Ducks are easy animals to raise. They can be quickly integrated into a barnyard, as they get on particularly well with chickens or geese. To raise ducks, it’s important to know how to choose the ideal breed, depending on the reason for which you wish to acquire them.
What type of duck should you choose to raise?
There are many different breeds of duck, suitable for a variety of productions. Some breeds, for example, are better suited to a meat production project. Others can be used for egg production. The choice is even wider if you want to raise ducks as pets. In this case, you can base your choice on the appearance of their plumage. You can also take into account the animal’s character and robustness. You can ask farm animalexperts like La Ferme De Lucie about the different duck breeds to help you make your choice.
The American Peking duck is generally a very popular breed. It’s a duck with white plumage and a yellow beak bred for its meat and eggs. The female American Peking duck can lay one egg a day for up to 6 months. This duck is hardy, sociable and easy to breed. It also has the capacity to live up to 12 years. Peking ducks cannot fly. This makes for a secure living environment and makes it easy to gather them at the end of the day.
Duck breeding: what to feed them?
Ducks need a nutritious, balanced diet. You can feed your ducks cereals, found in most commercial duck feeds. To feed your ducks a balanced homemade diet, you can use corn, rice, wheat, millet or oats. Fresh, natural foods contain vitamins, which should not be missing from your ducks’ diet. This is why you can feed them vegetables and fruit: cabbage, carrots, lettuce, pineapple, grapes, apples and so on. It’s advisable to clean them well before feeding them. They should also be cut into small pieces for easier digestion.
Wild ducks may eat earthworms, slugs, snails, mealybugs or crickets. For a more protein-rich diet, you can also feed them fish. Remember, however, to remove the bones and give them small portions. Eggshells are rich in protein and calcium. To include it in your ducks’ diet, crush it and mix it with other foods. Ducks are great consumers of water. A duck drinks around 1/2 liter of water a day. They need it to swallow their food. So make sure their water is always clean and healthy.
How to set up your ducks
To install your ducks comfortably, you can build a wooden duck house 20 cm off the ground. The roof of your duck house should be sloped to facilitate water drainage during a rainy season. Unlike birds, ducks don’t need perches or nesting boxes. They prefer to live low to the ground. You can place their feeders inside or outside the duck house. The drinking trough, on the other hand, should be placed outside to avoid dampness in your animals’ living quarters.
Duck bedding should be made up of shavings, sand and straw. It must be maintained and renewed regularly. For a dozen ducks, you can dig a pond 4 m long on each side. The bottom of the pond should be made of cement and be around 50 cm deep. It’s important to clean the pond frequently to prevent the water from turning green. If you have a river nearby, you can create a small, gently sloping beach. Attach a wire fence supported by stakes about 60 to 80 cm apart.
