The tutoring is one of the most precocious branches of poultry meat production: from ducks already in 6-7 weeks you can get a fairly large amount of tender, highly nutritious, juicy meat, large fatty liver and good fluff.
Ukrainian gray ducks
The Ukrainian gray duck breed was bred by the Ukrainian Research Institute of Poultry by crossing local duck populations with wild (crack). This breed group is resistant to low temperatures, has a strong constitution and powerful muscles. The gray duck is mobile, constantly looking for food, loves freedom very much and so that there is a pond nearby, grows quite quickly, has excellent meat qualities. In feeding and keeping it is very unpretentious. The gray duck is disease resistant. It is bred both in household households and in small farming associations. The bird swims well, but dives only during molting or when it is wounded. The flight is of a duck type, it rises easily from the water, and can take off almost vertically.
Gray duck: description
Medium-sized gray ducks have a long, wide, slightly raised body in front, a small long head, legs are short, strong, mobile, orange . The color of the plumage, like that of wild ducks: gray with various shades. The gray duck drake has a dark gray (or black) head with a silvery or greenish tint, a dark brown head with a white collar, and a medium neck length. The chest is wide, massive, lush, the body (lower part) is light gray, the wings are gray-brown, with white mirrors, not very long, the color of the beak is olive, black at the end, wide, not very long. The tail of a gray duck is of medium length, slightly elevated.
Ukrainian gray duck: characteristic
The average live weight of drakes is about 3.5-3.8 kg, females - 2.8-3.0 kg. Egg production per year per hen is 120-140 eggs. With the provision of good care, appropriate lighting and heating of the premises, record levels of 260 pieces can be achieved. in year. The average weight of one egg is about 70-90 grams. The cycle on average has a duration of approximately 20-22 weeks. Ukrainian gray duck reaches maturity at 6 months of age. The output of young animals is 72-76%.
Biological features
Young ducks of gray ducks are characterized by a high growth rate and good vitality. Their live weight by the age of 50 reaches 2.2-2.5 kg. The adult gray duck (photo below) has a survival rate of 96-97%, ducklings - 95-97%.
Duck room
A gray duck is undemanding to the conditions of detention, it is enough for the most ordinary room with bedding, walking and a small pond (you can do without it by installing a swimming tank on the walk).
The main requirements for the room in which the bird will be kept - it must be protected from dampness, sudden changes in temperature, have a sufficient level of lighting. Breeding of ducks with other birds or animals is permissible, restricting their territory to a net or a solid partition. The size of the house depends on the herd population. For ducks, planting density per 1 square. m area is 3 birds. They tolerate overpopulation quite poorly, get bored, interfere with each other's food, and are easily injured. For ducks make wooden (for dry food) and metal (for wet mash) feeders. The design of the feeder is very important, because duck feed is eaten sloppy, scattering it on the floor. One adult bird needs 15 cm of the length of the feeder for wet foods and 6 cm for dry mixes.
Duck nest is made one for 5 layers. Its width is 40 cm, depth - 50 cm, height - about 30. Nests are installed on a deep litter, which is poured as it sags and becomes dirty. Special manholes are made for walking. It is recommended to install them from the south side of the house, at a distance of 8 cm from the floor. The height and width of the manhole is 40 cm each. It is better to fence the place for walking with a metal mesh.
Deep litter
The irreplaceable litter in the house contributes to the support of the necessary microclimate, it generates heat and does not require daily cleaning, it absorbs moisture well. For bedding use straw cutting, shavings, crushed corn stems, sunflower husk. It is important to prepare the litter in dry weather, this will help to eliminate the possibility of mold and fungus infection. Peat has a remarkable moisture capacity, however, due to the formation of dust, it is recommended to use it together with any other materials. Before filling the bedding, the floor should be prepared, cleaned and disinfected, pour dry slaked lime on top . Initially, a layer of 5 cm is filled up, then, as it moistens, new material is added. In winter, the layer is brought up to 30 cm, in the summer - up to 20 cm. As a rule, a new portion of the litter has to be added every 12-15 days.
Ducklings care
Conducting competent and good care of the chicks is perhaps the most crucial moment in the maintenance of domestic ducks. Breeding involves the separate keeping of young animals from the parent herd. In the first three weeks, ducklings must be kept in a fairly warm room. During the first days, the temperature should reach +30 ° C. For 1 square. square meter should be no more than 25 goals. Gradually, the temperature should be reduced. At the end of the third week it should be +20 ° C.
Lighting
The room with ducklings should be constantly lit in the first week (24 hours). Starting from the second week, its duration needs to be reduced a little. On the tenth day, lighting should last 16 hours, and on the twentieth - only 9-10.
Feeding ducklings
During the first three days, ducklings are fed with semi-liquid food, in which milk is added. In the future, they will be able to confidently cope with dry feed, green mash. The following feeds are used for feeding: corn, wheat and barley ground, sunflower and soybean meal or meal, fish and meat and bone meal, grass meal, fodder yeast, fresh green nettle, alfalfa, dandelion, boiled potatoes, carrots, beets, food waste. In the first few days of life, you can give fresh cottage cheese, whey, milk powder, cool boiled eggs. Most importantly, all feed should be fresh and sound.
Drinking bowls and feeders should be located so that all ducklings have free access to water and feed. During the first 1-2 days, ducklings can be fed on trays with a side height of 2 cm, later from groove feeders with sides of 5-6 cm. Older ducklings are fed from feeders whose sides are bent inward, and there is also a protective bar, so that the ducklings could not get into the feeder and contaminate the food with their droppings. A special feed catcher is installed below the feeder, because ducklings lose a lot of it near the feeder. For drinking in the first 6-10 days, vacuum drinkers are used (1 pc. For 50 ducklings), later open drinkers with a special guard are installed so that the ducklings do not fall into them, but freely lower their heads into the drinker.
You can also put small plastic basins or buckets. Wash drinkers and change the water in them should be daily.
Content and Nutrition
The gray Ukrainian duck is herbivorous and completely unpretentious in content. She perfectly eats aquatic vegetation - duckweed, algae. With great pleasure it can graze on the grass, eat food waste, it is gaining weight perfectly on special compound feeds. In the summer, in the diet of a duck, the grain mixture is only 25%.
In late autumn, winter and early spring, of course, the proportions change: cereals and compound feeds make up about 50% of the daily diet, the second half - vegetables - small boiled potatoes, apples, pumpkin, cabbage, food waste. Combined feed is recommended to be given in the form of wet mash, adding grated beets, boiled potatoes and other additives. With timely and proper feeding, you can achieve excellent results in the cultivation of gray ducks: to maximize the weight of the drakes, the ducks to have maximum egg production, and most importantly, to obtain excellent young offspring.
In the summer, the gray duck (the photo you see in the article) spends the whole day in the aviary, birds are driven into the room only at night.