Kerala, India
Efficiency in the management of duck rearing is an important aspect in determining maximum profit with minimum cost of production. The following aspects in the management are:
- Preparation before the arrival of the new ducklings
- Rearing the ducklings in the brooder
- Managing the growers
- Managing the layers
Preparation Before the Arrival of the New Ducklings:
- Get ready the hover guard and artificial brooder (3 meter in diameter will accommodate 500 ducklings)
- Place some sawdust/padi husk into the brooder guard to a depth of 3-4 inches
- Supply with water and put on the heater 2 – 3 hours before the ducklings arrive
Rearing the Ducklings in the Brooder:
- The ducklings should first be given water. After 1/2 an hour, feed is then given
- The brooding period is 20 – 25 days. Adjust the heater by observing the concentration of the ducklings around the heater. If the heater is too hot the ducklings will stay far away from the heater. If it is cold the ducklings will crowd around the heater. The ducklings will be evenly distributed if the temperature of the brooder is ideal
- Give the ducklings anti-stress for 3 days
- Give crumble starter feed ad lib
- The brooder guard should be enlarged according to the size of the ducklings and increase the number of feeding and water troughs if necessary
- Ensure the flooring materials are always dried and evenly distributed
Managing the Growers:
- Remove the heater and brooder guard
- Change into bigger feeding and water troughs
- Flooring material (sawdust) should always be dried
- Give grower pellet feed or use mixed feed which should contain 16% protein and energy 2500-2800 kcal
- Weigh 2 – 3 ducks from each group to check their weights
- Ducks whose age exceeds 7 weeks old need to control the amount of feed so that they are not too fat until they cannot lay
Managing the Layers:
Ducks start to lay when they are 20 to 22 weeks:
- Give layer pellet feed. If using mixed feed, ensure it contains 2600 – 2900 k/cal
- This feed must begin when the ducks are 16 weeks or 4 – 5 weeks before they start to lay
- Give feed according to correct measurement (150 – 170 gm) per day per bird
- Other additional feed such as grass and vegetables can be mixed together
- To ensure good quality eggs, coloring ingredient Synthetic Pigment can be added into feed (100 gm SP + 100 kg of self mixed feed)
- Place the layer boxes (1 box = 5 ducks)
- Keep the ducks within the compound so that they won’t lay all over the compound
- Collect the eggs in the morning before feed is given
- Check the necessary amount of light according to age
Products:
The products that can be obtained by keeping layer ducks are:
Fresh Duck Eggs: Can be sold to wholesalers, retailers, or individuals for making local cakes. The eggs are graded according to the yellow contents of the eggs. This can be observed by using a color instrument (Kipas Roche). Good quality eggs sold in the market measure between 13.6 – 15.0.
Salted Eggs: Salted eggs are preserved eggs meant for consumption or storage. The price of salted eggs is much better than the fresh ones. The method of preserving duck eggs has been explained in “Guideline In Processing Salted Duck Eggs.”