry house, as well as on the space for walking. With proper care, you can make a good income from selling duck meat.