TRAINING MANUAL FOR DUCK REARING
BACKGROUND
The training was made to provid information to women regarding duck keeping in tropics in kasese Uganda.
This manual covers a number of subjects which arise if you yourself,
or people you work with, are considering keeping ducks. The aim is to
give practical advice on small-scale duck keeping for those who work
directly with small-scale farmers. A theoretical background is given in
order that users of this training book are able to develop the most suitable
practices for their particular situation. The women, organization and policy makers attended .The training of women covered:
- The training in housing for ducks
- Rearing, veterinary aid.
- ducks and diseases control
- ducks publication
- Nutrition
- Stake holders recommendations
The more than 200 women attend the workshop,mwaka Hotel was overwhelmed by women and we were forced to use outside Hall tent as the number of women increased. Volunteer trainees were many.
1.1 Basic facts about duck keeping
About 100 million ducks are kept around the Uganda . The majority of
these, more are found in lake and river Regions. Despite this uneven
distribution, it is certainly also possible to raise ducks in other parts of
the Uganda.
Ducks can be reared for eggs and meat, for own use or for sale. Other
products from ducks, which can also be sold, include down, feathers
and fattened livers .
There are many similarities between chicken and duck rearing. The
most obvious similarities are found in the type of products for which
these forms of poultry are kept. Ducks, like chickens, are good producers
of eggs and meat. Breeding is largely similar for both. Ducks
have approximately the same housing requirements as chickens, especially
when they only require night shelter. If the ducks are outside during the day, just like chickens they will be capable of searching for a large part of their food.
Advantages of ducks compared with chickens:
- Ducks are tougher than chickens; they require less attention than chickens and are less likely to be sick than chickens.
- Ducks are larger than chickens, so if they are reared for meat there will be more to sell.
- Duck eggs are also larger than chicken eggs.
- Ducks do not necessarily need supplementary grain and maize.
Chickens normally do need supplementary high quality feed.
-Ducks eat more vegetable material and insects than chickens.
- Ducks also eat snails.
-Ducks don’t require feeds so can be reared on free range system as the water is in place.
Disadvantages of ducks compared with chickens:
- Duck meat and eggs taste different from those of chicken.
everyone likes the taste of duck. If the taste is disliked by a lot of
people it will be difficult to sell duck products. Not only does duck
meat taste different it also looks different from chicken meat.
Chicken meat is white whereas duck meat is red and dark.
Lastly,duck meat is also fattier than chicken meat. Although this is listed
here as a disadvantage that is not necessarily the case. In many areas fatty meat is considered a delicacy.
- Ducks are water birds and need water to be able to breed and grow
well. A pool or pond of water can take up a lot of room. A trough of
water can also be provided so that ducks can bathe. If it is not possible
to keep ducks near water the whole day it is sufficient to place
a tub of water out for them in the mornings and evenings so that
they can wash. Pools, ponds, troughs or tubs of water all need to be
kept clean and hygienic. Different sorts of ducks differ in their water
requirements.
1.2 Points to remember
There are many ways of raising ducks. The simplest method requires
little capital input, where ducks are raised in the farm yard as part of amixed farm. This is the so-called free range system. At the other extreme,large-scale, capital-intensive duck rearing can take place on a farm on which only ducks are raised inside a covered shelter or confined
indoor system. Between these two extremes there are many different
forms in which the ducks are offered an indoor shelter and a run in which they can go outside.
In order to decide how to raise ducks, a farmer or extension worker needs to consider a number of points:
Are the ducks intended for your own use or do you also want to sell
a duck product?If you are considering keeping ducks in order to sell their products
it is important to know whether there is a market for the eggs or
meat.
Will duck rearing fit in with the rest of your activities? Do you have room for ducks?
Not only do you need room for shelter and a water supply for the
ducks, but their daily care also takes time and may get in the way of other activities.
Where will you get your ducklings in order to maintain a stock?
Will you breed yourself or will you buy ducklings when you need
them?
If you plan on buying them, can you be sure that there will be a regular
supply in the future?
If a trader or breeder cannot guarantee that ducklings will be available
in the future, you have to consider breeding ducks yourself.
Can you provide the time and care to do so?
What will you feed the ducks? Where can you obtain feed? Do you
have sufficient food available on your own farm or will you have to
buy some types of feed?
Ducks are capable of scavenging for a large part of the food themselves,
but it is often necessary to give them extra in the dry season.
If ducks are free range they are more likely to suffer from a shortage
of vitamins or minerals.
1.3 Outline of this Manual
Describes different types of ducks with their different characteristics,which make them suitable for different purposes. Once you have ducks, maintaining the flock is important. This can be done through hatching out your own eggs or buying ducklings regularly and raise them. Important factors and ways to raise ducklings are treated in
Describes two systems of duck keeping: free range, and confined.
Two integrated systems are highlighted: duck keeping in
combination with rice cultivation and with fish farming.
It is about housing for ducks. Different types of shelter are
described, the dimensions required, as well as feeding and drinking
trays.
This need describes some basic aspects of preventive health care, hygiene
of the housing and the surroundings being the most important
factor. Ducks are basically quite tough animals, but for the occasional
time when they do become ill, the most common diseases are described.
Covers feed. Although ducks are good scavengers, you can
often obtain better production levels by supplementing their feed. The
different requirements of egg and meat-producing ducks are outlined
in this lession.
Ducks are most often raised for their eggs
It provides an indication of the levels of production you can expect to achieve. Care of the products is also discussed in this chapter.
It provides a reminder that if you keep a record of what happens on your farm it is easy to have an overview and to improve management.
Of course all farms differ from each other. For this reason you should
Consider this training manual as a handbook in which several possibilities are
Presented by stake holders information sharing. You have to decide yourself what is possible and suitable for your own situation and which improvements you can make.
2 Breeds and breeding
2.1 Breeds and choice of breed
When starting with duck rearing you need to acquire ducks. This is
when you will choose a breed:
If there is a choice of breeds available then you need to consider what
your production objectives are: eggs, meat or both. If you decide to
rear ducks for egg production then you need to have good laying
ducks. These are usually smaller and lighter than birds reared solely
for meat production (for fattening). They make up for their lack of
growth and weight by being better layers: on average laying ducks lay
more eggs than ducks for fattening. Ducks for meat (broilers) are generally
larger and heavier, and the number of eggs they lay is of less
importance. If you consider an intensive production system with rapid
growht, meat ducks are slaughtered before they have even reached the
age at which they can produce eggs.
In many forms of farming, especially small-scale farming, egg pro-duction as well as meat production will be important. A duck that is a
good layer but also can produce a nice amount of meat is best for this
kind of farming. As mentioned above, you may not have a choice of
breed. In this case you simply use the duck breed which is easiest to
come by. The advantage to using locally available ducks is that you
can always obtain them if you need to replace or increase numbers.
Duck keeping is more common in lake regions in Uganda in Africa, which means that there are more different breeds available there.
Each breed of duck is well adapted to the conditions in the area from which it originates. Below a number of breeds are described.
The Muscovy or Barbary duck
This duck comes originally from Central America. The Muscovy duck is good for meat production. It is easy to recognise by the red,fleshy protuberances around the beak and
eyes. It is important to know that the Muscovy duck is originally a tree dweller and therefore can fly. In order to prevent these ducks from flying away their wings need to be clipped.Use apair of scissors to cut most of the large feathers of one wing.
A Muscovy duck used for fattening can reach a weight of 3 to 5 kg.
The Muscovy duck does not grow very quickly and its final weight
depends on the way it is kept and the feed it gets. The meat of the
duck is fairly lean. In areas where fattier meat is preferred then it is
probably better to choose a different breed. The duck starts laying
eggs at about 7 months. There are two clear laying periods with a
break of 12 weeks; the first lasts 30 weeks and the second 22 weeks.
The duck hatch and raise ducklings reliably. Which makes them valuable
for the small-scale farmers.
The common duck: group of various breeds
This group includes various breeds, which originate from Asia and
have been imported into Uganda in Africa . The most important include:
a}Khaki Campbell duck: a khaki (beige) coloured duck, originated from England from across between the Indian .Runner. and the Rouen duck. The Khaki Campbell is well
suited to a tropical climate. Under good
conditions this breed
b} Rouen duck: originated from France; a reasonably heavy breed;
good layers. The drake (male) is light grey with a green neck and
the female is light brown like mallards (wild ducks).
Peking ducks
A completely white duck that originally comes from cool climates in
China. This breed is a meat and egg producer like the Muscovy duck.
The Peking duck grows quicker than the Muscovy
duck. One of the characteristics, which indicate that
the Peking duck is good for meat production, is that
it can reach a weight of 3 kg by the age of 7 - 9
weeks. Drakes usually attain a maximum weight of
3.5 - 4 kg and females 3 - 3.5 kg. Peking ducks lay
eggs from an age of 5-6 months and can lay more
than 200 eggs a year. Peking duck meat is quite
fatty, unlike that of the Muscovy duck. It is a quiet
breed that tends to walk rather than fly. Incidence of
brooding behaviour is rare. Peking duck
Cross-breeds
Breeds are regularly crossed in an attempt to obtain a combination of
good characteristics of two different breeds. Sometimes the results of
cross-breeding are used for further breeding themselves, sometimes
new crosses are made each time. There are a number of standard
cross-breeds:
A Peking drake is crossed with a female Khaki Campbell. This is a
cross between a good meat producer and a good layer. In this way
the cross-breed should combine good meat production with good
egg laying. First and second generations (referred to as F1 and F2)
are used quite commonly. Further generations are not generally
used, as the improvements obtained by crossing usually start to decline
by that stage.
Other breeds
In addition to the breeds described
above there are many more breeds and
crosses. These include:
- Indian runner duck (from India)
- Nageswari (from India)
- Chinese duck (from Indochina)
- Java duck (from Malaysia and Indonesia)
- Brown and White Tsaiya (from Taiwan)
- Most duck breeds come from Asia and are kept for egg laying. These
breeds are therefore generally not very large, the adult weight being
between 2 and 3 kg.
2.2 Breeding
Once you have obtained a number of ducks of the selected breed, you
need to consider how you will maintain productive ducks over a
longer period. Choose one of the following three options.
- If you keep ducks purely to sell their eggs and you buy ducklings
whenever you need them, you will only need female ducks.
- If you intend to breed your own ducks then you need drakes as well
to ensure that you have some fertile eggs.
- If you are keeping ducks for meat you have to make sure that you
keep enough adult ducks for laying eggs so that you have a supply
of ducklings.
Advantages of breeding ducks yourself are:
- You are not dependent on other suppliers of young ducks.
- You don.t have to spend money on buying ducklings.
- You don.t import diseases with the ducklings.
Disadvantages are:
- You have to incubate eggs, which cannot be sold. You have to spend
time and money on incubating eggs.
- The effort of incubating eggs may be wasted if they don.t hatch.
- Although you want only eggs, you will have to keep and feed unproductive
drakes (males) as well, in order to obtain fertile eggs.
For small-scale farmers it is more profitable to breed ducks themselves
especially if the numbers of ducklings they need are small.
Two ways of breeding:
Ø Free breeding
If you keep the female ducks and drakes together then getting fertile
eggs or ducklings will usually be no problem. The drakes are free to
mate with any duck they want. However, in this way, you will have no
idea of which drake has fertilised which ducks.
Ø Directed breeding
You can also direct the process yourself so that you combine the ducks
with the most desirable characteristics. In this way you keep ducks
especially for producing ducklings, these are known as breeding stock
(see next section).
The extent to which you can determine which drake pairs with which
duck depends on how you keep your ducks. If the ducks are only kept
inside at night but are allowed to wander around freely at daytime in
search of food then it is very difficult to even know which duck has
paired with which drake. If you keep ducks in this way it is not worth
spending much time trying to determine partner choice. The best thing
to do is to put a number of good drakes into the flock and let them go
their own way. This is the most simple and natural way of ensuring
that you will have ducklings.
If you have possibilities and time then you could consider making
separate sections in shelters, so that you can put one drake together
with a number of ducks so that they can mate.
2.3 Breeding stock
As stated before, breeding stock are ducks with desirable characteristics
which you like to see in the ducklings. For example you may
choose to combine a drake that grows well and has a good amount of
meat, with a duck that is a good layer. Bear in mind, however, that not
all characteristics are passed on from the parent duck to its offspring,
but generally speaking the chance of breeding good ducklings is
greater if good parents are used. Characteristics that you are looking at
can be production characteristics or external characteristics.
Ø Production characteristics
Most of the characteristics which are related to production are about
quantity: the number of eggs, the weight of meat, etc. An important
feature of these characteristics is that the environment influences
them. These you can influence yourself as duck keeper. A duck which
is bred for high meat production will only be able to achieve high production
levels if it gets enough food.
If you want to increase your production levels you should first look
carefully at your food supply, sickness levels and housing. Once you
have made sure that you have the best food available, and that your
ducks are healthy and have good housing, only then you can start
breeding for a better production.
Ø External characteristics
Above we have discussed selection for production characteristics. External
characteristics may also be important, such as foot quality. If a
number of ducks in a flock have bad feet it is better not to use them
for breeding as they can pass this characteristic on to their young. External
characteristics are not influenced by the amount of feed or housing.
A duck will either have straight feet or not, or brown colour or
not, so it is easy to use this kind of criterion for selection.
The management of female ducks and drakes
To ensure that you have enough fertile eggs, a good ratio is one drake
to six female ducks in meat-type ducks. In egg-type ducks you can put
2.4 Maintaining a flock
There are two ways of obtaining and keeping a flock of ducks with the
best possible features. Both methods should be practised at the same
time:
1 .Selecting ducks and drakes for breeding (see above)
2 .Culling (removing) unhealthy ducks or low producers
Culling means: removing from the flock. Dispose first of ducks that
are so sick that you can no longer treat them or that are not worth
treating ( for more information on health care). It is also worth getting rid of ducks which have already gone through several laying cycles and are not so productive any more. They make way for younger ducks.
Once this has been done, further culling will be of ducks that possess
undesirable characteristics: those that do not produce enough. Do not
breed with ducks that are bad layers or do not fatten well, as there is a
chance that they will pass these characteristics on to their young.
The decision when to cull, especially older ducks, will depend largely
upon when new ducklings are available.
There are three different ways to practice culling. These are described
below.
Culling systems
Ø Continuous system:
In this system a few new ducklings are added regularly to the flock.
The ducks are not separated into age groups as there are no clear
age groups. Besides watching for sick ducks you also have to keep
an eye on the older ducks and remove them once they become unproductive.
Ø All-in-all-out:
The whole flock is renewed at regular intervals. In this system you
do not have to check which ducks have become too old as all ducks
are the same age. You should still check for sick ducks and remove
them immediately. If you use this system you will often have different
groups of ducks at different stages of production. This way you
avoid being a situation where you have no ducks (and therefore no
production) at all. Intensive productions systems use age groups.
How many ducks you can cull will depend on the number of ducklings
you can raise with each laying cycle. You have to be careful that the
number of the flock does not decrease too much if you want to maintain
your production at a constant level; if you remove more breeding
animals than you can replace your production will go down.
3 Ducklings
Since the production period for meat is short and the growth is fast,
you need a secure supply of ducklings. You may buy day-old ducklings
on the market, that are hatched in an incubator. Or you may have ducks that become broody easily and hatch the eggs of your own flock.
If the duck is going to incubate the eggs herself, the nest needs to be ready in time to give the duck a chance to get comfortably installed on it. She will take care of the eggs and you don’t have to worry much because the duck will make sure that the circumstances are right for
the eggs.If you have to raise the ducklings from an incubator in a brooder, you
need to have it ready in time. You then need to keep a close watch on the temperature. It requires technical equipment, which has to be used accurately. Unforeseen occurrences such as an electricity failure or running out of fuel can lead to disaster. For this reason you need to consider carefully the advantages and disadvantages of natural versus
Artificial hatching; what are the costs (not only in money, but also time) and what are the expected returns.
3.1 Incubating eggs the natural way
Hatching eggs the natural way means that they are incubated by a
duck. The big advantage to this method is that the eggs require little
time and attention. The most important requirement is that the duck
that is going to incubate the eggs is sufficiently broody. Being broody
means having the urge to stay sitting on the eggs until they hatch. You
can tell whether a duck is broody or not by how long she remains sitting
on the eggs. The eggs cannot be left alone for more than 15 minutes as they must not cool down too much. The ducklings then cannot develop
3.2 Some information on hatching in an incubator
An incubator is a box with trays inside on which the eggs can be put.
An incubator must be able to take the place of a female duck. It must
keep eggs at a constant temperature, right humidity and proper ventilation..
Incubators come in many different shapes and sizes, it is possible to
make a small scale incubator yourself. Using incubators and making
them is described extensively .Hatching eggs by hens
or in an incubator.. Although the Act women Foundation is mainly about chickens,
much of what is written also applies to ducks. The text indicates where
ducks have different requirements.
The temperature needs to be about 38°C. If the temperature is lower or higher the duckling will not develop properly. At best the ducklings develop too slowly but will hatch. In the worst case, the ducklings die before they hatch. When ducklings hatch they need a
temperature of about 30 - 32°C. In colder areas you can reduce the temperature by 1°C each day afterwards.
An incubator needs good ventilation and must be able to maintain humidity. The air humidity must be quite high, although at the beginning of the incubation period it must not be too high. This is because part of the moisture in the egg needs to evaporate, otherwise the embryo will drown in the egg fluid. If it is too low at later stages it may result in eggs becoming too dry.
Length of incubation:
Nearly all types of ducks take about the same amount of time to hatch their eggs. Generally duck eggs need to incubate for between 25 and 28 days before they hatch. You can expect most breeds to take about 28 days. Muscovy duck eggs take longer to hatch - about 35 days, and Mule duck eggs usually take about 32 days.
Advantages of producing eggs artificially
Ø A lot of eggs can be incubated at the same time. May be even enough to allow you to sell day-old ducklings to others.
Disadvantages
Ø Investments are needed to buy or build an incubator;
Ø Time is needed to vigilate the process, to make sure the temperature and humidity are at the right levels and that nothing goes wrong with the heat supply;
Ø In case you choose an electrical heat source, power cuts can easily result in a disaster;
Ø Artificial incubating requires experience; especially in the beginning the risk of eggs not hatching or ducklings dying is very big.
3.3 Selection in flock traits
The time of hatching is an important moment for selection in your flock. By selecting eggs you determine the traits of your future flock.
Eggs from good layers will in general produce good layers. Broodiness, feather colours and body traits will inherit also. Good layers will not be broody very often.
If you make use of the difference in broodiness of different strains or individuals, you will breed more layer ducklings in the end.
3.4 Sexing ducklings
Sexing can best be done at this moment so that you can separate the
drakes from the female ducks.
It is useful to know what sex the ducklings are in order to be able to
separate the ducks from the drakes. This will make your production
more efficient. If you sex newly hatched ducklings you can sell the
drakes as day-old ducklings.
Once the ducklings have dried after hatching you can sex them. By
holding the duckling as shown, it is easy to see whether or not it has a
penis.It is easier to do this with ducks than with chickens and after a
little practice you will become better at this. This method is vent
examination.
Methods for sexing at a later stage
If you want to rear the ducklings until they have been fattened and
then sell them you can also use one of the other methods:
- Watching the colours of the feathers
Ducks and drakes of some breeds have different colours which makes
it easy to tell them apart.
- Voice
There is a clear difference in the noise made by ducks and drakes. This
is noticeable from about 4 - 6 weeks of age. A female duck makes a
clear .quack. sound, while a drake makes a deeper and more hoarse
sound.
- Tail feathers
The tail feathers of most fully-grown drakes have a clear curl at the
end. Female ducks do not have this. The only breed that does not show
this distinction is the Muscovy duck. However Muscovy drakes are
much bigger than the females, so it is also easy to determine sex in
this breed.
3.5 Caring for the ducklings
Ducklings, which have been hatched naturally, require sometimes protection.
The duck that hatched them will look after them until they are old enough to look after themselves. But not all predators the duck can deter. Sometimes duck and ducklings must be kept enclosed during the first weeks for protection against predators.
Drinking water
The presence of drinking water is very important for ducklings. There must be sufficient, clean water present; otherwise the ducklings will become sick.
You have to make sure the ducklings do not try to swim in their drinking water. This not only makes the water dirty, but it can also make the ducklings sick. Adult ducks have a layer of fat over their feathers which prevent the feathers from getting wet. In a natural situation amother duck will also rub fat into the feathers of the ducklings that she has hatched herself.
The feathers of ducklings from an incubator do not have fat over them
to begin with. Ducklings cannot rub fat into their own feathers until they are about three weeks old. This is not a problem as long as they
do not try to get into water. You can stop them from sitting in the drinking water by putting stones in the bowl or putting chicken wire over the top.
4 Duck keeping systems
There are many ways in which you can keep ducks. In Section 4.1 we Described the main systems of keeping ducks, to give you an idea of the
possibilities. In practice farmers can adapt these types to their own
needs and the materials available.
Duck keeping combines well with other forms of farming. Section 4.2
covers two well known integrated systems: duck keeping combined
with rice cultivation and duck keeping combined with fish ponds. In
these systems the different forms of production complement each
other and the farmer will have better production and more profit:
Waste and by-products are used, e.g. duck manure is used instead of
wasted: in fishponds it is directly used for fertilizing the pond which
increases fish food; in rice fields ducks eat harmful insects and
snails, this is a help for the rice and at the same time the ducks get
nutritious food.
Certain inputs are used more efficiently, e.g. a fishpond is used for
fish and for ducks at the same time. Ducks grow better if they have
access to a pond.
The farmer spreads risks. For example if the rice yield is low there
is still a yield of eggs and duck meat.
4.1 Duck keeping systems - extensive or Intensive
Free range system:
The ducks are only kept enclosed at night. During the day the ducks
are free to roam outside in search of food. They are brought inside at
night by putting some extra food in the shelter. The ducks only require
night shelter and nests for laying eggs. Ducks will stay around the place,
provided you treat them well.
An advantage of this system is that the ducks go to the feed and harvest
it themselves. This way, nutrients become available that the farmer cannot reach otherwise. Some farmers in Asia herd their flocks to graze large areas after the rice harvest.
Confined system:
The ducks are kept enclosed permanently, either in a covered shelter
(indoor system) or with a run in the open. The ducks stay in the same
place. It is easy to keep and eye on them and check them. An outside
run makes it easier to give the ducks access to water, as a pond can be
put in the open run area.
Indoor system:
The indoor system is for large-scale duck farms, where the production
is mechanised to reduce labour costs. The system requires more investment
than the other two systems of housing. Not only do you need
to build the shelter, but you also have to provide all feed and water
and clean it regularly. If properly managed, growth can be fast and
production cheap.
In an indoor system you cannot provide access to water where ducks
can swim. But you can provide a large shallow container with water so
that ducks can wash and bathe. Like open drinkers they should be located
over a drained area covered with wire or slatted floor.
How to choose the system that fits best in your conditions in Uganda?
Your objectives will determine which system you choose. It is recommended
that you start with a small flock and test the system of
your choice and the potential of the market.
In a free range system you may lose your ducks easily to predators or
thieves; while in an indoor system financial inputs may be substantial.
4.2 Combining duck keeping with rice, beans and Dodo
Cultivation
In Bukonzo East Kasese District Uganda, duck keeping is often combined with rice, kitchen cultivation.
A flock of ducks can easily be kept on a rice field and other crops to reach organic production. Ducks feed on
snails, insects, larvae and weeds in the rice fields, thus keeping pests
down. However, ducks will find little food in rice fields where chemical
insect killers and weed killers are used. These insecticides and pesticides
poison the ducks. The organic gardening is facilitated .Therefore:
Housing for ducks
Ducks only need shelter for resting. Generally speaking a minimum
area of 0.5 m2 per duck is required.
Ducks can be housed in a variety of ways. A pen can be built which floats on the water, or resting on stilts above the water or on the bank of the pond. A shelter built above the water must have a floor of slats,which will let the manure through Housing.
Ideally all the manure should fall into the water. By fencing off the banks with wire or netting, and not allowing the ducks to roam on the banks you can ensure that all manure is deposited in the water, and that the banks remain undamaged.
Managing the system
Most fish species take about 6 months to reach market weight. In order
to ensure that the manure supply remains constant it is best to keep
different (duck) age groups at the same time. Either separated in age
groups by a fence or all together.
Once the fish has been harvested the pond will be empty of fish. Now
it is unwise to add manure to it. Try to avoid this by growing small
fish before you harvest the old stock. Else the ducks should be given a
run in another place or you cover the slatted floor and start a deep litter
on it. Schedule the harvest of the fish and the duck production
carefully.
After four or five years the pond needs cleaning. The manure remaining
in the pond can be taken out and used for crops or added to compost.
Another way of using the manure is to grow crops in the dry
pond (see figure 15). Make sure to let air in the soil by cultivating,
harrowing or plough in order to improve the nutritional minerals in it.
Starting with a green manure crop. This will support the new soil
structure.
Choice of fish species and numbers of fish and ducks
The fish for stocking the pond must be at least 10 cm in length otherwise
they will be eaten by the ducks. It is difficult to give exact numbers
of fish and ducks because the numbers are dependent on many
factors. Here we only give a few guidelines. You always have to keep
a close eye on the pond and on the quality of the water. You have to try out and adjust the numbers until you have found a combination
that works well in your situation.
Different fish species can be raised together with ducks:
Carp
Different sorts of carp can be kept in combination with ducks. The
stocking density is 45 to 60 fish per 100 m2 water surface. Possible
combinations of different sorts of carps, per 100 m2 are:
When common carp are raised on their own, the density can be up
to 200 fish per 100 m2.
Tilapia
The stocking density of tilapias is 100 to 200 fish per 100 m2 .
Catfish
Catfish are not very sensitive to oxygen content in the water, they
can breath in oxygen from the air as well as from the water. Because
of this their density can be quite high and they are less sensitive
to the amount of manure. A density of 400 fish per 100 m2 is
possible.
Where fish production is integrated with ducks you can obtain yields
of 30 to 55 kg fish per 100 m² per year.
Number of ducks per pond
Where tilapias are raised (200 fish per 100 m2) a maximum of 35
ducks per 100 m2 water surface can be kept. For carp and catfish a
maximum of 70 - 75 ducks per 100 m2 can be reared.
The numbers of ducks and fish in a pond depend on many different
factors, you have to try out, watch closely and register your observations.
Change the following factors in different tests and find the best
combination:
5 Housing
When you choose to keep ducks you have to provide some kind of
shelter for them. Ducks lay their eggs during the night and in the early
morning (within three hours of sunrise). By keeping ducks inside at
night you can ensure that they lay their eggs in a confined space.
Nesting boxes are not necessary, but if you provide them the ducks
will use them. An advantage of nesting boxes is that they are easy to
clean. Eggs laid in nesting boxes will be cleaner, and eggs which look
clean are easier to sell than dirty ones.
5.1 Night shelter
Housing for small-scale duck keeping should not require too much
care and maintenance. A night shelter should be sufficient and does
not require much space per duck: 1m2 is enough for five to six ducks.
If the ducks are going to make use of the shelter during the day as
well, then they need more space. In that case 0.5 m2 is needed per
duck.
It does not matter what kind of material you use to make the shelter:
Bamboo, wood or chicken wire are all fine as long as the holes are
The shelter must be well ventilated when the ducks are inside. Fresh
air is important to prevent the ducks developing respiratory problems.
Diseases which are spread through the air can be prevented by good
ventilation.
Air circulation in the shelter makes the temperature lower . The temperature
should not be lower than 10 - 15°C for Peking ducks or 20°C
for Muscovy ducks and other ducks from tropical climates.
5.2 Separate laying area
It is very convenient to make a separate laying area within the night
shelter. Ducks prefer to lay their eggs in a dark, protected space. Nesting
boxes offer ducks a sheltered place to lay their eggs. The eggs laid
in these boxes are easier to collect.
Ducks prefer to lay at ground level so you can place the construction
on the floor. It is best to attach the construction to the back wall of the
night shelter. In this way the ducks can sit quietly, away from the rest
of the flock, when they are laying.
When building nesting boxes you need to make one box for every
three to six ducks. A simple construction is one with side walls of 30 x
35 cm.
5.3 Floor
The type of floor depends on where you place the night shelter. If you
build a night shelter above water, the floor can be made of open slats
using wood or bamboo. It is not a good idea to use chicken wire or a
metal grate as these do not give the ducks. feet enough support, and
can damage their feet. Floor slats should be 2 cm thick and 5 cm wide
in order to be strong enough. Leave about 1 cm between the slats.
These gaps will ensure that there is sufficient ventilation at night. Another
Advantage of these gaps is that spilt food and droppings will fall
straight into the water, whereas the eggs will stay in the shelter. This
Makes cleaning the shelter easy and it fertilizes the pond below.
If you cannot build the shelter over a pond then the floor does not
need to be slatted. You will have to clean out nest material and manure
more often to prevent diseases from spreading.
Deep litter system
On a closed floor the litter may sit for some time while a new lot is
spread every day. Litter prevents dirt and dampness from forming a
hard layer on the floor. Straw or rice chaff make good litter. Sawdust
can also be used for litter, but you must make sure that there is no
paint in the sawdust as this can poison the ducks. It is best in combination
with longer fibre. Any fibre will do as long as it is dry and organic.
The litter must be kept clean by replacing it regularly, especially in the
nesting boxes. Litter that is damp and mouldy not only causes sickness
in the ducks, but damages the eggs so that they rot or do not hatch.
Ducks are very sensitive to mould in litter. Use this litter in the compost
Heap
5.4 Feeding troughs
Ducks kept in a free range system do not need much equipment for
feeding. Scattering the correct amount of feed on a clean spot each
evening is sufficient. If you decide to feed the ducks when they are in
the night shelter then you need to use containers for the feed. This way the food stays clean and the ducks do not trample on it. Ducks are
very messy eaters. If you put food in containers you must make sure
you can clean the area around them easily.
A large bowl with a flat bottom or a hollowed out tree trunk as shown
in can be used for feed.
To prevent spillage you can use a feeding . The anti-waste lip prevents a large amount of the food being spilled.
You can adjust the sizes of the trays to the size of the bird.
Sometimes wild birds will eat out of the feeding troughs. To prevent
this food waste, place a low roof over the feeding trays. Wild birds
will not usually go under such a low roof.
5.5 Drinking water systems
Ducks need water day and night. By making a pond, or putting down a
bowl of water you solve the problem of access to water during the day.
It is very important that ducks always have access to clean drinking
water. Young ducks that do not get enough water will not grow well
and will become sick. Adult ducks that do not have enough water will
lay fewer eggs. A serious water shortage will kill ducks (and ducklings)
quickly.
As with the feed trays, put water in shallow bowls that do not tip over
if a duck stands on the edge.
Check the water bowls once or twice every day to make sure that there
is enough water and that it is clean. The types of
water container that prevent the water from becoming dirty quickly. It
is important that the ducks cannot immerse themselves in their drinking
water, as that makes it dirty very quickly. However, the water must
be deep enough for the ducks to be able to put their heads under water.
They need to do this to clean their eyes. If they cannot do this dirt becomes
caked around their eyes, and in extreme cases this can lead to
blindness. Ducks also use their drinking water to clean food remains
off their beaks.
5.6 The importance of water
Give ducks access to water for cleaning in the form of a pond or a
puddle of clean water, or even just a large container with water in it. If
it is not possible to keep ducks near water the whole day it is sufficient
to place a tub of water out (drained stone or slatted floor) for them in
the mornings and evenings so that they can keep themselves clean and
therefore more healthy. Avoid putting water on top of the litter without
draining what spills, as the litter must remain dry as possible.
Different sorts of ducks differ in their water requirements. Peking
ducks need water to keep their body temperature at the right level.
This is not so necessary for Muscovy ducks as these are originally
tree-dwellers. Some types of duck also need access to water to mate.
Remember that water can be a source of disease and vermin. Pools,
ponds, troughs or tubs of water all need to be kept clean and hygienic.
5.7 Daily care of ducks
When the housing is arranged well, including feeding troughs, drinking
water equipment and access to bathing water, you can then acquire
ducks. In the chapters before, choice of breeds, breeding and raising
and caring for ducklings have been treated. Also different systems
have been discussed and you must have chosen one.
Following on from this chapter you find information on health care,
feeding and the products.
The overview below provides a short summary of daily care in order
to give you an idea of things that need to be done.
Daily care of ducks
Morning
- let the ducks out of the shelter
- collect the eggs
- give fresh drinking water
- If there is no pool of water, put out fresh bathing water.
- clean the shelter and repair if necessary
- sell the eggs if you wish
Evening
- scatter fresh straw or rice chaff if litter is wet
- give ducks fresh drinking water
- feed ducks
- shut ducks up for the night
6 Health care
6.1 Preventive health care
Health care for ducks does not require much time. In contrast to
chickens, ducks are less likely to become sick and are susceptible to
fewer diseases than chickens.
In order to know whether a duck is sick you first have to know how a
healthy duck looks. The most important characteristics of
healthy and unhealthy ducks.
The most important information in this table tells you how to recognise
a healthy duck: how it should be growing, how the eyes and cloacae
(genital/anal area) look and how the skin feels. A good way of
becoming familiar with how a healthy duck looks is to regularly study
ducks for a short while. This does not mean you have to pick up each
duck every day, but just spend about 10 minutes observing the flock
wandering around, noting how the ducks look and whether they are
eating well. Make a note of what you see.
6.2 Preventive health care
Good hygiene and vaccinating ducks are the two most important aspects of preventing ducks becoming ill.
Good hygiene
The most important factor in good health care for ducks is: good hygiene.
By keeping the shelter and its surroundings clean you reduce
the chance of disease breaking out. Good hygiene practices also keep
vermin like rats, but also flies and lice, away.
It is more difficult to keep an eye on free range ducks: what they come
into contact with and exactly what they eat. Ducks can also become
sick from contact with buckets or crates which may contain traces of
diseases. It is important to know that dirty drinking water and food
can be a cause of sickness.
Important measures in good hygiene:
Keep the shelter and outside run as clean as possible.
When a whole flock is removed (all-in-all-out system) after a laying
cycle or fattening cycle, take the time to clean the shelter really well
and disinfect it. Remove all the old litter and use it for compost.
Clearing litter regularly reduces the chance of disease and sickness
in the shelter and infecting the ducks.
Keep an extra sharp eye on sick ducks. If possible keep sick ducks
separate from the healthy ducks. This prevents the disease from
spreading to other ducks or even chickens.
As soon as many ducks become sick, or the disease symptoms become
much worse, or ducks start to die you must take measures to
prevent the healthy ducks becoming sick. Dead ducks must be removed
as quickly as possible, not only because they are infectious,
but also because they will start to rot and attract flies. Flies transmit
diseases.
Vaccinations
Some diseases are so infectious or so common that it is worth vaccinating
the ducks to protect them. If duck keeping is very common in
the area where you live it is especially worthwhile vaccinating your
ducks. It is best to obtain information on the subject from a local veterinarian.
6.3 Diseases
If your ducks become sick despite preventive measures, there are a
number of things you can do. Many diseases can be treated with
medicine, which you can get from a veterinarian. If you know local
medicines, which are used to treat chickens, you can also try them on
ducks. A common preventive measure taken in India is to mix garlic
into the duck feed. You need one clove of garlic per duck per day.
Turmeric also works well. Both of these spices can affect the flavour
of the meat and eggs, so do not use too large quantities.
Below we describe the most common duck diseases. These are intended
to give you an indication of the main symptoms. If there are
serious problems, or if certain problems keep coming back, then ask
advice from a veterinarian.
Botulism
Symptoms
If there is botulism in the flock a number of ducks will become paralysed
very quickly, and then die. In the first stage the neck, head and
legs become quickly paralysed. An sign is that a sick duck will lay its
head down on the ground because it can no longer lift it up. Once general
paralysis has set in death follows in a few hours.
Cause and treatment
Botulism is caused by ducks eating food which is rotting. Botulism is
caused by bacteria which are present in rotting plant remains, animal
remains and also in stagnant water. During long periods of warm
weather the risk of botulism rises as the bacteria can reproduce themselves
more easily. Botulism is best prevented by not letting ducks
come into contact with rotting food and animal carcasses.
Once you decide a duck has botulism you can give it something which
will make it vomit the rotten food out of its stomach, you must take extreme care in doing so, protect yourself by wearing gloves.
WARNING: botulism also affects people. Those looking after ducks
which have botulism should take care not to contract the disease
themselves!
Unfortunately ducks become sick and die very quickly with botulism,
which means that this treatment often comes too late.
Dead ducks must be removed as quickly as possible and the shelter
must be cleaned. You can disinfect the shelter by adding some household
disinfectant like Dettol to the cleaning water. You can best wear
gloves and change clothing afterwards and wash yourself.
Fowl cholera (pasteurellosis)
Symptoms
Ducks of all ages are susceptible to fowl cholera. Sick ducks first become
listless and lacking in energy. They eat less, but drink more than
healthy ducks. They shake their heads a lot and their droppings are
watery and yellow/green in colour (diarrhoea). The eyes are damp and
the nostrils contain slime.
Cause and treatment
Fowl Cholera is passed between ducks through the slime in the nostrils
which is deposited on food. Healthy animals pick up the disease
from the food and become sick. You can vaccinate ducks each year
against cholera. This is a way of preventing cholera.
If the ducks contract cholera despite of the vaccination then there are
medicines which can be used to treat it. If your ducks have cholera
you must warn the veterinarian. The disease spreads very quickly and
has a high death rate (5 - 35%). Medicine is not always available, and
then other measures must be taken. The sick ducks must be slaughtered
and burned or buried.
The shelters and any outside runs must be disinfected well. If the shelter
is not properly disinfected there is a chance that the disease will
stay in the shelter and affect the healthy ducks.
X-disease (aflatoxicosis/mycotoxicosis/cirrhosis of the liver)
Symptoms
Symptoms are seen especially in young ducklings. Infected ducklings
grow slowly and feathers are badly formed. They may also have oedema
(swelling due to water retention). The feet and soles of the feet
may start to wither away. The liver becomes fatty and hard. It is easy
to see the whitish yellow fat when a dead duck is cut open. Many
ducklings die of this disease, whereas adults may show no symptoms
at all.
Cause and treatment
The disease is caused by aflatoxin, a poisonous substance sometimes
found on groundnuts (peanuts) and products made from groundnuts.
There is no medicine available to treat this disease. The only way to
prevent ducklings from getting the disease is to make sure they do not
eat groundnuts or groundnut products. Check what the ducklings eat if
you grow groundnuts yourself.
Viral hepatitis of ducks
Symptoms
Viral hepatitis is a disease, which only affects ducklings. It is a highly
contagious disease, which spreads quickly. Infected ducklings deteriorate quickly and die.
Ducklings with viral hepatitis walk unsteadily, and the beak and leg
skin turn blue. A few hours after the appearance of the first symptoms
the ducklings fall on their side and get muscle spasms. In the final
stages the legs are stretched out behind and the head lies on the back.
The death rate may be as high as 80 - 95%. Internally, the liver swells
up and internal bleeding can be seen. The kidneys may also be swollen.
Viral hepatitis can also be recognised by sudden death of three week old
ducklings.
Cause and treatment
A virus causes the disease. Ensuring good hygiene can prevent the
disease, and there is also a vaccine available. The ducklings can be
vaccinated, but the mother ducks can also be vaccinated. Mothers that
have been vaccinated transfer their immunity to the egg yolk. The
ducklings are protected for three weeks after they hatch. Once the inherited
immunity has worn off they are also no longer susceptible to
the disease, as it does not affect ducklings older than three weeks. If
you want to vaccinate mother ducks or ducklings you should contact a
veterinarian.
Coccidiosis
Symptoms
Coccidiosis is a disease which is hardly found at all in some areas,
while in other areas it causes the death of 20 - 70% of ducklings 3 - 7
weeks old. The ducklings that survive grow more slowly and have a
lower adult weight than the ducklings that were not sick.
There are usually few or no visible symptoms of coccidiosis. Symptoms
may include dehydration, weight loss and inability to stand up.
The only way to be sure of the disease is to cut open a dead duckling
and examine the inside. In the middle part of the intestine there will be
a slime layer with blood spots. With a microscope it is possible to see
banana-shaped organisms in the stomach contents.
Treatment
Once the ducklings are sick it is difficult to treat and cure them. There
are medicines which prevent coccidiosis. These can be mixed with the
feed. Ask the veterinarian for advice.
Duck virus enteritis
Symptoms
Affected bird is reluctant to walk, feathers are ruffled, watery greenish-
yellow diarrhoea, haemorrhages of internal organs.
Treatment
It is difficult to treat and cure them. Ensuring good hygiene can prevent
the disease. There is also a vaccine available.
Riemerella anatipestifer
Symptoms
At the age of 2 . 9 weeks, listlessness, ocular discharge, greenish diarrhoea,
in-coordination, tremors of head and neck, air sacs are layered
with dry caseous exudates.
Treatment
Sulfadimidin and antibiotics at beginning of outbreak, vaccination of
parent stock, prevention of scratches and wounds.
7 Feeding
Free range systems
Ducks can graze and digest local food easily: snails, water weeds,
grass, small fish, shellfish and insects. They will get enough protein
and vitamins from it. In addition they need energy. You can supplement
the ducks. food with energy-rich foods such as rice, cassava (byproducts),
sago, sweet potato, etc. You can use this extra food to encourage
the ducks to come inside in the evening.
Confined systems
Ducks kept inside (confined) cannot look for their own food, and are
therefore dependent on what you feed them. The best is feed specially
made for ducks. These are complete feeds and you do not need to add
anything to them. If you want to feed the ducks more cheaply you can
replace one third of the special feed with vegetables (leftovers),
household waste and other feeds such as sweet-potato tops, water
plants such as kangkong (Ipomea aquatica) and duck weed. You can
also make duck feed yourself , which is explained in Section 7.5.
7.1 Drinking water
Ducks need water in order to be able to absorb nutrients from food
and also to eliminate toxic substances from the body. Water is also
needed to maintain a constant body temperature, it is particularly important
when the weather is warm. Ducks pant in order to lose heat
and therefore cool themselves down when it is hot. Panting results in a
loss of carbon dioxide from the blood and leads to respiratory alkalosis.
This panting can be prevented by 0.25 . 0.5 % sodium bicarbonate
to the drinking water. Other factors, which also influence the amount
of water ducks require, include the type of feed they get, laying frequency
and the size of the duck.
An adult duck needs 2 litres of water each day.
7.2 Quantities of food
Generally speaking ducks eat as much as they need. If you notice that
your ducks are losing weight, it means they are getting too little food
or that they are sick. If you give them more feed but they do not eat
more, it may be because the feed is of bad quality. If this is the case
then the ducks will start to eat more once you improve the quality of
their feed.
If you give the ducks so much to eat every day that there is always
some left over then they are getting more than enough. In this case
you could give them less, as food which is not eaten will start to rot
quickly. If the ducks eat food which has gone bad, it may make them
sick. A useful tool is registering what you feed daily by measuring
(and writing down) the weight or the volume of the daily feed.
Ducks which continue to eat poorly even after you have taken the
above measures are probably sick.
The amount of food that a duck requires depends on the duck.s age
and on the use to which the duck is put (for eggs or meat). Obviously
an adult duck will eat more than a week-old duckling and a duck that
needs to produce eggs or meat needs more then a drake that’s kept
only for breeding. For more details see Section 7.5.Ducks that get too much to eat become fat. When you slaughter a duck it should have a fatty layer on the belly, which is not thicker than 0.5 cm.
7.3 Nutrients in feed
Energy
A duck needs energy for body maintenance, movement, growth and
for the production of eggs and meat. The energy in the diet is derived
largely from carbohydrates, some is also derived from fat or oils.
Energy rich feeds
The amount of energy contained in foodstuffs is normally expressed in
kilo-calories (kcal) per gram of food. Kilo-Joules are also used:
4.2 kJ = 1 kcal.
A duck that is not laying nor growing weighing 1.7 kg needs 400 kcal
per day. This is only enough for looking for food, breathing and digesting
food. It is called the maintenance requirement.
A duck that is growing or is laying eggs needs extra protein and energy
respectively. A layer weighing 1.7 kg needs at least 440 - 490
kcal per day. A layer which also has to look for its own food all day
will need more energy for movement than a duck that sits inside all
day. Heavier layers and ducks, which lay an egg almost every day,
need between 500 and 600 kcal per day.
Protein
Proteins consist of amino acids, the building blocks of all organs,
muscles and bones. So they are important for growth and for the body
functions like health. Young ducks need protein in order to grow, especially
in the first few weeks.
Protein rich feeds
Feeds which are good sources of protein include:
young grass, vegetables, water weed, small fish, shellfish, snails, crabs,
shrimps, insects, blood-meal, fish meal, skim milk powder, cottonseed cake
meal, lucerne meal, soya bean, sunflower cake meal.
Vitamins
Vitamins are needed (in small quantities), for various body functions.
Free range ducks will get the most important vitamins they require
from the green feed they eat such as young grass or vegetable remains.
Ducks, which are kept inside (confined) are dependent on the vitamins
in the feed they are given. In this case it is worth buying a vitamin and
mineral premix. It is generally true to say that ducks which are given a
varied diet including different sorts of feed will not run the risk of a
vitamin deficiency.
In hot climates the biosynthesis of vitamin c in not adequate to meet
normal physiological needs. Addition of 20 mg vitamin C per bird per
day will improve production and health.
Vitamins
Niacin, for example, is an important vitamin for growth and feathering. Laying
ducks, which do not get sufficient niacin, may develop leg weakness.
Niacin is found naturally in whole grains, but young ducks cannot digest these
fully.
As a cure it is possible to supplement the feed for ducklings and layers with 5
- 7% leftovers from brewing dregs from fermented millet, banana, coconut,
wheat or maize. This is good for growth and preventing leg weakness. You
can collect brewing dregs from places where drink is brewed. Dregs must be
collected regularly though as they decompose and rot very quickly. Collect
fresh dregs every other day and keep them in a clean container. For large production you can store it as a silage
Niacin (also known as vitamin B3) is also found in dairy products, fish, lean meats, nuts wholemeal bread and cereals.
Minerals
The most important minerals are calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P).
These are needed for bone formation and maintenance and for making
eggshells.
Ducklings need a Ca:P ration of between 1:1 and 2:1.
Ducks which are laying require a Ca:P ratio of 6:1 and need 4.0 g of
calcium every day in order to be able to make the eggshells.
Minerals
Foods which are a good source of calcium include:
oyster-shell grit, limestone flour, stamed bone flour and bone-meal, ground
eggshells and shells.
Foods which are a good source of phosphorus include: steamed bone flour
and bone-meal. Scatter powder or meal over the duck feed.
It is not advisable to make steamed bone powder yourself.
Steam does not disinfect the bones sufficiently, and the powder may make the
ducks sick. Burning the bones to ashes (bone-meal) is a safe alternative.
7.4 Feed composition and requirements
The composition and the quantity of food will determine whether the
ducks. requirements are fulfilled. The age of the duck and the production determine its requirements.
Feeding ducklings up to 8 weeks
Day-old ducklings can be given a mixture of coarsely milled cereals,
moistened with milk or water as their first feed. After a few days they will be ready for a mixed feed, such as the following composition:
Duckling mixture
milled cereal 30 %
fine cereal bran 30 %
ground soy bean 25 %
oil-cake meal extract 10 %
fine grit and minerals 5 %
Add enough water to make a crumbly mixture. If you add too much
water the mixture will stick to the beaks of the ducks. Only add the
water just before you give the ducks the feed. Otherwise the feed will
go sour and turn bad.
If growth is unsatisfactory add a vitamin-mineral premix to the feed to
make sure that the ducklings get enough vitamins and minerals.
Feeds which are rich in proteins are often very expensive. If feed in
the form of pellets is available for chicks then this is also suitable for
young ducks.
BEWARE: Chicken feed often contains medicines (antibiotics) which
have been specially added. Do not give these feeds to ducks, as the
antibiotics are not meant for ducks and will make them sick. It is best
to try out a new feed by giving a very little at first to see if it is suitable
for the ducks. Duck feed might also contain medicines but these
are of course suitable for ducks.
Feeding laying ducks: maintenance requirements
A maintenance diet is recommended for young ducks between 8 and
20 weeks old, and for adult ducks between laying cycles. Young ducks
needs more protein and calcium than adult ducks. If they grow too
slow give attention to the proteins in the feed.
Adults will not need more than a grain supplement, where there is
enough young grass available. Without young grass, a more balanced
feed is required so that the ducks can build up their reserves for the
next laying cycle. You can judge the amount of feed the ducks need
according to their condition. If they are too fat, give them less food. If
they are too thin, give them more energy.
Laying ducks: requirements during a laying cycle
Free range ducks will be able to find a large amount of their food requirements
outside. You can supplement the diet of free ducks with
food leftovers, which contain mostly energy. In addition, laying ducks
require extra calcium. You can provide this by returning the eggshells
in the feed. First sterilise them by boiling in water, then grind them
coarsely and mix them in some feed.
Ducks, which are kept in a confined system, can best be given layers
feed from about four weeks before they start laying. If you only feed
them with grain they will not get enough protein, calcium and vitamins.
The best feed for this period is a mixed food, which can be
home made or bought. Recipes are given below.
If you buy a specially mixed duck feed, you do not need to add anything
else. The manufacturer of the duck feed has made sure that the
feed contains everything that ducks need.
The quantity eaten will depend on the type of duck, its weight, egg
production and the availability of grass. Laying ducks usually require
between 170 and 230 grams per day. Good layers sometimes require
as much as 280 g of dry feed per day. If you notice that the ducks are
getting too heavy (i.e. too fat) it is a good idea to close the feeding
troughs at night. Ducks which are too fat lay fewer eggs and are less
fertile.
You can add water to the mixture to make it moist. Only add water at
the time of feeding, otherwise the mixture will rot. This example gives
ample feed for confined ducks. It is based on 285 g of feed per duck
per day. If you give your ducks
MARKETING PRACTICE
The major marketing and sales promotion includes:
- Radio
- Television
- Home to home /Hotel to hotel
- Exibition
- News letters
- The public training and education
STAKE HOLDERS RECOMMENDATION
v The stake holders attended the workshop recommended that act women training was short and required the increase in the training time.
v After the training women requested that duck industry would require incubator that hatcharies would be impartant to women as number of ducks rise.
v The need was raised that ducklings and during the rain would need training.The facing and wiring the young ducks during rain is dengerious so we need training.
v The stakeholders made assertion that ducks requires District and local Monitering team of women and veterinary.
v The stakeholders and policy makers advised that lake regions in kasese are to have strong training in duck rearing.
v Town clerk kasese Uganda hoped that this project is good to slum area where it requires training of women in poor slums in kasese.
v Women member of parliament Kiza winfred lamented that ducks training required enough time and extended to all parts in Kasese.
v The projection of the training was overwelmed by stakeholders,therefore the project need to be extended to the whole district as it was confined to lake regions,Towns and some rural areas.
