DUCK REARING AND

MANAGEMENT
INTRODUCTION
• Ducks are believed to be domesticated 4000 years ago in Southeast Asia
• In India , ducks are 10 % of the total poultry population and 6 to 7 % of the total
egg production is by ducks
• Indigenous ducks constitute more than 90 % of the total duck population , 0.89 %
of the total egg production
• Improved variety contributes 0.26% of the total egg production ,as per 20th
livestock census (2019)
BREEDS OF DUCK

1. Meat type breeds – Aylesbury,White pekin,Muscovy duck

2. Egg type breeds – Khaki campbell,Indian Runner
3. Ornamental breeds – Mandarin duck,Crested white,bantam
ducks
AYLESBURY
• Excellent meat quality
• Market weight reached at 8 weeks
• Lacks setting interest
• Not as nervous as White Pekins
• White feathers,white skin,light orange legs & bills
• Eggs – white
• Deluxe table birds - light bone , increased percentage
of creamy white flesh
WHITE PEKIN
• Origin – China ,introduced into US
• Excellent meat quality
• 6.25 to 7.5 lb in 8 weeks
• Nervous – so treated gently
• Fair egg producers (160 eggs / year)
• Not good setters
MUSCOVY DUCK
• Origin – South America
• Many varieties – white variety most suited for meat
• Excellent meat quality and taste ,but should be sold within 17 weeks age
• Low egg producers,but excellent setters
• Adult drakes- 10 lb,Adult ducks- 7 lb
• Good for small general farms
• Female Muscovy male mallards = mule ducks (satisfactory meat yielders)
KHAKI CAMPBELL
• Origin – England
• Amazing egg producers
• Some strains have average of 365 eggs/year
• Fawn and white runner Rouen Mallard ducks
• MALES-Brownish bronze lower backs,tail coverts,heads&necks,green bills,dark
orange legs and toes
• FEMALES-seal brown heads &necks,greenish black bills,brown legs and toes
• Other plumage-khaki in color in both male and female
• Adult male and female weighs 4.5 lb
INDIAN RUNNER
• Origin – East Indies
• But egg production capability is developed in
Europe
• Second high egg producer next to Khaki
Campbell
• Stand erect – nearly perpendicular – Penguin
like posture
• 3 varieties – white , penciled ,fawn and white
• Reddish orange feet and shanks
INDIGENOUS
BREEDS
SELECTION OF BREEDERS
• At 6 – 7 weeks age , easy to differentiate sex by sound made
• Male – belch , Female – honk
• Sex ratio – 1 drake : 8 ducks – meat breeds,
• 1 drake : 6 ducks- layer breeds
• Drakes selected as higher age to ensure readiness for mating
• Good weight , good conformation , good feathering - selected

Weight at 6 weeks Weight at 8 weeks

Drakes 5.5 lb 7.5 – 8 lb
ducks 5.5 lb 7 lb
CONT…
• Selection of progeny from ducks having good production abilities ( hatchability ,
egg production , fertility )
• Done by 1.Trapnesting
2.Family test or progeny test
3.Individual selection
• Trapnesting - every evening female is placed inside a box or cage ,and removed
morning carefully after proper recording of egg production
BREEDING FACILITIES
• One storey building
Ventilation
• Ventilation • Open windows & doors at day time – air circulation
• Overheating at summer , condensation at winter should be prevented
• prevents over heating
•
at summer and reduces condensation at winter
Rain and snow shouldn’t enter

Litter
• Straw – good ,wood shavings and peanut shells also used
• Added frequently to keep dry and mold free

Nest boxes
• Ducks make their own
• 12 “ wide ,12 “ height ,18 “ deep(30,30,45cm)– 1 nest box /3 ducks
• Placed at floor level along side the wall
Watering
• Placed outside the shed to prevent wet litter
• If placed inside , keep on wire flooring
• If feed available at night , water must be made available all night

Swimming water
• Not necessary for fertile egg production
• Either natural water ways or concrete troughs – 3 ft wide(50cm) ,8 to 12 “
(20cm)deep
• Placed at the yard opposite to the shed

Light
• One 15 Watt lamp / 200 sq.ft
• To prevent stampeding at night times
CARE OF BREEDERS
• Males – 14 hrs light daily – 4 to 5 weeks before start of egg production
• Females – 14 hrs light daily – 3 to 4 weeks before start of egg production
• Light – 40 to 60 watts
• Ducks brought to full production after 7 months of age
• If earlier – poor hatchability , small eggs
• After start within 5 to 6 weeks – 90 % laying or more
• Persits for some time , if goes below 50 % either left until 30 % and sold for meat
or force molted, production resumes after rest of 8 to 10 weeks
• Along with increase in egg production ,hatchability and fertility also increased
EGG COLLECTION
• Most eggs laid before 9 am
• Let the flock out and collect soon to prevent soiling and crackling
• Wash the soiled eggs with 110 – 115 degree F or 40 degree celcius warm water
• Simply cleaned with muslin cloth
• Cold water causes shrinkage of egg contents ,that results in drawing the dirt ,
bacteria , mold , spores inside the egg
• Egg sanitizers like 0.3 % glutaraldehyde soln. or 2500ppm sodium hypochlorite
soln. at 40 degree celcius can be used
EGG STORAGE
• Mishaped , large / small sized , cracked eggs – discarded
• Temp – 55 degree F , RH – 75 % ( physiological zero is 12 to 18 degree Celsius)
• Can be stored upto 2 weeks without reduction in hatchability
• If stored more than one week , turned daily
• Stored in such a way that air flow from cooling unit doesn’t falls on egg , which
might lead to excessive evaporation , enlargement of air cell – hatchability
reduced
• Pre incubation fumigation before storage – 20 gm KMNO4 and 40 ml formalin
(1X) for 100 cu.ft
BEFORE INCUBATION
• Eggs has to be taken out of storage area and kept in the normal temperature for
5 to 6 hrs to get warmed to room temperature ( sweating of eggs )
EGG INCUBATION
• Types
1. Natural incubation
2.Artificial incubation
NATURAL INCUBATION

• Muscovy ducks are excellent sitters

• Broody hens can also be used
• 8 to 10 eggs / hen
• Dry ,clean nest box ( made of bamboo or wood filled with bedding material)
• Water and feed should be available very close , otherwise egg chilling during the
time of searching feed or water
• Luke warm water can be sprinkled sometimes to maintain humidity or ducks are
let to swim
• Candling at 7th day can be practiced
ARTIFICIAL INCUBATION
• INCUBATORS
1.Still air incubator
-Temperature gradient across the machine
( 18 degree F )
-Airflow has to be ensured to maintain
optimum temperature
CONT…
2.Cabinet incubators / forced draft incubators
with fan or paddle to move the air inside,maintain same temperature inside
Types
• Combined setter and hatcher – hatcher trays placed where the temp. is 1 or 2 degree C
lower than setter , but cant alter the RH
• Separate hatchers – high humidity and low temp. requirements adjusted
CANDLING

• 7 to 10 days
Live – dark spot near air cell with radiating blood vessels
Dead- spot stuck to the shell membrane ,blood vessels not clear , dark ring of
blood
Infertile – clear eggs
Dead , infertile , cracked eggs , ruptured yolks removed

• 25 days ( 32 days for Muscovy duck)

Bills of ducklings with appreciable movement
BROODING MANAGEMENT
• Extensive system
-Tents of plastic sheets
-Metabolic heat only
-No artificial heat provision
INTENSIVE SYSTEM OF BROODING
• Provision of artificial heat
• Managed in concrete or wired floor
Brooding period
• Meat type – 2 to 3 weeks
• Egg type – 3 to 4 weeks
• Extended 1 or 2 weeks during winter

Ventilation
• Flow of air without chiling
• warm and dry

water
• Water – automatic waterers or waterers placed near wire floor(available all the
time)
• Water level – sufficient to drink, not to dip themselves or automatic waterers
Floor
• Litter – straw or wood shaving – 3cm to absorb moisture in droppings
• Wired floor – 4 inches above floor ( wire – ¾ inch),no dampness &manure
• Floor space – 0.5 sq ft /bird in wired floor , 1 sq ft / bird in litter (3 weeks
duckling)

Supplementary heat
• Small scale – by electric , gas ,coal or wood burning
• 250 watt bulb for 30 to 40 ducklings
• Large scale – forced hot air or hot water systems

Temperature
• 1st week – 85 to 90 degree F , succeeding weeks reduce 5 degree F
• If hovers used – brooder guards needed to maintain ducklings in comfort zone
• Hover space – 90 to 100 sq.cm / bird
Swimming water
At 5 weeks – but not compulsory
Placed at the lower most end , opposite to the shed
Disease sources from the water fowls must be taken care of

Debeaking and claw trimming

At 3 weeks-upper bill is trimmed about 1/4inches by cold cutting with scissors
or hot blade cutting with cautery
In Muscovy ducks claws are very strong , hence trimmed - can be done as early
as 10 days

Outside yards
Ducklings are allowed to the outside yards,when they are feathered enough
(2 to 4 weeks )
Extreme winter – shelter upto 5 or 8 weeks
BACK YARD SYSTEM OF HOUSING
• 10 to 15 ducks in household area
• Bamboo basket is used as the night shelter
• After collecting eggs in the morning , let out for foraging
• House hold wastes are fed
• Major feed for them is frogs , snails and fishes ( in back waters if present )
FEEDING MANAGEMNT
Free range or extensive or backyard sytem
• Ducks are voracious eaters and foragers
• Feed comprise of fallen paddy grains,small fishes,frogs,snails,insects,
earthworms,green tender leaves,grasses,aquatic weeds
• After returning to home at evening , ducks are fed with paddy grains,broken
rice,rice bran,wheat bran,thrashed fishes,kitchen or garbage wastage,table scraps
• Ducklings are fed boiled rice,broken rice and earthworms at early stage ,after 1 or
2 weeks allowed to scavenge with adult ducks
FEEDING MANAGEMENT
Intensive system
• Forms of feed – wet mash,dry mash,pellets or crumps
• Dry mash - difficulty in swallowing
• Wet mash - preffered over dry mash as they can easily scoop the feed,improves
digestion.Precautious regarding growth of fungi
• Pellet feed - palatable,no segregation of feed ingredients,easy to consume and
less wastage,increased feed conversion efficiency
• Pellet size – starter- 3mm or 1/8 inches diameter
others-4.5mm or 3/16 inches diameter
STARTER
• First 2 weeks
• Fed in baby chick hoppers
GROWER
• 2 weeks to market
• 80 to 100 g is the daily feed consumption
HOLDING DIET
• Fed to selected breeders
• Contains less enery per pound of feed , but with required nutrients
• For 100 breeders- 45 lb of feed is provided
BREEDER DIET
• Fed 1 month before the egg production
• Free choice of oyster shell to improve the egg shell quality
PECULIARITIES IN DUCK FEEDING
• Ducklings can’t tolerate sun after eating
• If cold water given to over heated ducks leads to death
• Staggers – temporary shortage of drinking water leads to acute death. So always
before feeding , water must be placed
• Niacin should be added to ducks – as they can’t convert tryptophan to niacin
• Susceptible to Aflatoxin – tolerated upto 0.03 ppm ( 0.2 ppm in chicken),so
mouldy grains should be avoided
DISEASES
1. Botulism/limber neck
• Clostridium botulinum – grows in decaying plant and animal matters – produce toxins
• Affects young and adult stock- lose control of neck muscles , drown in swimming water
• Remove dead birds and rotting vegetation

2. Necrotic enteritis
• Clostridium perfringens – common in breeding stock
• Breeder house must be free of wet litter and mud holes

3. Brooder pneumonia
• Fungus in litter causes this disease in ducklings
• Brooder house must be dry
4.Duck viral enteritis(duck plague)
• Herpes virus – watery greenish yellow diarrhoea,nasal discharge,swollen protruding penis
in male and production drop in female,frequently ends in death.
• PM lesion- generalized hemorrhage in body organs
• Strict sanitation,reduced access to swimming water to reduce contact with water fowls
• Vaccination of female breeding stock

5.New duck disease (Infectious serositis)

• Moraxella anatipestifer- most serious disease affecting ducklings
• Symptoms resemble that of CRD in chicken,sneezing and loss of balance
• Death is due to water starvation than the primary infection
• Sulfa drugs are effective
6.Aflatoxicosis
• Ingestion of toxin produced by Aspergillus flavus from infected feed ingredients
• Hot and humid conditions favour the toxin production
• All ages susceptible
• Lameness , purple discoloration of feet and legs ,falling of feathers,ataxia followed by
convulsion and death- 95 to 98% mortality within 48 hrs
7.Fowl cholera/pasteurellosis
• Caused by Pasteurella multocida
• High mortality in adult and young birds
• Diarhhoea with mucoid droppings, light greenish diarhhoea,mucus discharge from mouth
• Transmitted by flies , rodents and wild birds
• Strict sanitation,disposal of dead birds,vaccination(8th week , 16th week and 6 months once)
VACCINATION SCHEDULE
REFERENCE
1. Poultry science – M E Ensminger
2. Poultry production and management – Surinder K Gupta and
Suraj A Amrutkar
3. Duck production and management strategies – A Jalaludeen,
R Richard Churchill , Elisabeth Baeza
4. Simply poultry science – Proff. R. Asha Rajni
THANK YOU