Raising ducks for meat at home: instructions for building a business. Proper care of small ducklings

In order for ducklings to feel comfortable, not get sick and quickly gain weight, it is very important to maintain an optimal temperature:

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

You can determine how comfortable the temperature is for ducklings not only with a thermometer. If they gather in groups and squeak loudly, the room is not warm enough. When the temperature rises too much, the chicks breathe with their beaks wide open and drink a lot.

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

To prevent the bird from getting sick, it is necessary to constantly sanitize the room where it is kept. It needs to be washed once a week hot water and disinfect. Solutions of formalin or creolin are suitable for this.

If you create ducklings optimal conditions and provide a complete balanced diet, they will quickly gain weight, and the likelihood of appearing in the herd will be minimized. Ducks are quite unpretentious and do not require large amounts of money and time, but providing them good level comfort that will promote rapid growth and weight gain, even a novice farmer can do it.

Raising young duck stock at home is not difficult if you follow the maintenance rules. A novice breeder is interested in what to feed ducklings or how to care for them. For fattening for meat or breeding, you can take day-old chicks. To raise a healthy, productive flock, follow these tips for proper duckling care.

Day old ducklings are quite suitable for creating a herd

Stages

At home, a new generation of ducks appears from the beginning of April to the end of September. To obtain a stock with maximum productivity, farmers raise ducks in three stages:

• early April (for breeding and meat for summer);
• early July (meat production by autumn);
• end of September (calculation for winter).

The chicks grow quickly: at one and a half weeks the weight of a representative of the Peking breed is 200 g, by three weeks it is already 500, and by a month it is over 2 kilograms. In cages, growth is more intense than when kept on the floor, by 10-15 percent.

Free-range ducklings grow slower than caged ones

Caring for young animals

If we're talking about about keeping day-old chicks that you are going to raise without a duck, they are kept in a brooder. This is a warm, illuminated box where the chicks live until 20-25 days of life. You can buy it or make it yourself from boards and slats. Requirements for the parameters of this design (in centimeters):

• top – 45 to 45;
• bottom – 65 to 65,
• height – 45.

The inside of the box is lined with a cardboard (plywood) sheet. Place a jar or cast iron container with hot water in the middle and carefully wrap it in a thick blanket or other dense material. A pillow filled with sawdust or shavings is placed on top. Such a device warms the brooder for 8 hours, in which the young live from the first days of life. New hot water is poured three times during the day.

Planting density is no more than 16 specimens per square meter. The temperature on the floor of the box is not lower than 15 degrees. For ducklings aged 1 to 5 days, the temperature is 28-30 degrees, from 6 to 10 - 22-24 degrees, and from 16 to 20 - 18-22. Make sure there is no overheating, hypothermia or drafts. However, ventilation is necessary. Air humidity is 65-70 percent.

The room is illuminated during the first days for 18-20 hours a day, with an intensity of 2 to 4 watts per square meter. Then every next week this number decreases by 60-120 minutes. During rest periods, do not turn off the light completely; it is better to lower the intensity to 1 or 2 watts.

Ducklings should be kept in a warm, lighted box.

Some poultry farmers buy ducklings not in winter, but only after waiting for the spring-summer season, when the days are warm. During the day, the box with the chicks stands outside, in a fenced area. The ducklings are released onto the grass, making sure that there is no direct sunlight and no drafts. In this case, you don’t have to heat the brooder at night, but simply bring it into the house.

Until the young duck population is 14 days old, do not allow it near water. Protect the young animals from the rain so that they do not catch a cold or drown.

Meat fattening menu

From the first day of life, young ducks can be given ready-made mash or dry food in granules intended for young birds. Food is constantly in the feeders. If you feed ducklings with wet food, then in the first 5-6 days they eat 7-8 times daily, then up to two weeks of age - 5-6, and up to a month - 4-5 times.

Chicks eat food that moves, so in the first days you can sprinkle food directly on their backs. If they refuse, then give them an egg yolk mixed with milk using a pipette. To teach them to drink, carefully dip their beak into water.

The duckling needs to put food on his back so that other ducklings can catch it.

First, young ducks are fed food mixed with curdled milk. If the mixture is sticky, it will seal their nostrils, get on the fluff, and such specimens grow weak. They also give hard-boiled and finely chopped eggs, and from the second day they add mixed feed and low-fat cottage cheese to the menu. Be sure to introduce minerals that are always freely available in feeding areas:

• crushed shells;
• sand;
• gravel.

Juicy food appears at the beginning of the third week of life. In winter it is carrot or bean silage, in the warm season it is washed and finely chopped nettles, kale, and a pea-oat mixture. In winter and early March, fish oil and vitamin concentrates (A, D) are added to the menu from day 6. Weight will quickly increase if you feed bread soaked in water. If the diet is balanced, then by the end of the first ten days, on average, a representative of a brood of ducks weighs 220-240 grams, and by 55 days - already 2 or more kilograms.

Ducklings can be fed kale

Fattening on free grazing without ponds

When raised and fattened for meat in summer time the brood can be kept in land conditions. A canopy is installed in a fenced area, under which the young live. Observe the following rules:

• there must always be water in the drinking bowls, otherwise the herd will not grow;
• keep ducks away from straight sun rays;
• Keep the walking area and bedding clean and dry;
• move the drinking bowls outside the fenced area so that the ducklings do not splash water;
• offer dry feed or wet mash (in this case, 3-4 times during the day);
• feed in the same way as when kept on water paddocks;
• Pour sand, gravel, and crushed shells into separate containers.

Ducklings need to be protected from sunlight with a canopy.

Fattening on free grazing with a pond

When they come summer days, then domestic waterfowl are raised in fenced ranges with a pond. A canopy is placed on the site, and the paddock itself covers the territory (in m):

• shores – 15-20;
• reservoir - 10-15.

The length of the canopy depends on the number of specimens in the herd. It is made 6-6.5 meters wide, the height of the front part is 2.2 meters, and the rear part is from 1 to 1.2 meters. It is important to dig around the ground at the back so that there is a drain for water. The floor is compacted and left earthen. The walking area is divided into sections.

Young livestock are fed with wet mash, bread and water 3-4 times during the day, and evening time produce grain crops. Per kilogram of growth, 3.8-4.2 kilograms of food are consumed, consisting of grain and flour products. The diet of domestic ducklings consists of (in percentage):

• crushed barley – from 15 to 20;
• oats – 15-20;
• corn – 10-20;
• wheat bran – 20-30;
• waste (grains) – 26;
• animal flour – 15.

Young animals up to 45 days are given 20-30 percent of green feed (chopped clover, nettle, beet or carrot tops), in the diet of the older generation it is 30-34 percent. The herd is also fed succulent food - cabbage, zucchini. The seeds of wild plants are added to the mixture with bread: horse sorrel, quinoa. Make sure that your diet does not include sour or spoiled food. Throw away any leftovers to prevent them from molding.

At the age of 50 days, the fattest ducks are slaughtered, and at 55, those that have gained sufficient weight. Then comes the turn of the two-month-old specimens.

In case of wintering, you need to prepare (in kilograms) for your head:

• potatoes – 12-13;
• vegetables (carrots, cabbage, beets) – 8-12;
• hay – 6-8;
• mineral supplements -1.

breeding

For breeding growth it is better to leave the generation that appeared in the last two spring months. By the winter period, such specimens will gain weight, become stronger and easily survive the winter. Representatives of the future tribe are characterized by the following characteristics:

• health and strength;
• no deviations from external breed standards;
• dense, smooth plumage.

During the first 27 days, the ducks are fattened for breeding in the same way as for meat. Afterwards, they are transferred to free range or the proportion of animal feed in the diet is reduced, fed with bread and food waste.

For anthelmintic prophylaxis, they are regularly given a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

Ducks are unpretentious, omnivorous (you can feed them with bread), and if the conditions are met, keeping ducklings will not be difficult for a novice poultry farmer. These birds are characterized by early maturity, and it is easy to obtain 2-3 broods during the season with productivity in meat and eggs.

For novice poultry farmers, the issue of caring for ducklings is very important. This article is designed specifically for novice poultry farmers who have just decided to buy ducklings and don’t know basic rules caring for them. Read about what difficulties you may encounter in caring for ducklings and how to cope with them in this publication. The important issue of the living conditions of ducklings will also be raised.

If you just want to have ducklings (for various purposes), then it is most rational to buy them at one day old, in the spring. Over the summer, you will have time to raise the chicks both for meat and in order to leave them for the winter, for the tribe.

It must be remembered that small ducklings require warmth, so it is necessary to take care in advance of organizing heating for the ducklings.

A small population can be kept in a small heated wooden box for the first few days.

Consists in proper feeding, conditions of detention, timely cleaning and disinfection of the premises. In principle, caring for ducklings does not require much labor or financial investment, even for a novice poultry farmer.

To heat small ducklings, you can use a regular plastic bottle, pouring into it hot water and wrapped in a towel. The ducklings will gather around this bottle and warm themselves.

- These are birds that love water very much. Little ducklings are no exception, however early age It is better to keep them away from the water, since swimming in cold water can lead to colds and death of chicks. Before allowing ducklings to bathe, they must become stronger. Typically, ducklings are allowed to water from two weeks of age. It is also necessary to protect ducklings from rain. At home, it is advisable to keep small ducklings at home, for example in the kitchen or in the hallway, and only later place them in some utility room. The most important thing is that they are warm in the first days of life.

Doing it right is a very important part of caring for them. They should be fed 4-6 times a day. In the first days, the greatest emphasis is placed on protein feed. They are fed boiled eggs, low-fat cottage cheese and various greens.

Using this knowledge, you will be able to care for ducklings. However, it should be remembered that this is only basic knowledge. For more details please read additional information.

Duck is a highly productive bird and not too demanding to care for. Therefore, many summer residents and gardeners grow it. Of course, in order to get an excellent result, when breeding this poultry, you must follow some important rules.

Feeding

Which has its own characteristics and nuances, they are usually bred either for breeding or for meat. Feeding them in the first days of life is very similar to at the same age. You can give crumbled yolk and various kinds of mash. Animal feed begins to be fed around the tenth day. Usually it is fish or sometimes you can give young animals fresh fish. From the second week, boiled potatoes and greens are added to the diet.

Ducklings, whose rearing is not particularly difficult, should receive food in special troughs. Some poultry farmers use pallets or trays for this purpose. This is acceptable, but not recommended. The fact is that ducklings will climb into them and trample down the food. As for drinking bowls, they must be vacuum. They usually take the form of a bottle inverted over a saucer.

It is best to install drinking bowls away from feeders. Otherwise, ducklings, whose rearing has such a peculiarity that in the first week of life they are fed six times a day, and starting from the second - four times, will run up to the drinking bowl after each peck, simultaneously washing off the remaining food from their beaks. As soon as the young animals turn one month old, it will be possible to switch to three to four meals a day.

Ducklings raised with dry feed mixtures and mash grow up healthy and strong. If possible, it is necessary to organize a walk. Ducklings are not released into the water until the fluff is replaced by feathers. This is the case if the young animals are raised without a duck. If the female herself hatches the eggs and raises the babies, the formation of thermoregulation occurs much faster in them. Therefore, they can start swimming with her without harm to themselves already on the fifth day of life.

Temperature

As for the first week, the air temperature near the floor in the barn should not be less than 28 and more than 30 degrees. Starting from the second it can be reduced to 22 degrees, and from the third - to 16 degrees. Month-old ducklings, the care of which is also extremely simple in this regard, but requires the fulfillment of all the conditions specified here, can withstand temperature drops of up to 8 degrees without much harm to themselves.

Raising ducklings for meat and breeding

When raised for meat and for breeding, it is absolutely the same. If everything is done correctly and the owners pay enough attention to their birds in this regard, ducks can be slaughtered as early as 2 - 3 months. During this period, they have very high-calorie and tasty meat. The most important thing is to have time to do this before molting. Otherwise, plucking the feather will be very difficult, as stumps will appear. The most developed young animals are selected for the tribe at the age of six months.

Most common breeds

Most often you can see Campbell's, Indian runners, Peking and Muscovy ducks on the household farms of Russians. All these varieties are distinguished by their endurance and unpretentiousness. Caring for young animals of these breeds can be done according to the method described above. Only the cultivation of musk ducklings has some of its own characteristics. The fact is that in terms of lifestyle and anatomical features, this species is something between a duck and a goose itself.

Naturally, in order to raise ducks for meat, certain conditions must be observed. Especially when it comes to breeding meat ducks for business purposes.

A lot in this process depends on diet. But you also need to comply the right conditions content.

First of all, you need to decide which breed is a meat breed and what kind of personal care it requires. Most often you can find duck meat with a fairly high fat content. But there are breeds that are lean, without losing taste qualities and juiciness. One such breed is the Muscovy duck.

Which breed to choose?

Muscovy duck breed.

Distinctive features of the Muscovy duck:

• Individuals of this breed have a peculiar red growth above or below their beak.
• The most common colors are white or white-black.

By nature they are very calm and do not make much noise. In this case, it is possible to keep it without a reservoir. They have no special preferences in food. Thanks to your external characteristics, they are called Indian ducks. Feeding Muscovy ducks requires less feed than other breeds.

An adult musk duck weighs up to 2.5 kg, while a drake can weigh more than 5 kg. This breed is considered the most suitable for breeding ducks for meat.

Moscow white breed ducks

The breed stands out for its novelty, as it was developed quite recently by selecting Peking ducks with khakicampbells. They are distinguished by their elongated head and fairly wide beak. Average weight tons of Moscow white duck reaches 3.5 kg, drake - about 4 kg. The meat of this breed is very tender and tasty.

The breed of ducks is mularda.

Mulards were born as a result of crossing Muscovy and Peking ducks (any breed of domestic duck can be used instead of Peking ducks). They are most often raised for meat. The average weight of a mulard duck ranges from 3-3.5 kg, drakes reach 4 kg. Due to its rapid growth, after 60 days you can begin slaughter. Mulards do not require special conditions for maintenance.

Another feature of mulards is that they practically do not lay eggs.

The duck breed is a favorite.

Favorite ducks are increasingly being bred at home. Not only are they heavy, but they also decorate the yard.

An adult male specimen of the favorite breed reaches up to 4.5-5 kilograms, while a female specimen reaches 3.5-4 kilograms. At the same time, the egg production of the favorite varies about 120 pieces per year. They do not require special care; their maintenance is very ordinary.

Favorite duck meat is distinguished by its excellent taste and juiciness, and is very appetizing. appearance. In addition, it is the favorite that can boast of the speed of preparation.

Raising ducks for meat. It all starts with chicks

In order for a good and meaty duck to grow up in the future, you need to carefully monitor the chicks. And in particular their diet.

When the ducklings are just born, they are given crushed boiled eggs. You can add finely crushed oatmeal.

On the second day, you can pamper your kids with cottage cheese. And after 5 days it is allowed to give finely chopped fresh greens, aquatic vegetation is possible.

At the age of 10 days, ducklings are already quite capable of eating mash. They add potatoes and various root vegetables. The main condition is that everything needs to be chopped well.

In the “first couples” the offspring are fed from 6 to 8 times a day, from the tenth day to 30, the amount of feeding decreases to 5-6 times a day. Subsequent time - 2-3 times will be enough.

Mulard ducklings at birth are not able to feed on their own, so they are fed from a pipette, and then they begin to give eggs.

Special food for feeding mulards can be purchased at a veterinary pharmacy.

Regardless of the breed, be it Mulards or favorites, in addition to feeding, babies need to be provided with certain conditions at home. This is the only way they can fully develop and gain weight. After birth, the ducklings are placed in a warm room, the temperature in which is 20°C -25°C. They keep them there for several days.

They will feel more comfortable in cages or boxes, the heating of which reaches 30°C. The temperature regime is achieved artificially, that is, with light bulbs.

Already at 3 weeks of life, the offspring can be placed in separate pens. For 12 ducklings there should be 1 sq. m. During this period, the temperature should be gradually lowered to 16°C-18°C.

From birth until the 3rd week of life, the light in the room should be on around the clock. Then you can reduce the duration of daylight hours to 16 hours.

Feeding meat ducks at home, how long does it take?

An adult is fed twice a day, morning and evening. In the mornings, it is recommended to give more concentrated food, crushed food. The evening diet consists of mash. If duck walking is limited, they cannot get enough pasture, the amount of feeding can increase up to 4 times a day.

The mash can be prepared from fresh grass, various root vegetables, vegetables, and aquatic vegetation. IN summer period It is worth pouring such an amount that the ducks can handle at one time. Otherwise, the mash will turn sour and become unsuitable for consumption.

Due to their unpretentiousness, ducks can be fed kitchen scraps. Whey, meat and bone meal and fish meal will be beneficial. Be sure to add mineral components and vitamins to the feed. The main part of the diet (80%) if the duck is raised for meat should be grains and mealy crops. Everything else can be a mash and various additives.

Ducks should be fattened for meat for no more than two and a half months. For this reason, intensive fattening begins from birth.

Whatever the brood, there will still be several ducklings in it that will be weakened. They are fed individually using a pipette. Such babies cannot eat on their own. If the brood is large enough, then weak individuals can simply be discarded.

2 weeks before slaughter, the fattening of ducks takes on an intensive procedure, which involves an increase in protein in the food, for example, cottage cheese, legumes. With such a diet, you gain intensively muscle mass. If you want fattier meat, during the last 7 days before slaughter you are intensively given mash, boiled potatoes, etc. During the fattening period, fish meal and fish are abolished. And of course, it is necessary to limit the movement of the ducks so that they do not “walk around” the gained weight.

One of the diet options for duck meat:

Rules to follow

Of course, those who decide to raise ducks for meat should take care of the regime. This procedure must be followed; it determines how good the bird’s productivity will be. Often, farmers use the following tactics:

• In the morning you can send the birds to the pond. However, they are not released before 10 am. It is during this period that they rush.
• After 5-6 hours, the duck family is sent to the enclosure for feeding.
• After feeding, the birds go to the pond again. Before going to bed, the ducks are fed and sent to the poultry house.

Over time, the ducks get used to this regime and move independently to walk and feed. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the characteristics of the breed; not every duck needs to visit reservoirs. Do not forget that before slaughter the duck is limited in its movement.

Rules for keeping a poultry house

Ducks that will be kept for meat require a certain amount of space. The barn needs to be spacious, so that there is 1 square meter for three ducks. m.

The poultry house can be built from any material, only special attention needs to be turned to the floor. A stone or cobblestone floor is best. There must be good bedding. Mice and other small pests will not be able to penetrate through such a floor covering. Ducks are very vulnerable in this regard.

The duckling house is equipped with feeders, drinkers and nests. In most cases, the exit from the barn leads to a fenced enclosure. Feeders and drinking bowls should also be installed here. The latter should have good depth. This is done so that the ducks can wash their nasal openings.

Ducks that are kept for meat also lay eggs like the rest. They produce fewer eggs than chickens. So that the duck can quietly rush, it should be equipped with a nest. For this purpose, the barn is allocated certain places. The duck nest has impressive dimensions - 50 by 50 by 35. To make it, you can use the most ordinary wooden box, inside of which straw is placed.

Keeping ducks in winter

Ducks are raised for meat not only in the summer. Many farmers continue to do this in winter period so that the availability of meat is year-round. Growing in winter requires other rules that must be followed.

Feeding should be increased to 3 times a day, or even 4 times. In the morning, the ducks are given mash, and in the evening, dry food, that is, grain crops. Ducks tolerate it quite calmly cold weather. But you still shouldn’t allow the temperature in the chicken coop to be below 5°C. But draft birds are completely contraindicated.

Litter moisture can negatively affect egg production. Therefore, it should be periodically changed to a clean and dry one.

A duck is a bird that loves to swim, and even in winter it can be released into a pond. To do this, carefully make an ice hole into which the bird will dive with pleasure. To avoid falling through the ice, the edges of the ice hole are covered with mesh. Swimming in winter is not mandatory; you can easily do without it.

As for the pond, very often ducks are kept on land, in aviaries or cages. If you plan to raise poultry for meat, then it is better to do without a pond.

Slaughter for meat

Duck is mainly raised for meat for business purposes. During one season you can get about 3-4 broods. This is with proper maintenance and feeding.

In order to kill a duck, you have to wait a whole summer. This should be done before the first molt occurs - at the age of 50-60 days. The main advantage of such a carcass is its attractive appearance; it does not have stumps on the skin. It is these individuals that go on sale.

Early slaughter is carried out for another reason - it is economical. Ducks up to the age of 2 months consume much less food; on average, one individual consumes from 2.5 to 5.5 kg of feed. Crossing the two-month threshold, the bird rapidly becomes voracious, thus accumulating fat deposits. No matter how much food you give her, she will eat everything. At the age of 3-5 months, ducks will already need up to 25 kilograms of feed. For this reason, ducks are not kept for more than 2.5 months.

Sometimes ducks are kept at home throughout the summer season, only if there is a body of water nearby. The bird independently obtains food for itself in it. Nevertheless, the bird still goes to slaughter earlier, since large ducks will have very fatty meat.

Useful information

Many experienced poultry farmers who keep geese at home recommend:

• In any case, adhere to the daily routine; if it is not followed, the bird’s productivity will decrease.
• Ducks will stop laying eggs if they are moved to another house. They are not resistant to stressful situations and quite shy.

As you can see from the article, raising ducks for meat is not at all difficult. It is important to follow all the rules of keeping at home and the regime, and monitor nutrition. If you adhere to all this, in one season you can get tens of kilograms of tasty, non-greasy and healthy meat.

It is the mulards and favorites that occupy leading positions in meat characteristics and simple care.

Regarding wild ducks, they do not require care. They feed mainly on whatever they find in the pond. When watching a wild duck, you can often see it submerged in water, which is how it gets its food. In summer, wild ducks can be found in fields with cereal crops. This is good food for them.

Wild duck meat is very tasty and quite nutritious.