Raising and caring for ducklings of one month old
If you want to start breeding ducklings, then for this you need to know that monthly ducklings need proper nutrition. Each owner who breeds birds feeds the young according to his own method. Below will be summarized data obtained as a result of practical experience of farmers and theoretical calculations.
Monthly ducklings need the right diet
Feeding
Most of the vitamins and minerals that are necessary for month-old chicks are found in green foods. Feeding ducks, like other birds, is not limited to her. Grains, vegetables and peelings, as well as leftovers from other food, are added to the poultry diet. And yet, ducks cannot do without green grass, since this is the most affordable and favorite food for them.
The diet of poultry should be balanced in all nutrients: calcium, phosphorus, sodium, fiber, crude protein and amino acids (lysine, methionine, tryptophan). With regard to compound feed, industrial enterprises feed ducks on the basis of 100 g per day.
Feeding ducklings usually starts with green food. Or grazing them in the meadow, because it is there that they receive a huge amount of nutrients by eating grass. Ducklings are very fond of nettles. Very small chicks can be given finely chopped boiled eggs and green onions, and low-fat cottage cheese is also added to their diet.
Already at the age of one month, birds must be fed with mash (boiled root crops and grain). Adult ducks, swimming in reservoirs, get duckweed for themselves, which they eat with great pleasure. Duck fattening is a very profitable business that does not require much hassle and money. Eggs, meat, fluff, feathers are obtained from them. These products are highly regarded in many markets.
Ducklings need to be given a lot of greenery.
Feeding ducklings must be 4-5 times a day. Birds are taught to free-range at the age of two weeks. They are released into open water bodies: rivers, ponds, lakes, and meadows. But little ducklings must be watched by their mother.
With free content, feeding can be 2-3 times a day.
Chalk, shells, etc. can be used as mineral supplements. This is necessary to maintain the health of ducks. Feed supply (g / day) per head for ducklings up to two months:
- grain mixture - 15-50;
- wheat - 20-30;
- corn - 40-70;
- millet - 8-19;
- meat and bone meal - 5-6;
- fish oil - 0.1-1;
- fishmeal - 9-12;
- chalk, shell - 1-5;
- yeast - 4-6;
- salt - 0.5-1.
Wheat and other grains should be included in the diet of ducklings
Essential food supplements
Bird feeding is not complete without various additives: premixes, which include vitamins, trace elements and amino acids. Supplements have the following benefits:
- increase the percentage of survival;
- improve the functioning of the stomach, heart, kidneys and other organs;
- prevent various diseases and lack of vitamins;
- increase the immunity of ducks;
- save money on feed.
All duck breeds are capable of assimilating them. Therefore, they need to be added to the diet of birds in a certain amount. They have a good effect on the well-being and productivity of ducks. The ratio of premix to feed should be 1:10 or 1: 100. In the diet of chicks, it is better to limit them or give them quite a bit. Little ducklings get sick and die more often than adults. The following are used as mineral additives:
- shell of eggs;
- crushed chalk;
- meat and bone meal;
- shellfish;
- shell;
- lime;
- salt;
- ash;
- fine gravel.
Eggshell Diet Supplement Provides Ducklings with Calcium
Separate feeders are made for mineral supplements. Pebbles and fine gravel improve the grinding of food in the ventricles. Sand should not be given to ducks as it irritates the intestines. If not properly fed, ducklings often die. A well-chosen diet has a positive effect on chicks.
A dry barn is perfect for keeping ducks, from which there is free access to grass. These birds do not need any special care. Therefore, ducks are bred not only by farmers, but also by ordinary summer residents. To feed them, special feeders and drinkers are needed. The first are small, elongated troughs. And drinkers are usually made in the form of an inverted bottle on a saucer. There should be a small distance between them.
Until the down is replaced by feathers, it is not recommended to let ducks into the water. This applies to ducklings without a mother. If a duck is involved in raising chicks, then they can be in the water from the fifth day of life. This is due to the fact that thermoregulation is formed earlier in them, if they are with their mother. If little ducklings are surrounded by low temperatures, they will die from hypothermia. They should not be allowed to overheat either. Birds at the age of 1 month are more resistant to cold. Therefore, they can survive a room temperature of around 8 degrees.
Little ducklings can be released to swim under the supervision of a duck
Breeding of meat and breeding ducks. These birds have no particular dietary differences. If all the rules for feeding and keeping ducks are followed, then at the age of two to three months they can already be slaughtered. The meat will be of good taste and high in calories. It is recommended to slaughter the bird before it begins to shed. Because plucking will be very difficult due to the formation of hemp. Breeding ducks are formed by 5-6 months.
If the conditions of keeping are not observed, the ducklings die from various diseases.
In a barn or aviary, no more than 6 heads should be kept per square meter. The room is equipped with a shed to keep the birds from getting wet. Otherwise, they catch cold and die. Feeders and drinkers are usually placed in the middle of the room. For droppings, a trench is made, on which a metal grate is well attached. It is better to take it in a fine mesh, because ducklings die from suffocation if they get stuck in it.
The dimensions of the room for ducklings are calculated according to the principle of 6 individuals per sq. m.
The room must be ventilated and the air humidity must not exceed 70-75%. Since chicks sometimes die from lack of oxygen. Farmers in Russia widely use the following breeds of ducks: musk, Indian runners, Peking, Campbells.
Breeding chicks of the musky breed has its own subtleties. All this, because in terms of anatomical structure and lifestyle, they are similar to geese.