How to raise ducklings at home how to feed?

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;
• a piece of 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 make 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 breeders should understand that chicks purchased from a poultry farm will not eat well regular home feed. 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 advised 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 buying 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 keeps a close eye on 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 the rainy season, birds are not allowed to have wet bedding or get dirty in the mud. Otherwise, at the time of slaughter, there will be podoprevnye feathers on the chest.

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 splashing water in the area 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 rationed. 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 balanced compound feed). They are given twice a day: on the first morning feeding 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 slaughter date. 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.

Raising ducklings is an interesting and not too troublesome activity, which can bring good benefits at the same time.

Ducks are unpretentious, so it's not difficult to create comfortable conditions for the chicks and provide them with suitable food, the main thing is to know how to do it.

Types of feed for young animals

Correct and balanced nutrition is the most important condition for the health and rapid growth of ducklings. The following are used as feed for young animals:

• grain - corn, wheat, oats, barley;
• legumes - usually peas are used;
• animal products such as cottage cheese;
• waste from the table;
• greens - dandelion, clover, carrot or beet tops;
• special compound feed developed for feeding chicks.

It is very convenient to use compound feed, all you need to do is choose a mixture in accordance with the age of the bird and give it to young animals several times a day. However, farmers who raise ducks at home usually prefer to prepare their own feed using the products mentioned above.

In this case, grains, which are a valuable source of carbohydrates, should make up the bulk of the diet. In the daily diet, up to 50% can be taken by corn, which is very suitable for feeding ducklings.

Barley, whose kernels have a poorly digestible shell, must be soaked for at least 10 hours before feeding it to the bird. The same goes for oats, most of which also have a hard skin.

Supplements and vitamins

It is impossible to achieve high productivity of the flock if the poultry does not have enough minerals and vitamins in the diet. In order for the ducklings' nutrition to be complete, it is necessary either to very carefully select their diet, making it varied and including a large amount of greens in it, or to use various vitamin complexes.

Also of great importance are mineral supplements - meat and bone and fish meal, shell, chalk, coarse sand, table salt.

Chick feeding rules

When growing duck young, feeding is normalized according to three age groups:

• up to 10 days;
• from 10 days to 1 month;
• after 1 month.

Feeding ducklings in the first 10 days

In the first days of life, hatched chicks need to be fed often - every two hours... The first serving can be given as soon as the babies are dry. As feed for chicks up to one and a half weeks old, use:

• finely chopped hard-boiled eggs - they can be given from the first day;
• greens and wet mash, which are added from the third day of life;
• from the fourth to fifth day, you can include animal products and mineral supplements in the diet of ducklings - low-fat cottage cheese, milk, meat and fish meal, chalk and shell.

For the manufacture of wet mash for fattening ducklings in the first 10 days of life, it is better to use corn, ground cereal grains, oilcakes and bran.

Diet of ducklings aged 10 days to 1 month

At this time, the nutrition of the young should provide him with good health and activate the growth processes. Here is an example of a balanced diet for ducklings under 1 month of age:

• corn - about 50%;
• waste from sunflower processing - 20%;
• wheat - about 13%;
• fish meal - 7%;
• feed yeast - about 5%;
• herbal flour - 4%;
• feed fat - 0.5%;
• feed chalk 0.5%.

After 1 month

After reaching the age of 1 month, it is necessary to ensure rapid weight gain.Based on this, a diet is selected, for feeding you can use the following formula:

• corn - 45%;
• cake - 17%;
• wheat - 13%;
• barley - 8%;
• feed yeast - 5%;
• fish meal - 4%;
• feed fat - 1.5%;
• meat and bone meal - 1.5%.

It is very important that ducklings at this age spend a lot of time in the pasture, where they will nibble fresh greens.

Diet for chicks of meat breeds

Ducklings raised for meat require more protein to gain weight as quickly as possible.

The diet must be selected so that proteins are at least 20% - this is the main difference in the nutrition of such a bird.

In this case, the same feeds that are used when raising other ducks are suitable - grain, herbs and animal products. In terms of time, feeding lasts up to 2.5 months - keeping meat breeds longer is impractical.

Feeding ducks for meat

When two weeks remain before slaughter, the bird is transferred to a special diet:

• grain - 100 g per day;
• greens - 80 g;
• cereals and grain waste - 40 g;
• bran - 40 g;
• meal and cake - 20 g;
• shells - 6 g;
• gravel - 2 g;
• meat and bone meal - 3 g;
• feed yeast - 1 g;
• salt - 1 g

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How to raise chicks

In order for the ducklings to be strong and healthy and gain weight quickly, in addition to proper nutrition, it is necessary to create comfortable living conditions for them. To do this, you need to equip the poultry house and make a pasture for walking.

Arrangement of premises

The room in which the ducklings are raised must be heated. This is especially important in the first two weeks of the chicks' life. They also need a lot of light, so lamps need to be installed. For babies to be comfortable, the lighting should not be too bright.

Light bulbs with a capacity of 60 watts work well and should be hung in the house at a height of about two meters. One square meter of the room requires 5 watts of power, using this formula it is easy to calculate the required number of lamps.

It is also necessary to arrange a deep bedding. It is this method of floor preparation that is usually used when raising ducklings in a household environment, while a mesh floor is used in poultry farms. To create it, you can use:

• wood shavings;
• straw;
• crushed corn rods.

First, lime fluff is poured onto the floor in the amount of 600 grams per 1 square meter, after which the litter is laid, the thickness of which should be at least 6 centimeters.

To feed the ducklings food, it is convenient to use trough feeders. If trays are used for this, the bird will trample the feed, making it unusable.

How to make a drinker for ducklings with your own hands

The bird should always have access to drinking water, so, last but not least, you need to take care of a good drinker. It can be made from a plastic plumbing pipe of a suitable diameter. This requires:

• cut rectangular holes along the entire length of the pipe;
• close one end of the pipe with a plug;
• on the other end, install a plastic elbow with a 90-degree angle.

At this, the drinking bowl is ready, it remains only to fix it motionlessly so that the hole of the plastic elbow looks up - fresh water will be poured through it. To install the drinker in the pasture, it is enough to stick four wooden or metal rods into the ground.

Pasture

In addition to the house for the ducklings, it is necessary to prepare a good pasture. For this, the area on the south side of the farm, which receives the most light, is best suited. It must be fenced off with a net and divided into several sections.

It is good if there is a reservoir on this territory, in this case the ducklings will independently find up to 50% of the food in it, and this will significantly reduce costs.

Keeping ducklings

For the ducklings to feel comfortable, not sick and gain weight quickly, it is very important to maintain an optimal temperature:

• in the first week of life - 30 degrees;
• the second week - 20 degrees;
• starting from the third week, the temperature can be reduced to 15 degrees.

It is possible to determine how comfortable the temperature is for ducklings not only by the thermometer. If they gather in piles and squeak strongly, the room is not warmed up enough. When the temperature rises too much, the chicks breathe with their beaks wide open and drink a lot.

Until the ducklings reach one week of age, the duration of daylight hours should be about 20 hours, subsequently it is gradually reduced to 15 hours. Low lighting is left at night - about 2 watts per square meter of area.

To prevent the bird from getting sick, it is necessary to constantly sanitize the room where it is kept. It should be washed with hot water and disinfected once a week. For disinfection, formalin or creolin solutions are suitable.

If you create optimal conditions for ducklings and provide a full-fledged balanced diet, they will quickly gain weight, and the likelihood of diseases in the herd will be minimized. Ducks are quite unpretentious and do not require a lot of money and time, and even a novice farmer can provide them with a good level of comfort, which will contribute to rapid growth and weight gain.

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 hush them up, 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 over (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 accumulated gases.

Before laying, the incubator is heated, 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 drop 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, you should not 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 one month of age.

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 growth is 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 three weeks of age, 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 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, begin to prepare mash for ducklings from the above products with the addition of ground corn and wheat skins.

As always, care must be taken to keep the water in the drinkers 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 the surplus of products.

Saving a wild duckling from hunger: feeding and caring for a chick

Wild ducks do not need special housing conditions. They do not need to be fed any specific food.

No additional heating of the house is needed, there is no need to arrange special cages. In addition, there is no need to purchase an incubator.

This all makes raising birds easy, even for beginners.

As numerous videos show, wild ducks can live in both winter and summer in a simple brick shed.

For full breeding, you will need to design a special enclosure, fencing it with a net.

Ducks are able to easily tolerate low temperatures, coping well with adverse conditions.

The summer period can be called the bathing season. Ducks at this time try to spend as much time as possible in the water, to swim.

Attention!

Birds need water in the same amount both in winter and in summer. Poultry farmers will need to make sure the drinker is full at all times. In addition, the water must be fresh. In the summer, greens and small fish should be added to the duck's diet.

Keeping wild birds in bad or hot weather may require the construction of a special shelter. Under it, ducks will be able to hide from sunlight or rain.

With the onset of a warm time, females begin to equip nests and hatch eggs. Little ducklings hatch into the light. Wild birds are considered gorgeous mum. They are able to hatch eggs perfectly.

The drake also takes an active part in raising ducklings. He is next to the offspring, protects him. You should know that on the 70th day, the drake begins to shed. Therefore, it must be sent to the slaughter earlier. Otherwise, it will be difficult to pluck it.

The video will show what wild ducklings look like when they live at home.

How to properly contain

Experts in numerous videos claim that ducklings need warmth. Breeding chicks at home, it is required to equip the poultry house with special equipment.

There are some tricks you can try:

1. You can construct a wooden box by placing it on racks.
2. The inside should be covered with foam.
3. A container filled with hot water should be placed in the box. Volume - 10 liters. The top of the box should be covered with a blanket or pillow to provide thermal insulation.
4. A hole should be cut in the side wall through which the ducklings can get to the heating pad.

This design is able to retain heat for 8 hours. In the first 7 days of life of young chicks, a high temperature (28-30 degrees) should be maintained on the floor. After two weeks, the level must be reduced to 22 degrees. After three - until 16.

As numerous videos show, it is easiest to care for little ducklings during the spring months. For a duck, it is enough to enclose the space in the yard. The main thing is to make sure that the chicks are protected from drafts.

Wild ducklings are partial to water. Numerous videos are excellent proof of this.

Important!

However, experts do not recommend admitting them to water bodies until they are 20 days old. If the chicks start swimming in cold water, they may catch a cold.

Therefore, it is enough to put a container with water in the duckhouse.

Feeding wild birds

The ducklings should be fed every two hours until they are 5 days old. Boiled and crushed eggs mixed with millet or barley should be added to the diet. It is also recommended to include greens (nettle, dandelion, clover) in the diet without fail.

As numerous videos show, birds like to eat mash, which are based on fermented milk products. Fish oil can be included in such foods.

A sample diet for a duck should look like this:

1. Ground grain (20%).
2. Wheat bran (10%).
3. Various legumes (10%).
4. Oilcake (7%).
5. Half of the diet should consist of greens.
6. The rest of the diet is chalk, salt, shells.

As soon as the duck is one month old, it is recommended to feed him three times a day. Experts in numerous videos recommend including potato or carrot tops, food waste in the diet. A real delicacy is duckweed and other vegetation that grows in open water.

What should birds not eat?

Sour food should not be added to the diet of ducklings. This will have a bad effect on the state of their digestion.

Experts in numerous videos claim that it is not recommended to feed waterfowl with bread.

The greatest danger is carried by the black cracker, which can cause fermentation processes in the gastrointestinal tract of a duckling.

Birds love to swim

Raising a wild duck at home implies that it must be released into the water.

It is recommended to do this after the chick's age exceeds the three-week mark. At first, they should swim no more than 3 hours a day.

Once you are four weeks old, you can allow the ducklings to swim at least 24 hours a day.

It is necessary to teach the duckling to return home from the reservoir on its own. To do this, feed him regularly in the evening. Youngsters will understand that food is expected at a certain time. The task can be simplified if an adult bird swims with the ducklings.

Additional recommendations

Quite often, wild ducks are bred for meat. In this case, it is important not only to send them to the slaughter on time, but also to know how to pluck. There are many methods. However, you need to know some of the nuances.

You can pinch a bird hot. However, there is a high likelihood of discoloration of the meat. Therefore, after this method, it is better to cook the bird right away, and not store it. If you plan to keep the meat in the refrigerator for a while, you can dry the plucking method.

If you decide to use the hot method, do not rush to remove the feathers immediately. Doing so could damage your skin and burn your hands. Allow the bird to cool before plucking.

Wild bird breeding video

In what conditions can wild ducks be kept, the video will demonstrate.

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What can you feed wild and domestic ducks in different conditions

One of the branches of obtaining protein products for humans is poultry farming. A large volume of products in this sector is devoted to duck meat.

Duck farms are being built everywhere as the most economically profitable branch of food production.

Duck meat is an irreplaceable product in the human diet.

Why duck meat is useful

Many culinary recipes offer a delicious and healthy product. Eating duck meat allows you to:

• cleanse the body of toxins;
• metabolism accelerates;
• the condition of the skin improves;
• potency improves.

If you need to improve your body and not gain extra pounds, you can eat duck with a lot of greens or cook wild duck dishes.

It is emphasized by researchers that the meat of duck raised in a home environment is of particular benefit, since it receives natural feed on free grazing.

Breeding and raising ducklings

After the duck has hatched, in the first 12 hours of life it should get a portion of water and during the day, begin to peck food.

What to feed the duckling during this period? In the first period of life, the main food is a hard-boiled egg, finely chopped or passed through a meat grinder. The egg can be from any breed of bird, not just duck.

Subsequently, cottage cheese is added to the composition of the mixture for feeding, and then crushed cereal groats. It can be chopped from corn, barley, wheat and other cereals.

After three days, the chick's ventricle is ready recycle green feed and the grass is added to the mash, chopped very finely.

After 10 days, the chicks receive boiled potatoes and greens, which make up half of the products in the daily diet.

In this case, the feed should be semi-dry and contain mineral supplements for filling the goiter and vitamin complexes.

It is impossible to make food "porridge", because after such a sticky mass the ducklings cannot clean their noses and the livestock may fall out. Until the ducklings grow up, their feeding regime changes:

• feed up to ten days - after 2 hours;
• in the second decade - after 3 hours;
• later - 3 times a day.

This feeding frequency assumes free-range birds after twenty days and additionally peck on feed during grazing.

The daily feeding rate is reduced, and at night the ducklings are well fed so that they independently return from free range.

The free keeping of ducklings allows you to economically consume feed, from the age of two months transferring the bird to two meals a day.

If ducklings grow up without free movement, they there should always be water for drinking and in the diet chopped duckweed and other aquatic greens. It takes no more than 45 minutes to eat feed, or the amount in the subsequent distribution is reduced.

Ducklings for meat

At two months old, ducklings of meat breeds begin to prepare for slaughter, as they reach by this time two kilograms of weight and have tender muscle mass. They are fed for only two weeks.

At the same time, fish products are excluded from the diet and the amount of protein feed, even cottage cheese, increases. In the last week, to increase the fat in the diet, a lot of potatoes are added to the mash and the motor activity of the young ready for slaughter is limited.

Raising ducks for meat is much more profitable than raising chickens.

Duck keeping

The broodstock of ducks is kept at home for the purpose of obtaining eggs, which are a dietary product and obtain marketable young animals. There is no difficulty in creating a forage base for ducks.

They are omnivorous. But to get a productive herd you need a balanced diet. Based on the need for food per head, you can calculate the need for the entire flock. One head is required for winter feeding.

For proper metabolism the body requires trace elements - copper, phosphorus, calcium, manganese, which can be obtained only with a balanced diet.

Based on the need, feed is stocked, including green ones. At the same time, egg production will correspond to the norm.

Feed property

To get a complete diet, the feed must contain:

• proteins of plant and animal origin;
• mineral supplements;
• vitamins.

Protein is of animal and vegetable origin. Animals include all larvae eaten by ducks and scraps from the table or the addition of fish products.

Dairy products are also a source of animal protein.

All kinds of plants are sources of vitamins, plant proteins and trace elements.

However, to create a complete diet there are combined granules, in the composition of which, in the ratio necessary for a good nutrition, all feed additives and main components and premixes are included. They also contain lysine and methionine, essential amino acids.

Feeding with compound feed will be the most balanced. The composition of feed should include up to 80% of grain, 5% of animal and vegetable protein, up to 10% of grass and root crops. In this case, the room should always contain shell rock, sand and gravel.

Should you feed the wild ducks?

In recent years, in the non-freezing reservoirs of the middle zone and even in regions with frosty winters, they settled ducks that do not fly away to warm lands.

There are many reasons for this, but one of them is the human factor. Having seen a free-swimming bird in the park, vacationers immediately seek to feed it.

Pieces of bread, sweets and whatever comes to hand are thrown into the pond. Is the treat good for you?

Advice!

Healthy birds in normal living conditions must get food for themselves. Permanent feeding only harms the ducks, since they do not always get wholesome food and lose the ability to get food on their own.

Migratory birds, finding a food base without tiring flights, lose this centuries-old instinct and, as a result, cannot survive in winter conditions without human help. Therefore, bird watchers do not welcome feeding birds in the wild, unless a threatening situation is created.

Foods that will not harm the bird

If you want to treat a bird or an injured duck requires feeding, then it would be best to give sprouted grain as a treat.

Ducks hardly see green food in city ponds. Therefore, soft, finely chopped grass with cottage cheese and grains or cereals with a top layer of the shell will be the best treat.

You can throw small balls into the water.

Grated cheese is a good treat., which does not immediately sink in water. The bird also pecks soft fruits and berries floating in the water with pleasure and benefit.

Small fish or worms will also be a useful treat for the duck. You should not just lean on a bread diet.

Everyone always feeds bread, and only those who really want to do a good deed with delicacies.

Conclusion

In order not to harm nature, do not help wild ducksflown into human habitats.

It will be better for them to eat their usual food and continue a life that does not depend on people.

If you need to feed the duck, you can use grain mixtures, mixed feed for birds, or green soft fruits, herbs or berries.

How to feed a duck from the first days of life? :

The question of what to feed a duckling at home is asked by many novice farmers, because proper feeding from the first days of life is one of the most important points of growing poultry. Thanks to a properly formulated diet, young ducklings will grow up healthy and gain weight quickly.

How to feed a duck from the first days of life

The newborn duckling should be given maximum attention. Already on the first day after birth, he needs to be given a duck or chicken egg, which must be hard-boiled, peeled and very finely chopped or even grinded in a meat grinder.

After the prepared egg is laid out in special tray feeders; if there are none, they can be replaced with sheets of thick paper, but it will need to be changed to clean daily. After pouring the food into the tray, you need to tap it lightly so that the ducklings run up to the feeder.

How to feed a duckling that does not want to eat from the feeder? In this case, the baby needs to be force-fed with a mixture of milk and chicken yolk.

Attention!

This can be done with a pipette or simply by dipping the duck's beak into the mixture until he understands what is required of him and begins to eat on his own.

After a couple of days, you can add steamed corn, barley or oatmeal.

How to diversify the diet of ducklings

Thinking about what to feed a duckling at home, you should understand that pleasure is not cheap, but it will certainly pay off.

You can diversify the diet of babies and reduce feeding costs with the help of plant foods, for example, wild greens (green onions, dandelions) are allowed to be given to ducklings almost from the first days of life.

About 7-8 days after birth, boiled root vegetables and vegetables can be used as a feed additive.

The state of the digestive system at this age allows babies to eat beets, rutabagas, carrots, zucchini, etc. The main thing is that the food offered to the ducklings is crumbly.

Do not forget about cottage cheese, because it is a source of calcium and is necessary for little ducklings.

In general, for the entire time of feeding, 4-5 kg ​​of cottage cheese should go per duckling. It is necessary to water the ducklings from the first days of life.

To maintain immunity, they are sometimes advised to solder a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

How to feed ducklings after two weeks of life

How to feed a duck when he is 12-15 days old? From the age of two weeks, ducklings are allowed to give a mash. For ducklings, it is best to make it from crushed barley, bran, fish or meat and bone meal.

It must be remembered that until the babies are twenty days old, the shell must be removed from the cereal for feed. The mash must be crumbly, and this is explained not only by the fact that a sticky bird eats worse, but by taking care of its health.

The fact is that a stuck together mash can clog the nasal openings of a duck.

It is best to cook food not with water, but with curdled milk, fish or meat broth, buttermilk or whey - so it will be more useful and nutritious.

Important!

You can also add chopped grass, apples, potatoes and other vegetables and fruits to the mash.

Until one month of age, it is recommended to add a little fish oil (1 tablespoon per 1 kg of feed) to the food for ducklings.

How to feed a duck at night and should you do it? While the ducklings are small, they need to be fed three, and preferably four times a day.

In order for the bird to gain weight faster, the first three feedings are made with a mash, and at night they are given compound feed.

In addition, in between feedings, the ducklings are given chopped grass, chopped vegetables and fruits.

How to feed a little wild duckling

Before starting feeding, the owner must decide on the fate of the baby.

If in the future he is going to release the duck into the wild, it means that you need to feed it with the same food that wild ducks eat in natural conditions, that is, algae.

If a person decides to keep the bird, then the feeding will be completely different. How to feed a duckling at home? It is best to start feeding right away with the same food that domestic ducklings eat.

At first, the baby may refuse food that is unfamiliar to him, so he will have to force feed, but very quickly he adapts to new conditions and begins to eat with pleasure on his own.

Is it possible to breed wild ducks at home?

Differences between wild animals and domesticated breeds.

Mallard duck

• The meat of a wild animal is slightly bitter, a little sweet is felt.
• In appearance, wild and domesticated breeds differ little. However, poultry has broader forms, a different color.
• The shell of eggs in wild individuals is green, in domesticated ones - white. Sometimes a slightly greenish tint appears on it, there is an oily sheen.
• Wild ducks breeding, maintenance. Wild animals are less whimsical. No incubator required for breeding. They feel good in any weather.

Features of breeding, keeping wild duck

No specific conditions are needed. In food, animals are unpretentious: they do not need special food. You do not need to equip the cages additionally; heating of the house is not required. This is due to the fact that wild animals are less whimsical.

There is no need to purchase an incubator, which will delight beginners. At any time of the year, individuals live quietly in a brick building. In order for the birds to feel good, it is necessary to make a corral with a net.Animals calmly endure low temperatures, even in frosts, wild individuals feel great.

Advice!

In summer, the birds are provided with a place to swim. It can be a pond or a small body of water. Summer is the swimming season for ducks. There should be water in the drinking bowl as well. This rule applies to all months. The water container must always be full. Only clean fresh water is good.

Wild individuals catch small fish from reservoirs. It is recommended to add it to the diet of animals. If it rains or gets hot outside, the birds hide for cover. It is necessary to build a canopy for this. There you can hide from the rain, the hot sun.

What types of wild animals can be kept at home?

Mallard Duck - Domesticated Ducks

1. Mallard. On the territory of Russia, Mallard is the largest bird. Depending on gender, months can weigh up to 2 kg. The wings are large and strong. The span reaches 1 m. Females and males have different shades of color. Females have brownish plumage. This color helps them disguise themselves and hide from danger in the forest.

The male is different in color. Its plumage on the head and neck is dark green, below the body is grayish. The beak and paws have a bright red tint. The offspring of this breed has a light brownish color. This type of duck requires a reservoir. They love shallow, shallow lakes.

Red-headed duck

1. Red-headed duck. The dimensions are medium, weight - up to 1.2 kg. The head is painted in a bright red hue, hence the name of the breed. Birds arrive in the spring, when there is no longer any snow or ice. These birds live in a flock. Males and females differ little in weight and size. The former are more than the latter by 300 g. Representatives of the breed love small reservoirs with thickets of grass and reeds.

In dense vegetation, birds make nests and raise offspring. This should be taken into account when arranging a habitat for an individual at home. The eggs are greenish.

Gray duck

1. Gray ducks. It looks like a mallard, but much less in weight. Females and males are outwardly similar, they have no differences. Bird weight - up to 1.5 kg. The plumage is light brown, there are small white spots on the wings.

The plumage of the drake is gray. They shed heavily during the offspring period, becoming the same color as the female. Birds shed very much in summer, so they cannot fly at these moments. They hide in thickets, bushes.

What should you keep in mind?

Keeping and growing are not easy tasks. First you need to decide on the breed.

Cultivation of a mallard is recommended, since this particular bird takes root better at home.

If you feed her correctly and systematically, monitor the conditions, ensure good maintenance, she will be able to give 4 times more eggs, and will grow fat faster.

Duck eggs

Next, you need to decide on the site. When creating a farm, this is one of the important points, which is not always paid attention to. The site cannot be greatly removed from the place of release into hunting conditions. In this case, the place should not be closer than 1 km to the settlement.

It is imperative to equip a reservoir on the territory of the farm. Drakes are in separate paddocks. The breeding stock is also located separately. It is recommended to locate the site away from the city. The sizes depend on the livestock that is planned.

Chicks hatch naturally without an incubator. After hatching, young growth is launched into the common premises. Now he can be walked with the rest of the livestock.

Poultry house

Since wild ducks are water birds, they react negatively to temperature changes.

Therefore, it is worth taking care of the building where the poultry house will be located - there should not be cracks, holes. Walking is done next to the poultry house.

There should be enough outdoor room to move around so that the content is comfortable.

Walking wild ducks

Attention!

You can limit the walking area with a mesh fence. The height of the fence is 1.5 m. If the keeping of individuals is planned in large numbers, water is not placed in the walking area.Otherwise, the territory of the site will be dirty and untidy, and the "tenants" will start to fight.

In the poultry house, you need to choose and equip three places: for ducklings, broodstock, grown-up individuals. The broodstock includes two families of 3-4 layers and one drake.

This flock will produce enough eggs. The poultry house should have not only feeders, but also drinkers, otherwise the animals will look for their own water.

Tanks for water and feed are also installed on the walk.

It is better not to install open drinkers in the house. This is inconvenient, especially in winter, as ducks can swim in the drinkers in frosty conditions and freeze.

It is better to purchase drip system products. If this is not possible, you will have to give the birds snow in winter.

Open drinkers must be removed. In places where the broodstock is located, nests should be placed.

How to feed?

Not only maintenance, but also competent feeding is the basis of bird health. Breeding ducks at home will be successful only if this rule is followed.

Norms and ration of feeding ducks

In winter, individuals are fed three times a day. During the summer months, the number of meals is reduced to two. At the same time, the farm must have a good reservoir.

There are two ways to feed:

• compound feed (dry feed);
• vegetable feed (wet mix).

Vegetable food for duck

You will have to spend more money on dry compound feed. But you need to prepare vegetable mixtures separately, sometimes it requires an additional person.

Vegetables can be grated and mixed with tops of carrots, potatoes, beets. Fill the mixture with whey or broth.

Cooking takes time, but this method is healthier as the birds get everything they need.

Important!

You can save on food if there is a real pond or lake nearby. Wild ducks can feed on algae, plankton, and other food from the water. You can make a pond yourself if the groundwater is close. To do this, you can simply dig a hole 3 m deep.

If breeds with a fast metabolism are bred at home, the feeders need to be replenished with fresh food constantly.

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Video: Gutting a wild duck in Evenki

How to feed ducklings in the first days of life at home

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For aspiring poultry farmers, raising ducks at home can be challenging as it is important for these birds to be properly cared for.

The maintenance of ducks has its own characteristics, and some of them are related to their diet.

The most careful approach to this issue should be if they are going to raise small ducklings at home.

How to feed ducklings in the first days of life

Providing proper feeding of these birds in the first days of life and months, the poultry farmer can get a significant increase in the weight of the bird in 90 days. How and what to feed the ducklings correctly on the first day can be learned from the advice of experienced farmers.

Feeding for the first time

In the early days of life, ducklings should be properly cared for. The most common problem is feeding newborn birds. The fact is that they cannot eat on their own. The farmer should feed the little ducklings with his own hands.

All the rules and regulations of this difficult business for inexperienced farmers passed from generation to generation. Only hatched birds should be given milk from a pipette. Experienced poultry farmers also recommend giving finely chopped boiled yolk.

This food will be the first food for the duckling.

The first day of a bird's life is the most difficult. And this is due precisely to the ability of the owner to look after her. Not knowing what to feed ducklings in the first days of life is a common problem among inexperienced farmers.

Improperly selected food for newborn birds is the main reason for the death of livestock. Raising healthy ducklings without losing their numbers is the desire of every poultry farmer who seeks to obtain benefits - delicious meat.

How to feed a bird in a day from birth?

Keeping young ducklings at home requires help from their owner with feeding.

Especially often newborn birds have to be fed with their own hands, because, unlike goslings, ducklings do not eat well in the first day after hatching.

This problem is not difficult to solve. Daily birds should be fed like this:

• Finely chop the boiled yolk.
• Move the ducklings with your hands closer to each other.
• Put a pinch of food on the backs of the birds.
• Such feeding of ducklings includes their natural instincts. They begin to eat each other's eggs from their backs.

You need to start small. You shouldn't train the birds to bowl right away. For diurnal ducklings, the world around them is something new, unexplored. For their active growth, human help is required. From the first day of life, proper feeding becomes the main task of the farmer.

Features of feeding ducklings in the first week after birth

Every experienced poultry breeder knows what to feed little ducklings in the first days of life. Daily birds are fed only with eggs and milk, increasing their diet every day.

Breeding ducks requires careful monitoring of the diet of birds, especially one day after birth. On the second day it will be easier to keep track of the bird.

Advice!

All the conditions for their growth have already been met, it remains only to accustom the ducklings to nutritious wholesome food. On the second day, you can add low-fat cottage cheese to the menu of small birds.

It is necessary to include it in the diet in separate portions, alternating with a boiled egg. For 5-6 days, the duck can be fed with grass. Better to give:

• nettle;
• dandelion;
• swan;
• greens of legumes.

Grass can also be mixed with cottage cheese and eggs. We must not forget about water.

She should always be with the bird, especially on the first day after hatching. And here you cannot do without human help. It is best to give it to ducklings through a pipette.

Such manipulations will take 1-2 days until the baby learns to drink from the drinking bowl himself.

Adding new products

Keeping one-week old ducklings at home requires their owner to take action to expand the bird's diet.

The digestive system of ducklings can already digest solid food, so you should provide them with it. From the seventh day, you can give the bird any grain.

The still tender age of ducklings requires grinding such food. The best option would be a cereal mix. You can start with:

• barley;
• millet;
• wheat;
• oats;
• corn.

Before giving the grain to the birds, it should not only be ground, but also peeled from the shell.

Novice farmers often make the mistake of not doing this, which causes ducks to die.

You also need to know how much grain is the daily norm for a duckling. Experienced poultry farmers advise not to exceed 15 g.

Keeping ducklings at home requires compliance with several more rules, the implementation of which will affect the growth of birds:

• The diet of young animals after 10 days requires the abandonment of boiled eggs.
• Feeding birds includes foods rich in vitamins. It is recommended to make the mash with cottage cheese and grass.
• In the first week, the ducklings' diet should include grated carrots.
• Raising and keeping poultry also requires knowledge of the nutritional standards of young animals.

What is starter feed

Compound feed, which is called starter feed, is a mixture of food for ducklings, which has all the necessary nutrients for their development. Such products correspond to the OKPD number.

Knowing the composition of the mixture, you can make the compound feed yourself. They should start feeding ducklings within a few days from birth.

The ingredients of the combined food are suitable for the still fragile digestive system. Many ingredients are ground into flour.

Newborn chicks should be provided with soft, moist food: mash of cottage cheese, eggs and grass. Weekly - from cereals, natural minerals, herbs and vegetables.

Nutritional standards

In order for the birds to grow faster and gain the desired weight, the farmer must select nutritious feed and combine them correctly. This cannot be done without knowledge of the recommended dietary standards for birds in the first week from birth. The daily diet of ducks should include:

• 15 g of crushed grains;
• 20 g of greens;
• 3 g of chopped boiled egg;
• 3 g low-fat cottage cheese;
• 5 g wheat bran;
• 2 g of soybean meal.

We must not forget about vitamins and minerals:

• grated carrots - 5 g;
• chalk - 1 g;
• meat and bone meal - 0.5 g;
• feed yeast - 0.5 g

This starter feed includes everything you need for birds from day two to two weeks of age.

How to cook mash

It is important for any little duckling to get plenty of nutrients in the form of dry and wet food. Feeding birds requires a person to constantly pour grain into the feeder (dry food) and feed twice a day with a mash (wet).

According to experienced poultry farmers, raising ducks with such a diet is effective in obtaining meat from them.

But it can be difficult for inexperienced farmers to control the supply of food and its volume, because it is determined depending on the increase in live weight of the poultry.

Attention!

Wet feeding is an essential part of a healthy diet for ducklings. Two-week-old birds with an incorrectly calculated diet can develop weakness in the legs. This is due to a lack of calcium, which must be fed to the duckling's body.

Phosphorus and protein are also important. Lack of the latter often leads to disturbances in the plumage of birds. Many farmers use artificial amino acids in powder form.

It, along with grass, cottage cheese and other products, is seasoned with milk whey or water and served to birds.

Feeding and caring for day-old ducklings.

How to raise a healthy duckling? About content and fed

Special vitamins will also help to raise ducklings for meat.

Their lack can lead to a decrease in the level of immunity and some diseases that are dangerous to their health, so it is better to take care of adding vitamins to the daily menu of ducklings. The following products are suitable:

• meat and bone meal;
• potato;
• beet;
• swede;
• pumpkin.

What else is important

Compound feed for ducklings is the main food for several months.

Many poultry farmers forget about the need to cook it just before serving, and this is a big mistake: nutrients can be destroyed due to long-term storage.

Old compound feed, which is fed to birds, can do more harm than good. Already on the first day, the mash begins to rot. Such food can even lead to the death of ducklings.

Features of the diet of monthly ducklings

The fattening of monthly ducklings plays one of the most important roles in making a profit from farming.

Meat, eggs, feathers and down are valuable commodities for those who are engaged in poultry farming, therefore, starting from the month from birth, the amount of food consumed by birds should be maximized.

You should take care of the grass and greenery growing in the ponds.If a pond is not provided on the farm, from the first weeks the ducks are taught to eat the greens growing in the garden.

Standing firmly on their feet, they themselves will throw themselves with a hunt on the plants available in the garden, but nevertheless, for a still not strong organism, the grass should be added to the mash.

It is also possible to feed ducklings, starting from a month, with mash, which include root crops and grain.

But it is still difficult to replace one product. Ducks develop faster and gain weight from duckweed, which is found in open water.

They use it from a month from birth, when they begin to feel confident on the water.

Ducklings consider this food to be their delicacy, so they eat it in large quantities.

Features of the diet of ducklings in the absence of a reservoir

Ducklings grow and develop in the conditions that a person himself creates for them. The main problem of bird breeding is the lack of a reservoir.

For waterfowl ducklings, it is important to have unhindered access to water, because it is an integral part of their natural habitat. But not all farmers can have a pond on their site.

What should people who do not have the opportunity to provide the necessary conditions for birds to do? There is no need to give up breeding. Weight gain can be obtained by other methods:

• Ducklings need to drink a lot, so their drinkers should always be filled with clean fresh water. The more liquid they consume, the faster metabolic processes occur in their body. In the absence of drinking, ducks die quickly.
• Water plants should be finely chopped into food. The farmer can buy them or fish them in freshwater reservoirs.
• If the farmer has not yet acquired ducklings, he should study the bird breeds in more detail. Many ducks easily tolerate the absence of a reservoir near their main habitat.

If there is a body of water nearby

Certain breeds of ducklings can swim from one month of age. The livestock owner should monitor this important period in the life of the bird.

Duckweed and other types of algae are eaten by livestock, which must also be recorded by the farmer.

Important!

During this period, the amount of feed should be reduced and the coastal area should be equipped with a special aviary. Access to water must be unlimited.

All food products remain unchanged, but the answer to the question of how much to give them is different - the weight decreases. The diet is dominated by dry mixes, which include:

• 9 g corn;
• 49 g of wheat;
• 17 g barley;
• 7 g sunflower meal;
• 4 g herbal flour;
• 1 g of chalk and shell.

Helpful information

During walks, ducklings can attack vegetables growing in the garden. They are always ready to feast on zucchini, pumpkin and other fruits. You should protect your own garden using any available means. Fences made of boards or other materials will become a barrier for insolent birds.

Wing trimming can also help protect your garden. There is a lot of controversy about whether to use this procedure at an early age. But one fact remains indisputable: ducks that do not have their wings clipped are destined to leave the farm.

Having strengthened, they leave their habitats to reunite with nature.

In winter, ducklings need more vitamins and minerals from plant foods. To this end, farmers recommend adding 20 g of dried fruit to the mash once a week.

But do not take this product too often: consuming large quantities of it can be hazardous to the health of birds. Mushrooms are considered a source of vegetable protein in winter. It is also not necessary to abuse this product.

It is recommended to add them to the mash no more than once a week.

How to feed ducklings in the first three weeks: housing conditions and nutritional rules

Feeding ducklings in the first weeks after birth is quite a hassle. In this article, we will tell you how to effectively organize the care of little ducklings, discuss the nutritional characteristics of chicks at different ages.

We will also consider what exactly to feed the ducklings at home from the first days of their life.

Conditions for keeping

The main point in raising ducklings in the first weeks is the optimal uniform temperature in the cages where the young are kept.

The temperature regime during the heating period must be maintained within the following limits: at the age of 1 to 5 days - 28–29 ° С, from 6 to 10 days - 25–27 ° С, from 11 to 20 days - 22–25 ° С, s 21 days to a month - 21-18 ° С.

For beginners in the field of raising ducklings at home, it is important to understand that it is especially important for the proper development of the bird to avoid nighttime temperature fluctuations.

Make sure that the yellow moths do not crowd at night, but are evenly placed near a heat source.

Stocking density also plays an important role. No more than 40 heads can be placed on 1 square meter of the cage floor area.

Use chopped straw or peat as bedding for the cages. The litter should be dry and free from mold and dust. Sprinkle dry sand on the floor of the cages, then spread straw 5–8 cm thick.

Shake the litter daily and remove the droppings. Remove contaminated or damp bedding and replace with fresh bedding. The air in places where chicks are kept should always be clean.

Ventilate the room regularly, avoiding drafts.

From the third day, the chicks can already be released for walking. In this case, the outside temperature should be at least 15–18 ° С. Increase the time the chicks stay on the walk gradually. Until the 25th day, babies should not be released for water walks.

Advice!

Find out about the conditions and timing of raising your ducklings in the hatchery. They must be done in the correct conditions. For the proper development of ducklings, it is necessary to provide them with direct sunlight.

At the same time, the chicks should be able to hide in the shade so that they do not suffer from prolonged exposure to the scorching sun.

Place the water in the drinking bowls in the shade, never in the sun. In addition, the water must always be fresh and clean.

Protect chicks from rain as they get wet quickly and may die. Do not let small ducklings out on a grassy meadow damp from dew and rain.

Important! In case the chicks get wet from rain or other reasons, arrange for the ducklings to dry out as soon as possible.

How to teach ducklings to eat

It is important not only to know what to feed the little ducklings at home, but also to teach them how to eat.

To begin with, water the chicks from a pipette with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

Next, put a mashed boiled egg mixed with any porridge on a sheet of green paper.

You can also put the food in a wide container with low sides and tap on the bottom with your finger - the birds will instinctively begin to repeat the movements.

An old grandfather's technique helps to teach inexperienced chicks to recognize food at the initial stage. Pour the food mixture onto the backs of the chicks.

When the food particles fall to the ground, they imitate movement, which attracts the attention of the ducklings and encourages them to eat. Toddlers learn to hunt moving food.

The effectiveness of this method is explained by the fact that food, in the opinion of waterfowl, must move.

We make a diet

Composing a diet for little ducklings is not particularly difficult. However, keep in mind some of the nuances. For example, for what purposes the poultry is bred, how quickly do you want to feed them. Also, take into account the breed characteristics of the duck when drawing up a diet.

Up to 10 days

For the first 10 days, chicks should be fed a little, but often, at regular intervals, at least 8 times a day. So, let's consider what to feed the day-old ducklings at home.

For the first 10 days after birth, focus on protein foods. Feed the chicks boiled, peeled and minced eggs (chicken or duck).

Give the little ones corn, oatmeal and barley with the eggs for a couple of days.Then add milk, cottage cheese (low-fat), kefir and other dairy products to the diet.

For each head, include 5 g of cottage cheese in the diet.

Do not forget to add concentrates of vitamins A and D to the mash from the 6th day.This contributes to the good development of waterfowl and rapid weight gain.

Food composition for young ducklings up to 10 days:

• crushed grain - 15 g;
• greens - 20 g;
• boiled chopped egg - 3 g;
• low-fat cottage cheese - 3 g;
• wheat bran - 5 g;
• soybean meal - 1 g;
• boiled meat waste - 3 g;
• chalk - 1 g;
• bone meal - 0.5 g;
• feed yeast - 0.2 g

10-20 days

Next, let's look at what you can feed ducklings 1-3 weeks of age at home. First of all, from the 11th day, the number of feedings should be reduced. Ducklings should feed 4–5 times a day.

Important! Sometimes breeders mistakenly add bread to the diet of ducklings. This food is wrong. This product can lead to undesirable fermentation reactions in the stomach of chicks, which can lead to their death in the future.Feed the chicks boiled root vegetables and potatoes. Also add to the diet moist mash-ups based on crushed grains or bran. Knead the mash in milk. The resulting composition should not be sticky, pasty or too liquid. Also during this period of rearing, start accustoming chicks to green food. Chopped fresh nettles are perfect for this purpose. Chop nettles in advance and add to eggs or cottage cheese.

Until the chicks are 20 days old, remove the shells from barley and oatmeal. Composition of complete dry combined feed (per 100 g of feed):

20-30 days

From the 20th day until one month old, observe 3-fold feedings.

• wheat - 47 g;
• corn - 10 g;
• barley - 15 g;
• sunflower meal - 9 g;
• feed yeast - 7 g;
• seashells, chalk - 2 g;
• table salt - 0.1 g

Once your pets are 20 days old, feed them scraps from the kitchen, garden and vegetable garden. Yeast in the diet of ducklings is considered an important element.

Also take care of mineral feed such as sand, shells and gravel. Chicks should always have access to them.

Balanced food option for ducklings 3-4 weeks of age:

• wheat - 49 g;
• corn - 10 g;
• barley - 16.5 g;
• sunflower meal - 7 g;
• feed yeast - 4 g;
• fish meal - 7 g;
• herbal flour - 4 g;
• seashells, chalk - 1.4 g;
• table salt - 0.1 g

Nutritional features of meat breeds

Despite the fact that the omnivorousness of ducks is legendary, early feeding of beef breeds must be approached responsibly. The health and productivity of the future livestock will depend on how correctly the feeding of the young is arranged.

It will be useful for you to learn about the rules for eating muscovy ducks.

When feeding with wet mash, make sure that the chicks eat all the feed at one time, otherwise the feed mixture will stagnate and deteriorate. Dry food, on the contrary, should be given in excess.

When using oats or barley to feed small ducklings, additionally sift the grains. Then soak fresh low-fat cottage cheese and add to the grain mixture.

Add dairy products to feed only in fermented form. Fresh milk (especially homemade) can lead to upset gastrointestinal tract or become a source of dangerous ailments.

As you can see, caring for newborn ducklings is the most difficult moment in breeding this bird. However, with proper feeding and proper housing conditions, the bird will be healthy and quickly gain the necessary weight.

The specifics of raising ducklings in the household

Duck rearing begins with the purchase of chicks, and this should be given special attention. Here are some tips on how to raise ducklings that can help budding poultry breeders:

1. You should not buy young stock in the market from unverified sellers.There is absolutely no guarantee that a sick individual will not be caught among the young and the whole bird will be vaccinated on time and in full.
2. For growing and breeding, it is advisable to select the most active ducklings. Sluggish and sedentary chicks are abnormal. This may be a symptom of a medical condition. A healthy chick is curious, active and shows interest in the appearance of new objects and sounds in its field of vision.
3. Be sure to pay attention to the litter. If the young have diarrhea, then this clearly indicates indigestion, the presence of any infection, or an unhealthy diet. Such a brood is not worth buying.
4. Experienced poultry farmers recommend getting ducklings at the maximum daily age in early spring.

Newly acquired ducklings in the first hours and days of their life are in dire need of a special temperature regime. When breeding ducks at home, you need to take care of the presence of a warm house with heating.

What conditions do ducklings need

Ducks, like their offspring, are not whimsical birds and are relatively calm. But still, how to raise ducklings strong and healthy? In order to raise a healthy and viable bird, you should adhere to certain rules for keeping ducklings.

At home, for the first four days, young ducks can be placed in a dense cardboard box or wooden or plywood box. The density of chicks should not exceed 16 ducklings per 1 m². From the fourth day, the birds can be moved to the house or cage.

Attention!

In this case, you should strictly monitor that the ambient temperature does not fall below the thermometer mark +20 degrees Celsius. The shed for small ducks should be dry, clean and warm.

There should be no drafts in the poultry house, it should serve as protection for poultry from rodents and predators.

The duckhouse should be equipped with feeders, drinkers and nests. The room must be regularly cleaned and disinfected.

Correct feeding

Correct, balanced feeding of ducklings is perhaps the most important factor when raising ducks at home.

Duck offspring should be fed immediately, as soon as the chicks are dry. Up to five days, young animals are often fed (about once every two hours). Ducklings are given hard-boiled, finely chopped eggs mixed with crushed millet, oat or barley grains.

When breeding and raising ducklings for meat, fresh greens must be present in the feeding troughs of young animals: nettle, clover, dandelion, etc. Wheat bran is a good food for chicks.

An approximate diet for little ducklings:

• ground grain;
• wheat bran;
• various legumes;
• cake;
• greens;
• vitamin supplements;
• shell or chalk;
• salt.

It is good to add potassium permanganate to drinking water. The diet of young animals should contain grain feed, cereals, a variety of protein foods, such as eggs and cottage cheese.

Starting from the age of one month, young animals are transferred to three feeding times. You can add food waste and potato, beet or carrot tops to your regular diet. Ducklings intended for the tribe are released into the pasture.

Growing features

The nuances of breeding largely depend on the purpose for which ducks will be raised (for meat or for breeding).

If the goal is to get as much meat as possible from poultry, then the means for this are the same, and if it is the breeding of a breeding herd, then they are completely different.

Chicks hatch at home in early April and late September. For maximum productivity, domestic ducks can be reared in three stages:

1. early April;
2. July;
3. end of September.

To the tribe

Young ducks, which were born in early April - early May, should be left on the tribe. These chicks will fully grow stronger by winter and will calmly survive the cold.

Select chicks for the breeding herd, preferably the strongest, largest and healthiest, without defects

The selection is made twice, at the age of 2-5 days and after 2 months after birth.

Breeding for the first 3 weeks is no different from keeping other ducklings. After this period, breeding chicks are usually released into pasture, which favorably affects their development.

For meat

Raising domestic duck ducklings for meat requires an optimal temperature, sufficient light and balanced feed.

Fattening of ducklings for meat, as usual, lasts about two months.

After that, the ducks begin to shed and there is no need to expect a significant increase in live weight.

Ducklings to be raised for meat must be kept warm for three weeks from birth.

Important!

The temperature in the room intended for keeping poultry should not fall below +22 degrees Celsius.

Daylight hours should not decrease with the growth of chicks. For feeding broiler ducklings use:

• hay;
• fresh herbs;
• corn;
• duckweed;
• chaff.

The readiness of birds for slaughter is determined by the state of their plumage. Usually it is 60-65 days. The feathers must not yet fully form, otherwise the carcass will be bristly.

In general, breeding and keeping ducklings at home is not difficult and very profitable. This is due to the fact that domestic ducks are relatively early maturing birds.

Video "Raising ducks for meat"

The video tells about some aspect of raising ducks for meat, as well as the productive characteristics of duck meat and fat.

How to feed domestic ducklings from the first days of life?

Table of contents:

Today, more and more people living in the private sectors of cities are thinking about breeding poultry.

Many of them opt for growing ducks, because they quickly gain live weight, and after 2-3 months they can be served to the table, stuffed with apples, or simply cooked whole duck in the oven. Most often, ducklings of the Peking or Musk breed are purchased for growing in private households.

For experienced poultry farmers, raising ducks from one day of age is not difficult, but what should novice poultry lovers do? First of all, you need to think about the place of "residence" of future pets. In addition, novice poultry farmers have a question about what to feed the little ducklings?

As for the place where the ducklings are kept, a room like an ordinary chicken coop is quite suitable. At first, you need to monitor the temperature regime in the room, hypothermia of day-old babies is unacceptable.

Depending on the number of ducklings, it is necessary to provide an appropriate feeding and drinking area. Up to three weeks of age, they range from 1 to 2 cm.

The height of the feeders and drinkers should be determined by the size of the chicks - they should be at the level of the back so that the ducklings can easily consume food and lower their beaks into the water up to their eyes.

How to feed the ducklings in the early days?

Novice poultry farmers who are confused when they see tiny pets and do not know what to feed ducklings in the first days of life can be reassured by the fact that today, at home, as well as in production, ready-made combined feed in granules is widely used, the recipe which is specially designed for chicks of the first days of life (starting compound feed). This is the easiest and least time consuming way to feed ducklings. It is enough to add dry compound feed in a timely manner to the feeders and ensure constant free access to water.

However, experienced poultry farmers prefer feeding with natural homemade food. For daily ducklings, they boil eggs coolly, peel them and chop them into small pieces. You can add a little chopped dill to them.

It is imperative to provide the growing organism of ducklings with protein feed, therefore, cottage cheese is included in their diet from the first days.

Advice!

Loose rice porridge cooked in milk, mixed with herbs and chopped egg, is eaten with good appetite.

It is useful to drink buttermilk, whey or milk, but it is necessary to ensure that the products are always fresh, since low-quality protein feed can cause serious disruption of the gastrointestinal tract and even mass death of young animals.

Rules for caring for ducklings in the early days

The most important condition for the fruitful rearing of ducklings is effective feed intake from the first days.

Therefore, it is necessary, without sparing time and effort, to ensure that all babies begin to consume food and drink water immediately after they are brought home.

Sometimes, in the case of a large number of young animals, it is necessary to additionally involve an assistant during feeding.

Given the fact that the feed passes through the entire digestive system of the young in 3 hours, it is necessary to feed the ducklings up to 8 times a day.

After feeding, it is recommended to control the degree of filling of the goiter. If hungry and weak babies are found, it is necessary to plant them separately and feed them.

How to feed the ducklings at home?

When studying the question of how to feed ducklings at home, novice amateur poultry farmers should remember about the usefulness of the feeding diet.

Already from the second day of life, ducklings eat cereals well, among which barley is considered the most useful.

After a few days, you can make mixtures of barley, corn, wheat groats, and by the age of one week they prepare wet mash of turf with the addition of soybean or sunflower meal, feed yeast, bone or fish meal. It is good to add fresh finely chopped greens directly to the mash. In individual farms, very often the greens of reservoirs are used to feed the ducklings:

• duckweed;
• elodea;
• hornwort.

Home compound feed

You can prepare an analogue of the starting compound feed yourself. To do this, you need to mix:

• wheat, barley and corn poultry;
• powdered milk;
• soybean meal;
• meat and bone meal;
• fresh cottage cheese;
• hard-boiled and finely chopped eggs.

This mixture is very thoroughly mixed and laid out on the feeders.

It is important to cook it only before feeding and in such quantity that the ducklings completely eat it within no more than half an hour.

The remnants of feed must be removed, because such mash-ups quickly turn sour, putrefactive and moldy microflora develops there. When eating spoiled feed, a massive mortality of young animals may occur.

From day 4, young animals begin to enter mineral supplements (shell or chalk). Grated vegetables and greens (dandelion, young shoots of nettles, alfalfa, cereals before flowering; cabbage leaves, beets, carrots) are also well eaten.

What does the unbalanced diet of ducklings lead to?

The question of how to feed domestic ducklings is not considered difficult. As the bird grows, food waste can be introduced into the diet. This can be done as early as 3 weeks of age. By the way, this period is the most vulnerable.

With the active growth of young animals and in the case of a lack of minerals in the feed, so-called weakness in the legs can develop. This occurs when feeding unbalanced diets with a violation of the calcium-phosphorus ratio.

Attention!

Also important are indicators of the amount of protein, metabolic energy, methionine + cystine. An insufficient amount of sulfur-containing amino acids leads to the fact that the feathering process is sharply disturbed and the bird begins to pluck each other.

Therefore, in order to prevent such situations, it is necessary to introduce synthetic protein into the mash.

Feeding ducklings with mash

It is advisable to feed the ducklings with dry food and wet crumbly mash. In this case, the dry mixture should be constantly in the feeders, and the wet mixture should be distributed twice a day: in the morning and in the afternoon. This feeding method is of particular importance when raising young animals for meat.

At the same time, the increase in live weight of the ducklings should be monitored and the daily feed intake should be adjusted accordingly. The shell or gravel can be either added to wet feed in a volume of up to 1% of its total weight, or it can be poured separately in a container and all young animals can be freely accessible to it.

In the case of walking areas, it is recommended to release ducklings there, starting from two weeks of age.

Ducklings, of course, do not eat grass as readily as goslings, but, nevertheless, they are happy to choose some types of plants. Feeding and drinking is organized on the walks.

Part of the area must be covered with a canopy to form shade and in case of bad weather.

The use of drugs for ducklings

As a rule, keeping and feeding this type of bird does not cause problems. This is a rather unpretentious and hardy bird, resistant to most common diseases.

Therefore, it is not recommended to use any medications.

The only remedy that almost all poultry farmers use is to drink with a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate twice a week in order to prevent intestinal diseases.

With effective feeding of ducks with balanced diets, it is possible to select them for slaughter for meat as early as five weeks, and mass slaughter of a group of birds should be carried out no later than 8 weeks of age.

Important!

This is due to the fact that the feather change will begin a little later, and the carcasses will lose their presentation. In addition, during the molting period, the bird does not gain weight, and sometimes even becomes a little depleted.

It is advantageous to feed a bird for no more than 9 weeks because at the time of slaughter, ducks gain weight up to 3 kg and more, while they consume 7 times less feed than when they are kept for up to 6 months.

Any novice poultry farmer can grow a healthy bird and get a high-quality carcass. To do this, he needs to devote quite a bit of time and first familiarize himself with the answers to the questions, how to feed the ducklings, and in what room should they be kept?

Would you like to raise ducklings in your household? Or does it seem like a laborious job? Share your opinion in x.

Wild ducks, their species and breeding at home

The most common species of waterfowl are ducks. They live in fresh waters of ponds, lakes and slightly salted seas, and have filled almost every continent.

The variety of breeds of wild ducks is striking in its number, but despite this, the most common are the mallard, muscovy duck, shelled, killer whale, cinder, pintail and others.

Birds are popular among breeders for their unpretentious nature and easy keeping at home.

Appearance

Regardless of the species of ducks, they very similar to each other, especially the structure.

They have a streamlined wide body, a flattened wide beak in the form of a shovel and membranes on their paws, thanks to which they swim perfectly, a flexible neck of medium length, longer than that of a chicken, but shorter than a goose.

They are flexible, agile, swim and dive well, thanks to these skills, they get food from under the water and even from the bottom of a shallow pond. Easy to land and take off from the surface of the water.

Waterfowl have specific coccygeal glands that secrete fat, with which birds lubricate their feathers, so that they do not get wet in water.

Can't put on your favorite shoes?

Having a whole closet of your beloved shoes, you have to walk in shapeless moccasins and trampled ballerinas.

And it's all about the protruding bones on the legs, which bring simply unbearable pain in any shoe.

It is worth putting on slightly thicker shoes than moccasins one size larger than they should be - and the inflammation lasts for several more days. How to deal with bones on your feet, read our material.

Read the review ...

The average weight of a wild duck is 1.5 kg. The male, of course, is larger than the female. In the autumn, before wintering, ducks are trying to gain weight, since in the winter season, their diet will sharply decrease.

When asked what ducks eat, there is only one answer - almost everyone. Small fish, fry, worms, eggs, algae, mosquito larvae are all that wild ducks eat.

Advice!

Passing water through their beak, like through a filter, they purify it from the listed inhabitants of rivers, lakes and ponds.

Thus, the duck receives nutrition, and nature is cleared of pests and parasites.

: Incubator "Kvochka": possible modifications and principle of operation

Depending on the nesting place and stay of the duck, her diet may vary... In addition to phytoplankton, algae and other plants, they eat cereals, tubers of meadow plants, midges, spiders, earthworms.

Gallery: species of wild ducks (25 photos)

Types of ducks

Many species of these waterfowl are listed in the Red Book, for example, Mandarin Duck, Scaled Merganser, Lutok and others. Skillful hunters know how important it is to maintain a balance of species, so they try not to touch them.

The most common breeds of wild ducks are mallard and gray duckThey can be easily confused, because they are very similar in appearance.

Mallard ... This breed is distributed throughout Europe. It is omnivorous and adapts well to environmental conditions.

The bird is partly migratory, in the autumn, huddling in small flocks, they fly to areas with a warmer climate, but some individuals remain to winter, in the vicinity of cities with non-freezing surfaces, adapting to cold and frosty conditions. During wintering or closer to spring, pairs form.

The appearance of the female and the male is completely different. Mallard drakes have bright plumage that arouses the attention of females during the mating season.

The head and neck are dark green with a bright shimmer, there is a clear white edging between the neck and chest, the chest, in turn, is brown, and the lower part and wings are gray.

The beak is olive-yellow and the feet are red or bright orange.

In summer, the male changes the color of the plumage and becomes similar to the female of a gray-brown shade with splashes. Weight in winter no more than 2 kg, in the summer 1.5 kg.

The female mallard is of a modest gray-brown color, which allows her to camouflage in reed bushes or coastal areas where they nest.

Attention!

The body length is about 60 cm, weight is from 0.8 to 1.4 kg, the wingspan of a mallard can reach 1 meter.

The beak is gray or yellow-olive, the paws are orange or red.

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The common elements of this breed for the male and the female are purple mirrors located on the outside of the wing, which are clearly visible when the bird takes off.

Chicks, regardless of gender, have the same color - brown-yellow. The eggs are incubated for an average of 28 days.

The calf weighs 25-38 grams, males hatch with a greater weight than females, and after 12-16 hours after the first chick hatches, the colony leaves the nest.

At such a small age, the chicks are already ready to swim and dive, than they are saved from predators.

During the nesting period, birds prefer to settle in reservoirs with a large number of thickets of reeds and cattails, with stagnant and fresh water. They can often be found in city ponds and reservoirs.

Another species of wild ducks, very similar in appearance to the mallard, is gray duck.

It is also widespread throughout Europe.

Its modest gray color has a camouflage purpose, hiding it well in the bushes of reeds or grass from hunters and predators.

Important!

Prefers to nest on the edge of the coast or swamps with dense vegetation, and after hatching chicks moves to more spacious reservoirs.

This type of bird is respected among breeders and hunters - they are unpretentious in food, feed mainly on plant foods. It is a partly migratory bird.

It nests once a year and hatches from 6 to 10 chicks at a time.

The appearance is very similar to the female mallard and pintail, but smaller. Average female reaches 500-1000 g in weight, and males are slightly larger than 700-1300 g. Males do not differ much from their females in coloring, but during the mating season they acquire a streaky pattern.

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Leaves, grass, algae, plant shoots, phytoplankton, fry, crustaceans - all that wild ducks eat. Chicks feed on midges, insects and vegetation.

Maintenance and breeding at home

Wild birds are unpretentious in food, have a calm character, lay eggs well, do not require special care and maintenance, females incubate eggs on their own and take care of chicks.

In winter can be kept in a barn, they are not afraid of cold weather and quickly adapt to natural conditions. In the summer, an important condition for keeping is an abundant amount of water in containers where they could swim and bathe.

In summer, ducks can be kept in a pen with a house in which they could hide from the rain or go for the night. A domestic wild duck can make up to three clutches in one season and breed about 30-35 ducklings. At the age of two months, they can be sold for slaughter.

With proper care and good food, at home, you can develop a good business selling meat, eggs, or live waterfowl.

How to feed wild ducks

List of everything what can you feed wild ducksis simple enough:

• grass;
• seaweed;
• grain crops;
• tops of carrots or beets;
• there must be sand in the tank in the pen.

The home diet should include protein food, it can be fed to birds every day, namely:

• small fish or minced fish;
• bone or fish meal;
• worms or larvae.

In addition, they make mixed "porridge" from boiled potatoes, mixed fodder, grain, and makuha. It is necessary to feed in small portions, they eat little, but often.

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