How much do you need to grow mulard at home

Mulard is a breed of ducks that many budding farmers are interested in. These poultry have many features and benefits.

Mularda ducks

This is not to say that it is very difficult to breed mulard. The method of breeding them is very similar to the breeding methods of other breeds of ducks. But there are still a lot of nuances, so check out the characteristics of the breed and the principles of breeding its representatives.

In the photo mulard duck close-up

Characteristics of the Mulardy breed

Mulard is a hybrid, that is, the result of crossing an Indo-duck with a Peking or other domestic duck. The color of their plumage can be either dark or light, but all mulard have a distinctive feature - a dark spot on the head. Their approximate weight, which they reach in a season, is three to four kilograms.

The color scheme of Murads is clearly visible in the photo.

The main reason for breeding mulard is the desire to get a large amount of duck meat. The process of raising ducks of this breed can rightfully be called productive. Under good conditions and proper feeding per season, an individual gains about four kilograms of weight or more. Moreover, its breeding is not costly. It will take as much effort and finances to raise a mularda as it takes to raise any other domestic duck.

Mularda ducks have very tasty meat

If you fatten mulardov well, you can get another valuable resource - fatty liver. It is the main component of a topical and expensive dish called foie gras. In order for the liver of a duck to be fat, you just need to feed it tightly and grow it in cramped conditions.

It is worth noting that mulard's liver tastes different from goose's. It is highly valued, as it has already won the title of delicacy.

Mulard meat is as fat as that of a goose. It differs only in a more delicate taste and a less specific smell. It will surely appeal to those who consider chicken meat a little dry, and goose meat not very tasty.

Fat carcass of mulard

Mulard have one serious drawback - they are not able to produce their own kind. Even if you see how the drake will cover the duck, you shouldn't wait for the offspring anyway. This process is ineffectual, because it is only an instinct.

Mulard table

Is it possible to breed this breed at home?

Of course you can. To do this, you need to stock up on female Indo-ducks and male Peking ducks. You can do the opposite, that is, purchase musk drakes and females of any domestic ducks.

How to breed and keep ducks

It is not at all necessary to get a home incubator. In this case, he turns out to be unproductive compared to the hen.

To get a good result, you need to consider a few rules.

1. Mate adult birds.If they are less than six months old, productivity will be low. Overly adults (over eleven months old) are also not suitable.
2. Do not forget to separate representatives of the same breeds. If you purchase males and females of each breed required and keep them together, the males will only cover “their” females. The result is not crossbreeding, but standard breeding.
3. Provide good conditions for the ducks. They should be warm, light and spacious. Of course, you shouldn't forget about feeding. Otherwise, the males will not cover the females.
4. Cross breeds during favorable times. The best time is from late April to mid-June.

When trying to cross, you may encounter an obvious phenomenon - a drake of one breed will ignore a female of another breed. Do not be upset, as it will adapt to new conditions a little later and still cover the duck. If the male is a representative of the musky breed, you can go for a trick - paint the back of the Peking duck with dark paint.

It is very important to follow the rules for crossing individuals.

Before placing a hen on eggs, you need to provide her with good conditions. It is recommended to limit her from contact with other birds. Be sure to equip a nest for her. Suitable bedding can be made from straw.

Recommendations for the arrangement of the gosper

Not far from the nest, you should install a drinker, a feeder and a container with water in which the duck can swim. No more than fifteen eggs should be placed in the nest itself.

In order not to waste time in vain, get an ovoscope. With this device, you can identify unusable eggs. In a fertilized egg with embryos, vascular networks will be noticeable - such eggs must be left. You need to remove only those in which there are no blood vessels or there is a red ring. After one month, the mulards should hatch from the eggs.

How to buy a healthy mulard duckling?

If you do not have enough time to breed mulard, and you have decided to buy little ducklings, be sure to read the information on how to make the right choice.

Little duck of Mulard breed

Many breeders ignore the rules for raising mulard, so poultry purchased from them quickly die. If you have the opportunity to choose ducklings, immediately pay attention to their mobility. A fussy little mulard is a good choice, as this behavior speaks of his excellent health.

Choose an active, healthy duckling

Do not give preference to small poultry that huddle in a corner and do not move. Sometimes healthy ducklings behave this way if they are tired and want to sleep, so you just need to make a loud sound to check. Even knocking on the tray where they are located will be enough. Mulards with good health will definitely react to it.

Another sign of a duckling that is not worth buying is the wings separated from the body. In a healthy small bird, they should be pressed against the body. Another sign of the disease is a dirty undertail. This area must be clean.

Signs of healthy ducklings

In what conditions to grow mulard?

Very young ducklings have high maintenance requirements. In the first week of life, they need to be in a room where the temperature will be about thirty degrees. After they are seven days old, the temperature can be lowered to seventeen degrees. In the first days of life, ducklings should receive a lot of light. You can either use artificial lighting or take the ducklings for a walk, if weather conditions permit.

Duck house device

For the first two weeks of life, ducklings need soft bedding. Hay or straw will do, but wood waste should never be used. Small mulards can eat them.

To prevent adult birds from getting sick, they need a closed room, that is, a barn. It should be completely closed to prevent the birds from blowing and wetting them with rain.

Experts recommend making windows to the south when building a duckhouse, so that there is more natural light

If you do not grow mulard for the sake of a valuable resource in the form of fatty liver, you need to remember that they need a large shed. It should not be allowed that there are more than four individuals per square meter.

In a closed room for ducks, you should install not only drinkers and feeders, but also containers in which they can bathe.

Duck feeder

Walking is what mulardam need. But a cramped aviary or a small fenced area is not good. One poultry should have one square meter. Prepare to enclose a large area if you want to breed many individuals.

Mulardy on the walk

A fence on the territory should be done only if any circumstances require it. Mulards are calm poultry that are unlikely to leave their habitat of their own free will.

How and what to feed mulardov?

If you have little mulards, get ready to suffer. At this age, they do not know how to eat, so each duckling will have to be fed. First you need to give the kids a drink with a very weak solution of potassium permanganate. This should be done on the first day of their life.

Next, you need to try to feed the little mulard with porridge with boiled chopped egg. From the fifth day of life, ducklings can be fed with grated greens, and after they are two weeks old, you can treat them to boiled potatoes.

Feeding ducklings

You can simplify the task if you purchase kits for feeding small mulards of different ages in a specialized store. It is easy to find vitamin complexes for weak ducklings in veterinary pharmacies.

A very important condition is the constant presence of water in the drinkers. Mularda consume a lot of fluids, which has a positive effect on their health. When ducks drink, they can rinse their beak, so the drinker should be large and flat.

Drinker for ducklings

Drinking bowl from a can and a pallet

So that mulardy do not suffer from digestive problems, they need to be fed with special additives. You don't have to buy store-bought supplements if you make a feeder with chalk, crushed egg shells, shells and limestone. These mineral supplements will suffice. Cereals and bone meal also help to improve the digestion process.

Ducklings nutrition table

Several types of foods should be included in the diet of adult mulard:

• fresh green herbs. In this regard, mulards are unpretentious, so they can be fed with any greens, except poisonous ones. Clover, alfalfa and nettles are what ducks love the most. You can also feed them with some aquatic plants, for example, duckweed;
• vegetables. The most suitable are carrots and potatoes. The second food product can only be given boiled. Yellow pumpkin and cabbage are also suitable for feeding;
• waste. This group includes fish and meat products. They cannot be given in large quantities;
• cereals. These include oats, barley, corn, and legumes;
• cake. Soybean, cotton, peanut and rapeseed cakes are suitable;
• dairy. Usually they are fed to ducklings, but to improve their health, they can also be given to adult mulards. Low-fat cottage cheese is most suitable. The rest of the dairy products spoil quickly.

Ducks feeding

In the summertime, ducks should be fed at least four times. Wet and dry food should be fed twice a day. In addition, you should constantly feed the ducks with grass.

Grain mixture for feeding ducks

In the cold period, mulardam is enough to eat only a couple of times a day. The first feeding is dry food, the second is wet food and vegetables. The more varied both feeds, the better, because in winter mulardam really need vitamins.

Dry food for ducks

Special attention should be paid to the diet of layers. It should be as balanced and complete as possible, despite the season. The table shows example of a daily diet.

Edible salt	1,4
Grain mix	60
Bone flour	1,5
Boiled potatoes	45
Fresh greens	100
Waste	5
a piece of chalk	6
Barley or corn flour	110
Cake	10

Nutrition of mulard ducklings

Video - Ducks breed Mulard

Video - Breeding mulard and a few facts about them

Mulard is considered a popular breed, but it is not entirely correct to call them a “breed”, because they are sterile, which means that new ducklings appear only with repeated crossing. It is more accurate to call them a factory cross.

Characteristics of mulard ducks

Several factors made these ducks attractive:

• fast weight gain;
• tasty, odorless meat;
• lack of fat;
• small difference in the weight of females and males;
• resistance to many diseases;
• cold endurance.

The only one disadvantage it became impossible to reproduce the descendants of Peking and muscovy ducks.

Mularda ducks: their rearing and proper feeding

Breeding, care and maintenance of ducks at home

Since mularda are incapable of reproducing their own kind, those who decided to grow them follow one of two paths:

• independently cross the above breeds;
• every time they buy chicks from a third-party breeder.

If you consider it more profitable to breed mulard on your own, then take several ducks of one breed and one drake of another... Which of them will be musky, and who will be Beijing white - it does not matter, the offspring will still turn out to be mulards. Experiment by crossing musk with orpington, Rouen, and alier (whites).

You can entrust hatching eggs to a hen by placing a couple of dozen under it. Usually, live broods hatch up to 100% of chicks, while in the incubator the percentage of success is about 60. The brood hen must swim so that the eggs are moistened with water. In the incubator, they are irrigated from a spray bottle.

For beginners, breeding mulard ducks at home involves the acquisition of chicks. Buying ducklings ask about vaccinations and look at the behavior chicks. You should only be attracted to active individuals. Besides, pay attention to the litter (if present in the cell) - too loose stools can cause not only occasional stomach upset, but also infection.

Some farmers advise buying ducklings in early spring, when the air has already begun to warm up to +9 degrees, while the chicks should be diurnal. However, this forces you to take care in advance about good heating and lighting of the place where you place them at home. Others believe that it is better to take closer to the summerto dispense with heating. Assume that ducks will live no more than two months.

You can buy young animals on spontaneous markets, in breeding farms and on specialized sites. It is better to give preference to sellers with whom you yourself or your friends have already dealt.

The cost of chicks varies widely: from 50 to 350 rubles per individual. Usually, wholesale buyers get a discount, as well as those who ordered and paid for the purchase in advance. They sell not only daily allowances, but also weekly ducklings.

For transportation, care and feeding of mulard ducks during the first days, a box or box made of cardboard, plywood or wood will do. So that they are not too crowded inside, calculate by area: no more than 16 ducklings per square.

At home, you should have a heated house that supports temperature 20-22 degrees or slightly higher. No drafts or dampness. The first week of life of chicks requires almost round the clock lighting - 18-20 hours daily. On the following days, reduce the lighting time by an hour or two per week. By the way, make sure that the light is diffused, and not in the eyes.

Feeding mulard ducklings

You can feed it as soon as you bring it home. The first five days will have to work hard: there is food every two hours approximately, while the mulard ducklings may at first turn out to be unsuitable for food.

Dilute the light pink potassium permanganate solution. Water each duckling by dripping the solution into its beak. Potassium permanganate is needed for disinfection (add it in the future).After that, you can start feeding.

You will need a dark background (painted cardboard, for example), on which you will sprinkle soft porridge and boiled eggs, chopped into crumbs (incubation waste will do here). Scatter small pieces of food over the background, pour it without fear on the birds themselves - nature forces them to pay attention only to moving food.

Corn You can also feed day-old ducklings, up to half of their daily diet. Wheat no less good, but barley should be soaked for 10 hours to soften the shell of its grains. Have oats not all varieties have a film on the surface, so it is better to take those where there is no film. Peas it is useful for ducks, but they do not like it very much.

Up to 10 days, ducklings are fed only with bran, corn, ground grain, cake. In the future, everything else is added.

Here approximate diet for ducks under 1 month of age:

• corn - up to half;
• wheat - 13%;
• sunflower cake - 19%;
• yeast - 5%;
• dry return - 3%;
• herbal flour - 3%;
• fish flour - 7%;
• fat and chalk - 1% each.

An important addition to the diet of ducklings will be meat and bone and fish meal... Take the latter with a 10% fat content, because the shelf life depends on this indicator: the higher the fat content, the faster the flour deteriorates.

Small amounts of calcium in regular feed are supplemented ground eggshell, chalk, shells... You also need to give coarse sand... There is still a mishmash add some salt a little: no more than 0.2% of the total mass.

Older than 1 month ducks can be fed like this:

• corn - 45%;
• wheat - 13%;
• fat and meat and bone meal - 3%;
• fish flour - 4%;
• soaked barley - 8%;
• sunflower waste - 17%;
• yeast - 5%;
• herbal flour and chalk - 1%.

Since mulard is raised not for the sake of eggs and not for the tribe, but exclusively for meat, then it is necessary to add to the feed green mass: various herbs, you can even tree foliage.

In general, the diet of ducklings should consist of carbohydrates from grains and crushed potatoes, and protein from eggs, cottage cheese, milk, whey, buttermilk (the mash can be mixed with dairy products instead of water).

Over time, after about a month, home feeding of mulard ducks will be reduced to three times a day. To the diet will be added food waste, vegetable tops, hay, chaff and duckweed... The latter is required for rapid growth.

If your bird is free-range and there is a pond, then it is not necessary to additionally give duckweed - otherwise, catch it with a net and arrange a pond at home where it will grow. Don't forget about gravelneeded by birds for digestion.

IMPORTANT! Before feeding, check to see if your pets have digested the previous meal. To do this, you will have to check the esophagus - if it is soft, then the previous food got into the stomach and you can feed it.

Ducks can be fed with soaked stale bread, wheat bran and compound feed... When purchasing the latter, specify that you need compound feed specifically for birds. This is necessary because urea is present in compound feed for cattle, which is highly undesirable for birds.

The greens in the feed replace the algae, but they are needed even if the ducks graze in the pond. Firstly, it will reduce your expenses, and secondly, greens have a positive effect on weight gain.

Greens before kneading the mash are usually chopped and steamed. You can also use grass dried outdoors, as well as hay and dust from it.

Since the bird is grown in spring and summer, the main souring feed becomes a feeding problem... Therefore, do not put in too much feed at a time. Track how much food your bird eats in 30 minutes and don't add more. After the end of the meal, the feeders are washed without fail. For this, just hot water or water with the addition of ash will do.

To increase the amount of protein and vitamins in the feed, you can feed the ducks fresh yeast at the rate of either grams per bird, or 30 grams of baker's yeast + 1.5 liters of warm water for each kilogram of dry feed. In the latter case, the yeast is mixed first with water, then with food and allowed to brew for 7 hours in a warm place.

Quinoa seeds, chicken millet - a tasty addition for ducks. If so, add them directly to the mash.

A little about growth accelerators. In the case of mulard, they are superfluous - the bird grows by leaps and bounds without additives, so they do not need any chemistry.

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How to feed mulard ducklings in winter?

Usually mulard is raised for two months, slaughtered before molting, during which the bird not only loses weight, but also becomes more difficult to pluck. However, some owners allow the ducks to spend the winter.

Below is an example calculation of the feed required for one individual throughout the winter:

• potatoes and other root crops - about 23 kg;
• hay - 8 kg;
• litter - 12 kg.

The food should be stored in the cellar in winter.

It is important to correctly calculate the number of feeders and drinkers so that the birds do not stratify into more and less successful ones - the latter usually lag behind in development, gain weight worse. Put it right one drinker and one feeder for 12 pets.

You will have to constantly monitor purity of water in the drinking bowls. It should be changed at least twice a day. Drinking bowls are necessarily deep.

Lay the bedding in a thick layer, using shavings, hay or straw for this purpose.

IMPORTANT! Never use sawdust as a bedding for ducklings - they may die, pecking them up from hunger.

Walking area calculated so that each bird gets a square meter. Then there will be no crowding. IN premises can hold up to 3 ducks per square.

When you decide it's time to slaughter the bird, put it in a separate pen 24 hours before slaughter. She will no longer receive food, only salted water - these are measures of preparation for future storage. So you cleanse the digestive tract of the bird and affect its metabolic processes.

Adult feeding of mulard ducks

The diet of adult mulard is no different from what matured ducklings eat. By the way, if you have vegetables - zucchini, overripe cucumbers, for example - they can be added to feed to reduce the cost of its cost.

Video: breeding mulard ducks at home

Mulard diseases

The hybrid is very resistant to most infections that are infectious to other species of ducks, but there are still a number of diseases that prevent mulard ducks from breeding at home. Diseases differ in their symptoms and, if not treated, can lead to the death of the bird.

If it is not enough to keep order in the house, not to change the litter, then it can rot or mold. At the same time, a fungus multiplies in it, which causes aspergillosis in birds. And if the sick are not properly treated, then up to half of the livestock may die. Aspergillosis symptoms:

• the bird is sluggish;
• does not eat;
• breathes frequently;
• vomits her.

For treatment, copper sulfate (0.15%) is mixed into the water, and the human medicine "Nystatin" is added to the feed, but the veterinarian will tell you the dosage.

Lack of vitamins and protein can lead to baldness birds that pluck their own feathers. Other factors include dirt in the house, poor air flow, and overcrowding in confined spaces. The treatment is simple: restore vitamins A and D and keep the bird tidy.

The same vitamins, if they are insufficient in the diet, can cause cloacite - inflammation of the mucous membrane of the cloaca. Increase the amount of vitamins, and lubricate the cloaca first with iodine, and over the iodine with zinc ointment. In advanced cases, you will need penicillin ointment.

Worms, with which ducks can become infected in water bodies, cause them polymorphosis - a dangerous disease from which a bird dies at any age.Symptoms:

• poor appetite;
• vomit;
• emaciation;
• diarrhea.

When opened, worms are visible in the intestines, adhering to the walls.

Treatment - the same copper sulfate, given at a concentration of 0.1%. The doctor may prescribe btionol, dichlorophene, filixan, and other drugs. Decontamination of the poultry house will also be required.

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Sale of mulard meat

If you decide to grow mulard for sale, you will have to fulfill a number of conditions for their sale.

You will need a veterinarian twice: before and after slaughter. First, he examines a live bird and gives certificate of her pre-slaughter condition... Then he examines the carcasses and gives the second certificate - that the slaughter rules were followed and the bird was healthy.

To transport meat, you need one more permission - now already from the district veterinary service... She gives Form No. 2 and examines the batch of meat. On the basis of the examination, the carcasses are stamped with admission for sale.

Arriving at the market, you should again receive paper, this time from Vetsanexpertiza... It gives permission to trade.

You can trade not only in the market, but also through online stores, through supermarkets with farmer departments. You can also negotiate with restaurants and cafes for the supply of fresh poultry meat.

Estimated costs and benefits

It is difficult to say how much money you will invest in building and opening your farm. We would venture to assume that at first it will be small. Even in this case, your farm will begin to pay off only after a year and a half (maximum).

But this is money for construction, and there are still constant feed costs... It's easier to count here. If we take as a basis the age of two months to which you will raise ducks, then for the entire period of their residence you will need 10 kg of compound feed per duck. Then multiply by the number of livestock and the average price of compound feed per kilogram. In addition, the cost includes the cost of electricity and transportation.

To count approximate profit, you need to know how much mulard grows for meat.

At the age of 2 months, mularda weigh about 3 kg. Let's say that a gutted carcass weighs 2 kg. Selling reasonably will give you double the number of heads in your herd. Find out the cost in your region of compound feed and the price of mulard meat. Revenue minus cost is your income. It can be assumed that it will be three times higher than the cost of growing. Consequently, the more birds, the higher the income... But before you take on a large project, establish sales channels first, giving preference to advance orders.

Well, now you know enough theory to first estimate your own strengths. Try first on a small herd, sufficient to supply only your family and relatives with mulard duck meat by autumn. After this experience, you will get a real idea of ​​the investment of effort and money. The only thing that remains is to transfer business to a commercial track.

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The first mention of the cultivation of mulard dates back to 1960 in France. Mulard is a hybrid of the meat direction, obtained by crossing the drakes of the musky duck (Indo-duck) and the Peking ducks.

The hybrid was created to improve the qualities of the parent breeds in order to obtain a new improved individual.Mulard cannot be found in the wild, they do not reproduce on their own and are grown only at home on the initiative of a person.

Description of the breed of birds

Mulards are big birds of white color with a black spot on the head, it is thanks to this trait that the hybrid is easy to distinguish from other ducks. Adults are larger than their parents (Peking and Muscovy duck). Torso dense, knotted, well-built, elongated, with tightly fitting wings. Head medium-sized, light beak, elongated, dark eyes, elongated neck. Short legs yellow, small tail.

Mulardy ducks on the pasture

Mulard do not give offspring, therefore, these ducks are not used for breeding. Sometimes drakes are sexually active, and ducks lay eggs, but due to the fact that they cannot be obtained without fertilized offspring, this fact has been proven by many studies and experiments. Hybrids are valued for their excellent, low-fat (the percentage of fat is only 3%) meat, like the Indo-milk, without a specific smell, and a fatty large liver, which is used to prepare an exquisite meat dish foie gras. Compared to Peking ducks, mulardy are calm, not so noisy and clean.

Conditions of detention and care

Mulards are suitable for industrial and home maintenance. In an industrial setting the hybrid is grown in special poultry houses equipped with all the necessary mechanisms and technologies. Ducks are mainly used for beef feeding, and drakes are used to obtain liver. The enterprises use floor and cage keeping of poultry.

Growing in household plots mulard does not differ from the content of ducks of other breeds and crosses. In summer, it is economically profitable to keep the bird on paddocks equipped with special feeders and drinkers. At night, the ducks are herded into the barn and closed. Mulard are rarely left for the winter, since they are unsuitable for breeding, and during the season you can get a duck ready for slaughter from a duck. Due to this method of cultivation, there is no need for capital and well-insulated buildings. For the correct maintenance of mulard a simple room with good floors and no holes for rats and other predators to enter is sufficient. There should be no drafts in the barn. On the south side, a hole is made into the poultry house, the hole above the floor should be 5-8 cm and be tightly closed with a door. The poultry house should be built based on the number of ducks per 1 sq. m 3 heads. On the walk the bird should feel free, therefore 1 square meter is allocated for 1 head. m area. For feeding, use special feeders 110 cm long and 23 cm wide for adult birds, and 100x14.5 for young animals. see A partition is made on top of the feeders so that the birds do not scatter feed. It is better to use nipple drinkers for water.

Mulard ducks on the street near the house

House temperature should be 16-18 ° C, with a humidity of 60-70%. The floor covering is made of sawdust, shavings or straw. The house must be regularly cleaned and ventilated.

Characteristics of adults: the weight of drakes and ducks

Mulard weight - 4-7 kg. The difference in weight between drakes and ducks is only 500 g. In 3 months the bird gains 4 kg. With long-term cultivation, the mass reaches 7 kg, almost like the weight of a goose. Liver mass mulard 500-550 g. Feed intake per day 340 g.

To obtain mulards, you can cross different breeds. Drakes of musk ducks interbreed with Peking ducks, Rouen ducks, Orgpington ducks, and Allies. As a result of such crosses, ducklings are obtained in different colors and shades.

Feeding and breeding

Since the mulard incapable of procreation, then musk and Peking ducks are used to obtain ducklings. To obtain mulards, families are created from 1 musk drake and 4-6 Peking ducks. The best age for mating is 7-10 months. Ducks begin lay an eggand in 180-210 days. About 15-20 eggs are placed under the hen.

IMPORTANT! The hatchability of chicks under a brood hen is 60%, and in an incubator it is almost 100%, which makes it expedient and cost-effective to use an incubator.

Despite the fact that the breed is distinguished by its unpretentiousness and early maturity, certain conditions must be taken into account when breeding. When ducklings begin to appear, they are prepared habitat... Depending on the number of chicks, this can be a box or a whole room. A litter of straw or hay is laid on the floor. Under natural conditions, ducklings receive heat from their mothers, and in artificial conditions, additional sources are installed. IN first days of life the house must be provided with warmth, temperature indoors 28-30 ° C, after a few days it is reduced to 23 ° C. Lighting plays an important role in the early days and helps ducklings adapt to external conditions. For the first few days, the lighting should be around the clock. After the kids grow up a little, the lighting is reduced to 15-17 hours a day.

Mulardy ducklings

On the first day after birth, ducklings cannot eat on their own, they are used to feed them special kitssold in veterinary pharmacies. The mulards themselves begin to eat for 2-3 days. After the ducklings have hatched and dried, they are soldered a weak solution of potassium permanganate... The first feed is a hard-boiled and finely chopped egg. From day 10, well-crushed grain is added to the diet. From 10 days of age mulards are fed 2 times a day. From 2 weeks it is necessary to give duckweed. An important element when feeding ducklings is meat and bone meal and bran. To normalize calcium in the body, crushed shells are added to the diet. Ducklings need feed with mineral mixtures: chalk, limestone and shell rock. To improve digestive processes, ducks are given gravel. Ducklings should always have clean water. If possible, as an additive, it is allowed to give cottage cheese in the amount of 1 gram per head.

IMPORTANT! Mulard is not limited in food, since they are not prone to accumulation of fat, and in the process of abundant feeding, only muscle mass grows.

Ducklings diet should contain up to 20% protein, 1 kg of feed accounts for 2800 kcal of energy. After 3 weeks, the feeding scheme is chosen: intensive, extensive and semi-intensive.

Mularda hybrid ducklings

Intensive technology is feeding pellets, which must contain at least 17% protein. Semi-intensive technology is based on feeding with granular, wet and bulk feed. In the extensive method, roughage and grain are fed using food additives. From 5-6 weeks the birds are released into the pasture. Slaughter is carried out at 3-4 months, when the mulards reach the optimal live weight.

Foie gras feeding mulard

Fattening drakes to get fatty liver consists of 3 steps. In the first 3 weeks of life, the chicks are fed in the usual way. Then the bird is transplanted into narrow and small cages so that it cannot move a lot. For the next 4 weeks, the ducklings are fed a diet high in starch and protein, which contributes to very rapid growth of the bird. From 8-10 weeks of age, the forced feeding stage begins. The food is pushed down the throat using a screw with a tube, in this way the bird receives 1.8 kg of grain per day. Forced feeding lasts 12-21 days.

INTERESTING TO KNOW: the liver of mulard fed on foie gras grows 10 times its normal size.

Diseases of ducks during rearing

Mulards are very sturdy and disease-resistant hybrids... They tolerate cold and temperature extremes well. With a normally balanced diet, the bird grows quickly and does not suffer from vitamin deficiencies. But, despite their good adaptation conditions, mularda are still susceptible to some diseases, the description of which is presented below.

Mulard hybrid duck

Aspergillosis

The bird becomes infected with this disease by inhaling the saw, which contains a fungus that grows in moldy straw and old feed. In 50% of cases, death occurs. Symptoms: lethargy, poor appetite, vomiting, rapid breathing, nasal discharge and paralysis of the legs and wings appear in the last stages. For the treatment of aspergillosis, a not very concentrated solution of copper sulfate is added to the water, but nystatin is added to the feed.

Plucking feathers

One of the acute problems of mulard is feather pecking. The disease occurs due to significant lack of protein in the body or adverse conditions of detention. In a small, dirty and poorly ventilated area, bird feathers become dirty quickly, which causes ducks to clean themselves much more often. In order to prevent pecking, it is necessary to balance the rations for all macro and micronutrients and adhere to sanitary and hygienic standards in the poultry house.

Duckling Mulard

Cloacite

This disease occurs due to a lack of vitamins. A mucous membrane appears on the cloaca of the duck, and pus may appear at a progressive stage. For treatment, first of all, they clean the cloaca, lubricate the mucous membrane with an iodine solution and apply zinc ointment. If the disease is detected at the first stage, then the duck will not suffer and your farm will not be harmed.

Advantages and disadvantages of the breed

Dignity

Cleanliness. The hybrid is distinguished by its cleanliness and well-groomed appearance, thanks to this property, their fluff is widely used in industry.

Calm disposition. Unlike Peking ducks, mulards are not loud, behave calmly and do not annoy breeders with constant noise.

White duck of Mulard breed

Early maturity. Mulard very quickly gain weight with standard feeding, like other ducks, and already at 3-4 months they go to slaughter.

High meat characteristics. Females are mainly used for fattening. Mulard meat is practically lean, because in the process of growth the bird accumulates only muscle mass. The meat does not have a specific smell, is soft and tasty.

Foie gras. It is the mulard liver that is used to prepare an exquisite foie gras dish. To obtain foie gras, only drakes are used; during the fattening period, the liver reaches 500-550 g.

Unpretentiousness. Mulards do not require special care, their maintenance is much cheaper than ordinary ducks. Hybrids adapt well to cold and hot climates.

Flaws

You cannot get offspring. Since mulards are hybrids, young animals cannot be obtained from them, therefore, for breeding, it is necessary to cross a musky and a Peking duck each time.

They do not tolerate dampness. This is an uncritical drawback, but it is still better to keep mulardov in dry pens to prevent various diseases.

Hybrid breed Mulard

Reviews of the domestic breed of ducks and video

Breeding mulard at home is much easierthan a regular duck. You can buy eggs and put them in an incubator, or buy ducklings right away. Easy for the season a full-fledged duck grows, which can already be cut in the fall. There is a lot of meat and it is practically low-fat, it is better to cut it at 4 months, it makes no sense to keep it anymore, and the duck will be tough. Mulard feed does not consume more than Peking duck, but grows much faster and the carcass is larger. No need to build capital sheds for the winter: I bought ducklings in the spring, and killed them in the fall and no trouble. The big plus is the same weight of ducks and drakes, not that in other breeds the male is large, but in the female there is nothing to see. Mulard is ideal for home growing: fast, inexpensive and tasty.

Mulardy are, perhaps, best duck hybrid. Everyone knows their meat qualities and fast weight gain in a short time. These ducks are very unpretentious and behave calmly in the yard. Ducks by weight no different from drakes... This hybrid is used to produce large foie gras liver. They do not breed themselves, but this is a small problem, you can always buy chicks or eggs for incubation. And if there is an opportunity and time, then in subsidiary farms, families from Peking musk ducks are created and with their help every year you can get mulard offspring. Mulard - this is a great option for those who want to receive high quality and lean meat.

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Now it is profitable to raise fast-growing ducks, getting quality meat. It is not too expensive, but quite effective. These breeds include mulard ducks.

Mulard ducks are very beneficial for breeding

Characteristics of mulard ducks

Combining musk ducks (Indo-duck) with domestic breeds (often with Peking ones), they produced mulard. According to its characteristics, the breed is sterile, so it does not produce offspring. There is no need to breed a Mulard breed for posterity. There are cases of manifestation of their sexual instinct, but fertilized eggs should not be expected. This has already been proven.

The attractiveness of mulards is due to their high productivity. This breed is quite effective in the meat direction. At three months, and sometimes two, after fattening, the individual grows to a productive weight (4 kg.). The taste of the meat is very high. Comparing mulard ducks with domestic Peking ducks, the superiority of the former is noted with uniform feed costs.

The fatty liver of mulard is used for foie gras. To obtain such a liver, ducks are force-fed by raising them in cramped cages.

According to the description, the plumage color is varied. Mularda ducks are often an adornment of the courtyard. Depending on age, dark or white mularda, there is a dark spot on the top of the head. After two months of life, the weight of a bird can reach three or more kilograms. There are no significant differences between females and males. Sometimes males can be half a kilo heavier.

Ducks and drakes mulard look about the same

Breeding mulard at home

Breeding of this breed is quite common in Europe, like a bird with liver for foie gras.

To breed the breed at home, the Musk breed is copulated with the Peking one. Further consequences are influenced by the following indicators:

Mating season. The best period for this is mid-spring and early summer.

• The age of the ducks. The best period for crossing is 7-10 months of life.
• Care and maintenance during breeding. A good option is to place 4-6 females with an active drake in a separate place. Fertilization of eggs will not occur immediately, since the adaptation of birds takes place at the first stage. Only then does the drake cover the ducks.
• Sexual characteristics. There are cases where the black and white drake rejects the white Peking ducks. In such a situation, the white duck backs are repainted in a dark color and then the male becomes active.

Eggs are harvested for seven days for incubation. Ducklings are bred in two ways:

1. under the hen;
2. in the incubator.

The result of hatching ducklings under a brood hen is much higher than that of an incubator. The hen, which has shown itself on the good side, is left for several more years as an experienced bird.

The brood hen is placed in a nest in a quiet place. For this, an old box is useful or you can fence off a place in the room.

One hen can hatch up to 20 ducklings

The bottom is covered with straw or hay. Eggs in the amount of 15-20 pieces are placed under the hen. Make sure that she completely covers the eggs with feathers. After ten days, using the ovoscope device, the fertilization of the eggs is checked. Unfertilized eggs are light in color, without the presence of blood vessels. They are removed immediately. If a blood ring is visible through the eggs, this means a frozen embryo. Such eggs are also removed.

Several times a day, the hen leaves its eggs to drink water and swim.Therefore, it is desirable that food and water are close. She must swim, because thanks to wet feathers, eggs are moistened. If eggs are hatched in an incubator, they are irrigated with water to aid hatchability. Hatching of ducklings occurs on days 30-31.

The number of ducklings bred under a brood hen is 80-100%, in an incubator it is much lower than -60%. Ducklings are great at gaining weight. So, over the course of two months, they grow up to 3.5 kg, and at three months, mularda grow up to six kilograms.

Cultivation of mulard

Rather troublesome process of raising ducklings without a brood hen. To get the desired result, you must adhere to the following points during cultivation:

1. Control the room temperature.
2. Observe correct lighting.
3. Adhere to feeding norms.

Mulard ducklings need constant lighting

In the early days of growing mulard, lighting is present around the clock. After seven days, it is reduced, and from the eleventh birthday, you can illuminate the room for only sixteen hours. Ducklings need warmth, so a comfortable temperature for them is + 20-22 degrees. When the weather is warm, the chicks can be walked. In the room where the ducklings are housed, they make a thick bedding. Straw, shavings sprinkled with fluff lime are well suited. It is not safe to use sawdust, as chicks can peck at them and die.

Only ducks that have been born cannot peck on their own. They need to be taught.

Feeding ducklings

What to feed the mulard during the cultivation process? Veterinary pharmacies sell different sets of food for chicks, vitamins, antibiotics: pre-start, start, after start. Many people use them, but there is an opportunity to do without it.

At home, experienced farmers suggest forcibly watering the chicks with a weak potassium permanganate solution using a pipette. Then boil a hard-boiled egg, knead it and stir with boiled porridge. It is best to sprinkle the mixture on a dark surface; you can sprinkle the food directly on the ducklings, so they learn to grab moving food. This will be useful to them when they swim in a pond, where they must be able to grab midges, molluscs, bugs. It is enough for ten days to give a boiled egg with finely divided grains. Independence in the ability to peck food occurs quickly enough, within a few days.

Mulard ducklings need to add greens to the feed

Enriching the feed with finely chopped herbs is allowed for 3 days. After ten days, it is recommended to add little by little boiled potatoes.

In the first 30 days, it is effective to feed with milk, cottage cheese, but a low-fat consistency. In order for the ducklings to grow faster, it is useful to add duckweed at two weeks of age. To do this, you can catch duckweed and feed, or release the ducklings into the water.

If mulards are grown on a reservoir, they are given three grain meals a day. A month later, they switch to two meals a day.

Basically, ducks feed on compound feed, wheat, corn. Be sure to enrich food with minerals and vitamins. Enrichment of food with vitamins at home is possible by constantly using eggshells, shells, limestone. Be sure to have gravel readily available for birds to digest food well. Grain bran, meat and bone meal, meal are very useful for mulard. It is essential that the birds have access to water at all times to ensure the ducks develop properly. Water is also needed to rinse the nostrils that are clogged with food. For this purpose, it is poured into deep containers.

Corn is an important part of the diet of mulard ducks

Maintenance of mulards and preparation for slaughter

Caring for mulard ducks is identical to the conditions of keeping other breeds. They live in enclosed spaces and need a walking yard for the birds to move freely.

The growing process is only 60 days, with a live weight of 3.4-3.7 kilograms. During this period, they start slaughtering.But who wants to stay longer - it is recommended to keep it for no more than one more month. You should know that after reaching 70 days of life, ducks lose weight, molt begins, which complicates the process of plucking birds.

When preparing for slaughter, the birds are not fed for 4-6 hours, and water is given in small quantities.

To facilitate plumage plucking, after slaughter, the carcass is poured with very hot water (up to 70 degrees). If the water is cooler, it will not be possible to remove the feathers with high quality, and if the water is boiling, the presentation of the carcass will be lost.

To pluck a duck more effectively, you need to scald its carcass with boiling water

Mulard meat

Any festive table will be decorated with well-cooked mulard meat. In any form, the meat is tasty and satisfying and well digestible. It is an ideal dietary product as it contains only 20% fat. The composition of meat includes not only vitamins of group B, but also A, C, E, D, K., as well as micro and macro elements.

Therefore, mulard duck meat has a positive effect on the human body.

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