Many young naturalists, who are just beginning to study the inhabitants of the wild, often feed bread to ducks swimming in a nearby pond. At the same time, most of them do not even realize that instead of taking care of the birds, they cause irreparable harm to these waterfowl. After reading this article, you will find out what the ducks that live in wild nature.

Habitat

Since mallards are considered the most common in our country, we will talk about them. Those who want to know the name of the grass that the duck eats will probably be interested in what conditions these birds live in. The traditional habitat of the wild mallard is considered to be shallow open water bodies of artificial or natural origin. These can be stakes, rivers, lakes or ponds around which grow or shrubs.

Wild waterfowl ignore rocky and bare shores, as there is no place suitable for nesting. In winter, mallards migrate to regions with warm climate. However, they can live quietly throughout the year on non-freezing reservoirs.

Lifestyle Features

Before moving on to what wild ducks eat, it is necessary to understand the basic nuances of their lifestyle. These live in the northern part of America, Europe and Asia. In October-November, the birds, huddled in huge flocks, fly off to warmer climes. The favorite wintering places are such countries as Italy, Greece and Spain. Colonies of mallards that have arrived in southern water bodies often stretch over several square kilometers. The sound made by such a flying flock is vaguely reminiscent of the sound of the surf.

In February or March, wild ducks go to nest in the northern and temperate latitudes. Interestingly, mallards rarely appear on open water. Most often they try to hide in the thick of aquatic vegetation. These birds love to roam the shallows and dig in the mud. The mallard has well-developed sense organs. These cautious, intelligent and cunning birds are able to adequately assess circumstances and are quite easily domesticated.

A few words about nesting

For those who want to figure out what ducks eat, it does not hurt to find out that the birds that have arrived at the nesting break into pairs. Mating on the water is accompanied by loud cries. Females lay eggs in a secluded dry place. Unpretentious nests, built from dry leaves and carelessly twisted stems, are covered with duck down.

One female lays from eight to sixteen oblong eggs of a grayish-white hue, which do not differ in appearance from eggs. Hatching takes 24-28 days. Females selflessly hatch their offspring, leaving the nest only in case of emergency. Hatched chicks literally the next day go to the water. The young growth grows quite quickly and by the age of six weeks begins to fly.

What is the diet of waterfowl?

Those who are interested in what ducks eat will not hurt to know that the weight of these birds directly depends on the amount of food available to them. As a rule, they are forced to take care of their own food. The basis of their diet is made up of small amphibians, insects and aquatic plants.

It should be noted that ducks with the same appetite eat frogs, worms, small fish, snails, grasshoppers, duckweed and sedge. Often they make nightly forays into nearby farmers' fields where cereals are grown. As for the amount of food, females incubating offspring require twice as much food. It is worth noting that in summer period the basis of the bird's diet is vegetable feed. At this time, they feed on the fruits, leaves and stems of plants.

What can you feed wild ducks?

Waterfowl living in close proximity to human habitation are often fed by people. In order not to cause irreparable harm to the health of waterfowl, it is important to know what geese, ducks and other inhabitants of natural and artificial reservoirs eat. Those who really want to help birds need to remember that they can be fed with grated cheese, oatmeal, soft vegetables and fruits. All these products are especially useful in the spring, when females hatch chicks.

In addition, there is another list, which includes the so-called neutral products that can not harm ducks, but do not bring them much benefit. These include small fish, cabbage and potatoes.

What should not be fed to wild ducks?

Paradoxically, it is strictly forbidden to feed birds with white bread. It does not contain any ingredients valuable for poultry. This product fills the bird's stomach, creating false sensation satiety and forcing the duck to give up looking for more wholesome food. If, despite the prohibitions, you still want to treat the ducks with bread, leave it on the shore. Otherwise, you risk polluting the reservoir and provoking the death of some of its inhabitants. Also on the list of non-recommended foods are milk, peanuts, and any food that contains saturated fats.

For those who do not know how much ducks eat, it will be interesting that birds should not be given too a large number of food. This is due to the fact that the feathered inhabitants of reservoirs, accustomed to regular feeding, begin to partially lose the instinct to search for food. In addition, such birds refuse to fly to warmer climes in a timely manner and often die in the winter cold.

Balanced feeding of ducks, unpretentious and early maturing poultry, is the main condition for obtaining excellent gains and high-quality duck meat.

It is the feed, in addition to the cost of the ducklings themselves, that make up the main costs in raising ducks, which otherwise do not require special temperature regime and are healthier than many other types of poultry.

When calculating the amount of feed, they proceed from such a proportion - for a set of standard 2 kg of weight over a period of 55-65 days, a duck will need about 6-7 kg of concentrated feed. Overexposure of adult ducks older than two months of age will lead to the cost of end feeds of about 180 g per day.

Norms and diet of young animals

Daily ducklings are offered a complete starter granulated compound feed. It is this method that can guarantee excellent growth, is convenient and practical. In the first two days, feed is poured into a flat tray, then set automatic feeder to avoid contamination and waste of feed. You can use a simple long wooden feeder with jumpers on top, which will keep food from spoilage and compaction.

Starting compound feed is purchased at the rate of 1 kg per head of young animals. In the future, by gradual mixing, compound feed for adult birds or self-made mixers are introduced into the diet.

When feeding ducks at home, even at the initial stage, you can do without the use of compound feed. To do this, in the diet of young animals, as sources of protein and other necessary for growth nutrients, include eggs and cottage cheese, grain mixes, cake, meal and greens.

This way of feeding is more labor intensive. At the same time, wet mixers are fed in small portions at least 6 times a day, carefully removing leftovers so as not to cause food poisoning.

For the first 3 days, ducklings are given a feed mixture of boiled finely chopped eggs, as well as corn or barley groats, from which all films are removed by blowing in the wind. Starting from the third day, fat-free cottage cheese is introduced into the mash, partially or completely replacing the eggs. From the age of 5-7 days, greens are added to the nutrition of ducklings, and cakes and meal are introduced into the feed mixtures.

Sample rations for feeding ducks different ages available in household components are suggested in the table below.

Starting from the age of 30 days, coarse wheat or corn grist, or flattened grain can be included in feeding, and from 45 days, whole grains can be introduced into the diet in a proportion of up to 30% of all concentrated feed. Many poultry farmers successfully combine the supply of purchased full-fledged feed with the addition of those components that are on the farm.

When feeding ducks with self-made mixtures, ready-made protein-vitamin supplements or soy concentrates can serve as a source of missing components, primarily protein, but they should be treated with care, because the priority in the household is to obtain high-quality meat grown on natural feed.

The growth of Peking ducks when fed with compound feed or high-quality homemade mash should be as follows:

  • 7 days - up to 200 g
  • 14 days - about 300 g
  • 21 days - about 500 g
  • 1 month - about 900 g
  • 1.5 months - 1.5-1.7 kg
  • 2 months - 1.9-2.3 kg.

Poultry farmers living near water bodies can successfully use the water surface to replace several daily feedings, since ducks are excellent foragers, eating small aquatic plants, insects, crustaceans and mollusks. They begin to release young animals into the reservoir from 10 days old, at a temperature of more than 15 ° C, arranging two feedings in the morning and evening and one full meal at lunchtime.

In the presence of a reservoir, ducklings from 25 days of age are fed in the morning and in the evening, and they can receive all daytime food from this natural source nutrients. Morning feeding is made not too plentiful, stimulating the duck to forage, and at night they feed plenty.

Not all breeds of ducks are suitable for this method of rearing. It is not suitable for most early maturing (broiler) hybrids. The Gray Ukrainian duck shows itself well in water bodies, but fattening can take up to 4-6 months and the duck is slaughtered, waiting for the second molt to stop. The minus of the breed is dark stumps on the carcass, but juicy tender meat without a lot of fat is a definite plus.

Evening feeding of ducks

An adult duck is fed whole grains, as well as turf and succulent feed, making wet mash. Root crops, food waste, greens are widely used. Feeding is planned as follows: in the morning and in the afternoon they feed wet mash, at night they give grain.

It is important not to overfeed the breeding bird, but also not to keep it from hand to mouth. As soon as the ducks begin to lose weight, the rate of end feed is increased. On average, ducks that do not rush need 150-180 g of end feed per day.

With the approach of spring, birds are treated with greater responsibility. During this period, future eggs are laid, and ducks require more nutrients.

An approximate diet for feeding one duck per day consists of the following components:

  • 70 g of whole grains - wheat, corn or barley;

for the mixer:

  • 80 g of grains - barley or wheat;
  • 20 g wheat bran;
  • 90 g of chopped succulent feed - fodder beet, pumpkin, Jerusalem artichoke, boiled potatoes or potato peels, carrots.

It is good to flavor the mixes with skim or fish, bone broths, adding hay dust or grated leaves of dry alfalfa.

Do not forget to put feeders with mineral additives in the house - chalk, shells, as well as fine gravel, which serves to grind coarse food in the bird's stomach.

With the onset of the egg-laying period, more protein feeds are introduced into the diet, due to the introduction of meat and bone, soy or fish meal, other concentrates. At the same time, the supply of succulent fodder and low-nutrient bran is reduced.

With the onset of spring days, green fodder is introduced into the diet as a source of vitamins, fiber, and other biologically active substances. If necessary, food is enriched with premixes and vitamin complexes.

Available diet option for feeding productive ducks (per 1 head per day):

  • 70 g of corn or barley;
  • 45 g grist barley and wheat;
  • 20 g of grain waste;
  • 10 g bran;
  • 20 g of sunflower cake or meal;
  • 10 g of meat and bone or fish meal;
  • 50 g of succulent feed;
  • 100 g green fodder
  • 9 g chalk
  • 0.7-1 g of salt.

Sometimes it becomes necessary to fatten adult culled ducks and drakes for meat. In this case, they equip a small cage indoors or a paddock in a quiet place at the rate of 3 individuals per 1 sq. m. - restriction of movement will contribute to weight gain.

Fattening is carried out with grain feed, planning about 170 g of a mixture of approximately the following composition per day:

  • 45 g grain waste;
  • 45 g barley grist;
  • 45 g wheat turd;
  • 25 g corn mash or chopped oats;
  • 10 g of cake.

Up to 2% salt is added to the resulting feed, kneading the wet mixture with a small amount of grated succulent feed, reverse, food waste or just water.

The mixer is laid out in barred wet food feeders three times a day, in such a portion that the ducks can eat food in no more than half an hour.

So the domestic duck is fattened for three weeks. By the end of this period, the bones of the ribs and the keel are not palpable in a well-fed bird. With such fattening, up to 3.5 kg of end feed will be spent.

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Ducks, like any other creature, need to eat right. Speaking of proper nutrition, it should be noted that not only a lack of a vitamin is harmful to a bird, but also their excess.

So the lack of carbohydrates leads to lethargy of the bird, and its excess is debugged on the liver and leads to obesity. Therefore, it is important for bird owners to know what to feed domestic ducks to avoid unpleasant consequences.

Basic feed for ducks

The grain is what to feed ducks needed in the first place. Being the main source of carbohydrates, cereal grains are well digested and consumed by birds. Most of the bird's diet should consist of them.

Also in the diet of a duck, but in a smaller amount, it is necessary to introduce feed of animal origin. And already a small content, but still important, in the diet of a duck is made up of mineral supplements. A complex combination of grain, mineral and protein foods of animal origin are the main duck feeding rates.

Feed from cereals

Corn- the most important grain crop for ducks, rich in carbohydrates. Every day, about 50% of the duck's diet should consist of.

IN duck diet must also include wheat. It is very popular due to its content of protein, vitamins B and E.

Barley. Lack of barley in its checkered shell, due to which it is poorly digested. Therefore, to use barley as feed for, it must be germinated or at least soaked in water for at least 10 hours.

oats. Regular feeding of birds with oats has a positive effect on their general condition. Like barley, oats can be covered with a film, so it is better to feed ducks with varieties of oats that do not contain a film.

Bean cultures. Most often in the household, ducks are fed peas. The content of protein and protein in peas is especially important in the diet of a duck. The disadvantage of peas is that, due to the specific smell and taste, peas are poorly consumed by ducks.

Very often, the concept of a mash is used in the household, which implies a mixture of several types of food, due to which the bird immediately consumes the complex of vitamins and minerals it needs at one meal.

Feed of animal origin

IN duck diet It is important to add feed containing animal protein. Feeds of animal origin include: fish and meat and bone meal, incubation waste, milk and dairy products.

Fishmeal contains more than 50% of complete proteins, calcium, phosphorus and vitamin B. Fishmeal also contains a large amount of fat, which you need to be extremely careful about. The fatter the flour, the shorter its shelf life, the optimal fat content is up to 10%. And in the diet of poultry fishmeal should be no more than 7%.

Meat and bone meal is formed by fine grinding through a meat grinder of fish or livestock that has fallen from non-infectious animals.

Milk or dairy products. Dairy products include: cottage cheese, whey, buttermilk. Their only drawback is the rapid souring, which can lead to gastrointestinal disorders of the duck.

When making a mash, it is very useful to add milk to it, it is much better, what to feed ducks water mixers. The use of milk allows the birds to increase their nutritional value in terms of amino acid composition.

Mineral Supplements

IN food feed birds contain a very low percentage of calcium, which is why it is important to introduce foods such as chalk, shell, bone meal, eggshell, coarse sand into the diet of the bird. A mixture of mineral additives is added to the mash in the amount of 1-3% by weight of the resulting mash.

Table salt is also necessary for ducks. It contains 30% sodium and 37% chlorine. But to implement it in duck feeding you need to be very careful in the amount of 0.2% by weight of the feed. Moreover, if salted fish or other foods containing salt are present in the duck's diet, then separately salt should not be introduced into the duck's diet.

What else can you feed ducks?

feeding ducks in the household has a great advantage. So often food and garden waste become their food.

Excellent ducks eat alfalfa, clover, young nettles, pine and spruce needles.

Also in the household, ducks are fed: cabbage, beets, aquatic vegetation. Only one duckweed contains a huge amount of proteins and trace elements, and most importantly, ducks eat it with pleasure.

The nutrition of ducks is varied and what to feed domestic ducks, from your backyard, it's up to you. The main thing to remember is that the more varied and fresh the feed, the healthier your bird will be in the future.

Igor Serba, member of the editorial board of the Sobcorrespondent of the Internet publication "AtmAgro. Agroindustrial Bulletin"

Mineral feed also plays an important role in fattening ducks for meat.

Feeding ducks at home

Shell, sand, gravel, lumpy chalk and other elements should be available for ducks. It is worth noting that dry mixes and granulated feed can be given even to babies. You should also observe the mode of feeding ducklings for meat.

Ducklings
Birth and maintenance

In home gardens, it is best to grow ducklings under a hen. Well, if there is a reservoir nearby, then the mother duck will teach her brood to swim, dive and eat water plants. Ducks are very careful with the brood, trying not to crush the duckling. Like the rest of the young, ducklings are born completely wet. Therefore, before taking them away from the mother hen, let the chicks dry under the warm duck plumage. Then place the young in a box or box, the bottom of which should be lined with a warm cloth. Keep the temperature in the boxes within 26-28 degrees. While the chicks continue to hatch, let them dry a little - and immediately into the box. Use electric heaters to provide additional heat. Only after all the young are hatched can they be put back under the brood hen. Mother duck will also accept incubator babies, but their number should not exceed 30 heads. It must also be remembered that ducks are much more selective than other poultry. If the young that you plant with ducks is too old, then the bird will not accept it. Ducks drive away other people's ducklings and do not want to raise them. Therefore, try to plant chicks in the first days of their birth.

By themselves, ducklings are unpretentious and will not cause you much trouble. Just like adult ducks, young ducks are resistant to cold. But still, the temperature in the house should not be below 5 degrees. The room for growing ducklings should be warm, dry and without drafts. You can divide the poultry house for young animals into two parts. The first should be young for three weeks. This part of the room must be well heated. And in the second compartment of the house, ducklings should be transplanted, which have already grown up and do not need additional heating. Moreover, too heat can spoil ducklings. They will get used to it, and as a result they will easily catch colds and get sick. Hang a thermometer in the house at a height of 10-15 cm from the floor and monitor the temperature. If suddenly you hang a thermometer higher or lower, then it may show a false temperature, and you will draw the wrong conclusions from this. And the ducks will pay. If in the first three weeks of the life of ducklings the required temperature should be 22-28 degrees, then the young animals are kept at 18-20 degrees. As soon as the time comes to release the young animals into the water, the temperature in the room should be gradually equalized with the outside temperature. The stocking density of young animals is 12-13 ducklings per 1 sq. m. In the first week after withdrawal, daylight hours should be 20-22 hours. Then gradually it is necessary to bring daylight hours to 14 hours. Young growth and without a brood hen grows well. The room in which the ducklings will live must be thoroughly washed, but do not allow dampness and high humidity in the house. Some novice poultry farmers believe that since ducklings love to swim in the water, the dampness will only harden them. This is an erroneous opinion. Ducks, of course, love water, but not so much! By the way, due to the fact that these are waterfowl, ducklings splash a lot of water when drinking. After all, they want not only to drink, but also try to flounder a little in the water. And this becomes another reason for high humidity. Therefore, drinkers should be protected with removable grates so that they can be easily removed during cleaning.

Ducklings can be reared on deep bedding, mesh floors and in aviaries. As a rule, young animals are kept in enclosures for up to three weeks to protect them from cats and other predators, and then they are transferred to deep litter. For cellular content, use floors with cell sizes of 15 x 20 mm. If you are raising Muscovy ducks, it is best to keep them separate on the floor. This way you will achieve the duration of rearing of males and females, reduce feed costs and increase the safety of young animals. Muscovy ducklings can also be grown on slatted floors, which consist of individual slats 20-25 mm wide and 50 mm thick. Planks must be nailed at a distance of 25 mm from each other.

Of course, it is best to keep young ducks on paddocks, where there is some kind of body of water. But first, ducklings must be accustomed to land walking with dry and warm weather where they have to get used to the sun's rays. The sun has a beneficial effect on the growth and development of young animals, but still make sure that the chicks do not have heat stroke. Ducklings, which are not yet five days old, are very afraid of the sun. Therefore, it is better to keep them in the shade for now. And soon they will begin to run out under warm rays sun.

If ducklings are brought up without a hen, then they need to be released into the water at the age of three weeks. First, let them swim for 2-3 hours, and then, starting from the fourth week, the ducklings can swim for at least a whole day. The fact is that before this age, the coccygeal gland still functions poorly in young animals, with the fat of which they lubricate their plumage. Teach your ducklings to come home from ponds on their own. To do this, constantly feed them in the evening. The young must know that delicious food is waiting for them at a certain time, then he will have an incentive to return to the house. This task is facilitated if an adult bird swims with the brood. She will teach them wisdom.

What to feed a duck? Keeping ducks

Muscovy ducklings swim poorly, so they need to organize a full-fledged land paddock.

Feeding

In the first days of life, young ducks are fed in the same way as chickens. Ducklings need to be taught to accept food. To do this, sprinkle them on the backs of a finely chopped hard-boiled egg. Young growth will peck small crumbs from each other. Also, ducklings are fed various wet mashes, they are given green food in large quantities. It is desirable that the composition of the mash includes several types of grain-mealy feed, 2-3 types of protein feed of animal and vegetable origin, greens and mineral feed. The green consumption rate for ducklings is 15% of the total diet. If the ducklings were born at a time when there was still no greenery, then be sure to add fish oil to the mash. From flour feeds, introduce pig feed into the mixers. But just do not feed feed for cattle, as there is a large amount of table salt, which is detrimental to young birds. Knead the mash in milk or meat broth. Don't give ducklings milk alone, as careless chicks don't so much consume it as splash it. It is necessary to feed ducklings 6-7 times a day during the first week, in the second week - 5-6 times, in the third - 4-5 times. Then gradually switch to three meals a day.

For the first 10 days, feed your ducklings barley, oat, and wheat flour. The optimal dose is 20-40 g per day per head. Don't forget to sift the barley and oat flour to free them from fiber. If you feed young animals with porridge, then remember that porridge quickly sour and cause indigestion. Therefore, cook porridge in such quantities that the chicks eat it at a time. Throw away the rest of the porridge and in no case do not feed them to the ducklings a second time. Week-old chicks can be fed porridge with ground soy, potatoes and fish. Grain is best soaked overnight. Crumble finely chopped leaves of Jerusalem artichoke, burdock, cabbage, cucumber, raspberry and watermelon into porridge.

When fattening for meat and fatty liver, different diets are used. If you decide to fatten the young for meat, then in the first three days of life, give the ducklings hard boiled duck or chicken eggs. But do not just grind them, but mix with millet, fine corn or oatmeal. One duck egg can feed five chicks. From the second day, add low-fat non-food cottage cheese to the diet, which contains complete protein and B vitamins. It is recommended to add plants from reservoirs to the feed mixture. Especially young ducks love duckweed, which is also easy to catch and does not need to be crushed. The consumption rate of duckweed for ducklings of 1.5 months of age is 200-250 g per day per head.

If you keep ducklings in a pond, then you should feed them only 3 times a day. The rest of the food the young will get themselves, swimming in the water. As soon as the ducklings are a month old, feed them 2 times a day. In order for the young to swim more and eat aquatic vegetation, do not feed them before walking to the pond.

For fattening on a fatty liver, musky drakes or mulards are grown. 10 weeks after hatching, you need to specifically select the plumpest and strongest ducklings. Then for 2 weeks it is necessary to feed the young with corn grain at 200-250 g per day per head. You also need to introduce a lot of greens into the diet - 400-500 g per duck per day. You need to feed such young animals twice a day - in the morning and in the evening. After 2 weeks, start force-feeding the ducklings. One of the most nutritious foods is corn. Therefore, the diet of young animals fattened for fatty liver should mainly consist of steamed corn. Before you steam the corn, you need to clean it of foreign matter. Then pour the corn into the container and fill it hot water so that the water level is 10-15 cm higher than the feed level. Constantly stir the grain. In this case, pieces of corn cobs will float to the surface - remove them. In half an hour you will have excellent steamed corn. You can soak corn not in hot, but in warm water. In this case, the corn should be steamed for 6-8 hours. Add to steamed corn before feeding table salt, vegetable oil. If sunflower oil no, it can be replaced with pork fat or fodder margarine. In the first three days, feed the ducks corn twice a day, then three times. It is recommended to give food according to this schedule - 6 am, noon and 6 pm.

In order to feed the young for a fatty liver, they need to be fed 2.5-3.5 times more food than the rest of the ducklings. Of course, the young do not understand that they have to eat a lot of food, and therefore will refuse excess food. In this case, you will have to force-feed the ducklings. If you have a small number of young animals, then you can feed the birds with a funnel. The funnel must be carefully inserted into the duckling's esophagus through the open beak and slowly push the steamed corn grains with a stick. If you decide to put the fattening of young animals on a commercial basis, then the number of fattened ducklings will be greater. You can’t fatten a large horde of ducklings with a funnel. There are special machines for force fattening musky ducks and mulards, which you will probably have to use.

Remember that the more the bird eats, the more heat it releases into the air. The more heat it gives off, the faster the room becomes hot and stuffy. Therefore, in the house where ducklings fattened for fatty liver are kept, organize good ventilation. Make more windows, vents in such a house. Keep the doors open more often, unless, of course, weather allow. And one more thing: at first, ducklings will not digest food well, as they are not yet accustomed to consuming a large amount of food. Therefore, before the next feed, check the esophagus of ducks. If it is full, do not feed the bird until the food has been digested. If the esophagus remains full for three days, then such a bird is not suitable for fattening and it is better to slaughter it.

Fattening lasts approximately 16-18 days. But these times may depend on your experience and the general condition of the bird. Properly fattened ducks move little, breathe heavily, opening their beaks. Their eyes are sunken, the beak is whitish, the fecal secretions acquire a greenish color. At first inexperienced glance, it seems that the ducks fell ill. But in fact, these signs indicate that by slaughtering these ducks, you will get a delicacy - fatty duck liver.

Sex determination

Drakes should weigh approximately 2.7 kg and ducks 2.3 kg. The drake has a longer body. Above the tail, ring-shaped feathers are twisted counterclockwise. Their heads are larger and their necks are thicker than those of females. Ducks have a more rounded head. You also need to listen to the sounds that young animals make. Ducks should quack, and drakes should hiss.

Duck breeding is a very profitable line of business. After all, these birds are rapidly gaining weight and in the shortest possible time the breeder can get a lot of meat. Fattening ducks for meat at home is another opportunity that will help the farmer enjoy his favorite food all year round. However, in order for the results to meet expectations, it is necessary to know how to feed the ducks and the fattening technique.

Fattening ducks for meat: the secrets of successful breeding

The diet of ducklings and adults should be very diverse. Juicy greens, cereals, vegetables, as well as feed of animal origin are essential components of the diet of birds. It is especially necessary to monitor how and what little ducklings eat, since they are most susceptible to disease and have weak immunity.

Mineral feed also plays an important role in fattening ducks for meat. Shell, sand, gravel, lumpy chalk and other elements should be available for ducks.

Ducks: feeding and care

It is worth noting that dry mixes and granulated feed can be given even to babies. You should also observe the mode of feeding ducklings for meat.

If you follow the recommendations of experienced farmers, then in about two months the weight of the ducklings will be 2 kg or even more. However, at the age of 65 days, the so-called juvenile molt begins in individuals, and ducks lose weight very quickly.

Feeding ducks for meat with the help of waste is not only a good opportunity to minimize costs, but also a way to quickly get valuable and useful product. Although at processing plants various cakes and meals are waste, they are essential for fattening birds.

What is the best food waste for ducks? As a rule, breeders use bran, beet pulp, bard, oilseed meal. Baker's or brewer's yeast make it possible to enrich the duck's body with the necessary and useful vitamins group B.

Greens and root crops are a real delicacy for ducks. The duck will be able to enjoy them plenty on the run. The breeder can also prepare succulent food for ducklings and adult birds in advance, and then feed them in the paddock.

However, there are also those products that are contraindicated for feeding ducks for meat. Moldy and stale food, milk porridge, flour in mash, fresh milk, maple leaves, celandine and a number of poisonous herbs - all this should not be in the diet of birds.

Fattening ducks for meat in the summer is associated with some difficulties. Since in the days of heat, individuals lose their appetite, they often do not even approach the feeders. What is a breeder to do? Experts advise that it is very important to change the feeding hours for ducks. For example, in the morning they need to be given food at dawn, when there is not yet a strong heat. As for the evening, the birds are fed at dusk. Wet mash, which the breeder will prepare and leave for the ducks, they willingly eat at night, which undoubtedly gives an excellent increase.

Fattening ducks for meat at home is one of the most important issues that concern breeders. A correct and balanced diet, feeding regime and the absence of harmful and unnecessary products will allow the farmer to quickly get a large carcass. In the shortest possible time, the bird will be ready for slaughter, and the owner will receive fresh duck meat. Continue reading on the website fermeru.pro.

Feeding ducks with vitamins to increase the hatchability of ducklings

It is very important to use vitamins for ducks in the wound-spring and autumn-winter period. If it is not possible to buy industrial vitamins for ducks, then you can try to make them yourself.

A good source of vitamins for ducks are baker's and brewer's yeast. Baker's dry yeast contains 10.8% water, 48.1% protein, 29.3% carbohydrate, 8.2% mineral and 2.6% fiber. Dry yeast can be given to ducks at any age at 1-2% of the total diet, and pressed dry baker's yeast - up to 5-6%.

If the yeast is irradiated with a quartz lamp or dried in the sun, then the ergosterol contained in it is converted into vitamin D. It turns out that the yeast is able to provide ducks with two important vitamins at once - B2 and D. If fodder yeast is used, then the costs of baker's and brewer's yeast are significantly reduced.

It is very important to use vitamins for ducks in the early-spring and autumn-winter period when the birds do not get enough sunlight. You can use industrial vitamins for ducks or enrich their feed, for example, with fish oil, which is rich in vitamins A and D. Fish oil can be given to ducklings on the 3rd day after leaving the incubator at the rate of 1% of the weight of dry food, and for adults birds - 2 g per individual. Fish oil can be added to the mash or shaken with warm warm water or milk, taken in a double dose. It is important to remember that vitamin A during storage fish oil in an open container and in the light is destroyed, and the result of its feeding is a disorder of the gastrointestinal tract in young animals.

You can prepare vitamins for ducks yourself. So, in order to prevent non-communicable diseases, you can make a solution that contains 70 thousand vitamin A, 8 thousand IU of vitamin D3, 100 g of tetracycline, 0.2 ml of vitamin B2 and 100 g of protein concentrate. 5 ml of this solution must be diluted in 1 liter drinking water and give the bird for 3-4 days. Such a complex of vitamins for ducks can be used to prevent beriberi, rickets and malnutrition.

To prevent hypovitaminosis of group B and increase the hatchability of ducklings, vitamins for ducks should be prepared as follows: 1000 mg of vitamin B1, 1000 mg of vitamin B2, 10,000 mg of calcium pantothenate, 15 mg of vitamin B12, 1 kg of bran. For ducklings, such vitamins for ducks can be given from the 1st to the 60th day, 300 g each, and from the 60th day, 260 g per 100 kg of feed. A mixture of prepared vitamins for ducks can be stored for no longer than four months.

A separate vitamin complex for ducks can be prepared to prevent eimeriosis, pullorosis, colidyspepsia and intestinal diseases. The complex includes: 3 million IU of vitamin A, 300 thousand IU of vitamin D3, 12 mg of vitamin B12, 1 kg of bran. It is recommended to use a ready-made vitamin complex from the 1st to the 80th day of life for ducklings at 300 g, and starting from the 60th day, the dose can be increased to 250 g per 100 kg of feed.

There is a recipe for preparing a vitamin complex, which increases the overall resistance of birds and weak chickens after hatching. The composition of such a complex includes: 20 thousand sq.

How to feed ducks and how to cook food at home?

IU of vitamin A, 10 thousand IU of vitamin D3, 1 ml of drinking water. For 100 chickens, it is necessary to prepare 50 ml of a vitamin preparation.

INvitamins for ducklings, as well as for all types of poultry and animals, for example, Chiktonik (1 l), Hepatonic (1 vial x 1 l), Vitamin E and selenium for animals Vit E + S (1 l)

Buy vitamins for ducklings, as well as for all types of poultry and animals in the online veterinary pharmacy Yusna Super Bio.

How to feed ducklings and how to water ducklings

Day old ducklings, especially musk ducklings, quite often do not begin to eat on their own and can die without food.

Day old ducklings, especially musk ducklings, quite often do not begin to eat on their own and can die without food. For this reason, it is very important to know how to feed day old ducklings. First, they should be forcibly drunk with a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate using a pipette. After that, to feed the daily ducklings, it is recommended to scatter a mixture of steep porridge and a boiled egg on a dark sheet of cardboard. You can sprinkle food on the ducklings themselves, which will set them in motion, and they will begin to grab the moving food. At the next feeding of day-old ducklings, they are again forcibly watered and fed with a semi-liquid mixture, adding milk to the previous mixture.

Ducklings should eat food on their own for 1-3 days. You can feed daily ducklings with wet and crumbly mash, which can include mineral, vitamin and grain feed, as well as feed of animal origin. The first 2-3 days you can feed the ducklings with boiled eggs mixed with nettles. You can also add fine corn, barley or oatmeal, as well as green onion. From the first days of life, ducklings can be fed with finely chopped nettle greens. From 2-3 days of age, fresh greens can be given in flour mixtures, and from 10 days of age, boiled potatoes are introduced into a wet mash.

At the age of 15 days, ducklings can be released into the pond. At the same time, ducklings should be fed three times a day, and at the age of one month they switch to a two-time grain top dressing.

What do ducks eat and is there a difference in the diet of wild and domestic birds

Ducklings should receive their first meal at 10 am. At the same time, they should not eat much so that they can eat well the greens of the reservoir. The second feeding should take place after roosting. It must be plentiful.

In hot weather, ducklings may lose their appetite. During such a period, it is recommended to change the feeding hours: the first at dawn, and the last at dusk. If, at the age of 20-30 days, ducklings use water bodies that are rich in natural food, then it is quite enough to feed them in the morning and evening with crushed grain or high-grade grain waste.

It is imperative to include mineral supplements in feeding ducklings: shell, eggshell, chalk, limestone. During the first 10-15 days of life, mineral supplements should be given at the rate of 1 g per head per day, and later, at the age of 2-6 months, the dose is increased to 6-10 g.

It is recommended to water ducklings from flowing drinkers with water, which has a temperature of about 20 degrees. It is important to remember that ducklings consume three times more water than feed. Drinking bowls for ducklings should be of such depth that they can rinse their nasal openings.

If you keep ducklings in aviary conditions, then you should worry about a sufficient number of drinkers, which should always be filled clean water. Since ducklings drink a lot and often rinse their beaks, they can arrange a small pool of water - a suitable container dug into the ground. In such a pool, the water must be changed every day.

Buy vitamins for ducklings and supplements for other farm animals in an online veterinary pharmacy Yusna Super Bio

Little ducklings on the 1st day after birth eat eggs - either chicken or duck. At the same time, the eggs are well boiled, cleaned and chopped with a meat grinder. The next couple of days, along with eggs, they are fed with corn, and they also rub the fan and barley groats. For each duckling, 5 g of cottage cheese is included in the diet. 10 days after birth, they are fed with fresh herbs, which are pre-crushed. In addition, root crops and potatoes are added to the diet (See also "Planting potatoes under straw").

Even before they were 20 days old, with barley and oatmeal shells are removed. As soon as they are 20 days old, they are fed with scraps from the kitchen, garden and vegetable garden. At the age of 20 days, ducklings are fed 3 times a day, and from the age of 1 month - 2 times. Yeast in the nutrition of ducklings is considered an important element.

Features of feeding ducks for meat

When the ducklings are 45 days old, those ducklings that go for meat are fed according to one diet, and replacements - according to another.

Fattening domestic ducks for meat

That is, the power is divided. At this age, ducklings need to be given more green food and reduce the amount of protein. Whole grains are first given with mash, then gradually withdrawn from the diet, giving only in the evenings.

Feeding ducks in the pond

If the ducklings walk in the water, then they should be fed 2 times a day: in the mornings they give a wet mash, and in the evenings they give whole grains or grain waste. If there are no fish and meat and bone meal in the diet, then they are replaced by scrap meat, as well as cottage cheese.

If ducklings at the age of 1 month are kept in a reservoir that is rich in food, then you do not need to feed them with food with vitamins and proteins. Ducklings need to be fed with grain 2 times a day. In the evenings, the ducklings are given more grain so that they eat their fill.

If there is sufficient vegetation in the reservoir, the main costs of feeding are reduced. Thanks to the use of plants in water, as well as their harvesting, good savings come out.

It is known that ducklings can get food from 0.5 m depth. It is for this reason that not large reservoirs, as well as shallow water, should be used. If ducklings are raised on the water, the banks should be gentle. 7 days before slaughter, they are already stopped walking on the pond, and they are transferred to fattening.

If ducklings are raised for meat, they are fed abundantly with crumbly wet flour mash. In this case, the following ratio is taken: 10 parts of liquid to 3 parts of dry mixtures. At the same time, cakes, mineral feed, vitamin feed, 2-3 types of ground and crushed grains, wheat bran are used as mixtures.

If you want to breed birds at home, see the articles Breeding turkeys and Raising guinea fowls.

I just saw again how elderly women, parents with small children and even a few young couples had fun by feeding wild ducks bread by the Rainbow ponds!

Well, evil is not enough! For several years, detailed articles have been published on the Internet that WILD DUCKS SHOULD NOT BE FEED WITH BREAD! THIS LEADS TO THEIR DEATH!!!

And next to the ponds, ads like this are regularly posted:

Many people do not read ads at all, the rest do not think why not, and even more so do not worry about the consequences.

In addition, older people simply do not read any explanatory articles on the Internet and often distrust any new information that is at odds with their personal point of view.

But it’s hard for me to understand the position of young parents - is the minute entertainment of their precious children really more important than the life of beautiful wild birds?

And do these people really not want the next generations to be able to admire the flocks of ducks and little ducklings on our city ponds and lakes?

There are also such stupid people who live by the principle: “I don’t care! Most importantly, it's fun!" I do not comment on their position, because non-normative vocabulary is prohibited on our site.

Feeding the birds in warm time year, man brings great harm to birds.

Their natural instincts to seek natural food favorable to their digestion are dulled, and they become almost tame, not shy, and dependent on humans. Often such birds do not fly away for the winter and die in harsh winters.

So let's talk again about what you can and cannot feed wild ducks.

What can not be fed wild ducks

  1. First of all, no wild birds You shouldn't eat black bread at all.

Giving ducks black bread is even more dangerous than white bread. Black bread contains more ingredients: malt, honey (artificial), spices. Even a small amount of it instantly causes stomach sticking, fermentation and bloating or volvulus in a bird.

2. You can't feed the ducks chips or popcorn- this is alien food for them and their stomach is not able to digest it, which leads to quick and painful death.

3. You can not feed wild birds sweets (especially chocolate, even chocolate-coated buns!)

4. It is forbidden to feed ducks and salty foods (such as saltine crackers or crispbread) - they may experience salt poisoning.

5. White bread doing ducks much more harm than good.

And now in more detail Why is it harmful to feed ducks with white bread.

IN natural diet wild birds there is nothing even remotely similar in composition to bread.

Bread made from white flour it's not just junk food for animals - uhthe worst thing that could happen to them!

The reason is that in bread contains nothing but carbohydrates, i.e. for animals, it does not provide any value. Although ducks eat it with pleasure.

But a well-fed duck is unlikely to look for food in a natural way. As a result, she will not get the nutrients she needs - in particular, vitamins D and E, as well as manganese. And soon get sick.

In fact, feeding the birds with bread, you doom them to death in severe suffering.
Because of bread, ducks develop a disease with a poetic name "Angel wings". This is when, due to an unhealthy diet, the wings of birds begin to go to the side, and not rest against the body.

Growing feathers become engorged, heavy and curl. As a result, the shape and span of the wings change: they rise and move to the side. For this reason, birds are deprived of the ability to fly. And the condition is incurable! It develops due to the high calorie content of the diet and the excessive content of protein and carbohydrates in it.

Often bread remains uneaten due to the appearance of mold on it. Here it should never be fed to wild birds - mold is strictly contraindicated for ducks.

It can cause fatal disease aspergillosis. The infection strikes respiratory system and serous membranes. This disease is fleeting and difficult to self-diagnose. With a rapid course, the death of a bird occurs 2–6 days after infection.

Getting constantly food (and not only bread), ducks become lazy and do not try to get their own food. They feed only on what a person gives them, and do not receive the necessary trace elements, vitamins. This leads to a reduction in the life span of the bird.

Feed ducks bread is the same as feeding small children unhealthy fast food. Birds get used to this food and no longer want to eat other healthier foods.

Often eating high-calorie bread, ducks quickly put on weight and it becomes difficult for them to fly and elude danger.

Feeding ducks in city ponds is also dangerous because the birds, receiving constant food, multiply rapidly. In a closely crowded cluster of birds, infectious epidemics begin to develop.

Often, rats begin to flock to reservoirs where pieces of bread remain.

Zoologists urge to feed waterfowl only during extreme wintering periods, when the temperature drops sharply below -20 degrees, and only in places of mass accumulation of birds (flocks of more than 200 individuals), or when rescuing birds with physical injuries, when they can die without human help.

What can you feed wild ducks

  1. Sprouted cereals: oats, wheat and barley
  2. Lightly boiled cereals - barley or barley
  3. mixture oatmeal with finely chopped raw and boiled vegetables (beets, carrots). Grapes cut in half are very useful for ducks, but who will carry them?
  4. Earthworms and duckweed
  5. It is best to buy a special balanced compound feed for poultry in the market or in a specialized store

By the way, in nature, ducks feed on catching duckweed, algae, small crustaceans and insects from the water with their beaks. Basically, these birds consume plant foods and also do not refuse insects, small fish, tadpoles and crustaceans.

Sometimes ducks are able to dive to a depth of half a meter to catch the food they like.

At the beginning of winter, ducks eat the stems and seeds of plants. In the middle of summer, various berries and fruits from nearby trees and shrubs are added to the grass and crustaceans.

I would like to note that a duck in the wild is a wonderful bird, and its vital activity and way of eating plays a very important role in shaping the ecological balance of our land. In summer, in addition to plant and animal food that wild ducks find in water bodies, they eat a large number of mosquito larvae. Due to the fact that ducks destroy a large number of larvae, mosquitoes do not breed in huge quantities. Thus, ducks, getting their own food, help people and nature.

I must say that feeding ducks with bread is still an actual problem in different countries.

The Times newspaper wrote that more than 6 million loaves of bread fall into the canals and rivers of Great Britain and Wales every year, most of which remain uneaten by birds.

Conservationists demand that the British do not feed ducks with bread, as this leads to the growth of dangerous algae and the death of birds.

Let's think about how not to amuse ourselves, but to help the birds in the right way and not harm their health.

And in the warm season, we will simply watch these beautiful and positive birds with pleasure.

Wild ducks are an integral part of the ecosystem, and besides, these birds get along well with humans and cheer us up, especially touching fluffy ducklings.

Note. This article uses photographs from open sources on the Internet, all rights belong to their authors, if you think that the publication of any photo violates your rights, please contact me using the form in the section, the photo will be deleted immediately.

Why can't ducks be fed bread?

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