Duck is a highly productive bird and not too demanding in care. 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
Ducklings, the cultivation of which has its own characteristics and nuances, are usually bred either to a tribe or to meat. Feeding them in the early days of life is very similar to feeding chickens at the same age. You can give crumbled yolk and all kinds of mixes. Animal feed begins to be fed on the tenth day. This is usually fish or bone meal. Sometimes you can give young animals and fresh fish. From the second week, boiled potatoes, as well as greens, are added to the diet.
Ducklings, the cultivation of which is not particularly difficult, should receive food in special troughs. Some poultry farmers use pallets or trays for this purpose. This is acceptable but undesirable. The fact is that ducklings will climb into them and trample the food. As for drinking bowls, they must be vacuum. Usually they are a bottle turned over a saucer.
It is best to place drinkers away from the feeders. Otherwise, ducklings, the cultivation of which has such a peculiarity, that they are fed six times a day in the first week of life, and four times after the second week, after each pecking they will run up to the drinker, while washing away the remaining food from the beak. As soon as the youngsters turn one month old, it will be possible to switch to a three - four-time meal.
Ducklings, which were grown with feeding dry fodder mixtures, as well as mixers, grow healthy and strong. If possible, it is necessary to arrange walking. Ducklings are not launched into the water until the fluff is replaced by a feather. This is the case if young animals are grown without ducks. If the female herself hatched the eggs and brings up the babies, the formation of thermoregulation in them occurs much faster. Therefore, they can start swimming with it without harm to themselves already on the fifth day of life.
Temperature mode
As for the temperature regime, in the first week the air temperature at 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. Monthly ducklings, the care of which in this regard is also extremely simple, but requires the fulfillment of all the conditions indicated here, can withstand the temperature drop to 8 degrees without much harm to themselves.
Growing ducklings for meat and tribe
When grown for meat and tribe, young animals are fed exactly the same. If everything is done correctly and the owners will pay enough attention to their bird in this plan, it will be possible to kill the ducks already in 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 pen will be very difficult, as hemp will appear. The most developed young growth is selected at the age of six months per tribe.
The most common breeds
Most often, in the homesteads of Russians you can see campbell, Indian runners, Peking and musk ducks. All these varieties are distinguished by endurance and unpretentiousness. Care of young growth of these breeds can be carried out 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 a cross between a duck and a goose.