What ducks are more profitable to grow at home?

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

Which breed to choose: Muscovy ducks

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

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

Moscow whites

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

Ukrainian breed

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

What should be a poultry house

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

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

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

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

Nests

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

Basic rules of content

Of course, those who decide to start breeding this bird as a business need to be aware of how to care for it. First of all, it should be borne in mind that raising ducks for meat at home is a procedure that necessarily requires compliance with the regime. The productivity of the bird directly depends on this. Usually in households, the following method is practiced:

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

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

Slaughter

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

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

Raising ducks for meat at home: feeding

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

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

How to get ducklings

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

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

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

Ducklings care

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

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

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

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

Keeping ducks in winter

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

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

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

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

What should be a pond

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

Useful Tips

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

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

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

The duck is extremely tender, tasty, juicy and nutritious, and the growing process itself is practically waste-free: the fluff of a young individual is very expensive, the dung is used as a high-quality fertilizer, and the liver is sold mainly to restaurants at a good price.

Choosing ducklings

It is necessary to buy chicks in early spring - at this time the most favorable prices for poultry. The meat will be ready by mid-April, when prices for duck are still very high, which significantly increases the profitability of duck breeding.

When choosing ducklings, you should pay attention to the following points:

1. Place of purchase. It is better to use the services of an incubator, where there are documents for the poultry and certificates for activities - the price is 5-10% higher, but there are at least some guarantees.
2. The mobility and activity of the bird. Choose the noisiest and most active individuals that have shiny fluff (indicates good fortification of the body), dry butts.
3. A good appetite. If you take chicks, pour them food, they should eat it with appetite. And it does not depend on whether they ate or not before. Literally 5 minutes after eating, the baby will peck the food again if he is healthy.

It is necessary to transport the offspring in a homemade box - a cardboard box with holes on all sides for ventilation. Chicks are afraid of high temperatures and can suffocate if there is a lack of oxygen. If you go for a long time, once for 1 hour you can stop and open the box so that the ducklings get some air on the street.

Setting up a hedge and stocking density of ducklings

Raising ducklings at home requires a specially equipped place. You need two separate hedges, where ducklings and adults will be kept (it is not worth combining them together, especially if the density of individuals is large for 1 square meter, as there is a risk of ducklings crushing). The stocking density of weekly chicks in a cage should not exceed 18-25 individuals per square meter, but they do not need a spacious fence either - then they will gain weight longer.

If ducks are reared for meat (rather than eggs), it is best to use the maximum density per unit area. Since mallards are a relatively calm bird and do not fly, an ordinary wooden fence or frame structure with supports and a stretched metal or plastic mesh is suitable for them. When ducks begin to rush, it will be better to plant them in a more spacious room with a density of no more than 5-6 individuals per 1m2.

Installing an inexpensive fence is done as follows:

1. Every 4-5 meters, a rod 8mm thick is hammered, more is possible.
2. A polyethylene mesh with a density of at least 90g / m2 is stretched so that a healthy individual does not tear it later.
3. Earth is poured onto the edge of the net so that the bird does not crawl underneath.

If ducks start to fly (some breeds), wing feathers need to be trimmed. Please note that Mularda ducks do not require an obligatory reservoir and covered area.If you want to grow more whimsical breeds, such as Musk Duck or Peking Duck, then first of all you need to take care of the indoor area. Keeping outside can have a detrimental effect on the health of the bird in the cold season (the temperature at night should be at least + 10C).

If you are going to sell not only duck meat and eggs, but also feathers, you need constant access to a reservoir. In this case, the quality of the down will be the highest (taking into account the addition of vitamin C and K to the diet).

Ventilation is necessary for the room. Despite the fact that the bird is resistant to disease, the constant presence of a large number of individuals in an enclosed space can lead to disease. The room should be ventilated at least once for a couple of days or have an open exit to the street.

Raising ducks at home: feeding and keeping

Feeding ducklings... Little chicks are very susceptible to diseases, and also whimsical to feed. The first days it will be better to add feed antibiotics, namely:

1. Bacitracin. Used to destroy Kokka sticks, anthrax sticks. Add 1kg per 100kg of feed. Apply to birds from 1 day and older.
2. Grizin. General antibacterial effect, universal preparation. 1kg is added per 100kg of feed, the best time is 1-2 weeks old.

Antibiotics will help prevent diseases when the bird's immunity is just forming.

Never give flour or dry food to mallards, especially toddlers. Chop, 4 number of cereals (0.5-1mm in diameter), bran and other similar products, ducklings cannot chew and are often choked. This can even lead to the death of the bird. It is necessary to add such feeds to the diet only after they have been soaked or mixed with other feeds until a wet mixture is obtained. Domestic duck grows much faster if fed with root vegetables.

In the form of feed, it is best to use corn grits, fines from grain, millet, finely crushed vegetables and greens. It is important to give feed additives to babies up to 2-3 weeks of age, then the profitability will decrease significantly.

For a proper diet, it is necessary to feed babies up to 5 times a day, the bird should eat up to 5-8% of its body weight. Those. for 100 individuals up to 1 week old, it is necessary to consume about 5-7 kg of feed per day. You can purchase starter food for ducklings up to 1 week, after which you can gradually switch to regular food. As a percentage, it is necessary to give to ducks:

• animal and vegetable proteins - 15% of the feed weight;
• grain-flour feed - 45% of the feed weight;
• root vegetables and greens - 20% of the total diet;
• baker's or brewer's yeast - 3% by weight of feed;
• fish oil - 1.5%;
• hay flour - 5%.

Approximately this proportion of feed is optimal and should be adhered to throughout the entire period of feeding the ducks. When the required weight of the duck is reached, it will be better to increase the portion of grain-flour feed for a larger set of meat and fat content of the poultry.

For proper vitaminization, you must adhere to the following table:

Temperature conditions.

The duck is a very thermophilic animal. Chicks up to 1 week should be kept at a temperature of + 28-30C, after 5-7 days of keeping it can be lowered to + 25C, then. When the individuals have good plumage (2-3 weeks), the temperature drops to + 18-20C and is maintained until the bird is fully ripe. You can use any heaters, but infrared ones are better, so that the heating is deep and without a draft.

It is easy to determine the optimal temperature for keeping ducklings by the bird itself. If she strays into groups, it means it's cold, raise the temperature. If the babies look healthy and are active, the temperature is optimal. At high temperatures the bird is "sluggish" and sits separately from each other.

Disease prevention

Despite the fact that domestic ducks practically do not get sick, it is better to play it safe and carry out prevention, especially since it is generally painless and inexpensive. For this you need:

• ventilate the room and disinfect it every 2-3 weeks, especially just before the chicks start settling. Whitewashing the premises will be relevant;
• spraying with formalin to kill most pathogenic bacteria;
• monitor the dryness of the mallard litter (often wood shavings, straw or chopped corn stalk);
• solution A, D3, E, 4-6 drops per 1 liter of water, significantly increases the immunity of the bird. This procedure must be performed at least once every 2-3 weeks.

Adults should consume 1 spoonful of Se once a month for 6 liters of water. This will help to significantly improve metabolism.

Domestic mallards should be mobile and active in the daytime - then it can be argued that the bird is healthy. If done correctly, eiders will reach their optimal weight in 5-7 weeks. An individual weighing 3-4 kg is optimal for obtaining meat.

If, nevertheless, the birds are sick, it is worth giving them antibiotics for up to 7 days, which we mentioned in this article in the section above. If the illness continues, it is necessary to take it to a laboratory for investigation of the cause.

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The creation of a duck farm is a promising business project. With well-organized work, the farm will pay off in 1-1.5 years and will bring a stable income (its profitability is 50-70%).

To start farming activities, you need to buy a plot of land, equip a poultry house and an aviary, purchase the necessary equipment, purchase feed and ducklings, and also establish a market for finished products. But before you get started, you should draw up a business plan.

Attractiveness of a business idea

The creation of a duck farm should be done by a person who lives in a rural area and owns a large plot of land (at least 1500 m2).

To implement this idea, a city dweller will need to buy or lease a plot and move to the countryside. The farm needs constant attention, so you need to prepare for hard and hard work.

The project will require large investments at the first stage: the equipment of the poultry houses and the purchase of ducklings are not cheap. However, after 2 months, when the first batch of birds is slaughtered, the farmer will receive income. In 1–1.5 years, the costs will pay off, and the farm will begin to generate a large income.

Farm products and their relevance

The main product obtained from the duck farm is delicious dietary meat. It is much healthier than chicken, therefore it is popular with consumers. It is bought by supermarkets, restaurants and markets.

The duck farm also produces other products:

• down and feather (used as filler for pillows and blankets);
• eggs (bought for subsequent incubation);
• chicks (purchased by novice farmers for feeding and breeding);
• manure (used as fertilizer for the soil).

Thus, a duck farm is a waste-free production.

Buying ducks

Breed selection

Duck breeds are divided into two groups: meat and egg breeds. The former gain marketable weight in 2 months, but produce a small number of eggs (40–70 per year); the second have to be fattened for 3–3.5 months, but they produce much more eggs (140–170 per year).

Popular breeds:

• Peking duck. Strong, hardy and omnivorous bird. Produces 80-120 eggs per year; feeds well and by 2 months gains weight 2.5–3 kg.
• Muscovy duck. Conflict-free and calm bird. Produces 100-110 eggs per year; by 2 months it is gaining weight 2–2.5 kg.
• Black white-breasted duck. A bird with a high egg production (120-130 eggs per year), but a slow gain in weight (marketable weight - 2.5 kg - gains only at 3 months).
• Mulard. A hybrid of a Peking duck with a musky duck. The bird is characterized by a slow weight gain: by 3 months it weighs 4 kg, by 6 months - up to 7 kg. It feeds mainly on grass and cannot have offspring.

Herd purchase cost

In order for the farm to function properly and quickly generate income, the herd must have at least 1560 ducks (1500 birds for fattening, 50 breeding females and 10 drakes). Since the survival rate of ducklings is 95%, 1640 ducklings will have to be purchased.

The cost of a daily duckling depends on the breed and averages 100 rubles. 164 thousand rubles will have to be spent on the purchase of 1,640 ducklings.

Farm arrangement

A duck farm should have a poultry house with two sections (for feeding ducks and for keeping breeding birds), a pasture for walking and a utility room in which the inventory is stored. All these structures are located on an area of ​​about 1500 m 2. The poultry house will occupy 700 m 2.

Poultry house for fattening ducklings

The area of ​​the poultry house for feeding ducklings is calculated taking into account the number of birds: no more than 3 individuals can be accommodated per 1 m 2. For 1500 birds, a room of 500–600 m 2 will be needed.

To save materials, the walls of the poultry house are made different in height: the front wall should have a height of 1.8–2 m, the rear one - 1 m. Ducks do not need high ceilings, since, unlike chickens, they can do without roosts. Laying nests should be located against the far wall.

House requirements:

• protection from moisture and drafts;
• good ventilation;
• heating in winter;
• electric lighting;
• ease of cleaning and disinfection.

On the south side, at a height of 5–10 cm from the ground, a vertical hole 35x45 cm in size is cut through, which leads to an open-air cage.

Breeding poultry house

The section intended for breeding birds should be equipped in the same way as the section for fattening young stock. However, its area is calculated differently: there can be no more than 2 breeding birds per 1 m 2. For 50 females and 10 drakes, 30-50 m2 of space is required.

Pay particular attention to the design of the jacks. They are made of planks and are boxes measuring 40 × 50 cm and 25–30 cm high. The front wall should be lower - only 7–10 cm - so that it is convenient for the bird to get inside. It is advisable to place the nests against the far wall of the house. Their number should be equal to the number of females. The nests are covered with sawdust, moss or straw.

Warmer boxes for small ducklings can also be placed in the house. They should be heated from below and illuminated from above with red light bulbs.

Poultry equipment

The following equipment should be placed in each house:

1. Lamps with red light. Even if the house has windows, there will not be enough natural light during the fall and winter period. Therefore, it is necessary to install lamps in the room that will provide an illumination intensity of 5 watts per 1 m 2.
2. Heaters. Birds do not tolerate cold well. To prevent the temperature in the house from dropping below 11 ° C, it will have to be equipped with heaters. The most economical option would be to install a stove-stove with a water circuit and radiators. It will be much more expensive to heat the house with infrared lamps or electric convectors.
3. Litter. The half-bird house should be covered with straw, shavings or sawdust; this litter will be changed as needed. 1 bird per year will take up to 6 kg of litter.
4. Ventilation. In order to simultaneously provide ventilation and heating of the poultry house, it should be equipped not with conventional supply and exhaust ventilation, but ventilation with forced supply of warm air.
5. Feeders for food. Birds should have portable feeders for dry feed and wet mash. The feeders have the shape of an elongated trough 25 cm wide and 1–1.5 m long. Their depth is 15–20 cm. From above they are equipped with a bar that prevents birds from climbing inside and scattering food.
6. Feeder for mineral supplements. It looks like a regular feeder, divided into 3 sections: for chalk, gravel and shells. Attaches to the wall at a height of 20 cm.
7. Drinking bowls. Drinking bowls are made of wood in the same dimensions as the troughs. To prevent moisture from deforming the wood, it must be tarred and painted.If the site has a water supply, you can install flowing drinkers from a metal pipe cut into two parts. It is also possible to equip the house with nipple or drip drinkers, and chick boxes with automatic drinkers.

Open-air cage

There can be 2 individuals per 1 m 2 of open space. Therefore, for a herd of 1560 birds, an aviary of 800 m 2 will be needed. To prevent the birds from scattering, the pasture must be fenced off with a high fence, and covered with a net on top, which will protect the ducks from the attack of predatory animals and birds. Part of the enclosure (about 200 m 2) should be under a canopy so that the birds can hide from the sun.

If there is a natural body of water on the site, the birds will gladly splash in the water. This will reduce the cost of feed: after all, birds will receive almost the entire daily ration of food in a natural way. If there is no natural reservoir, there is no need to equip an artificial one: it will quickly become polluted.

The cost of equipping the premises

The arrangement of the poultry house and aviaries will require large investments:

• construction of poultry houses - 1 million rubles;
• installation of a ventilation and heating system - 100 thousand rubles;
• installation of lighting devices - 100 thousand rubles;
• purchase of heating boxes for chicks - 50 thousand rubles;
• purchase of drinking bowls and feeders - 100 thousand rubles.

Costs can be reduced by making your own drinkers and feeders.

Equipment

The farm must have the following equipment:

1. Incubators. If it is planned to artificially breed ducklings on the farm, you will need to purchase at least 10 universal incubators. The device, designed for 100 chicken eggs, will fit 70 duck eggs. The purchase of incubators will cost 100 thousand rubles.
2. Feather plucking machine. Handling a large number of carcasses by hand will not work, so a large farm should have a feather plucking machine. Its cost is low - only 15 thousand rubles.
3. Freezing installations. It will not be possible to sell the finished product immediately, and so that it does not deteriorate, it will be necessary to store it in freezers. An industrial freezing unit with a capacity of 4.7 m 3 will cost 60 thousand rubles.

Breeding ducks and the principles of forming a breeding herd

The duck farm requires regular replenishment of the herd. After the slaughter of the first batch of young animals, it will be necessary to purchase another 1,500 day old ducklings for fattening. In order not to waste money on young animals, it is worth taking care of the self-replication of farm resources.

It will take 50 females and 10 drakes to maintain a herd of 1,500 birds. They will give about 7,500 ducklings per year. For the best fertilization of eggs, there should be 1 drake per 5 females.

Breeding birds must comply with the breed standard. Large, but low-fat individuals with smooth shiny plumage and strong constitution are selected for breeding. Ducks reach sexual maturity by 5-6 months.

Breeding chicks

Chicks can be hatched in two ways: by natural incubation and with the help of an incubator. With natural incubation, the hatchability of eggs is 90–95%. Eggs incubate for 30–35 days, so one hen during the laying period will be able to hatch 3 batches of 14–19 eggs.

Breeding chicks using an incubator gives a low hatchability percentage - only 60–70%. Eggs for incubation are collected from the nests every day, sent to a special room and stored at a temperature of 15 ° C for 15-18 days. In order not to be mistaken in the timing, the date of removal from the nest must be stamped on each egg. When enough material is collected, eggs are set in the incubator.

Feeding

The ducklings are fattened for 2 months and then sent to slaughter. During this period, the duck eats 10 kg of feed (3.5 kg of feed provides a weight gain of 1 kg). It turns out that a population of 1,500 ducks needs to purchase 15 tons of feed for 2 months.

Ducks are unpretentious in food, but their diet must necessarily include:

• wet mash (a mixture of various vegetables, herbs, plant tops with whey or broth);
• ready-made dry compound feed;
• mineral supplements.

The cost of 1 kg of feed is 10 rubles. This means that 15 tons of food will cost 150 thousand rubles.

Cost calculation

The organization of the farm will require serious investments:

• purchase of ducklings - 164 thousand rubles;
• arrangement of premises - 1 million 350 thousand rubles;
• purchase of equipment - 175 thousand rubles;
• purchase of feed for a batch of ducks - 150 thousand rubles.

Current expenditures will consist of payment for electricity and payroll to employees. This will require about 200 thousand rubles. per month.

Consequently, opening a duck farm will cost 2 million rubles.

Income calculation

The main source of income is the sale of duck meat. Its cost is 200 rubles. per kg. Average carcass weight is 2.5 kg. Therefore, one carcass can be sold for 500 rubles. A batch of 1,500 ducks will bring the owner 750 thousand rubles.

Up to 5 batches of ducks can be hatched per year. This means that the annual income is 3 million 750 thousand rubles. Even if you consider that you will have to pay for electricity and labor of hired workers every month, the farm will pay off in about a year.

Subsequently, the profitability of the business will be 50–70%. And to increase profits, you can sell by-products: feathers, down, eggs and ducklings.

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Sales of products

Duck meat is in demand by consumers, so duck farm products will be happy to purchase:

• cafes and restaurants;
• markets;
• supermarkets and shops.

Pooh will buy a sewing workshop that makes blankets and pillows. Eggs and young growth will be purchased by novice farmers. And the manure will be taken away by summer residents to fertilize their gardens.

Backyard owners have long understood the benefits of raising ducks for meat in the household. Unlike keeping broilers, turkeys and other poultry, raising ducks is less difficult, since ducklings grow very quickly, are hardy, have good immunity, and even if the conditions are violated, they practically do not get sick. No less valuable is the fact that adult ducks tolerate winter cold well, and this greatly simplifies and reduces the cost of their maintenance.

How to care for ducklings?

Caring for different breeds of ducklings, in principle, has no differences and consists in following simple rules for their maintenance.

Room preparation

The first question that a novice farmer has is where to keep the bird? It is impossible to give a universal answer to it. It is decided individually in each specific case and depends on the conditions in which the poultry farmer is and on the planned number of poultry heads for fattening. If there is no special room for keeping ducks, then home buildings and sheds can be used.

Special attention must be paid to the preparation of the ducklings. If a shed is used, then before growing it must be freed from unnecessary items, cleaned, and repaired. Whitewash with lime for disinfection. Prepare equipment and inventory, repair it in a home workshop. It is also advisable to cover the floor with lime up to 3 cm and lay a layer of straw up to 15 cm thick. Fill up the holes. Ventilation is required in the duckhouse, but there should be no drafts. In the first weeks, while the chicks are small, they can be kept in a specially made brooder. And if there are few birds, then in any suitable wooden or cardboard box.

If the ducklings are brought by a domestic duck, then it is not necessary to place it with chicks in a brooder. They will feel good with the duck on the duck bed. The chicks will be warmed, watered and fed. The hen is a good helper for the poultry farmer. But if the ducklings are purchased in an incubator, then the care of drinking and feeding will fall on the shoulders of the poultry farmer. In order to have fewer problems when growing poultry, you need to select strong and healthy individuals immediately upon purchase.

What should you look for when buying a duck?

• he must be confident on his feet;
• the fluff should be shiny and well fluffed;
• eyes should be shiny and prominent;
• the abdomen should be retracted and the umbilical cord well healed.

Caring for ducklings in the first two weeks

Ducklings are very sensitive to temperature extremes and require special rearing conditions in the beginning. For them, as for any young poultry, in the first two weeks it is necessary keep the temperature highto keep them very warm. The optimal temperature for ducklings for the first days of life should be maintained in the range from 28 to 33 ° C. For this, an electric lighting lamp is used. It is desirable that it be a special thermal electric lamp. Depending on the spectrum of radiation, they are white and red. For the prevention of pecking of ducklings, it is better to take a red lamp. You can also use a conventional 100-150 watt light bulb.

In the box where the ducklings are kept, you need to place a thermometer and observe the temperature and behavior of the ducklings themselves. If the ducklings behave actively, do not huddle together, do not stray into corners, actively run, eat, drink, then the temperature for them is normal and everything is fine with them. If the ducklings huddle together and cuddle, to each other it means they are cold.

• Note! It must be remembered that strangling from the cold in a bunch, stronger ducklings can involuntarily strangle weakened chicks.

The other extreme is possible - overheating of ducklings... In this case, they drink a lot, eat poorly, can lie with an open beak and heavy breathing. If urgent measures are not taken, both extremes can lead to the death of part or all of the brood.

Temperature control, hardening

Noticing that the ducklings are cold, you need to lower the lamp lower, closer to the floor. Finding that they are too hot - the lamp needs to be raised... If there are not many ducklings in the brooder - 30-50 heads, then one such lamp is enough. It heats well and has a significant heating radius. With a large livestock, to heat them, it is necessary to use several lamps at the rate of about 1 lamp for about 50 ducklings.

After a week, you need to start the hardening process. To do this, the temperature must be lowered by 1 degree every day, until it is brought to a room temperature of 24-26 degrees. After two weeks, the ducklings can already do without additional heating. They are left only with additional electric lighting, if there is not enough daylight. In order to accustom them to the natural change of time of day, the lighting is turned off at night.

Litter

• Note! It should be borne in mind that, despite the good immunity of ducks, due to poor-quality and damp bedding, they can become seriously ill.

To prevent this from happening, it must be carefully selected and changed frequently. Most suitable for ducks is litter in the form of chopped straw or sawdust. But the sawdust is large, close to the shavings. It is impossible to use small sawdust, as the ducklings will eat them and may get sick or die.

If there are few ducklings and they are kept in a small box, then some poultry farmers use baby paper diapers instead of bedding in the first two weeks. These can be purchased at the pharmacy. They absorb moisture well, change quickly and are very comfortable. But they require financial costs.

Very convenient brooder with a mesh bottom 1x1 cm... The discharge falls into the pallet and the ducklings are clean. This is the best prevention of all diseases that arise from sewage and dampness. In addition, the use of such a box practically relieves the poultry farmer from the need to constantly clean it of droppings. To do this, a container is installed on the floor under the brooder or a sheet is spread, according to the size of the box for ducklings, and as it is filled, cleaning is performed.

Feeding and drinking

Most often, the ducklings do not eat for the first day. They only drink.It is very important to water the ducklings as soon as they hatch or appear in the house. You need to drink clean boiled water... After a week, you can already give just tap. Experts recommend to immediately drink the ducklings with a weak solution of potassium permanganate to prevent gastric disorders.

On the second dayIf the ducklings are not eating yet, you can stimulate them to do so. Some poultry breeders add chickens to them for this. From the first day they are already actively eating and the ducklings, looking at them, also begin to eat. You can put light-colored food on a dark sheet or plate and tap to draw the ducklings' attention to the food. For the same purpose, poultry farmers sometimes use this technique: they sprinkle food on the backs of the ducklings and they begin to peck it off each other. Usually, on the second day, the ducklings start to eat well, and they have no problems with appetite.

Many poultry farmers recommend giving chopped boiled eggs, cottage cheese, loose boiled cereals. It is safer to use high-quality starter compound feed. The starter feed for broilers gives very good results. Ducklings start to grow and develop very well.

For drinking, usually vacuum drinkers are used... They keep the ducklings from getting wet and allow them to rinse their nose. Chicks quickly master nipple drinkers, but not from the first day.

• Note! In the first month, you should not give them water in a deep bowl, since their sebaceous glands do not work yet, the fluff is not saturated with fat and gets wet. In this case, the duckling will fall ill or may drown.
• Advice. For better growth, from the beginning of the second month, you can substitute a container with bathing water for them. It is recommended to deepen it to ground level — there will be less dirt.

From the first days of life, vitamins can be added to the water for ducklings. In the second week, you can already give green food: finely chopped nettles, dandelions, alfalfa, clover, green onions. It is a storehouse of vitamins, especially nettle and dandelion. If they eat enough greens every day, they do not need to feed additional vitamins.

If it is impossible to use compound feed in the future, or in order to save money, from 30 days of age, you need to gradually transfer from compound feed to any mixture. It can be wheat, barley and corn, crushed and mixed in equal proportions. You can add a little compound feed for the smell. If you have a grain grinder, then such a mixture is not difficult to prepare at home. After the bird gets used to the grain mixture, the feed can be omitted. After a month, the birds can already be released from the brooder to the walking yard and continue to feed as usual. The ducks are given a dry and slightly moistened grain mixture. Food waste is also used.

Features of feeding the Peking duck

This duck is considered the most productive and fastest growing. Her feeding has some peculiarities. It reaches its optimum weight in 50-55 days. Above this period, the molt period begins, and the duck dramatically loses weight. To feed her in two months, already from a very young age, you need good nutrition, greens and always protein feed. It can be meat and bone meal or fish bone meal, fish oil.

The Peking duck is very voracious and eats a lot. To get a good result, you need to make sure that the food troughs are constantly filled. They have a very short intestinal tract. For 3-4 hours food completely passes through it and the duck wants to eat again.

Following these tips will allow in a short period of time to grow a bird weighing up to 3-4 kg. This is 1-1.5 kg more than ducks of other breeds. In addition, you can get high-quality down from it, which is not inferior to goose down.

A big plus in keeping ducks is that they are undemanding to feed. Everyone eats at any time of the year. If you show love for these birds, study and follow the rules for caring for them, then the work invested in keeping ducks in the household will certainly bring the poultry farmer a significant income to the family budget.

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