What to feed little ducklings. Proper feeding of ducks: diet, norms, recipes

One of the favorite activities of adults and children when visiting parks is feeding wild ducks. Many believe that this is how they support birds, saving them from hunger. Is this true, and what can you feed ducks on a pond? Let's try to figure this out.

Feeding birds must be correct and the food must be balanced. The food must contain proteins. They can be not only of plant, but also of animal origin. Ducks also need foods rich in various vitamins.

For normal functioning of the body, the following microelements are needed: copper, magnesium and calcium. Compliance with all feeding standards contributes to normal metabolism in birds.

Useful and harmful foods for the duck body

Most often, they prefer to feed ducks on a pond with bread, which should not be done. It does not contain enough microelements and other useful substances, which would provide the birds with the proper amount of energy. Another important point– pieces of bread completely fill the stomach of the ducks. This leads to the fact that they stop looking for healthier and more nutritious food for themselves.

You should avoid foods that contain saturated fats. These include peanuts. It is important not only not to give ducks dangerous products, but also watch the portions. You should not feed the bird, as this can cause a dulling of the instinct to search for food. Along with this, many birds remain for the winter without flying south. In winter, feeding ducks is not as active, and as a result, the birds die.

If you still want to feed ducks without harming their health, then check out the list of products that can be used as food:

• cheese, it must be grated

• soft fruits or berries (apples or strawberries). For a change, you can pamper the birds with bananas

• It will be useful to feed the ducks oatmeal. It can be in the form of flakes; birds will also like cereals.

In addition to harmful and healthy products There are also those that do not have any effect on the life activity of ducks. This applies to potatoes, worms, cabbage leaves. Small fish also fall into this category.

The season when it is preferable to help ducks is spring. But with the onset of autumn, it is necessary to abandon this procedure so as not to harm the birds with unnecessary care.

The basis of ducks' food in nature is silt; they happily eat various larvae and do not refuse algae and other remains of aquatic plants. Ducks can also get crustaceans for themselves.

Despite the fact that domestic ducks are quite unpretentious in their diet, you still need to know what to feed the ducks in order to achieve good results: rapid weight gain, good egg laying and prevention of diseases. Reading the article will give answers to the main questions: what do ducks eat? How much do they eat and how to feed them correctly?

Main types of feed

In addition to succulent herbs, cereals and vegetables, the ducks' feeding diet should also include animal feed. In addition, for stable operation digestive tract, formation skeletal system and shell formation, ducks need substances such as chalk, coarse sand and shells. So what exactly can you feed ducks?

Cereal feed

Feeding ducks at home involves mainly the use of cereals, which should make up the lion's share of the diet. The advantage of grains is large quantities carbohydrates necessary for the vital energy of birds. In addition, feeding with cereals guarantees stable growth and weight gain. Ducks eat grain with pleasure; the digestibility coefficient of such feed is very high - up to 80% (significantly more than that of chickens). Cereal grains consist of 70% starch, another 10-15% are proteins (protein).

Let's take a closer look at the nutritional value of some cereals:

Name	Benefits for poultry	Usage
Corn	It is a leader among grain crops in terms of its energy value. It contains a very small percentage of fiber (about 2-3%), so it is easily processed. Preference should be given to yellow varieties with the highest content of carotene, necessary for the synthesis of vitamin A. The protein content in corn is about 10%. In addition, corn protein is poor in some important amino acids - lysine, cystine and tryptophan.	Corn grains can make up up to half of the total feed volume. For young animals this norm should be 10% less.
Wheat	Wheat is in second place in terms of energy value. Fodder wheat is used for feeding. In terms of protein content (about 14%), wheat is ahead of corn and contains quite a lot of vitamins B and E. Coarse wheat flour, which is usually mixed with other feeds, for example, with wet mash, is also suitable for feeding.	The amount of such flour should not exceed a third of the total weight of feed. It is not advisable to give finely ground flour, since moisture causes it to stick together and can block the bird’s nasal openings, located on the beak.
Barley	You can also add barley grains to the grain flour mixture at the rate of 30% of the total mass of such a mixture. One of the disadvantages of barley grain is its cellular shell, which contains fiber that is difficult to digest.	For adult individuals, it is advisable to feed sprouted (or soaked) barley. For small ducklings, the barley is ground and the shells are sifted out.
Oats	Its advantage is a significant amount of fat - almost 5%. There's enough in oats high level proteins (up to 15%), but some essential amino acids (histidine, tryptophan) are insufficient.	For fattening, it is advisable to use naked varieties or grains peeled from shells.
Legumes	The value of peas lies in their high protein content - about 20%.	In small quantities (10% of the total grain flour mass) you can give peas or other legumes. It is not recommended to give more, since ducks are not very willing to eat it. Peas also need to be ground for feeding.

Feed – waste from processing of agricultural raw materials

Feeding ducks should also include some feed that is considered waste at processing plants: cakes, meal, bran.

Name	Benefits for poultry	Usage
Cake and meal from oil crops	Cake and meal made from soybeans, rapeseed, peanuts, cotton, and of course, sunflower are suitable for feeding. Cake cakes are richer in fat (5-6%), as they are obtained by pressing sunflowers or other oil-containing seeds. Cake and meal contain a lot of phosphorus and potassium, which are necessary for the skeletal system of ducks. Sunflower waste contains more than 40% crude protein, rich in amino acids.	It is enough to give ducks 5-10% of the total mass of grain flour.
Bran	Feeding ducks can also be made more economical by using bran, a waste product from flour milling. Bran is a mixture of grain shells, germs and flour. For example, in wheat bran contains up to 12% proteins.	The high level of fiber (10%) does not allow increasing the recommended dose - up to 20% of the weight of dry food.
Barda	Sometimes stillage, potato or bread waste obtained during the alcohol production process, is also used to fatten ducks.	This food can be given to ducklings from one month of age and older. Dose – 10% of dry food.
Beetroot pulp	Sugar production also produces feed waste - beet pulp. Ducks are given dry cake as it contains more carbohydrates.	This food can be added to ducklings from 20 days of age in an amount of up to 9% of the total weight of dry food.
Brewer's or baker's yeast	You can enrich your bird's body with B vitamins using brewer's or baker's yeast.	For ten-day-old ducklings, you can give dry or raw yeast (3% of the amount of dry food).

If there is dry bread left, you can also feed it to the ducks after soaking it in water.

Juicy feed and root crops

IN summer time Feeding ducks is much cheaper because they can be released onto pasture or water. Independent and timely harvesting of greens will allow you to feed it to the birds in the pen.

Name	Benefits for poultry	Usage
Aquatic vegetation	To ducks' favorite food natural conditions include duckweed, pondweed and elodea. These plants contain essential vitamins, microelements and proteins.	Adult ducks can be given 0.5 kg of this mass. Ducklings from 5 days of age should receive no more than 15 g of these plants, gradually increasing to an adult dose.
Green mass		Typically, the chopped herb is mixed with wet mash. The feeding diet of ducks should include up to 20% of such greens. Nettles must be doused with boiling water.
Combined silo	In the summer, you can prepare vitamin-containing silage. To do this, the herbs that the duck eats (clover, alfalfa) are mixed with some vegetables (pumpkin, carrots, sugar beets). Naturally, before placing it in a container, the mass is crushed to small particles not exceeding 0.5-0.7 cm. A prerequisite for proper storage silo is the lack of air in it. To do this, it needs to be compacted well. Approximately 5-6 weeks after laying, the silage stops fermenting and takes on the smell of soaked apples. Only after this can it be given to the bird. To neutralize acidity, about 50 g of ground chalk is added per 1 kg of silage.	Silage is given little by little, gradually increasing its volume. Silage is not recommended for use by ducklings under three weeks of age.
Vegetables	Grated vegetables (carrots, cabbage, yellow pumpkin) are excellent sources of vitamins. Since carrots quickly lose provitamin A (carotene) during storage, it is better to ensile or salt them. Kale is an important nutritional element for the younger generation, as it contains sulfur-containing amino acids necessary for feather growth.	Salted carrots are added to the wet mash in an amount of 10-15% of the total mass. The amount of cabbage in the diet of ducks can be unlimited. Potatoes can be fed from ten days of age in amounts up to 20% of dry food. The same amount can be given rich in carbohydrates, boiled sugar beets.

Animal feed

Under natural conditions, the food that ducks eat is enriched with proteins of animal origin: amphibians, invertebrates, small fish, insects. At home, they feel a lack of such food, so it is extremely necessary for ducks to grow and lay eggs with feed similar in nutritional value - dairy products, fish and meat and bone meal, small fish.

Name	Benefits for poultry	Usage
Fish flour	The most convenient for storage and use is fish flour. It contains more than half of the necessary proteins, calcium, phosphorus and B vitamins. Low-fat flour (up to 10% fat) is considered safer for the health of birds.	The amount of this product in the diet of birds is no more than 7% of the total mass of feed. If desired, instead of flour, you can prepare minced fresh fish at the rate of 30 g per adult.
Meat and bone meal	Similar, although less valuable to ducks, is meat and bone meal. The amount of complete protein in it ranges from 30 to 50%.	You can mix flour with other feeds from 5 days of age. For small ducklings - up to 5%, medium ones - up to 8%, adults - up to 10% of the total weight of feed.
Dairy		You should not give fresh milk, as it quickly turns sour and can cause diarrhea. From the first days, ducklings can be given low-fat cottage cheese.

Mineral supplements

A feature of fattening birds is the need for mineral supplements, without which the process of digesting food will be complicated and the process of forming eggs with a hard shell will be practically impossible.

Name	Benefits for poultry	Usage
Shell, eggshell and chalk	The shell contains up to 40% of the calcium necessary for ducks. There is also a lot of it in chalk and eggshells.	The shell particle size should not exceed 2 mm. For uniform eating, small amounts of shell are added to the mash. Dried eggshells are ground and also mixed with the main feed. Natural calcium is perfectly absorbed by the duck body.
Bone flour	It contains 25% calcium, 14% phosphorus, potassium, sodium and other important trace elements. Well absorbed by poultry (up to 60%).	In small quantities (2-3%) it is added to the bulk of feed.
Salt	Regular table salt, which contains chlorine and sodium, should be given only if there are no salted foods in the ducks' diet.	It should be added to the feed in very small doses (0.2%).
Coarse sand or gravel	Ducks need it to grind hard grains in their stomachs. Construction sand is not suitable for these purposes.	Each duckling should consume about 10 g of this coarse sand per week.

Feeding in the warm season

The ideal option when raising ducks in the warm season is the opportunity for them to visit natural reservoirs or small rivers with slow flow. In such conditions, there is no need to particularly wonder: what to feed the ducks? Birds independently obtain half of the necessary nutrition. As a last resort, the ducks can be released into the pasture, where they can browse the grass all day. Then, it is enough to feed the birds twice a day.

If pets are constantly in a pen and do not have the opportunity to obtain food on their own, they should be fed 4 times a day: 2 times with dry food and 2 times with wet mash, including aquatic vegetation.

When preparing wet mash in the summer, you need to accurately calculate the amount that will be completely eaten in one go. Warm weather leads to rapid souring of food.

Ducks should have fresh greens in their diet throughout the season.

Feeding in the cold season

In winter, the duck's diet is significantly narrowed. Let's consider what you can feed ducks in winter? Feed should be given no more than twice - morning and evening. One feeding should consist of wet mash and combined silage, and the other should consist of dry grain flour feed. Winter feeding ducks must include fish or meat and bone meal, boiled potatoes, steamed hay and rot.

Everything that ducks eat in winter has a slight impact on their weight, however, this does not mean that their diet can be significantly reduced. In severe frosts, when the room temperature may be sub-zero, birds do not freeze thanks to accumulated fat.

Duck feeding diet

Knowing energy value and the purpose of all types of feed, it is necessary to balance the nutrition of ducks depending on the ultimate goal: fattening for meat or increasing egg production. In the tables below you can see the recommended diet for birds to achieve certain goals. For better understanding, the tables are accompanied by comments.

Diet of laying ducks

Three weeks before the planned egg laying (usually the end of January), the bird is switched to a different diet: the amount of concentrated and protein feed is increased and the amount of succulent and roughage feed is reduced.

The need to change the diet is due to the fact that egg laying requires a high content of calcium and other minerals, so laying hens must eat feed with a high content of them.

Laying hens consume about a liter of water every day; however, feed that is too wet should not be given.

An insufficiently well-fed duck must be switched to a new diet one and a half months before laying.

4 meals a day should include wet mash three times. At night, give sprouted grains of barley or oats.

It is advisable to feed all grain feeds for laying hens in yeast form. To do this, 20 g of yeast are diluted in warm water and mix 1 liter of this mixture with 1 kg of grain. At room temperature This mixture should sit for about 8 hours, after which it can be added to any feed.

Table: Diet and approximate feeding standards for laying ducks (g per head per day):

Fattening ducks for meat

Feeding ducks for meat lasts no more than 2.5 months from their birth, so they begin to fatten from birth. In any brood there will definitely be several weak ducklings that cannot feed on their own. Such babies can be fed from a pipette. If the population is large, then weak ducklings are simply discarded.

In the first days, babies willingly eat boiled and crushed egg, skim cheese. It is especially necessary to monitor the freshness of such products, since stomachs are very sensitive in the first days of life. Some poultry farmers feed ducklings with special dry food with a high content of vitamins and minerals.

15 days before the expected slaughter of ducks, fattening begins, which involves an increase in protein foods (cottage cheese, peas) in the diet for accelerated growth muscle mass. In the last week, more food is given to form fat (mash, boiled potatoes, etc.). During fattening, fish and fishmeal are not given.

It is advisable to limit their physical activity.

Diet of parent flock ducks

The diet of the parent flock must be improved with greens and sprouted grains, since in this form it contains vitamins B and E, which are extremely desirable for better incubation of eggs.

Table: Approximate feeding rates for ducks (daily ration, g per head):

Domestic ducks eat almost everything; they are not picky about their living conditions. In addition, they have a high survival rate, they rarely get sick, quickly gain weight and, most importantly, are very cost-effective, especially in the summer. Even beginners can cope with keeping and feeding ducks.

What does it eat? wild ancestor domestic duck, mallard, say specialists from the research laboratory of reserves and game farms of the Russian Federation Main Hunting Authority:

Being a species that feeds in shallow water, the mallard eats about one and a half kilograms of aquatic plants and about three thousand insects, both aquatic and terrestrial, as well as their larvae per day. In addition, the duck eats fish, tadpoles, frogs, as well as crustaceans, worms and mollusks.

Thus, at least half of the daily diet of this species consists of animal food. Feeding and keeping ducks of domestic breeds involves the use of up to seventy percent of food of plant origin. Waterfowl willingly eat such cultivated and wild plants as:

• cabbage leaves;
• carrot and beet tops;
• nettle stems and leaves;
• alfalfa;
• clover;
• dandelion;
• duckweed.

It is highly desirable that live grass be on the duck menu for as long as possible. Ideal when domestic duck feeds itself in the meadow or near the nearest body of water.

In the water, domestic ducks eat a lot of algae and duckweed, and also dive for animal prey.

How to feed ducklings

Only hatched ducklings are fed no earlier than after 12 hours, but no later than after 24. To begin with, they are given fresh water from a pipette, to which many add a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate. For the first feeding, chopped eggs and thick porridge are best - while the chicks are learning to eat, the food should not be liquid. Next time, the eggs and porridge are slightly diluted with milk.

In the first days, the chicks eat every 2-3 hours.

In different physiological phases of development, the body’s requirements for a set of nutrients are different. Many people accustom chicks to mixed feed from the very first days, offering it wet and leaving it in feeders overnight. Grass and wet mash are added to the diet, and the amount of eggs is gradually reduced. On the third day, the egg can be removed completely.

From the seventh day, young ducks are offered gravel ranging in size from one to three millimeters. The volume of food should be such that the chick can eat it in twenty or thirty minutes.

After two or three days, the ducklings can be released to feed on the duck pond. At the same time, at home they need to be fed 3-4 times a day. If the ducklings live in a pen, they are fed up to seven times a day.

On average, about three kilograms of feed are required per kilogram of growth.

Breeding domestic ducks has become especially popular in Lately, since this is profitable business, bringing good income. But it is worth remembering that raising these birds is not an easy task, requiring considerable effort and dedication. The most basic thing that future poultry farmers need to know is what to feed domestic ducks at home. Because a healthy and balanced diet for ducks is the key to good health.

Feeding ducks depending on the season

Experts in their field know firsthand what they feed domestic ducks in summer and winter. The diet is slightly different, depending on what kind of food is now freely available. No one argues that the best time of year for breeding any livestock is summer, especially if the poultry farmer lives in the private sector and has access to vegetation and the aquatic environment.

In the summer season, there are three types of duck feeding. So, what do domestic ducks eat:

• The most profitable and best way To feed adult ducks (for example, mulards) in the summer season for any poultry farmer - release them into a natural body of water. It is clear that this requires free access to nature and aquatic environment: shallow river, lake or pond. At the same time, bird observation remains one of the main tasks, since they can scatter or fall into the hands of intruders. Ducks will happily frolic in the water, because this is their native environment, where they can easily find food. When free-ranging, it is important to ensure that the ducks do not go to bed hungry. The right move would be to lightly fill the feeders and feed the birds before going to bed.
• In the event that the owner does not have the opportunity to release his pets to open space, you need to be given the opportunity to eat any type of wild greenery at least once a day: milkweed, Chinese cabbage and others. There is no need to think about what herbs ducks like, because any edible greens will do. But the birds themselves, in most cases, prefer cabbage leaves: Chinese or white cabbage. This is very important, because it is through the consumption of greens that they compensate for the lack of minerals and trace elements.
• If there is an opportunity to walk on an open lawn, there is no need to rack your brains over the ducks’ nutrition either. They easily find unwary insects, grab them by the wing and eat them. In between, eating grass and other food. Mash or any food preferred by the owners is served 2 times a day, after waking up and before bedtime, in a reduced proportion.

If you provide white ducks (especially broilers) with enough greens, they will begin to gain weight, look healthy and feel great. If other conditions of detention have not been violated, then by the time of slaughter the birds will be well-fed.

IN winter season There is a natural shortage of greens and small animals, so its absence is compensated for by other ingredients. Ducks eat twice a day: in the evening and in the morning. In this case, poultry farmers choose different variants feeding. Some prefer to throw out dry food, which consists of grains, dust, seeds, bone meal and fish. Others, in turn, prefer wet food - a mash, which is made from silage, boiled potatoes and steamed hay.

Interesting! IN winter-autumn period fat reserves are deposited in ducks and drakes, so they cannot gain weight in the same way as in the summer. But this does not give a reason to reduce the amount of food.

Diet for ducklings of different ages at home

The nutritional standards for ducklings at home, depending on age, are presented in the table. Values ​​are given in grams, based on daily consumption per chick.

Type of food	From birth to 11 days	From 12 to 19 days	From three weeks to a month	From 4 to 8 weeks	up to 3 months
Combined feed	25	40	20	absent	absent
Crushed barley	absent	40	109	204	204
Vegetation	16	30	61	104	149
Bran	none	20	60	79	104
Fish oil	0.4	1.5	1.5	1.5	1.5
Crushed chalk	1.5	1.5	1.5	1.5	1.5
Small shells	0.4	1.5	1.5	1.5	1.5

The recipe for each age is different: The most significant aspect when choosing food for ducks is their age.

• for example, for ten-day-old ducklings it is recommended to give hard-boiled eggs, some greens, a small amount of mash;
• after 10 days and up to a month, ducklings are recommended to add millet, a mixture of other grains, curd mass, fish flour, yeast, and, of course, pieces of shells and sand to their diet, which help digestion;
• after a month or more, the diet does not undergo much significant changes, only the number of portions dispensed changes.

Do-it-yourself duck food, feed composition

Many poultry farmers prefer to make their own food for their pets, as this guarantees that it is environmentally friendly. Moreover, you can make sure that their body receives the required amount of microelements.

Variety is important in duck nutrition

What do ducks eat with great pleasure and what ingredients can be added to the mash? There are no special restrictions, but it is important to maintain variety so that the birds’ bodies receive all the necessary elements.

The recipe for the combined feed is not complicated. There is a wide variety of ingredients acceptable for feeding ducks.

Advice from experienced poultry farmers:

1. When raising ducks for eggs, it is very important to prioritize greens when preparing mash. This will make it possible to saturate the birds’ bodies with vitamins E and B, which affects the quality of egg laying. But greens cannot be the basis of the entire mixture. The mash itself must be made from grain crops.
2. Periodic feeding is typical for ducks raised for slaughter, so it is worth preparing for the fact that different age categories require different nutrition. Once the duckling has passed the age of intensive growth, you can begin to focus on protein. A week before slaughter, you can increase the fat layer by diluting the diet legumes, products of dairy origin.
3. When making mash, in no case should you make a mash or paste that will make it difficult for birds to breathe. It is not recommended to bring food to a mushy state.
4. If the choice was made in favor of dry feeding, the birds should always have water with them. This is not very convenient, since they will constantly want to drink and the owner of the livestock will have to carefully monitor the drinking bowls. With wet food, significantly less water will be spent.
5. Dry food can be diluted with fresh crushed vegetables or plants. In this case, its composition will be closer to wet.

Important! For the most rapid weight gain and growth of ducklings and ducks, it is recommended to focus on yeast, which must go through the drying process.

A very important question that poultry farmers ask is what type of feed to choose. It is worth mentioning that a combination feed is a mixture of additives and small feeds. Complete feed is full of mineral biologically active substances. Possessing a pleasant smell and taste, it is well eaten and absorbed by birds.

If a poultry farmer wants to replenish the protein, amino acids and fats of birds, then concentrated feed is suitable for this. For full development and replenishment of all vitamins and minerals, it is recommended to add protein and vitamin supplements to the main feed. But using them as the main food is highly not recommended.

Important! When thinking about what to feed ducks, the poultry farmer must remember that any purchased food must be certified so that the bird does not suffer from a low-quality product.

Many experienced poultry farmers practice feeding waste and bran, which is very beneficial and beneficial for ducks. This includes beet pulp, stillage, and other production waste, which birds will love. Brewer's or baker's yeast is an equally good option, which supplies birds with vitamin B.

Novice poultry farmers, of course, are interested in the question: Do domestic ducks eat fish? The answer to this question is yes. IN natural environment While swimming in a pond, adults catch and eat fry and even small frogs. That is, their digestive organs are quite capable of digesting fish products. But when adding fish to feed, the owner of the livestock must ensure that there are no bones in the fish.

What and how to feed a duck for meat for rapid growth

Very important for poultry farmers who want their ducks to reach heavy weight, stick to a diet that contains grains. Birds will rapidly gain weight, while enriching themselves with the necessary microelements. Cereals are commonly used in poultry farming, which has become a certain tradition. As a percentage, cereals always take up more than half of the diet.

Feeding the young

These crops have their advantages that bring considerable benefits:

• Corn has always been considered a high energy source. When it is digested, no excess remains in the ducks’ body; it easily saturates the bird.
• Wheat grains are no less useful, but come a little behind. The nutritional value due to high protein content. Wheat is important for rapid growth.
• Barley is beneficial for fiber, but should be given with caution. Ducks do not digest barley-based food well. Therefore, the grains in the mash should occupy no more than a quarter of the mass.
• Oats are very healthy because they are characterized by a high fat content. In most cases, it is used for fattening for meat. After eating it, duck meat becomes especially piquant and tasty.

Note! By sticking to a higher percentage of grains, you can ensure that the birds grow quickly, while gaining a sufficient amount of weight in a short time.

Is it possible to feed ducks bread? No you can not! Because the bakery product swells inside the duck, gets stuck in the esophagus, and can lead to dangerous diseases.

Features of feeding musk ducks

Muscovy ducks are not very fastidious creatures, but they still need the same careful care as ducks. Therefore, it is recommended to feed them high-quality food, big amount greenery, do not skimp on water.

The most common and applicable Muscovy duck mash recipe contains the following ingredients:

• whole wheat - 200 grams;
• ground corn - 80 grams;
• oats - 350 grams;
• wheat bran - 35 grams;
• feed chalk - 17 grams;
• crushed shell - 24 grams;
• fish meal - 14 grams;
• premixes - 16 grams;
• table salt - 0.6 grams.

All of the above is mixed. If the dosage is observed, total weight the feed reaches a little more than half a kilogram. Can be slightly diluted with water for ease of consumption.

Important! The water given to ducks must be clean. It is advisable to use well water, as they do not tolerate dirty water or any impurities.

It is very important to know some of the nuances when keeping ducks and follow the obvious rules. For example, to know whether ducks can be given bread and whether duckweed is food for ducks. For better development of birds, it is recommended to focus on protein and cereal foods, which contribute to the rapid and high-quality growth of birds.

It is very important that, in addition to regular food, a separate feeder contains pieces of small shells and sand, as well as crushed egg shells. Such additives help the birds' digestion process.

Keeping ducks is not the easiest thing, but it is profitable. It is important to remember that this bird can find food for itself if it is provided with water or at least meadow space. They should be monitored and given only certified and high-quality food so that they grow healthy and make their owners happy. delicious meat at the end of the season.

Ducks are fairly unpretentious birds in terms of living conditions and feeding regime. However, adherence to the principles balanced nutrition, taking into account seasonal and other features will make it possible not only to achieve target indicators for meat and egg production, but also to ensure good health for ducks and their young. Maintaining a diet in a private household is not particularly difficult, especially in the summer, when ducks can find a sufficient amount of food themselves by eating greens, aquatic animals and insects. We will tell you in detail about what to feed ducks in this article.

Feeding standards for ducks of different ages based on one day

			Age, day
Feed, g per head	from 1 to 10	from 11 to 20	from 21 to 30	from 31 to 40	from 41 to 60
compound feed	26	41	21	-	-
crushed barley	-	41	110	205	205
fresh greens	15	31	62	105	150
bran	-	21	62	80	105
fish fat	0.5	1	1	1	-
crushed chalk	1	1	1	1	-
small shells	0.5	1	1	1	-
Total	44-45	130-135	250-255	380-385	440-450

The recipe depends on age: in the first days a limited set of ingredients is used, taken at minimum quantities, then other components are introduced, and the mass of portions gradually increases.

Feed recipes

First 10 days

At this time, the following products are given (per chick):

1. Hard-boiled eggs – 10 grams.
2. Finely chopped greens – 5 grams.
3. Wet mash – 6 grams.

These products (listed above) are fed to ducklings for the first 4-5 days. Next, additionally enter:

1. Bone, fish and meat and bone meal - 1 g each.
2. Millet – 3 g.
3. Derti (corn, wheat) – 6 g each.
4. Powdered milk – 2 g.

Thus, at first there are 20-21 g of raw materials per individual, then it is increased to 30-31 g per day.

From 11 to 30 days

At this time, others are added to the listed products. The number of all components is gradually increasing:

1. Derti (corn and wheat) – 35 g each.
2. Millet – 9 g.
3. Cereal mixture 14-16 g.
4. Low-fat cottage cheese 20 g
5. Fish meal 8 g, bone meal 3 g, meat and bone meal 5 g, hay meal 5 g.
6. Chalk, small shells - 1 g each, salt 0.5 g.
7. Sunflower cake 5-6 g.
8. Yeast 4 g.

In total, it turns out that daily norm per head - about 120-130 g.

From 31 to 50 days

At the last stage, the composition does not change, but the content of the components changes (both upward and downward):

1. Cereal mixture 50-55 g.
2. Dert wheat 25 g.
3. Corn turd – main component: 65-70 g.

All other ingredients (from the previous list, designed for feeding ducklings from 11 to 30 days) are increased by 2 times so that the daily requirement for one individual is at least 215-225 g.

Types of duck feed

Depending on the composition of the raw materials, all feeds are classified into several groups:

• based on cereals;
• juicy;
• obtained from raw materials of animal origin;
• mineral supplements.

Every day, if possible, all these components should be present on the menu. Their ratio is determined by the purposes of breeding (for meat or feeding laying hens), as well as seasonal characteristics (in the summer, the components of fresh herbs and other natural species food).

Cereal feed

These are traditional food sources used to fatten any poultry and are also suitable for ducks. They make up up to 75-80% of all animal food, regardless of the season. The valuable nutritional properties of this raw material are explained by its chemical composition(see diagram).

Each crop brings its own benefits to the livestock:

Ducks digest grain to a more complete extent than chickens - 80% and 60%, respectively.

Juicy feed and fresh root vegetables are the basis of summer livestock nutrition, which allows you to significantly increase the profitability of their breeding due to very low costs. Along with the fact that in the summer the livestock receives greatest number truly balanced food, this does not require special work on the part of the farmer: often it is enough to simply release the individuals into a pond or onto a lawn.

The main components of succulent food are the following:

1. Aquatic plants, algae are main source energy for wild ducks, so domestic ones always eat them in large quantities. It should also be given to ducklings on the 6th day after birth.
2. Ground green plants - cut clover, pea tops, nettles and alfalfa are especially common. Greens are usually mixed with wet food.
3. Combined silage should be prepared in the summer. Essentially, this is the same grass that individuals eat in fresh. It is important that the silage stops smelling like pickled apples (usually for this it must ripen for at least 1.5-2 months). To neutralize excess acids, add 2 tablespoons of crushed chalk to each kilogram of raw material.
4. The green part of vegetables and root vegetables are the main sources of vitamins, so it is advisable to include them in the menu every day. Served grated. You can also silage for the winter. Potatoes are also served among vegetables, often boiled. They can replace grains (for variety), but not more than a quarter of the usual dose.

Animal feed

The need to constantly include these ingredients in the menu is explained by the fact that wildlife animals constantly eat small crustaceans, frogs, tadpoles and insects. It is especially important to provide such feed precisely during the laying period, since otherwise the shells of the eggs may not be so hard. The components are as follows:

1. Fishmeal is the best option in terms of shelf life. It has a rich mineral and organic composition: proteins, vitamins, inorganic salts of calcium and phosphorus. It is best to feed flour with a fat content of no more than 10%. Otherwise, all the weight gain will occur due to fat, not muscle growth.
2. Meat and bone meal is rich in proteins (up to half the composition). Ducklings are fed with it from the 6th day after birth. Then they will quickly gain weight, and by 2 months they can be sent to slaughter.
3. Low-fat cottage cheese is the main protein product for ducklings. It is given from 2-3 days and then continuously given until slaughter. You can add yogurt, but it is better to exclude fresh milk - it quickly sours and can cause digestive problems for animals.

Mineral supplements

Inclusion mineral supplements performs 2 important functions– raw materials help digestion and also have a beneficial effect on the formation of normal eggshells during laying of hens. The following ingredients are used:

Seasonal feeding habits

Depending on a particular season, the menu has its own characteristics. Summer is the best favorable time for birds and all other animals, since it becomes possible to provide each individual with a sufficient amount of balanced food. In winter, there are specific dietary habits that ensure good health for the livestock.

Feeding in summer

In summer there are three feeding options. Each of them is selected depending on the location of the site in relation to natural reservoirs and meadows:

In summer it is better to feed your livestock less wet mash: if they do not eat enough of the portion, it will quickly spoil due to the heat and humidity.

Feeding in winter

In winter, not only does the composition of the feed change (greens, insects and other natural springs), but also the feeding regime. Ducks are given food only in the morning and evening. Moreover, the composition is different in each case; you can choose from two options:

• dry food (cereals, meat and bone meal, fish meal, dust);
• wet mash (steamed hay, silage, boiled potatoes).

In winter and autumn, the livestock does not gain weight even with a significant mass of portions. However, you should not reduce the standards - birds store fat, which allows them to withstand negative temperatures well.

Features of feeding laying ducks

Laying hens require special approach to the contents, including the feeding regime. The main direction of fattening is associated with a sufficient supply of substances containing calcium. It is these components that can ensure sufficient strength of the shell and favorable development of the embryos. There are several recommendations to take into account:

1. Typical feeding ration before and during laying: 4 meals a day: 3 wet mash and grains of oats, barley (sprouted) for the last meal.
2. The mash should be mixed with yeast: for this, take a teaspoon of yeast, dilute it in heated (but not hot) water and mix it with a liter of mash and a kilogram of grain. The food is infused all night, and then it can be mixed with any portion.
3. If a duck lags behind its weight gain and is externally different from more well-fed individuals, it is transferred to intensive fattening approximately 6 weeks before laying: the proportion of protein food should be significantly increased and at the same time the rate of fattening with succulent feed and roughage should be reduced by 1.5-2 times.
4. Food should be moderately moist. Availability of sufficient quantities plays an important role clean water: based on a liter per head per day.

Principles of feeding ducklings

The composition of the duckling menu is extremely diverse - several products fit here:

• boiled eggs;
• skim cheese;
• boiled potatoes;
• chalk or shells;
• ground grains (barley, corn, oats);
• cakes;
• chopped fresh herbs and many other ingredients.

Fattening ducklings for rapid weight gain begins from the very first day and continues for 8-10 weeks. On different stages The diet will have its own characteristics:

Detailed table with the approximate content of components (in grams per 1 head)

Feed component	Age of ducklings (in days)
	from 1 to 10	from 11 to 20	from 21 to 30	from 31 to 50	from 51 to 60
boiled eggs	3	-	-	-	-
fresh herbs	20	30	50	70	80
wheat bran	5	15	30	35	40
yeast	0,3	0,5	0,9	0,9	0,9
ground grains	2	40	60	80	100
grain waste	-	22	25	28	38
boiled meat waste	-	8	17	21	25
skim milk	6	11	21	-	-
cake and grottoes	0,8	3	9	16	21
bone meal	0,6	1,2	1,5	2	3
table salt	-	0,3	0,3	0,8	1
chalk or shells	0,8	1,5	3,5	4,5	6
crushed gravel	-	1	1	1,5	2
skim cheese	4	9	10	-	-
Boiled potatoes	-	15	35	60	80

As a rule, among the offspring there are few weak individuals. They look lethargic and are almost incapable of eating food on their own. They can be culled only if the offspring are large and the loss will not be noticeable. However, it is also quite possible to grow them: in the first 1-2 weeks they are fed by hand (using a pipette).

Video - Preparing food for ducklings

Tips for developing your own feed when fattening ducks for meat can be seen here.

What do wild ducks eat?

Mostly ducks live and feed near small, calm bodies of water. They pass water through their beaks, catching small lake animals, and also nibble grass. Animals often collect food from the very bottom - to do this, they plunge their beaks deep into the water, and only their paws and tail appear on the surface.

In summer, the choice of food is very large, and the duck can easily find a wide variety of food for itself:

• small crustaceans;
• small fish;
• tadpoles and small frogs;
• insects;
• algae and terrestrial plants.

IN winter time When the surface of reservoirs is completely covered with ice, birds switch to a plant-based diet - in the fall they prefer the fruits and seeds of some plants and berries.

In urban areas, parks, gardens and natural monuments, artificial reservoirs are specially created so that as many ducks as possible can live in them. The reason is that birds eat a lot of mosquitoes and larvae of various insects, thereby maintaining balance in the food chain.

In cities, birds are often fed by vacationers and random passers-by. Most often they are given bakery products and various cereals. It is important to consider several rules:

1. The best option is white dry bread or specialized duck food.
2. It is not advisable to feed birds black and gray bread.
3. It is strictly forbidden to give chips, sweets, confectionery and any other sweets - such food can greatly harm the digestion of ducks.

Conclusion

Feeding ducks allows you to solve several problems at once: provide good immunity poultry, prevent various diseases and obtain the required amount of meat and eggs. At the same time, birds are not very picky about their menu, so breeding ducks is the best option for those who are taking their first steps in maintaining a farm.