Popular breeds of broiler ducks and features of their cultivation

Duck meat at all times was highly valued by both ordinary people and the most sophisticated gourmets for its special pleasant taste, tenderness, nutritional value and numerous useful properties. And in the modern feast, the duck continues to rule the ball, delighting with delicious dishes. What is worth one only glorious duck liver pate called foie gras! To meet the growing demand for a delicacy product, large-scale farms around the world are increasingly engaged in breeding ducks.

Ducks have been present in Russian peasant farms for a long time. Their breeding did not require much effort. A small reservoir nearby was enough, where birds of local populations could swim and eat natural food. The desire to productively grow ducks for meat has led to the use of new ways of growing ducks and the emergence of broiler breeds that can grow rapidly with limited consumption of compound feed.

The most popular breed of modern broiler ducks is the Beijing White duck. Crosses (varieties) of this breed are in high demand everywhere. Particularly distinguished by the rapid growth and excellent taste characteristics of meat and liver is the Cherry Valley breed, bred in England by crossing varieties of Peking duck., And received the widest distribution in Europe. Under the right growing conditions, individuals of this broiler reach 50 kg by the age of 3,5 days.

The ancestor of the second no less famous group of broilers is called American Muscovy duck. Its meat has a pleasant spicy flavor. Connoisseurs often compare it to game meat. The weight of this broiler can reach 6 kg. Facilitates the breeding of the Muscovy duck that it does not require the mandatory presence of a reservoir. But it must be borne in mind that it does not tolerate sub-zero air temperatures. The Mulard breed, bred in France on its basis, has a very high productivity and excellent dietary quality of meat, which practically does not contain fat.

Features of growing broiler ducks

Growing broiler ducks is not difficult, all you need is attention, care and knowledge of the basic requirements for caring for growing ducklings.

Spacious room

The duck room should be spacious enough. Excessive compaction makes the bird’s life uncomfortable, and therefore it may even begin to lose weight. Therefore, you need to remember about the norm for placing growing ducks: during the first three weeks, there should be no more than 16 ducklings per square meter, and in the subsequent period – no more than 8.

Hygienic mat

For hygiene purposes, so that fungal foci do not form and pathogenic microbes do not multiply, the room where broiler ducks are kept must be dry and well ventilated. For disinfection, the floor in the poultry house is first sprinkled with a thin layer fluffy lime approximately 0,5 kg per sq.m., on which a litter of straw, peat or wood chips with a thickness of at least 10 cm is laid on top. Since ducklings drink a lot and the litter quickly becomes wet, it must be sprinkled regularly. Typically 10 kg of bedding per bird is required.

Correct lighting

It is important to pay attention to lighting. During the first seven days of the ducklings’ life, the room should be constantly illuminated so that the chicks do not get scared and do not crush each other in a panic. Gradually, daylight hours can be reduced to 10 hours, but even in the dark, light illumination is needed.

• 1 Sunday — 24 hours
• 2 weeks – 16 hours
• 3-6 weeks – 10 hours

Adjustable air temperature

The floor temperature should be not lower than 18-20 degrees. How comfortable ducklings feel can be determined by their appearance. If they are breathing heavily with their beaks open, it means that they are hot and the heating needs to be reduced. If the chicks huddle together and climb on top of each other, there is not enough heat. Compliance with the temperature regime is very important, since the immunity of growing broilers, their health and growth depend on it.

• 1-2 weeks – 26-28 degrees
• 3-6 weeks – 18-20 degrees

Proper feeding

In order for the broiler duck growth genes to perform their function to the maximum, proper feeding is necessary. During the first 3 weeks, ducklings need to be fed with high-quality compound feed, then gradually switching to grain feed. For normal digestion on the 21st day, it is necessary to pour a little fine gravel into the feeders.

It must be remembered that the growth time of birds should not exceed 60 days, because. later they begin to shed, hard-to-remove pads appear on the skin, which spoils the presentation. From this time on, the quality of the meat also begins to deteriorate.

Growing the best varieties of broiler ducks is becoming more and more popular today and highly profitable area of ​​poultry farming, and the excellent taste and useful qualities of duck meat are of increasing interest to connoisseurs of a tasty and high-quality product.