Meat breeds of ducks. Breeding ducks

DUCK BREEDING

From an adult duck with a brood, by autumn you can get 100-120 kg of meat. In addition, ducks of some breeds lay a large number of eggs - up to 130 pieces per year.
The most common breeds of ducks are: Peking duck - the plumage is white with a creamy tint, the male has four twisted feathers on the tail. Peking ducks are precocious and well-fed, ducklings at 60 days of age are quite suitable for slaughter. The live weight of an adult drake is 3.5-4 kg, ducks are 3.5 kg or more. Egg production - up to 120 eggs per year; khaki campbell - gray-green plumage of the head, brown (khaki) plumage of the body; the drake has a brown-bronze head, neck and chest. Drakes weigh up to 3 kg, ducks - up to 2.5. Egg production - up to 200 eggs per year. The bird of this breed well obtains food for itself in reservoirs and pastures.

Growing ducklings. If day-old ducklings are purchased and they will be grown without a hen, then up to 20-25 days of age they must be kept in a warm, heated room. Best method of growing using the same heating pad as when raising chickens and goslings. Temperature regime for ducklings: at the age of 1-5 days - 28-30 degrees, 6-10 days - 24-26 degrees, 11-15 days - 22-24 degrees, 16-20 days - 18-22 degrees, 21 -30 days-16-10 deg. Heating is especially needed in the first 10 days.
The ducklings are placed on the bedding (clean, dry straw, dry sawdust), the straw is laid in an even layer and changed as it gets dirty. General rules rearing ducklings is the same as that of goslings.
A mother hen for ducklings can be a duck, chicken and even a turkey. Under the mother duck lay 13-17 eggs in warm weather and 11-13 eggs in cold weather. Under the chicken, you can put 9-11 duck eggs in warm weather and 7-9 in cold weather; for turkey - 17-19 duck eggs in warm weather and 15-17 in cold weather.
In an individual farm, ducklings can be bred both in spring (March-April) and in summer. The hatching of the chicks occurs on the 27-28th day of incubation. A day and a half before this, the pecking of eggs begins. Ducklings, after they have dried, are taken out from under the hen so that she does not crush them, and planted in a warm place - in a box or basket. If necessary, ducklings are helped to get rid of the shell, but this must be done very carefully.
When all the ducklings hatch, they are allowed to go to the hen. Additional heating when growing ducklings under a hen is not required.
Already three-day-old ducklings in good weather are released into the wild along with a mother hen. Two-week-old young animals can spend whole days on outdoors, but before the age of 25 days they cannot be released into water bodies. In the first month of life, the coccygeal gland of ducklings does not yet produce fat to lubricate the feathers, and they get wet in the water.
Ducklings very quickly get used to receiving food at the same time, so you need to adhere to the established regimen: up to 15 days of age, ducklings are fed 5-8 times a day, at different intervals. After 15 days, they are given food 4-6 times a day, three-month-old ducklings are transferred to three-time feeding. All food is given to them in the form of wet crumbly mash prepared with skimmed milk or water. Milk can also be placed in a separate bowl.
Ducklings must be continuously provided with clean, fresh water. It is better to make a special drinker for watering. The simplest drinker is a deep, narrow, but stable trough, in which the duckling can not only drink, but also rinse the nasal openings. Ducklings spill water from ordinary basins and wide troughs, and the room becomes damp.
Young animals grow quickly: a Peking duck at the age of 20 days weighs 500 g;
After 25 days of age, ducklings are released into water bodies; if they have rich vegetation, this significantly reduces the consumption of grain feed. But ducklings can be grown without water bodies. Ultimately, the success of growing is decided by feeding, not water. They can also bathe in a trough with water placed in the yard. True, the method of “dry” rearing of ducklings is associated with a lot of trouble and increased feed consumption, but these costs pay off.
Often ducklings are grown up to 4-5 months of age and slaughtered with the onset of the first frost. In this case, the carcass turns out to be heavier and fatter. But still, it is more profitable to grow Peking ducklings up to 2-2.5 months of age, and khaki campbell breeds up to 80-90 days old. In this case, less fat, but fleshy carcasses, the so-called "green ducklings", are obtained.
The ducklings are fed for the first time 2-3 hours after the full withdrawal or immediately after the purchase with a hard-boiled, finely chopped egg. From the second day, they cook a cool, crumbly millet porridge, mixing it with a small amount of chopped egg. On the third day, the egg can be excluded, porridge is given millet, corn or barley, necessarily crumbly. A drinking bowl is placed next to the feeder. Ducklings consume a lot of water, so clean water should be in the drinkers all the time.
Wet crumbly mash or freshly boiled steep porridge is given to ducklings up to 40-50 days of age. But already from the age of three days, they can be given a little sprouted or dry grain. Finely chopped greens (clover, nettle, etc.), chalk, and salt are gradually added to the mash. Gravel, charcoal, the shell is placed in separate troughs. Greens in the diet of three-week-old ducklings can be 30% of the weight of the daily feed supply.
Mixers are prepared before each feeding, as sour feed causes indigestion. From the 10-12th day, mashed boiled potatoes can be added to the mash. In order for the mash to be crumbly, water (broth, skimmed milk, skimmed milk) should be added no more than 40% of the weight of dry food.
Each time, ducklings should be given so much food so that it is eaten without a trace within 20-30 minutes.
In the first month of life, ducklings must be given dairy feed, as they are a source of easily digestible protein. It is very useful to feed part of the feed in a yeasted form.
Aquatic vegetation is fed in crushed form as part of wet mash.
Approximate diet of ducklings (grams per head per day)

Bird age in days

fattening 45-day-old ducklings are started if they want to be slaughtered at the age of 65-70 days (before the start of molting). If more fatty and high-calorie meat is required, ducklings are slaughtered at the age of 120-130 days. From ducklings slaughtered during molting, the carcass is obtained in stumps, it is difficult to process it. An approximate diet for ducklings is given in table. fourteen.
Ducklings fattened in water bodies, in addition to the food that they get themselves, should be given a wet mash 3-4 times a day. When growing poultry, you need to use all the waste available on the farm: clean tops of carrots, beets, cabbage leaves, all this is crushed and fed as part of a mash. Small potatoes and peelings are boiled and crushed. Meat bones are crushed fresh or burnt. Fish waste is boiled and carefully ground in a meat grinder. You can use broths to prepare the mash. Dry bread crusts soaked in hot water(necessarily cooled before feeding), can form the basis of the mash. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure that moldy products do not get into the feed. Seeds of wild-growing herbs (horse sorrel, quinoa, chicken millet, mouse peas, etc.) can be added to the mash.
Dried green soft grass is a good help, which, after grinding and steaming for a short time, is added to the mash. A valuable feed is hay dust. You can harvest the vegetation of reservoirs.
The fattening of ducklings kept without water bodies is carried out essentially in the same way as fattening in water bodies, with the only difference being that they are fed ad libitum with all kinds of feed. When fattening ducklings without water bodies, there should be fresh water near the feeders all the time.
Maintaining cleanliness of feeders and premises reliable way protection of ducklings and adult ducks from diseases. After each feeding, the feeders and as they get dirty, the drinkers are thoroughly washed with hot water (and preferably with hot ash lye).

Keeping adult ducks. This bird should not be kept crowded. The duck, although it is a waterfowl, does not tolerate dampness at all, either indoors or on paddocks.
In the morning, ducks are not released into the pond until they finish laying eggs. Those bird owners who fence for ducks do the right thing. small plot in the yard, they lay a litter there, put feeders, and they are driven into the room only at night.
Ducks of breeds of meat direction (Beijing) rush in the spring and summer: in February, the laying hen lays about 1 egg, in March - 16, in April and May - 24 each, in June - 19, in July - 6 eggs; ducks of general use and egg production - almost throughout the year (in February - 5 eggs, in March - 12, in April - July - 23-22, in August-September - 20-18, in October - November - 14 - 12, in December - 8 eggs).
Ducks are very sensitive to any changes in feeding time, quantity and quality of feed. With sudden changes in feeding, egg production decreases and molting begins ahead of time.
Ducks are fed at least three times a day with wet crumbly mash and grain. Some of the grain feed can be replaced with boiled kitchen waste. In the morning and afternoon, ducks can be given wet mash, at night-grain (preferably soaked), at least 15-20 g per head. Before distributing feed, the drinkers are filled with water. You can adhere to this feeding regimen: the first is at 6-7 o'clock in the morning (a little later in winter), the second is at 13 o'clock, the third is an hour before sunset.
Approximate amount of feed for laying ducks (grams per day per head): oats - 80, barley (including sprouted) - 75, bran - 60, fodder beet - 40, vegetable protein feed - 15, green grass(chopped) - 40, feed of animal origin - 11, crushed bones - 4, chalk - 9, table salt - 1. In just a day, an adult duck eats up to 340 g of feed.
ducks meat breeds more feed is required than egg laying. In the diet peking ducks include 200-230 g of grain or compound feed, khaki campbell ducks - about 160-180 g. This amount of grain feed can be significantly reduced by adding boiled potatoes, root crops, hay dust, kitchen and table waste, fresh greens to the mash.

Selection of laying ducks. To replace old (older than three years) and low-yielding laying ducks, young stock is taken in autumn from ducklings obtained in spring. A well-developed, healthy bird is selected: the live weight of ducks at the age of 150 days (Beijing breed) must be at least 3 kg, drakes - 3.3 kg; khaki campbell ducks - 1.8 kg, drakes - 2.2 kg. Do not leave ducklings with prolonged molting for the tribe.

Sex determination ducks do not present difficulties: drakes have four curved feathers in their tail plumage, which females do not have. For eight Khaki Campbell ducks and five Peking ducks, one drake is left. Ducks are used for 3-4 years.
Signs of good and bad laying ducks

good hen bad hen

Ducks are slaughtered and the carcass is treated in the same way as geese.

In any private household there is a poultry yard where chickens live.

But many believe that chicken meat has become everyday, but duck meat is considered a delicacy.

Almost every farmer tries to grow his domestic ducks.

Having made the right choice in breeding a particular breed of ducks, you can very well provide your table with delicious meat, and also make very good money selling them.

Ducks are quite common in rural areas.

The main factor in breeding ducks is the choice of breed.

There are several varieties of ducks, which you will learn about later, as well as the features of each breed and the features of breeding these birds.

In agriculture, there three kinds of ducks:

• Meat breeds - these breeds differ from others in their rapid weight gain.
• Meat-egg breeds - these breeds are characterized by good egg production and weight gain.
• Egg breeds - these breeds differ from others in high egg production.

What breeds of ducks are meat?

Peking duck, what is it characterized by?

Peking duck is considered the best in the meat breed of ducks.

The Chinese bred this breed about 300 years ago in the west of Beijing, but not much later they began to breed in other parts of China. In the second half of the nineteenth century, the Peking duck was introduced to America and Europe. After that, she appeared in our country.

What features Peking duck has:

• In appearance, the bird is very large with a wide raised body and a wide chest.
• The mass of an adult female is 3.4 kilograms, and a drake is 4 kilograms.
• The egg production of one duck is from 85 to 125 pieces per year. The weight of one is 90 grams.
• Compared to other breeds of ducks, the Peking duck has a fast metabolism.
• The average body temperature of ducks is 42.2 degrees Celsius.
• Peking ducks are considered omnivores.
• Peking ducks are white in color with an orange beak and thick reddish legs.

What positive qualities Peking duck can be characterized, we list below:

• This breed of ducks is one of the most common in our country.
• Peking duck is precocious.
• Birds feed very quickly.
• This breed tolerates the cold seasons very well.
• Ducks have a fairly high vitality.
• They are resistant to various diseases.

What can be said about negative side of this breed:

• Some farmers find them very noisy. This breed has an increased nervous excitability, so a little noise in the yard will constantly attract them.
• Ducks need certain conditions of detention, on which their productivity depends.

Ducklings at the age of one and a half months already have a mass of about 2.4-3.1 kilograms. It is best to grow them for meat before the juvenile molting period (about seventy days).

Since at this time they stop growing, but begin to consume food twice as much, the development of internal organs and the growth of new feathers take place, which are then not removed during the removal process and worsen the meat quality.

Meat breed - black white-breasted duck

The black white-breasted duck was bred by crossing two breeds: Peking duck and khaki campbell. This breed was bred on the basis of the Ukrainian Institute of Poultry.

What features this duck has:

• This breed is characterized by a raised torso with a deep chest.
• The back of the duck is large and rather long, slightly raised towards the tail. The tail is also slightly raised.
• The color of the duck is mostly black, but part of the belly and chest are white.
• Drakes are distinguished by a blue-violet tint on the neck.
• The legs are small, not thick, black.
• The beak is medium, concave, dark or slate in color.
• The duck's eyes are shiny, large and black.
• The wings are massive, very tightly pressed to the body.
• The mass of an adult female is 3.6 kilograms, and the weight of a drake is about 4 kilograms.
• The egg production of a black white-breasted duck is about 115-125 pieces, the weight of which is 80-90 grams. The color of the egg shell is white.

Positive sides this breed of ducks:

• This breed of ducks is meat.
• Puberty of ducks occurs by six months of their life.
• These birds are very well fattened and are early maturing.
• They belong to ducks of a general user character.
• Poultry meat and eggs are of high quality.
• Ducks have a good survival rate.

Ducklings at the age of 60-65 days reach a weight of one and a half kilograms. The meat of this duck breed differs from other breeds in greater fat content and quality.

There were no negative qualities in this breed of ducks.

Duck breed Moscow White



The Moscow white duck is also one of the most famous. It was bred thanks to two breeds: Beijing and Khaki Campbell.

He was engaged in breeding this breed of birds at the Ptichnoye state farm in the Moscow region. The goal, which was to obtain a meat breed, with enough high egg production.

According to external factors, the duck is similar to the Peking duck, yet it has its own characteristics.

Peculiarities Moscow white ducks:

• The bird has a massive body with a wide rounded chest.
• The head is small, located on a very flexible neck. The beak is red.
• The paws of the duck are not long and widely spaced, pink in color.
• Feather color is white.
• The weight of an adult male reaches 4.4 kilograms, and the weight of females is less per kilogram.
• The eyes of ducks are blue.

Advantages Moscow white duck:

• Females are characterized high ability to egg production. During the period they carry up to 120 pieces, the mass of one can reach 0.1 kilograms.
• A positive quality is the prevalence of the breed, which indicates its low cost.
• Birds are characterized by good adaptation to different weather conditions.
• Ducks do not need whimsical care.
• Birds have very tasty meat.
• The positive side is a good reproductive system.
• The survival rate of ducks is ninety percent.
• The bird has good fleshiness without strong fatty deposits.

No negative qualities have been identified in this breed of ducks.

Meat-egg breeds of ducks

Khaki Campbell - meat-and-egg breed of ducks



This breed of duck was bred in England by the aviary Adele Campbell back in the 1800s. Her goal was to get a duck to provide meat for her family.

This breed of ducks was bred by very complex crossing paths.

Peculiarities This breed is listed below:

• The color of the feathers of this duck can be different: fawn, dark and white.
• Birds of this breed are light in weight. The mass of the male ranges from 2.5 to 3.5 kilograms, and the female is within 2.5 kilograms.
• Puberty occurs at 6-7 months.
• Egg production in birds ranges from 250-350 pieces. Eggs with a white shell and weighing about 80 grams.
• Birds have a small head, beak and neck.

Positive traits possessed by the Khaki Campbell duck breed:

• Birds are characterized by high egg production.
• This breed has very tender and tasty meat.
• Birds are very mobile and active.
• Birds adapt to different conditions content.

To lack This duck can be attributed to the following facts:

• Females are not very good hens.
• You need to monitor the nutrition of ducks, if they eat well, then they are calm enough.

What characterizes the Mirror breed of ducks?



The mirror breed of ducks was obtained as a result of a very complex selection method in the 1950s at the Kuchinskaya poultry farm.

The purpose of breeding this breed of ducks was to obtain an early maturing breed with good meat qualities. This breed is not very common among farmers.

Peculiarities Mirror duck:

• This bird is precocious, with very good meat qualities.
• The mass of one duck is approximately three kilograms, and a drake is 3.8 kilograms.
• The egg production of one bird per year is 160 pieces, sometimes it reaches 200 pieces. The shell is white, less often yellowish, and sometimes completely speckled.
• The body of the bird is long in front slightly raised.
• The head is small, the neck is medium, the beak is wide and long.
• The legs are small, but almost always feathered.
• The wings and tail are also small.
• The color of the feathers is white, grayish, silvery and creamy. In males, the head is covered with black or brown specks.

Positive traits mirror duck:

• The bird is very mobile.
• Duck adapts to different conditions content.
• Mirror duck has a high egg production.
• The survival rate of young ducklings is over 95 percent.
• Poultry meat is characterized by good taste.

Meat-egg breed of ducks - Cayuga



The Cayuga duck is an American duck breed. She is very beautiful. It was bred back in 1874.

What kind peculiarities about the bird:

• Cayuga ducks have a very beautiful colour feathers - black with green tint.
• Birds are very strong.
• The eyes are dark brown.
• Paws and beak only black.
• The legs are small, the tail is also directed upwards.
• The weight of the male of this breed ranges from 3.2 kilograms to 3.8 kilograms, and the females from 2.8 to 3.1 kilograms.
• The average egg production of this breed is 100-150 eggs per year. The weight of an egg is 70-80 grams. The peculiarity is that the first ten eggs are black, and then they begin to lighten and become gray or greenish-white.

To virtues This breed includes the following:

• The females are very good hens.
• Cayuga ducks adapt to different terrains.
• Birds are very calm and obedient.
• Ducks are very fond of paddocks, where they eat different worms.
• Birds have a good survival rate of young.

Saxon duck breed



Saxon ducks belong to the meat and egg direction. Ducks were bred in Germany. The bird first appeared in 1934.

When breeding birds, the Peking, Rouen and Pomeranian breeds were used. This breed is very good for breeding in household.

Peculiarities possessed by the Saxon duck:

• The bird is very massive and well-fed.
• Ducks have very beautiful plumage. Drakes have a dark blue head and neck with a metallic sheen, and the rest of the body is red-red. And in females, the main color of plumage is yellow-green.
• Ducks of this breed are quite productive, the weight of the female is from 2.6 to 3.1 kilograms, and the male from 3 to 3.5 kilograms.
• The meat quality is very good.
• The egg production of birds is good, about 150-200 pieces per year. The mass of one is about 70-80 grams.

Positive sides Saxon duck:

• Ducks have good egg production.
• Ducks have a good survival rate.
• Saxon duck has good meat quality characteristics.

And finally, egg breeds of ducks

Egg Breed - Indian Runners



Southeast Asia is considered the homeland of Indian runners. Breeding these ducks began in the last century.

At first, this breed was very rare, it could be seen in zoos. This duck breed is the only egg breed.

Peculiarities such an unusual breed of ducks:

• Her body is straight. When running, they look like a running bottle.
• Birds attract attention at exhibitions.
• The color of the feathers is different, it can be white, or it can be brown, black and blue.
• Ducks have a very long neck, long legs, which contribute to their rapid movement.
• The weight of the female is 1.75 kilograms, and the male is 2 kilograms.
• The egg production of one duck is about 200 eggs, but record ducks are able to carry 350 eggs per year. Birds fly all year round. The weight, color and taste of the eggs laid by this breed resemble chicken eggs.
• Although the mass of the bird is not very large, but its meat has a very tender and juicy taste.

Positive sides Indian runner:

• Birds are very mobile and love to be on the run.
• Indian runners are very clean ducks.
• Very high egg production.
• Ducks are adapted to different weather conditions.
• Birds are very good parents.

The disadvantage of this breed can be attributed to the fact that its cannot be limited in water, as this may reduce its productivity.

Features of growing ducks



In general, raising ducks is not such a difficult process. These birds are unpretentious to food, temperature, which distinguishes them from other birds.

Regardless of the fact that ducks calmly endure frosts, they should not be subjected to such tests. It is necessary to ensure that the poultry house is not below zero.

Observing this rule, the bird will feel comfortable and this will not affect its productivity. When keeping chicks room temperature should be around 28 degrees Celsius and humidity should be between 70-75 percent.

Growing poultry begins with the incubation of ducklings. With observance of all necessary rules. Compared to other eggs, duck eggs need to be treated with great care. During the incubation period, they need to be cooled according to certain rules. But, in general, hatching duck chickens is much easier than any other.

You can raise chicks open and in a closed way. But the best of them is the combined method.

Ducks are non-conflict birds, but if they are kept in a very small room even they begin to conflict with each other. Basically one adult duck about 0.3 square meters should be allocated.

Duck housing should be clean, dry and well ventilated. There must be an optimal level of humidity. It is necessary to ensure that mold does not form, otherwise it may affect the health of the birds.

For chicks, the room should be illuminated around the clock, and for adult ducks, 15-16 hours will be enough.

Although birds are unpretentious to food, they really need water. Water should be poured onto the third part of the bird's beak.

Ducks must be provided access to the pond. Birds need constantly feed. The usual daily diet should consist of grain and mash. The mash consists of cake, vegetables, potatoes or pumpkin, bone and fish meal.

Ducks are very good parents who take good care of their offspring. But the chicks can do without their care. Because they can find their own food and water. But in any case, you should not leave them to themselves, you need to keep an eye on them from time to time.

meat breeds gain weight very quickly. And if they are bred to obtain tasty meat, then you need to kill them at ten weeks of age.

Growing these birds in the household is not difficult. You just need to choose the breed you need and find out about its conditions of detention. Then in the end you will get a very good result. Especially experienced poultry farmers advise beginners to start breeding poultry with ducks.

Was this article helpful?

Thank you for your opinion!

Write in the comments what questions you did not receive an answer to, we will definitely respond!

You can recommend the article to your friends!

You can recommend the article to your friends!

359 times already
helped

In Russia, they try to get more meat from a duck. Eggs are not valued as much as chicken eggs, and are mainly needed for breeding and offspring. The amount of meat depends not only on the quality of nutrition and conditions of detention, but to a greater extent on the breed of ducks.

The largest breeds of ducks

Meat ducks are characterized by precocity - rapid weight gain. Young growth at the age of two months already weighs 2.5–3 kg. It is this age that is considered optimal for slaughter, since with the onset of molting, the process of building muscle mass stops, internal organs begin to develop, and the plumage hardens.

Beijing

Peking duck is recognized as the most popular breed of ducks in Russia. Characteristics:

• precocity - young animals at the age of 50 days have a weight of up to 3 kg of a drake, up to 2.5 females;
• weight of an adult - at 4–5 months, a drake weighs up to 5 kg, a female 4–4.5 kg;
• egg production - per season the bird gives up to 120 eggs, weighing 85–90 g;
• juvenile molt - occurs at 55–60 days;
• color - white plumage, beak and paws - orange-yellow, eyes dark blue;
• maintenance - unpretentious, can do without water walking, in warm weather it is enough to equip a canopy, do not require a large area;
• food - dry compound feed, wet cereal mixers, chopped grass, kitchen waste, water. During the period of juvenile molting, food intake sharply increases - 2.5 times;
• slaughter - the most delicious and tender meat in young individuals - up to 50 days;
• features - a very noisy and aggressive breed of ducks.

Peking duck meat is considered the most delicious, but a little fatty, especially when fed.

Gray Ukrainian

The breed can rightfully compete with the Beijing one in terms of precocity and maximum weight; it was bred by crossing domestic and wild ducks. Characteristics:

• early maturity - by two months, ducklings weigh 2–2.4 kg;
• weight of an adult - in the fourth month of life, a drake weighs up to 4 kg, a female - 3.6 kg;
• egg production - average - 140 eggs per year, but with proper care can give up to 230 pieces;
• juvenile molt - 65–70 days
• color - the body is dark brown, there are two black stripes on the head, the wings have a blue tint, a dark olive beak;
• content - perfectly tolerates cold - at a temperature of -15 ° C it can walk on the street. The poultry house for adults can be made unheated, but with deep bedding and no drafts;
• food - chopped grass, potato peelings, tops of root crops. AT summer time the grain part of the feed should be at least 25%, in winter - 50%. You can use both compound feeds and mix cereals yourself;
• slaughter - for the best taste of meat - up to 60 days, then after 4 months;
• features - can be kept without water walking, gets along well with other poultry. Good hens - with proper organization, artificial incubators for breeding are not required.

White Moscow

Which ducks to choose

The largest and most common breed of ducks in private farms. It was bred by crossing the Peking duck and the Khaki Campbell drake.

• precocity - in 50-60 days, drakes weigh 3.3 kg, females - 2.8-3.0 kg;
• weight of an adult - drake - 4-4.5, female - 3-3.5 kg;
• egg production - 125-140 pieces per year;
• juvenile molt - occurs from the 60th to the 70th day;
• color - pure white plumage, reddish beak, light pink paws;
• content - in the warm season, a canopy on the street will be enough, in the cold season it can be placed in a poultry house. It does not need additional heating, only drafts and dampness should be excluded;
• nutrition - the diet should contain cereals: wheat, oats, corn, and peas, bone flour, table salt, technical fat. It is necessary to give fresh, finely chopped grass or tops;
• slaughter - young animals - up to 50-60 days, adult birds - after 4 months;
• features - the birds are good hens, prolific, the productive period lasts 2-3 years. A high survival rate of ducklings is up to 90%.

Musk

Dear visitors, save this article to social networks. We publish very useful articles that will help you in your business. Share! Click!

Characteristics:

• precocity - in 60 days the drake gains up to 3.5-4 kg, the female - 2.5-3 kg;
• weight of an adult - drake 5-5.3 kg, female - up to 4 kg;
• egg production - 60-100 eggs per year, weight 80 g;
• juvenile molt - at 65–75 days;
• color - the most common are white with black stripes and black-gray with a blue tint. The beak is orange, around the eyes and nasal openings, red skin growths characteristic of the breed;
• content - the bird does not tolerate cold well, so in winter it should be placed in a warm house, heating lamps can be used. Water walking during the cold season is undesirable;
• food - cereals, corn, chopped grass, kitchen waste, dry compound feed, wet mixers. Favorite delicacy are insects and worms;
• slaughter - up to 65 days;
• features - the musky duck, in comparison with other breeds, consumes feed the least, up to 6-7 kg per month.

The most popular meat crosses

Pedigree ducks can breed, so they are most suitable for breeding.

But there is a variety of breeding individuals that do not give offspring, and live in one cycle. Such breeds are called crosses, they are obtained by crossing different hybrid lines. What are the advantages of crosses over thoroughbred ducks? This bird should be started only to quickly get the maximum amount of meat, for your own needs or for sale. This has certain advantages:

• no need to build a heated poultry house for young animals;
• equip separate houses for hens;
• take care of little ducklings, which often cannot eat on their own;
• the cross is bred in order to adapt to the climatic features of various regions, which means that you should not worry about the conditions of detention;
• very convenient - having bought two-week-old young animals, feed them for two months and eventually get up to 3-4 kg of meat, then slaughter and you can repeat the cycle.

Among the most common crosses, the largest can be distinguished:

• Favorite;
• Medeo;
• Pace.

Favorite

The most common cross in farms, thanks to the tasty and low-fat meat of ducks, as well as unpretentiousness to the conditions of detention.

Characteristics:

• precocity - in two months they gain up to 3–3.5 kg of weight;
• adult weight - 4.5–5.5 kg;
• egg production - up to 110 eggs per year;
• juvenile molt - occurs early in 50-60 days;
• color - there are individuals with black, gray and dark blue plumage;
• maintenance - in the warm season it is enough to organize a canopy, in the cold - a poultry house. Lay the floor in several layers of straw or sawdust. Provide ventilation, but at the same time exclude drafts and dampness;
• food - any kind of compound feed (you can not include vitamin supplements). Give dry and wet mixes, be sure to have a lot pure water. Finely chopped grass, tops, kitchen waste - the share of greens should not be less than 50% of the total food in the summer, in winter it can be reduced to 25%;
• slaughter - before the start of molting, then it makes no sense to keep it, the bird will pick up another 1-1.5, but the meat will be tougher.

The cross was bred by the breeding company of the same name in England. There are two types of ducks:

• on the maternal line - individuals are more egg-laying, up to 150 eggs per year;
• on paternal line- faster weight gain.

Characteristics:

• precocity - at seven weeks the drake weighs 3.5 kg, the female - 3 kg;
• adult weight - 4.5–5 kg;
• egg production -110-150 eggs per year;
• juvenile molt - occurs in 50-60 days;
• color - white plumage, orange beak and paws;
• content - the cross is adapted to a cold and damp climate, so it makes no sense to organize a warm house;
• nutrition - the diet should include cereal feed - up to 30% in the form of dry compound feed or wet mash. Greens, kitchen waste - up to 50-70% depending on the season;
• slaughter - before the start of molting.

Medeo

Medeo ducks were bred in Kazakhstan, as a result of several crossing cycles of the X-11 cross with the Beijing breed, therefore, it has improved egg production and early maturity than the prototype.

Characteristics:

• precocity - at seven weeks the drake weighs 3.3 kg, the female - 2.5–2.9 kg;
• weight of an adult - drake - 5 kg, duck - 3.9 kg;
• egg production -140 per year;
• juvenile molting - occurs from 60 days of age;
• color - very similar to the Beijing breed - the plumage is white, the beak is yellow-orange, the paws are reddish-orange;
• content - unpretentious, can be placed in a small area, even in crates, walking is desirable, but not necessary;
• food - dry compound feed containing millet, oats, corn, meal, milk powder, shells, salt. You can make mixers yourself by combining different components. Include grass, tops and other kitchen waste in the diet. Plentiful drink;
• slaughter - up to 60 days.

And some secrets...

Have you ever experienced unbearable joint pain? And you know firsthand what it is:

• inability to move easily and comfortably;
• discomfort when going up and down stairs;
• unpleasant crunch, clicking not of their own free will;
• pain during or after exercise;
• inflammation in the joints and swelling;
• causeless and sometimes unbearable aching pain in the joints ...

Now answer the question: does it suit you? Can such pain be endured? And how much money have you already "leaked" for ineffective treatment? That's right - it's time to end this! Do you agree? That is why we decided to publish an exclusive interview with professor Dikul, in which he revealed the secrets of getting rid of joint pain, arthritis and arthrosis.

Video: Super Diet for Muscovy Duck

The duck family is considered the most numerous on the planet. Among its representatives there are ducks that stand out sharply against the general background. For example, such a bird is a swan - the biggest duck in the world.

Duck taxonomy has always been the subject of heated debate among ornithologists. Today, there are several genera in the duck family. Ducks are called shelducks, river and diving ducks, mergansers, musky ducks, etc. In total, there are over a hundred species. Ducks are widely distributed throughout the world. At least 30 species live on the territory of our country.

Characteristics of ducks

ducks have small size, streamlined body shape, wide beak and short neck. Their plumage can have different colors. The legs of these birds have swimming membranes. The male duck is denoted by the word "drake".

On land, ducks are rather clumsy, but in the water they behave like tireless divers and experienced swimmers. The depth of their diving exceeds 6 m. They fly well and are able to rise to a height of about 6 km. Representatives of the duck family are waterfowl migratory birds. During migrations, they cover considerable distances. The birds fly away at the same time, but different flocks head in different directions.

Modern ornithologists refer swans, geese, diving and river ducks to the family Anatidae or Ducks. According to the new taxonomy, the whooper swan is the largest duck in the world. Its weight can exceed 17 kg. Whooper lives in northern regions Eurasia. It is very similar to the mute swan. They differ only in the shape of the beak and the manner of holding the neck. The whooper has a straight neck, while the mute has an S-shaped neck.

Habits of a large swan

The screamer swan prefers remote places where there are no people. The swan couple keeps together all their lives. Even during wintering, the birds do not leave each other. Swans carefully guard their nesting area from other birds.

The largest among ordinary ducks

If we consider an ordinary river duck, then mallard stands out among such birds. This is the biggest duck in the world and very numerous. It is the most common and well-known among ducks. The length of the drake is 62 cm, and the female is 57 cm. The weight of the individual is 1-1.5 kg. But on the eve of the flight, the birds feed heavily, then their weight reaches 2 kg.

The mallard can be seen in wild nature and in cities. Birds that live near people have formed unusual populations of the urban type. Such mallards live in settlements year-round, having chosen partially salty and fresh water bodies. They are indifferent to human presence. Some ducks become almost tame. The mallard can be recognized by its green neck and head (on the male). The breast, back, crop and ventral side of the bird are painted in grey colour. The female is brown in color with dark spots. The wings of such ducks are decorated with a blue-violet spot.

Many experts call the eider the largest duck in the world. Its weight is sometimes 3 kg. The down of this bird is famous for its excellent thermal insulation qualities. It is still harvested in the wild today. The drakes of this species are distinguished by their black and white plumage, and the females are rather modestly colored.

Interesting facts about ducks:

1. The feathers of these birds do not get wet, remaining dry even after diving. This is due to the fact that almost all waterfowl have a coccygeal gland. It produces a special fatty substance, which birds regularly distribute throughout the body. So they create a special cover that does not allow the feathers to get wet.
2. During the molting period, duck representatives lose their flight feathers and fly with difficulty.
3. Ducks have complex structure genitals. In males, the penis has a spiral shape, and its length can be equal to the size of the drake's body. In females unusual shape ovaries are different. The more complex it is, the more unusual the phallus of the male.
4. Choosing a partner in the wild, the duck is guided by the color of his beak. A rich yellow pigment indicates the drake's sexual health.
5. The neck of a duck has a huge number of vertebrae - more than a giraffe.
6. Only females can quack. Echo duck quacking has no.

As a conclusion, it can be noted that it is possible to single out the very, very duck only relatively, since in each species there are large individuals. Bird habitat is of great importance. For example, a mute swan living in a city pond can gain up to 22 kg if people feed it.

As for the artificially created duck, its height is 16.5 m. This is a giant bird made of rubber, created by the artist from Holland - Florentijn Hofman. The duckling is an unusual sculpture or art object that swam in the coastal waters of cities such as Hong Kong, Sao Paulo, Osaka, Sydney. This is the largest human-made duck in the world.

According to the ability to increase body weight, egg production and plumage quality, domestic ducks are divided into meat, egg and grown for feather and down. Popular duck breeds for home breeding most often have a meat or meat-and-egg orientation. There are also intermediate varieties with good egg production and meat productivity. Recently, poultry farmers have paid maximum attention to broilers in the morning - early maturing, with excellent lean meat and decent weight.

All existing breeds, breed lines and crosses are descendants of the common mallard, domesticated and ennobled in Europe and Asia, and musky ducks, whose homeland is the American continent. Despite the difference in location, natural habitat conditions, these types of ducks the best way showed themselves when kept in conditions of large and very small farms.

A description of the breeds of ducks, their wild and domesticated varieties, as well as promising crosses will help the poultry farmer navigate the diversity offered and create a highly productive herd in his backyard.

Muscovy ducks are the original inhabitants of Central and South America. Unlike European mallards, who cannot imagine life without water, “American women” are calm about the absence of a pond, river or lake nearby. They are calm, and when kept in a common poultry yard, their voice is heard extremely rarely. Because of this feature, the birds were called mute ducks. Since the birds brought from distant countries were not at all like the usual domestic ducks, the Europeans began to look for features of other species in them. It is obvious that the red growths on the heads of birds, especially noticeable in males, gave rise to another nickname for ducks - indo-ducks, by analogy with turkeys, to which waterfowl have no kinship.

Muscovy ducks can have different colors. Unlike ordinary poultry, they do not gain weight so quickly, but their meat is low in fat, delicate in texture and excellent in taste.

Purebred male "Americans" can grow up to 5 kg in weight, and females, which are almost twice as light, are well known as excellent hens.

Meat qualities attracted the attention of breeders to them. Today, interspecific hybrids of musky and meat European ducks are very popular among poultry farmers.

Among the breeds of ducks for domestic breeding, birds from the Middle Kingdom can be considered one of the most ancient. The Peking duck became famous more than three centuries ago and still has not lost its relevance. Early maturing, with excellent meat quality, hardy and non-capricious birds are grown with pleasure both on large farms and in private backyards, and are also the progenitors of many modern breed lines and hybrids of meat ducks. One of them is the well-known today mulards, which not only hold the record for live weight gain, but also give a fatty delicacy liver.

Purebred representatives of the Peking breed are white ducks with a strong physique, giving out a meat orientation, a yellow-orange beak, legs wide apart. The birds have a long back, a convex chest, a raised tail, strong wings and dark bluish eyes.

Peking ducks are extremely precocious. Already by one and a half or two months, young individuals gain up to 2.5 kg of weight. By the time of slaughter, with proper feeding, drakes weigh about 4 kg, and females are only 500 grams less.

The yield of meat from a carcass reaches 66%, however, these meat ducks easily increase not only muscle mass, but also fat, which must be taken into account when compiling a diet.

Crossing Peking ducks with representatives of other breeds and species gives excellent results, which has been repeatedly confirmed by domestic and foreign breeders. A worthy example is the Moscow white ducks, obtained from parental pairs of Peking birds and individuals of the Khaki Campbell breed.

Meat ducks of domestic selection in many respects resemble Beijing ancestors, while showing better egg production, which is maintained in laying hens for several years. This quality is very useful for the breed of ducks. The bird is perfectly mastered in different climatic conditions, unpretentious to feed and gaining weight, no less than eminent ancestors.

The French have long favored meat breeds of ducks. An old variety, bred in the vicinity of Rouen on the basis of local livestock and wild mallards, was named after the city and still enjoys the attention of poultry farmers. The French duck has retained the natural color of its plumage, but at the same time it is strikingly different from wild birds in its fatness and the most delicate taste of meat. Adults grow up to 5 kg and compete on an equal footing with Beijing and other meat ducks. Therefore, the bird of the Rouen breed is still involved in breeding work and is used to obtain highly productive meat and meat and egg crosses.

In addition to Peking ducks, the most common in the territory former USSR, white Moscow birds and imported in the late 80s, Ukrainian ducks are still popular in Russia various varieties. Most often they talk about a gray meat-oriented duck with a well-developed muscle mass, thin bones and good meat and egg indicators.

In a bird of this breed, differences in the color of males and females are clearly visible. Drakes reach a weight of 3.5 kilograms, and ducks can weigh up to 3 kg. The average number of eggs laid is 120 pieces, record-holder laying hens can produce up to 250 eggs annually.

Another domestic waterfowl of Ukrainian selection is the white-breasted black duck, obtained on the basis of local livestock, Peking breed and birds of the meat-egg variety of khaki campbell.

The name eloquently tells about the external appearance of this duck breed worthy of domestic breeding. Ducks have black plumage, and a white feather is located in a spot in the chest area and the base of a wide, strong neck. The beak of these Ukrainian ducks, like the eyes and legs, is also black. Males and females have strong wings adjacent to the body, short strong legs.

Compared to Peking white ducks, this bird matures longer, reaching a maximum weight of 4 kg only by six months. Most often, meat ducks are slaughtered at the age of 2.5–3 months, when the carcass weighs about 2.5 kg, and the meat is most delicious.

Birds of this breed can get fat, which must be taken into account when organizing maintenance and feeding. For a year, a laying hen gives up to 130 large 80-gram eggs.

Leaders in obtaining new breeds of ducks and crosses for domestic and industrial breeding in Russia today are the breeders of the Blagovarsky stud farm in Bashkiria. Thanks to their work, the "Bashkir duck" has become a recognizable brand not only in our country, but also abroad.

On the basis of Peking ducks with the manifested gene for “wild” plumage, a breed of Colored Bashkir ducks was created here. This is a highly productive early maturing bird of a meat orientation, which has two color options: khaki or brown and black with a white chest.

A characteristic feature of the Bashkir ducks is the low fat content of meat compared to the Peking or Blagovarsky breed.

In the Bashkir breeding farm "Blagovarsky" another well-known cross of ducks Blagovarsky was obtained. This is a universal meat-and-egg bird, growing up to 3.4 kg by seven weeks and at the same time capable of producing up to 240 pieces of high-grade eggs per year.

The ducklings of this cross are distinguished by excellent vitality and unpretentiousness. They grow well in farm conditions. industrial type as well as in private backyards.

interesting breed for home growing is the blue duck favourite. This variety was obtained by breeders of the same Bashkir enterprise. The ancestors of a beautiful bird with unusual plumage were individuals of the local Colored Bashkir duck. The steely blue-gray color is not the only one. characteristic birds. Large meat ducks easily grow up to 5 kg of live weight, while their meat quality is better than that of their ancestors and the famous Peking ducks.

Young growth of ducks Favorit differs in fine endurance and vitality. The bird grows superbly and, with a well-chosen diet, reaches 3.6 kg of weight by two months. In a private backyard, poultry farmers can receive 140 eggs per year from laying hens. According to the description of the duck breed and the already available reviews, the bird is promising both for growing in industrial and private farms.

The Agidel ducks bred in Bashkiria are the descendants of the Blagovarsky meat cross, birds of the Super M variety and egg breed ducks Indian runner. With an appearance that speaks of the meat orientation of the cross, the birds are distinguished not only by excellent fattening data, but also by surprisingly high egg rates.

Agidel ducks have a long massive body, dense white plumage and a wonderful accommodating character. This breed of duck already at the age of 7 weeks demonstrates a weight of about 3 kilograms, while in a year a laying hen is able to deliver up to 240 large eggs, weighing at least 90 grams.

The meat of this breed of ducks is of the highest quality, not inferior to mulards or other meat birds of foreign selection.

Unlike broiler ducks, whose meat productivity largely depends on obtaining protein feed, the Bashkir duck grows on a diet available in any, even a modest personal household. Birds perfectly eat any green plants, cereals, hay and cereal processing waste.

Mulardy thanks to lean meat, early maturity and a record among waterfowl poultry meat productivity are becoming more and more popular both among amateur poultry farmers and at huge industrial fattening complexes. Meanwhile, the domestic one cannot rightfully be called a breed. This is an interspecific hybrid obtained from crossing Peking or other Eurasian ducks and American Indo-ducks.

Couple for Muscovy duck upon receipt of a hybrid offspring, there can be both a Peking bird and Rouen ducks, as well as individuals of other meat breeds. Mulards are called broiler ducks because of their excellent fattening qualities, similar to chickens of meat breeds. At the same time, the bird behaves ideally both when grown on large farms and in private farmsteads. Domestic ducks mulardy are peaceful, calm and picky.

For four months of maintenance, the weight of a bird can reach up to 7 kilograms. Females in industrial complexes are more often raised for meat, and drakes provide an excellent liver for making foie gras.

Since such a hybrid generation does not give offspring, then parent stock it is not formed from a bird, an egg is not obtained from mulards.

Hybridization has helped poultry farmers solve two major problems with Muscovy and Pekin ducks. The former, having lean meat, cleanliness and a quiet disposition, are fattened relatively slowly and have not too much big weight. Beijing birds are larger, but quickly gaining weight, they can get fat and lose meat quality.

Domestic ducks mulards are ideal for growing, as they are both early ripening and give amazing meat in taste.

Heavy duck broiler meat direction received by the breeders of the French company Grimaud freres selection. It is a highly productive cross for meat feeding and foie gras liver production.

Duck star 53 has a high growth rate and active weight gain. The bird has a white dense plumage, a strong physique and a wide massive chest. Already by the age of 50 days, the live weight of ducklings is 3.7 kg. The meat breast, the most valuable part of the carcass, is one third of the total weight of the bird. At the same time, the quality of the dietary, low-fat French duck meat is much better than that of most related varieties. In breeding, this breed of ducks has shown itself to be disease-resistant, non-capricious and very viable.

Breeds of ducks for breeding at home - video