Is it profitable to grow mulard at home

Content

• 1 Characteristics of mulard ducks
• 2 Mularda ducks: their rearing and proper feeding
  • 2.1 Breeding, care and maintenance of ducks at home
  • 2.2 Feeding Mulard ducklings
  • 2.3 How to feed mulard ducklings in winter?
  • 2.4 Feeding Mulard ducks in adulthood
  • 2.5 Video: breeding mulard ducks at home
• 3 Diseases of mulard
• 4 Sale of mulard meat
• 5 Estimated costs and benefits

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 has entered 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 feed souring 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 food. 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.

Breeding guinea fowls at home

as a profitable poultry industry.

An article on the use of a greenhouse for the year-round cultivation of flower and vegetable crops for sale.

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 litter 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 its cost.

Video: breeding mulard ducks at home

Mulard diseases

The hybrid is very resistant to most infections that are infectious to other types 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.

Salary for gardeners: growing flowers in a greenhouse as a business is not only beautiful, but also highly profitable.

Useful information on the specifics of opening a store specializing in pet supplies.

What to take as the basis of the fishing business: a small pool or an artificial reservoir? Of course, a body of water. Why? Read here:

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.

Source

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 has entered 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 feed souring 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 food. 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.

Breeding guinea fowls at home as a profitable poultry industry.

An article on the use of a greenhouse for the year-round cultivation of flower and vegetable crops for sale.

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 litter 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 its cost.

Video: breeding mulard ducks at home

Mulard diseases

The hybrid is very resistant to most infections that are infectious to other types 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.

Salary for gardeners: growing flowers in a greenhouse as a business is not only beautiful, but also highly profitable.

Useful information on the specifics of opening a store specializing in pet supplies.

What to take as the basis of the fishing business: a small pool or an artificial reservoir? Of course, a body of water. Why? Read here:

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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Recently, mulard ducks have become more and more popular among Russian farmers and owners of household plots engaged in breeding poultry. There are only excellent reviews about this hybrid. And this is despite the fact that he is not able to give offspring.

Mularda ducks are a mixture of two widespread breeds - Musk and Peking. The bird is highly productive and very easy to care for. But, of course, certain technologies should be observed when breeding it. Below in the article we will figure out what the mulard ducks are (reviews and photos, description) and how to properly care for them.

Breed benefits

Duck ducks are prized by farmers primarily for their cleanliness and relatively calm disposition. The poultry meat of this breed is tasty and completely low-fat. However, muscovy ducks have one rather serious drawback: they gain weight very slowly. The Peking breed is well known to all owners of household plots. It is this duck that is bred in most cases in villages and in suburban areas. The main advantage of this breed is its rapid weight gain. However, all farmers, without exception, consider the Peking ducks to be extremely unscrupulous and too loud. In addition, their meat, in the opinion of the exceptional majority of poultry owners, is too fatty.

Mulard ducks combine all the positive characteristics of parent breeds and are absolutely devoid of their shortcomings. According to many homeowners, with proper care, this bird gains weight faster than even early-maturing Peking birds. Neatness is also what characterizes mularda ducks. Farmers have good reviews of this bird, also because it is completely quiet. In addition, mulard also have unusually tasty meat - lean and juicy.

Short description

In appearance, mulards are similar at the same time to Peking ducks and musky ducks. But they have more body weight than any parent breed. Among other things, the characteristic features of mulard include:

• elongated massive body;
• yellow legs:
• long neck.

The color of this hybrid can be either dark or light. But most often mularda have white plumage and a characteristic black "cap" on their heads.

Features of behavior

According to all farmers without exception, the hybrid is completely problem-free. Although mulard ducks (reviews of the owners of household farms allow us to judge them as one of the calmest breeds) can fly a little, they do not need to clip their wings, like musky ones. The weight of this bird is significant. And therefore, in any case, she will not be able to fly over the fence.

Mulard is usually kept by the outdoor method. These ducks are not left in household plots for the winter. They are not able to give offspring, but keeping them for fattening for more than three months is impractical.

How profitable is it to grow

Ducks of the Mulard breed have earned good reviews, and many summer residents and farmers would certainly like to breed them. However, such chicks are, unfortunately, quite expensive. Not all farmers can afford to purchase them in large quantities. But if you wish, you can find a fairly simple way out of this situation.

Many farmers who want to raise mulard, for a start, simply purchase a few musk drakes and a dozen Peking ducks. By crossing these breeds at home, you can easily get your own quality mulards. The only thing you need to take care of if you breed this hybrid at home is that there are no musky ducks in the courtyard. Otherwise, the drakes of this breed will simply not pay attention to the Peking.

The weight of the mulard duck, the reviews of which are very good in this regard, are gaining almost instantly.Moreover, according to many owners of household farms, they use feed quite rationally - for the growth of meat, not fat. By the age of 2-2.5 months. with proper care, these birds gain up to 3.5-3.6 kg. At this time, they are usually slaughtered. It is impractical to keep these ducks, like any others, longer. The fact is that after three months the rate of weight gain in this economic bird slows down, but it starts to eat a lot. In addition, juvenile molt occurs at this time in ducks. If a bird is slaughtered after the end of this process, there will be a lot of hemp on its carcass, as a result of which it will lose its presentation.

Mulard ducks: reviews of farmers

Of course, the opinion of this breed, since it is very convenient in keeping it, and surpasses many other varieties in productivity, poultry farmers have developed a very good one. The cost of breeding mulard pays off very quickly. Most farmers believe that this bird, in addition to its unpretentiousness and productivity, has another important advantage. Since her meat is delicious, it is very easy to implement it. Duck carcasses of this breed are eagerly bought by both ordinary citizens and cafes or restaurants.

How to equip a poultry house

A room for ducks of this breed is only suitable for light and dry. In the shed, you need to equip more windows. Three ducks must have at least 1 m2 of free space. Experienced farmers advise covering the floor in the poultry house with a sufficiently thick layer of straw bedding. Insulate the shed and arrange ventilation in it should only be done when breeding ducks in large quantities year-round. In any case, the air temperature in the poultry house should not fall below 16-18 ° C, and the humidity should not fall below 60%.

Of course, troughs should be placed in the shed. Daily bathing is also required by hybrids such as mularda. Cultivation (reviews of such ducks, as already mentioned, are good, including because of their unpretentiousness) of this breed is possible even in the absence of a natural reservoir on the site. All that needs to be done in order for the mulardy to feel comfortable is to install large containers filled with water in the walk. This will be enough for the ducks. Actually, the walking itself is equipped directly next to the poultry house, using a netting net as a fence.

Feeding features

So, mulard ducks were purchased for the farm. What to feed (the reviews about these hybrids are good, including due to the fact that they are not too gluttonous) the young are, of course, the first question that farmers ask themselves. The answer is simple. In large farms and at poultry farms, at first, ducklings are given special starting compound feed. Home owners often feed their babies with just cottage cheese and eggs. Chicks are also given millet and rice porridge. Experienced poultry farmers advise throwing them directly at the ducklings. This way chicks can be easily taught to eat on their own. The fact is that ducks perceive moving food much better.

Three-day-old chicks can already start giving greens. Later (after about 10 days), boiled potatoes are introduced into the baby's diet. After a while, the menu includes vegetables and root vegetables. Beets are considered a very useful food for ducks of this breed. However, it should be given to the bird carefully. The fact is that this root vegetable weakens the intestines. Carrots can be fed in large quantities. And both fresh and boiled.

Be sure to include in the diet of ducklings products containing animal and vegetable protein. You need to add reverse and cottage cheese to the mash of root vegetables and herbs. Also, in the diet of mulard ducks, mineral and vitamin supplements must be present. In addition to the mash, the bird should receive steamed grain (wheat, corn) or boiled porridge. In order to save a little on feed, bran can be mixed into the grain of the ducks.Baker's yeast is also considered a very useful additive for these birds. They should be given in an amount of 1 g per head daily.

Duck drinkers should always be full. Firstly, this bird drinks a lot, and secondly, after eating, it necessarily rinses its nose clogged with food.

Incubation recommendations

Thus, mulards are relatively unpretentious in feeding. Breeding at home (reviews of the breed are good and due to the almost one hundred percent survival rate of young animals) is also not too difficult. To get ducklings of this breed, you just need to cross Peking ducks with musky drakes. Many farmers and owners of suburban areas believe that, if desired, you can do the opposite. However, when crossing Peking drakes and musk ducks, the hybrids are less productive. This should be borne in mind.

If mulard ducks are supposed to be bred in large quantities, it is, of course, better not to lay eggs under the hens, but to incubate. Even a novice farmer can get young growth of this breed artificially. Incubating the chicks of this hybrid, according to many owners of household farms, is much easier than, for example, the same chickens. Good hatchability is also what mularda ducks are characterized by. A photo (the reviews about this hybrid are wonderful also because its young are distinguished by their strength and health) of the chicks hatched in the incubator are presented below. As you can see, this process is quite successful in many cases. But, of course, you shouldn't count on one hundred percent hatchability in an incubator. If 60 healthy ducklings hatch out of a hundred eggs laid, this is already a very good result.

Experienced farmers believe that the most favorable time for obtaining mulard chicks is April - June. The most suitable age for musk drakes and Peking is 7-10 months. Eggs for incubation can be harvested within one week. Store them in a cool place. Actually, the incubation itself is carried out in the usual mode for duck eggs.

How to care for hatched chicks

Breeding mulard, the reviews of which are excellent, will be successful, of course, only if the technology for caring for young animals is observed. After hatching, ducklings are usually left in the incubator until dry. Then they are transferred to a box. Since dampness is contraindicated for small chicks, a lattice bottom is preliminarily equipped in it.

For a large number of ducklings, it is advisable to use a brooder instead of a box. The frame of this device can be assembled from a bar, and the sheathing can be made of plywood and polycarbonate. It is imperative to place a special heating lamp for the brooder inside. You can buy it, for example, at a pet store. The lamp should be hung in such a way that the ducklings do not get burned, and there would be at least one shaded corner inside the brooder.

Heating in the box is arranged in the same way. Only in this case, a conventional incandescent lamp is used. Of course, feeders and drinkers should be placed in a box or brooder.

Recommendations for the care of young animals

Three weeks after hatching, the mulardics can be transferred to the barn. When fattening for meat, this bird is usually kept by the floor method. In the morning they let her out for a walk, and in the evening they drive her back to the barn. Mulard ducks, reviews of which are excellent, including because of their unpretentiousness, like any other waterfowl, are very fond of swimming. Allowing them to swim and splash in containers installed in the walk, however, is possible only from the age of two months - after they are fully fledged.

It is advisable to feed the ducks 3 times a day - in the morning, at lunchtime and in the evening. Poultry is slaughtered at 2.5-3 months.

Foie gras feeding

We reviewed the basic information about birds such as mulardy ducks (growing at home, reviews). The opinion about this hybrid is good not only because it has tasty meat. Gourmets also value the liver of this bird.A special dish called foie gras is prepared from it in restaurants. It is especially popular in France. But in Russia this dish is also appreciated and is quite popular. The fattening of mulard ducks for obtaining high-quality liver is carried out using a special technology.

In the first three weeks of life, the chicks are cared for in the usual way. The bird is then placed in cages, the size of which must be such that it cannot move a lot. The grown-up young, raised for the liver, are fed with food containing a very large amount of proteins and starch. Include in the diet and special mineral and vitamin supplements.

From the 8-10th day of life, ducks begin to be fed forcibly, pushing food down the throat using a special auger with a tube. A mulard grown using this technology must receive at least 1.8 kg of grain per day. Forced feeding usually lasts 12-21 days. With this content, the liver of a bird grows 10 times its normal size. At the same time, it does not lose its excellent taste.

Thus, ducks of the Mulard breed, reviews of which are positive, including because of their liver, are actually very profitable for breeding. Of course, keeping them according to the technology described above is a rather complicated procedure and can take a lot of time. However, all efforts with this approach to business are usually rewarded a hundredfold. Mulard liver is handed over to expensive restaurants, and it is very expensive.

Diseases

Good health is also what characterizes the domestic mulard duck. Reviews about this breed are good, also because it is very resistant to all sorts of infections. In this regard, mulardy usually do not deliver any trouble to their owners. They tolerate even cold and serious temperature changes quite calmly.

It is rare, but it still happens that these ducks develop aspergillosis or cloacitis. In the first case, a solution of copper sulfate is used for treatment (inside), in the second - iodine and zinc ointment.

Conclusion

As you can see, mulard ducks, growing at home (the reviews of farmers in this case speak for themselves) of which are not too burdensome, the poultry is actually productive in terms of keeping for meat, and the liver is beneficial. Of course, ducklings of this breed are not cheap (about $ 1.5 per piece). However, you can get considerable benefits when breeding them. Especially if the ducklings will be incubated right on the farm.

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 muscovy (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 environment 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, special feeders 110 x 23 cm long and 23 cm wide are used for adult birds, and for young animals 100x14.5. 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 get mulards, you can cross different breeds. Drakes of musky 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 the 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 inclined to accumulate fat, and only muscle mass grows in the process of abundant feeding.

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, 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 quickly become dirty, 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, mularda 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 nevertheless it is 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: in the spring I bought ducklings, and in the fall I killed them 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.