How to feed a baby wood duck

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  Features of wild ducks

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  How to keep

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  Feeding wild birds

  310 .900

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  Birds love to swim

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  Additional recommendations

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  Video “Wild Bird Drilling”

Features of wild ducks

Wild ducks do not need special conditions of detention. They do not need to be fed any specific food. There is no need for additional heating of the house, there is no need to arrange special cages. In addition, you do not need to purchase an incubator. This makes raising birds easy even for beginners. nine0006

As shown by numerous videos, wild ducks can live both in winter and in summer in a simple brick shed. For full-fledged breeding, you will need to design a special corral, enclosing it with a net. Ducks are able to easily endure low temperatures, coping well with adverse conditions.

The summer period can be called the bathing season. Ducks at this time try to spend as much time as possible in the water, to swim.

Birds require the same amount of water in both winter and summer. Poultry farmers will need to ensure that the drinker is constantly filled. In addition, the water must be fresh. In the summer, greens and small fish should be added to the duck's diet. nine0006

Keeping wild birds in bad or hot weather may require the construction of a special shelter. Under it, ducks can hide from the sun or rain.

With the onset of warm weather, females begin to build nests and incubate eggs. Little ducklings hatch into the light. Wild birds are considered magnificent mothers. They are excellent at incubating eggs.

The drake also takes an active part in the upbringing of ducklings. He is next to the offspring, guarding him. You should know that on the 70th day the drake begins to molt. Therefore, it must be sent to the slaughter earlier. Otherwise, it will be difficult to pluck it. nine0006

The video will show what wild ducklings look like when they live at home.

How to properly care for

Experts in numerous videos say that ducklings need warmth. Breeding chicks at home, it is required to equip the house with special equipment.

You can use some tricks:

1. You can construct a wooden box by placing it on the racks.
2. The inside must be lined with foam. nine0019
3. Place a container filled with hot water in the drawer. Volume - 10 liters. From above, the box should be covered with a blanket or pillow to provide thermal insulation.
4. Cut a hole in the side wall through which the ducklings can get to the heating pad.

This design is able to retain heat for 8 hours. In the first 7 days of the life of young chicks, a high temperature (28-30 degrees) should be maintained on the floor. After two weeks, the level must be reduced to 22 degrees. In three - to 16.

As numerous videos show, the easiest time to take care of baby ducklings is during the spring months. For a duck, it is enough to enclose a space in the yard. The main thing is to make sure that the chicks are protected from drafts.

Important! The room with young birds should be constantly lit. This will help the birds get used to the new conditions and environment. Subsequently, it will be possible to reduce daylight hours.

Wild ducklings are not indifferent to water. Numerous videos serve as excellent proof of this. However, experts do not recommend letting them into water bodies until they are 20 days old. If the chicks start swimming in cold water, they can catch a cold. Therefore, it is enough to put a container of water in the duckling. nine0006

Feeding wild birds

Ducklings should be fed once every two hours until they are 5 days old. Boiled and chopped eggs mixed with millet or barley grain should be added to the diet. It is also recommended to include greens (nettle, dandelion, clover) in the diet without fail.

As shown by numerous videos, birds love to eat mash, which is based on fermented milk products. Fish oil can be included in such food.

An approximate ration for a duck should be as follows:

1. Grain in ground form (20%).
2. Wheat bran (10%).
3. Various legumes (10%).
4. Cake (7%).
5. Half of the diet should consist of greens.
6. The rest of the diet falls on chalk, salt, shells.

As soon as the duckling is one month old, it is recommended to feed it three times a day. Experts in numerous videos recommend including potato or carrot tops, food waste in the diet. A real delicacy is duckweed and other vegetation growing in open water. nine0006

What should birds not eat?

Do not add sour food to the diet of ducklings. This is bad for their digestion. Experts in numerous videos claim that it is not recommended to feed waterfowl with bread. The greatest danger is the black edge, which can cause fermentation processes in the gastrointestinal tract of the duckling.

Birds love to swim

Raising a wild duck at home means that it must be released into the water. It is recommended to do this after the age of the chick exceeds the three-week mark. At first, they should swim no more than 3 hours a day. As soon as four weeks old, you can allow ducklings to swim at least a day and a half. nine0006

It is necessary to teach the duckling to return home from the pond on its own. To do this, you need to feed him regularly in the evening. The young will understand that food awaits at a certain time. The task can be simplified if an adult bird swims with ducklings.

Additional recommendations

Quite often, wild ducks are bred for meat. In this case, it is important not only to send them to the slaughter in time, but also to know how to pluck. There are many methods. However, you need to know some nuances. nine0006

Birds can be plucked hot. However, there is a high probability of discoloration of the meat. Therefore, after this method, it is better to cook the bird immediately, and not store it. If you plan to keep the meat in the refrigerator for a while, you can pluck the duck using the dry method.

If you decide to use the hot method, do not rush to remove the feathers immediately. Otherwise, you may damage your skin and burn your hands. Allow the bird to cool before plucking.

Video "Breeding wild birds"

The video will demonstrate what conditions it is possible to keep wild ducks.

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types of feed, diet and norms

For normal development and rapid weight gain, ducklings need to receive high-calorie balanced feed from the first days of life that meets the needs of age and direction. Health, survival, livestock productivity and, accordingly, the profitability of the economy primarily depend on the proper nutrition of birds. Thanks to a well-designed diet and feeding regimen for ducks, it is possible to improve the quality of the final product and reduce veterinary costs, both at a large poultry farm and at home. nine0006

• What foods are good for ducks?
• Benefits of feeding ducks with specialized feed
• Features of the spring-summer diet
• Nuances of feeding in winter
• Prohibited products
• Norms and diet of ducks of various ages
• Benefits of compound feed for ducks produced by MEGAMIX Group of Companies

What foods are good for ducks?

Cereals are the main component of feed mixtures. They contain a lot of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and fiber necessary for good growth and muscle gain.	Corn. It is rich in protein (almost 10%), easily digestible product. It contains about 2-3% fiber, which improves digestion. Most carotene, necessary for the synthesis of vitamin A, is found in yellow varieties of corn. The volume of this culture in the diet of ducks can be up to 50% of the total amount of feed. nine0019 Wheat. It contains about 14% of proteins, as well as vitamins of groups B and E. The content of wheat in the total amount of feed can reach up to 1/3. Ducks are usually fed fodder wheat or wholemeal flour. Fine grinding for the preparation of mixtures is not suitable, as it can clog the respiratory tract of the bird. Oats. Nutritious grain that is included in the diet of meat ducks so that they gain weight faster. The protein content in oats is about 15%. However, before adding to the feed, the cereal must be cleaned from the shell. nine0019 Barley. An economical analogue of oats, practically not inferior to it in nutritional value. In the diet of ducks, it can be approximately 30% of the total mass of the grain mixture. Like oats, barley has a rough skin that is difficult to digest. In feed, it is used in powdered form.
Legumes are a high-calorie source of protein	Soybeans and soybean meal are rich in proteins and trace elements. They are especially important for feeding meat ducks, as they are quickly digested and well absorbed. nine0019 Peas. Contains about 20% protein. It can partially replace soy, although its nutritional value is somewhat lower. Due to the specific taste, peas are added to the feed in an amount of no more than 10%.
Juicy feed enriches the diet of ducks with vitamins, stimulates appetite	Fresh herbs. Stems and leaves of peas, alfalfa, young nettle clover can be added to feed mixtures. Greens are given in crushed form, adding to wet mixers. The share of fresh grass in the diet of ducks should be up to 20%. nine0019 Seaweed is one of ducks' favorite ingredients. Birds with appetite eat elodea, ryama, pondweed, duckweed, etc. and well assimilate vitamins and microelements contained in plants. From the 2nd week of life, ducklings can be given no more than 15 algae per day. Adults at the fattening stage require about 50 g per day. Vegetables and root crops. Rich in amino acids and vitamins. Ducks benefit from chopped cabbage, carrots, sugar beets, boiled potatoes, and gourds. nine0019
Animal products are necessary for the normal development of the bird's body, rapid weight gain or increase in egg production.	Dairy products and whey. They contain a large amount of easily digestible proteins. Fat-free cottage cheese is recommended to be given to ducklings from the first days of life. However, fresh milk should not be added to the feed, as it can provoke indigestion. nine0019 Meat and bone meal. Important source of essential amino acids. The protein content in it can reach up to 30-50%. The product is recommended to be added to the feed for ducklings, starting from 5 days of age in an amount up to 5% of the total volume. In the diet of adult birds, its share increases to 10%. Fishmeal. Rich in protein, vitamin B, phosphorus and calcium. Permissible share in feed 7%. At the final stage of fattening, the product is excluded from the diet so that duck meat does not acquire a specific smell and taste. nine0019
Minerals are important for good food digestion and egg formation.	Eggshell, shell, chalk. They contain natural calcium and other trace elements necessary for the formation of the skeleton and hard eggshells. They are added to the mixer in a crushed form in small quantities. Gravel, coarse sand. Birds need it to stimulate digestion. Getting together with the feed into the stomach of the bird, they grind solid grain components. The recommended rate does not exceed 10 g per week. nine0019

Benefits of feeding ducks specialty feeds

High-quality ready mixes are biologically safe and balanced. They are made from natural components of plant and animal origin, which has passed multiple tests. They use the most digestible grains as the main ingredients. Starter mixtures can be additionally enriched with pure amino acids obtained in the laboratory. nine0006

Ready mixed feeds and meet the age needs of birds. In the production process, they undergo short-term heat treatment, which destroys harmful microorganisms, but does not have time to destroy useful substances. The use of purchased compound feed simplifies the care of ducks and frees the poultry house from additional work on the preparation of mash.

Features of the spring-summer diet

During this period, the chicks are actively growing and gaining weight. If the breeder specializes in meat breeds, then feeding is limited only to the spring-summer season. In large farms, where birds do not have the opportunity to walk, ducks are given compound feed 4 times a day. For home breeding, summer is also the best period. On small farms or in subsidiary farms, wet mashes are usually alternated with a mixture of cereals and fresh herbs, and concentrated mixtures are used instead of complete feed to enrich the diet. nine0006

In duck breeding, the cultivation of birds in water bodies is used, however, such conditions are not suitable for all breeds. The advantages of the method are that ducks independently extract all the necessary nutrients. However, to gain weight, they need to additionally give high-calorie feed. Because of this, the fattening time can increase up to 4-6 months. instead of 2.5. However, as a result, the breeder receives lean, juicy meat with excellent taste.

Nuances of feeding in winter

In egg breeds, the diet during the cold season changes significantly. The amount of succulent fodder and greens is reduced. Instead, the proportion of meat and bone and fish meal, dried hay, and boiled vegetables is increasing. Ducks need to be fed only twice a day: in the morning and in the evening. The main volume is made up of grain mixtures, wet mixers. To compensate for the deficiency of proteins, vitamins and calcium, special premixes or protein-vitamin-mineral complexes are used.

In winter, it is important to ensure that egg breed ducks receive enough calories, but do not gain excess weight, since obesity leads to a decrease in productivity. nine0006

Prohibited products

Despite the fact that ducks are almost omnivores, some foods can harm them. It is not recommended to give the bird:

1. Moldy feed. Mycotoxin poisoning can lead to serious consequences.
2. Fine flour. It can clog the nose and swell in the stomach, causing a false feeling of fullness. As a result, ducks receive less nutrients, eat less feed, and gain weight worse. nine0019
3. Bread. Such food causes dysbacteriosis and upset of the gastrointestinal tract in the bird's body. Only crackers in small quantities are allowed.
4. Fresh milk. In the stomach, it is not absorbed, but folds, causing indigestion.
5. Herbs poisonous for ducks: celandine, cocklebur, henbane, poisonous milestones, maple leaves, etc. When chopping fresh herbs, you need to carefully check all the plants.
6. Fresh nettle. Untreated stems and leaves can burn the walls of the stomach and lead to irritation of the gastrointestinal tract. nine0019
7. Cucurbitaceae, in particular cucumber and marrow. Their excessive use provokes the excretion of calcium.
8. Vegetable and fruit peelings. They are too dense and hard to digest.

Norms and diet for ducks of different ages

Calorie and nutrient requirements change in chicks as they grow. When choosing feed for ducks, you should pay attention to its labeling and composition.

In the period up to 4 weeks, the digestive system of the chicks is still not sufficiently formed, easily digestible proteins predominate in the feed. Enzymes are added to the feed mixture to improve digestion. The diet of ducklings is enriched with organic acids, vitamins, macro- and microelements, which are responsible for the formation of a strong skeleton and the normal development of internal organs. Since the immunity of chicks is weaker than that of adult ducks, coccidiostatics are added to the starting compositions. These substances destroy pathogens and prevent the massive spread of coccidiosis among young animals. nine0006

In the finishing phase (4-8 weeks), ducks require less protein. The protein content in the feed is reduced, but the amount of carbohydrates and fiber is increased so that the bird gains weight faster. Laying ducks require specialized feed. It contains antioxidants that increase the productive period of birds and improve the palatability of eggs.

The feeding schedule is developed taking into account the age of the bird, the season, the size of the livestock and the characteristics of a particular breed. Violation of the recommended regimen can provoke gastrointestinal diseases and blockage of the goiter. In the starter phase, food is given frequently, but in small portions. As the ducks grow older, the dosage increases. By the finish stage, the number of feedings is gradually reduced to 2 times a day. nine0006

Feeding large portions increases the average daily weight gain of birds. It usually takes 2.5 months to raise ducks for meat. Birds are kept in separate pens or cages and restricted in movement so that they gain mass faster without wasting calories on movement. They are fed high-calorie mixtures containing a large amount of cereals and starch. Wet mixers are filled with whey. 2 weeks before slaughter, fish products are excluded from the diet.

During the period of active laying, ducks need to provide a varied diet with a high content of vitamins. In winter and early spring, it is useful for laying hens to give sprouted grains of oats, wheat and barley in the amount of 10–15 g. Every day, the bird needs to drink about 1 liter of water, so it is not recommended to feed it with wet mash. The diet of egg breeds should include yeast rich in B vitamins. nine0006

The MEGAMIX company produces all types of complete mixtures for ducks of various ages.

PK-21 Starter feed for ducklings from 0 to 4 weeks

PK-22 Finishing composition for young animals 4-8 weeks, accelerating weight gain

Benefits of compound feed for ducks produced by MEGAMIX Group of Companies

You can order all types of feed mixtures for ducks and geese from us. The company has created all conditions for the production of high-quality feed: nine0006

• our products meet the age and species requirements of the bird;
• all components are mixed with high precision and carefully processed on modern equipment;
• incoming raw materials and final product are tested for safety in a world-class laboratory;
• finished feeds are stored in ventilated warehouses and are not affected by mycotoxins;
• wet mixes are packaged in special packaging that maintains the required moisture level throughout the entire shelf life.

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