Duck Husbandry Practices — AQAI

Among various species of poultry, ducks are hardy and prolific in nature and can generate good income with minimum investment if good practices of rearing, breeding are followed systematically. There is an urgent need to make the farmers of our country aware about these practices so that they can increase their income and livelihood.

They are usually raised in open water, centralized enclosure near a fish pond or in the pond itself according to land and space available.

The common good husbandry practices to be followed for breeding, rearing is:

1.Selection of ducks and stocking

*The kind of duck to be raised must be carefully chosen to be most productive like

*Sylhet Mete, Nageswari and Indian runner.

*200–300 ducks can give manure to fertilize a hectare of water area for integrated duck-fish farming.

*2–4 months old ducklings are kept in the pond after treating them with medicines to guard against diseases.

*Ducklings may be reared in wire floor, litter or in cages in the first 4 weeks but these need to be well ventilated, dry, and rodent proof otherwise high fatalities may occur.

*A minimum of 1 sq. meter area for 100 ducklings is needed for good brooding. A continuous water channel with air circulation is required inside the house so that it does not become too warm.

* In winter, a 60-watt bulb at 1–1.5-meter height from the ground level is required to maintain the required temperature.

*Feed like waterfowl starter crumbles may be sprinkled or provided in the trays for the new born ducklings to pick up feed. From day two onwards feed is to be provided in trough type of feeders and the sizes increased as the ducklings grow.

*Water in the drinkers should be filled regularly and the feeder’s depth should be just sufficient for the ducklings to drink and not drown themselves.

*Adult ducks in water are able to feed on plants, fish, snails, worms, insects from the pond but these should be enhanced by a standard balanced poultry feed and rice bran mixed in the ratio of 1:2 by weight and supplied at the rate of 100 gm/ bird/day twice daily in morning and evening.

*The feed can be given either on the pond embankment or in the duck house and the spillover feed then drained into the pond.

*As ducks need water to eat, it must be provided in the containers deep enough for the ducks to submerge their bills, along with feed.

* Incubation period in duck is 28 days. The ducks lay the eggs at night after they are 24 weeks old and continue laying eggs further for a period of two years.

* Some straw or hay can be kept in the corners of the duck house where they can lay the eggs which can be collected every morning after letting the ducks out.

* Local ducks are hardy and more resistant to diseases than exotic varieties but proper sanitation and health care are as important for ducks as for poultry.

* Some of the commonly transmitted diseases are duck virus, hepatitis, duck cholera, keel disease.

* They need to be vaccinated for duck plague.

* The birds need to be monitored for reduced daily feed, sneezing, coughing, water from eyes, nostrils and the sick ones are to be isolated from the flock immediately and treated.

Originally published at https://www.aqai.in.