Keeping Ducks For Meat
Duck raising was just a small business venture in the past, but now it is slowly growing in significance in the poultry industry. With the rapid growth of demand for duck meat, the industry of duck farming has started to follow the same pattern of the chicken broiler industry. This could be seen in the establishment of more particular business ventures with modern poultry farmers, processing for greater packaging and presentation to consumers.
About 12 million duck meats are produced every year in the United States. Most of these are produced under intensive confinement in some commercially duck farms scattered in the country. Duck meat producers usually raise Peking, Muscovy, Cherry Valley and Jawa breeds because they grow in just a short period of time.
The ideal brooding technique for meat production is a mixture of pen heating and local heating.
Meat ducks do not need a very specialized housing as compared to chicken broilers. The pens are normally made of inexpensive materials such as wood and wires.
If you would build your own duck pen, its walls should at least be 20-25 inches from the ground and are made of concrete planks. The rest of the wall can be built using wires. In building the floor area, it is cement, earth or slatted wire that is needed. To provide fillers, you can use wood shavings, dry straws, husks or fine sands to cover the floor for a depth of about eight centimeters.
With the roofing, the design and shape is normally based on the direction of the wind, the sun rays and frequency of rainfall in the region. These factors aid to provide proper ventilation, moisture and dryness of the fillers, and the pen in general. The other important factor in building the housing pen is to make sure that the ducks are comfortable and well-provided with adequate space while they are inside. Inadequate space and overcrowding can result to malnourishment, fighting and the spread of diseases.
After brooding the duck broilers, the ducks can now be reared for their meat. Rearing habitats with proper ventilations, away from intense sun heat, heavy rain and predators are the proper place for your ducks. The floor should be kept dry at all times, not too crowded and can give enough space for feeding and drinking. The ideal space for rearing is 2.5 – 3 sq. feet per duck. Fences of 18 inches to 24 inches are designed so as to allow at least 350-450 ducks in each pen. This is done to ensure their proper maximized growth.
In about seven to eight weeks, meat ducks are ready for slaughtering, but to get the desired meat produce, considering their food and feeding is very essential.
The quality of the feeds is vital, particularly in the first three weeks of the ducks existence. It is crucial to sustainable growth and proper nutrition, and to fortify their bodies to avoid diseases. You can give them medicated-feeds, but you should consult first a breeder, as the type of feeds, protein mixture and medications depends on the duck breed, and the desired production.
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... Aside from the color, the size of the duck can also help you in determining the sex of ducks. Some types of ducks are very similar in size, whether they are male and female, but in some breeds, it can be a great solution in determining sex. In common breeds such as the Mallard, the males (strictly, the ...
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... are widely raised by hobbyists for exhibition purposes. Being small, they are known as good fliers. This breed was formally recognized by the American Poultry Association s Standard of Perfection in 1875. The Black East Indies duck is very popular among raisers, and the breed has a docile temperament, ...
... breed is best if you want to raise ducks in the suburbs since the neighbors won t be disturbed by the constant quacking that some duck breeds do. Also, since the Cayuga is a very domesticated breed they are very obedient and most of the time docile. Aside from grower feeds, feed your Cayuga ducks with ...
... commonly know are larger than chicken eggs. However, the rapid industrial growth which began in the 1980s gradually displaced the lucrative industry since most duck farms were sold to commercial and real-estate developers. Presently, only a handful of the country s original egg farms and hatcheries still ...
... baby ducks. At first, you should keep them in a small place. To do this, you can use a sturdy cardboard box, with thick paper or cloths in the bottom. I would suggest putting a plastic sheet on the bottom too if you use a cardboard box to avoid the box from getting wet, when the baby ducks begin playing ...