Duck Farming : Important aspects and complete management

Posted By: adminon: September, 2022In: Industry Updates, Poultry Farming

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Article by:

Dr. Deepikesh Joshi & Anupam Kumar Azad

PhD Scholar (LPM), Dept. of Livestock Production Management

College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, GBPUAT

Pantnagar, Uttarakhand- 263145

Introduction

Duck farming occupies an important position in India. As per livestock census 2019, the duck
population of India is 27.43 million constituting 8.52 percent of the total poultry population and
contributes about 7-8% of the total egg produced in the country. Ducks lay more eggs (about 300)
per bird per year than chicken and the weight is also greater than hen egg by about 18-20 g. Duck
has higher red muscle fibre in the breast compared to chicken and is considered as red meat.
Ducks have a profitable life from commercial point of view as they lay economically in about
second year, so this reduces the cost of production. Ducks supplement their feed by eating fallen
grains, snail, earthworms, insects, and small fishes. Ducks are hardy, easily brooded, and resistant
to common avian diseases. It is more economical to raise ducks either for egg or meat purpose.
Among the egg laying breeds Khaki Campbell and Indian runner are the best in India. Khaki
Campbell hens can produce an egg a day which is white in colour and more than 300 eggs per

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year. White Pekin is the most popular duck for meat purpose. It is fast growing and has low feed
consumption with fine quality meat. Duck’s feed conversion ratio is 1:2.3 to 2.7. Drake (male)
weighs about 4 kg and duck weighs about 3.5 kg at maturity. Other meat type ducks are
Aylesbury, Muscovy, Rouen, Cayuga, Buff and Swedish breeds. Ducks breeds like Crested White,
Carolina, Grey calls, White Calls, and Black East Indies are also used for Ornamental purpose.

Advantages of Duck rearing

 Ducks have longer egg-production life.

 Their eggs are heavier and fetch a better price.
 Their meat is also a delicacy and relished by the people.
 They kill snails, slugs and other crop pests.
 They are good foragers and are able to meet part of their feed requirements from the wild.
 Ducks have longer, economical laying period than chicken.
 They are hardy and more resistant to many avian diseases.
Common duck breeds: –

Egg type :

1. Khaki Campbell 2. Nageswari, 3. Indian Runner, 4. Chara Chemballi

Meat type :

1. Pekin, 2. Muscovy, 3. Ruel Kagua

(C) Housing of ducks: –

Ducks do not require elaborate houses. The house should be well ventilated, dry, and rodent-
proof. Any type of brooder house may be used for brooding ducklings. The temperature under the

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brooder should be 30-35 °C for the first week and it should be reduced by 30 °C every 4-7 days till
it reaches 24 °C during the fourth week. Duckling may be brooded in wire floor, litter or batteries.
A continuous water channel is constructed inside the house. Duckling may be reared in intensive,
semi-intensive, or range system. In range system, a flock of 1000 can be reared in one acre.
According to season and weather conditions, artificial weather is necessary

Adult stock: –

Under intensive system, a floor apace of 4 to 5 sq. ft. is essential, where as in semi-intensive
system, a floor space of 3 sq. ft. in shelter and 12-17 sq. ft. in outfield is sufficient. A feeding space
of 6-7 cm. is sufficient.

Laying bird: –

For laying bird 30x30x45 cm. size box is sufficient for three birds. For layer light of 16 hours is
sufficient. In layer mating ratio of 1:6 to 7 and for meat breeds a ratio of 1: 4 to 5 is sufficient

 Feeding of ducks: –
Baby ducklings should eat waterfowl starter crumbles, a blend specially formulated for their
growth and development. Chick starter can be used as a substitute, with cautions. If a chick
starter is used, we must provide a niacin supplement in the feed or water. Under intensive system,
dry mash pellets or crumbs should be provided in water source. Ducks have no teeth – they need
grit in the form of small rocks to grind their food.

 Breeding of ducks: –
Water is a must for breeding purpose. Usually, ducks don’t mate without water. One male duck is
sufficient for breeding 10 female ducks. Usually, high quality and productive duck breeds start

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laying eggs at their five months of age. Each egg weights about 50 to 60 grams. Usually, duck
eggs takes about 28 days to hatch.

Gender Determination: – It is not so difficult to determine the gender of newly born duckling.
Raise up the tail of the duckling and press on its vent. If you notice there is a penis like thorn, then
it will be male. And if not then it will definitely be a female duck. The easiest way to determine
male ducks is that the tail feathers of male ducks are curled up.

 Brooding Management of ducks: –

Incubation: –

Incubation period in duck is 28 days longer than chicken.

Brooding (0-4 Weeks): –

The brooding period (0-4 weeks) is very critical for duckling and highest mortality may be
observed, if proper care is not taken. 1 sq. meter area for 100 ducklings or 100 sq. cms. per
ducklings is sufficient for brooding. A temperature of 29 to 32 °C is maintained during the first
week. It is reduced by about 30 °C per week till it reaches 24 °C at the end of fourth week. If
temperature is higher than the recommended level, air circulation should be increased. In case of
winter, a 60 watt bulb at 1-1.5 meter height from the ground level is enough to maintain the
required temperature. Feed may be sprinkled or provided in the trays for encouraging the new
born ducklings to pick up feed. From day two onwards, ad libitum feed is provided in trough type
of feeders. As the duckling grows bigger, suitable feeders are used. Water in the drinkers should
be offered frequently, 5 to 7.5 cm (2 to 3”) deep is sufficient to drink and not dip themselves. Try
to keep ducklings dry.

Feeding (5-16 Weeks): –

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Supplementary feeding is essential for better results. Birds allowed to field should also be
supplemented with concentrate feed at least half dose of recommended feed. The concentrate
feed may be purchased or formulated with local feed ingredients. The feed should contain 16%
protein for layer bird and 20% protein for broiler finisher bird. Starter ration (0-8weeks) & grower
ration should contain 22-24 & 20% protein respectively.

Feed ingredients for 10 kg feeds (Adult bird): –

Maize-4 kg, Rice Polish-3kg, Mustard Cake- 1kg, Min mix- 350g, Salt- 250g, Vita. mix-250,
Antibiotics-75g, Coccidiostate-75g. All ingredients should be free from alfatoxins. Feed birds in the
morning and late afternoon.

HATCHING OF EGGS:

Hatching of eggs refers to the production of baby chicks from fertile eggs. Ducks usually begin
laying at about 6–7 months of age and should be laying at a rate of about 90% within 5 weeks of
the onset of laying.

Selecting egg for incubation: Some eggs have little or no chance of hatching. Because of this,
and to conserve incubator space, set only those eggs that are likely to produce ducklings. Do not
select eggs that are obviously underweight, cracked or heavily mottled, or those that have poor
shell texture.

Egg Storage: Eggs will probably need to be stored until there are enough to incubate. Most
breeders prefer to have only one hatching day per week. The longer the eggs are kept, the less
chance they have of hatching. The chance of hatching decreases greatly after 7 days.

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Temperature: Set the incubator to run at 37.5°C. Maintain this temperature throughout
incubation but reduce it by 0.2°C in the hatchers.

Humidity: – Set eggs at a relative humidity of 70% (a wet bulb reading of 33°C and a dry bulb
reading of 37.5°C). Humidity may be allowed to fall to 65% but should be increased to 70% when
hatching (chipping) begins.

Turning: -Eggs should be turned through an angle of 90°. Do not turn the egg after 25th day.

Candling: – Eggs are candled by shining an electric light through them so that their contents can
be clearly seen, and embryonic development determined. Eggs may be tested for fertility on day
7.

 Disease management: –
Some of the common ailments among ducklings are coryza and the respiratory distress due to
exposure to chill weather during heavy mist, besides duck plaque which causes high morbidity and
mortality. During summer season, swelling of joints, gasping for breath, etc. are noticed. To treat
the above diseases, the farmers use a decoction made of Poduthalai leaves (Lippianodiflora), roots
of paragrass, Omum and Vasambu (Sweet flag; Acoruscalamus L). These materials are ground
well, mixed in water and boiled. Vasambu, the underground stem of the aromatic marsh herb, is a
medicine described in Ayurveda as having beneficial effect on the body as a stimulant tonic and
antispasmodic. This keeps the living being always alert and active, provides resistance to diseases
and gives more stamina. Other common ailments are Duck plague, Aspergillosis, Ornithosis and
Duck cholera.

 Ducks for biological control of pests: –

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When ducklings/ducks are used in between the paddy plants in the rice field, they feed upon the
larvae and insects of all the pests of rice like brown hopper, case worm, etc. This kind of control
maintains the ecosystem intact without any chemical or pesticide pollution. The duck could be
used as a scavenging bird utilizing large amounts of insects, thus having a two-fold benefit of
improving feed utilization efficiency and reducing insect problems in the field.

https://livestockmiddleeast.com/duck-farming-important-aspects-and-complete-management/

Duck Housing and Management

The Small Home Flock
In areas where poultry raising is allowed and space is available, a small flock of ducks can be kept
in the yard of a household at a low cost. Except for a brooder, which is needed for the first week or
so, the main facilities and equipment needed to get started are a simple structure, such as a
partially-enclosed shed, inexpensive fencing, a feed hopper or trough made of wood and a simply
constructed watering device. The shelter should be located on a high, well-drained area of the
yard. Whenever available, sandy soil is preferable for the duck yard because it drains quickly after
a rain. The earth floor of the sheltered area should be bedded with straw, shavings or similarly dry
absorbent material. Low fencing (about 61cm) is satisfactory for Pekins, since they do not fly, but

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not for Muscovies, which are adept to becoming airborne. If predators are a problem at night, the
open areas of the shed and pen may have to be covered with inexpensive netting or wire mesh.

Raising Ducks on Open Ponds

Ducks may be kept successfully on open ponds, provided a nearby dry sheltered area is available.
Ducks kept on ponds may obtain part of their food from plant and animal life in and around the
pond, but supplemental feeding will probably be necessary. In tropical areas it is common to
combine duck raising on ponds with fish farming. Ponds are stocked with fish such as Tilapia which
are raised for human food. Manure from the ducks provide nutrients for growth of animal and plant
life which the fish consume. The number of ducks kept on ponds must be limited to prevent an
over-supply of nutrients and overgrowth of plant life which will cause depletion of oxygen in the
water and kill the fish. Usually both the ducks and fish are given supplemental feed, which on
commercial duck/fish farms is often a nutritionally complete pelleted ration.

Herding Duck Management

In Indonesia, herded flocks under the care of a single herdsman usually range in size from 90 to
130. During the day, a flock of ducks, usually mature females, is allowed to search for food in
harvested rice fields and other areas where food is plentiful. At night, the flock is returned to a
confinement, usually a bamboo pen, where eggs are laid during the night. Eggs are collected and
sold, or used for food by the herdsman's family. The major part of the diet of herded ducks
consists of whole grains and snails, plus small amounts of insects, leaf material, crabs and frogs. It
is the job of the herdsman to move the flock, as often as necessary, to areas where food is
plentiful. Portable fencing and other equipment is moved with the flock to each new location. A
grassy area with some protection, such as provided by trees, is selected as a base camp where
the fencing is set up. Supplemental feed is given to herded ducks only when the food supply in the
fields is inadequate. See also Ducks for Herding.

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Commercial Duck Production
A thorough discussion of modern commercial duck production is beyond the scope of this web
page. More in depth sources of information can be found in Publications. Commercial duck housing
is usually one of two types: total confinement and semi-confinement. Modern commercial total-
confinement duck housing usually has clear-span-truss framing, and is well insulated and
mechanically ventilated. Age groups are kept isolated, either in separate buildings or in separate
rooms with solid partitions between them. Floor design is usually one of two types: all wire mesh;
or a combination of litter and wire mesh with waterers located on the wire.

Ventilation systems are usually the negative pressure type with adjustable, or automatically
controlled air inlets and exhaust fans located along the side walls. Because waterfowl drink and
excrete more water than land fowl, extra demand is placed on the ventilation and heating system
to remove the extra moisture and maintain proper temperatures. The advice of an agricultural
engineer, who is familiar with duck housing, is very helpful when designing buildings. When
properly designed and managed, modern duck housing provides ducks a high degree of protection
from the detrimental effects of extremes in weather and entry of duck diseases.

The ability to exclude wild birds from buildings is alone a large factor in preventing the
introduction and spread of diseases. In addition to allowing year-round production and marketing
at an earlier age, benefits include improved feed conversion and more predictable, and usually
better weight gain. Semi-confinement duck housing is similar to the above in many respects with
the exception that ducks over 2-3 weeks of age are allowed outdoors during the day. Ducks over 4
weeks of age may spend much of their time outdoors with minimal use of shelter.

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Brooding
Much of the information on brooding chicks, available in poultry textbooks and other sources
(see Publications), can be applied to ducklings. If ducklings are hatched artificially, rather than by
a broody duck, the caretaker must provide the newly hatched ducklings with a warm dry brooding
area free of drafts, with a source of heat, such as radiant or hover-type gas brooders, and feed and
drinking water located near the heat source so that the ducklings learn to drink and eat soon after
they are placed in the brooder. If ducklings haven't learn to drink within a few hours, it may be
necessary to dip their bills in the drinking water in order to coax them to start drinking. In the case
of earth or cement floors, the brooding area should be bedded with clean dry litter such as wood
shavings or chopped straw.

If drafts are a problem, newspapers may be put down on wire floors for the first few days. Use
brooder guards to keep the ducklings confined to the area where the heat, water and feed are
located. The brooder guards should allow enough room so that the ducklings can move away from
the heat if it gets too warm. See Table 1 for recommended temperatures, which are gradually
lowered as the duckling grows. In addition, ducklings should be allowed access to more of the floor
area of the pen as they grow older. When outside temperatures are above 70°F (21.1°C),
ducklings can be allowed outdoors part of the day after about 14 days of age.

Optimum Temperatures for Ducks

At the time of hatching, ducklings require a high temperature of about 86°F (30°C). They are not
yet able to regulate their body temperature and must have supplemental heat such as that
provided by a brooder. As they grow older they become better able to produce and conserve heat,
and regulate their body temperature. After a duckling is fully covered with feathers and down,
they are able to maintain proper body temperature even when the outside temperature is low. The
recommended temperatures for ducks at different ages are given in Table 1.

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Table 1: Optimum Temperatures for Ducks

Age in Days ºF ºC

1 86 30

7 81 27

14 73 23

21 66 19

28 59 15

35 55 13

42 55 13

49 55 13

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Developing breeders 55 13

Laying breeders 55 13

Floor Space
Overcrowding ducks can be extremely detrimental to their health, growth or egg production.
Providing adequate floor space at each stage of development is basic to successful duck raising.
While under crowding is not usually a problem, it is better to stock ducks at near the
recommended density (see Table 2 below) in cold weather so that body heat will help warm the
room in which the ducks are confined.

Table 2: Floor Space Allowances for Ducks

Age in Days Space/Duck (sq cm) Space/Duck (sq ft)

1 289 0.31

2 576 0.62

3 1024 1.10

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4 1369 1.47

5 1764 1.90

6 2116 2.28

7 2304 2.48

Developing breeders 2500 2.69

Laying breeders 2809 3.02

Flooring for Ducks

Duck keepers should avoid flooring that will injure the skin covering the feet and hock joints of
ducks. The smooth skin of ducks is not as tough (not as cornified) as that of land fowl, and is more
susceptible to injury when ducks are confined on surfaces that are too rough, or abrasive. Slats,
wire floors or cage bottoms may cause injury to the feet and legs of ducks, unless these surfaces
are smooth, non-abrasive, and free of sharp edges. Stones, mixed with the soil covering the duck
yards can also cause injury.

The detrimental effect of flooring on ducks increases with the age and size of the duck, and the
longer ducks are confined to the flooring. The likelihood of injury is greatly reduced if wire

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occupies no more one-fourth to one-third of the floor area. Properly constructed wire floors are
usually a better choice than slats, which can cause leg deformities as well as injury to skin. If wire
floors are used, floors for ducklings under 3 weeks should be constructed of 1.9 cm (3/4 inch)
mesh, 12-gauge welded wire, attached to a frame designed to keep the wire flat, and minimize
manure accumulation. For ducks over 3 weeks, 2.5 cm (1 inch) mesh is best. Vinyl coated wire is
preferable, but smooth galvanized wire is satisfactory.

Management of Litter and Yards

Ducks drink and excrete more water than chickens or turkeys. Their droppings contain over 90%
moisture. It is therefore necessary to take extra measures to maintain litter floors inside sheltered
areas in a dry condition. This will require regular addition of fresh bedding, on top of the bedding
that has become soiled or wet, and when necessary, cleaning out the old litter and replacing it
with fresh litter. Under semi-confinement growing, in which case ducklings spend most of their
time outdoors during the day (after the first 3 weeks), waterers should be located outside, as far
away from the house as possible. This will reducing tracking water to the litter. During periods
when temperatures drop below freezing, water must be provided indoors. Duck yards should be
maintained in a clean condition by removing the upper few inches of soil and replacing it with
clean soil (preferably sand) whenever necessary.

Feeders and Feeding Space

Most feeders used for other poultry, are satisfactory for ducks, provided sufficient room is allowed
for the larger bill of ducks and their "shoveling" eating motion. If ducks are hand fed, simple
trough feeders work fine. If feed hoppers are used, they should be constructed so that feed will
slide down freely into the bottom of the hopper as feed is consumed. Providing an apron in front of
the feeding area, for catching feed that is dropped or billed out, will reduce feed wastage.

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During their early stages of growth, ducklings eat frequently, much like chickens. As they grow
older they are able to store increasing amounts of feed in their esophagus at each feeding, and
thus need to eat less frequently. By about four weeks of age, Pekin ducks can easily consume 100
grams or more of pellets at a single feeding. It is important to provide about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of
feeder space per duck for about the first 3 weeks. Afterwards this can be gradually reduced to
about half this amount so long as there is no crowding at the feed hoppers. Developing breeders
that are being fed an allotted amount of feed each day should be allowed plenty of feeding space
so that all birds can eat at once, which requires about 4 inches (10 cm) of linear space per duck.

Waterers for Ducks

Waterers designed for chickens and turkeys are usually satisfactory for ducks, as long as the size
of the duck's bill is considered. Trough, can or jar-type waterers can be used so long as the
drinking area is wide enough (at least 4 cm) for the duck to submerge its bill. The same
requirement applies to automatic trough, cup or Plasson waterers. Nipple waterers, if properly
adjusted for the duck's height, are also satisfactory.

If waterers are located indoors where the floor is bedded with litter, waterers should be located on
a wire-mesh screen to reduce wetting of the litter. In commercial duck houses it is usually
advisable to construct a cement floor drain underneath the water screens. For starting and
growing ducks, provide a minimum of about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of linear watering space per duck.
Increase this to 2 inches (5.0 cm) per duck for developing and laying breeders. If nipple waterers
are used, provide 15 nipples per 100 ducks for starting and growing ducks and 20 nipples/100
ducks for developing and laying breeders. Starting ducklings should always have access to
watering cans, jars or troughs until they have learned to drink from nipple waterers. See
also Water.

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Ventilation
Duck houses or shelters for small flocks usually do not require mechanical ventilation as used in
modern commercial duck buildings. However some ventilation is always necessary when ducks are
kept in a house enclosed on all sides. Window openings, and ridge ventilation may provide
adequate air exchange. If larger flocks are kept in totally enclosed houses, the use of ventilation
fans may be necessary. Proper ventilation of commercial duck buildings requires the expertise of
an agricultural engineer or someone with knowledge and experience in designing and ventilating
poultry buildings.

Modern duck buildings must be adequately insulated for ventilations systems to work properly.
Ventilation systems for ducks should deliver a minimum of 0.2 cfm/lb duck weight at .05 inches
(water gauge) static pressure and a maximum ventilation rate (when temperatures are above the
desired point) of 0.8 cfm/lb duck weight at .02 inches static pressure.

Lighting
The length of the laying period of ducks can be increased considerably if supplemental lighting is
provided. If supplemental light is not provided, egg production will be seasonal and dependent on
changes in natural day length. Adding artificial light to extend the daily light period to 14-17 hours,
and preventing any decrease in day length, will provide adequate light stimulation for ducks to lay
continuously for 7-12 months, depending upon their ability to lay, and other conditions. If ducks
are confined to a building at night and allowed outdoors during the day (or if confined to non-
lightproof housing), the usual practice is to turn artificial lights on at a set time before sunrise, off
at a set time after sunrise, then on again before sunset and off after sunset, maintaining a
constant light period (14 hours, for example) and a constant dark period (10 hours in this case)
each day. Such a lighting regimen is usually implemented with the aid of electric time clocks that
turn lights on and off at set times.

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A light intensity of about 10 lux (1 foot candle) at the duck's eye level is sufficient to stimulate
adequate sexual response in both drakes and ducks. In practice, however, breeding and laying
ducks are commonly lit to provide 20-30 lux at duck level. Artificial lighting is less important for
growing ducks. Ducks are nocturnal, and can find feed and water in the dark. However artificial
light is important the first few days to assist ducklings in getting started drinking and eating.
Totally confined ducks being grown-out for marketing, as in commercial production, are usually
provided some light every day. It is also beneficial to provide dim light by means of low wattage
bulbs during dark periods to help prevent stampeding if the flock is disturbed and to discourage
feather pecking.

During the development period of breeder-layer ducks, it is desirable to avoid either increases or
decreases in day-length as much as possible. A recent publication entitled Poultry Lighting by UK
scientist Dr. Peter Lewis and Dr. Trevor Morris (see Publications on Ducks and Related
Publications) reviews research demonstrating excellent laying performance of Pekin ducks given a
constant light regimen of 17 hours/day throughout rearing and laying. It is recommended that this
resource be consulted for more information on lighting ducks.

https://www.vet.cornell.edu/animal-health-diagnostic-center/programs/duck-research-lab/housing-and-management

Title: Duck keeping in the tropics

6953

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 Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA)
English
June 2010
December 2020
Poultry, Ducks, Livestock, Eggs
Livestock Production, Nutrition for Better Life
Uganda
Sub-Saharan Africa

Summary
This technology describes management practices involved in successful rearing of ducks in the
tropical regions. Advantages and disadvantages of duck keeping compared to chickens are
provided along with clarifications on the different types of breeds. Different processes of breeding
and breeding stock are explained as well as explanations on how to management them which
include flock maintenance, culling systems, egg incubation, flock trait selection and sexing. How to
daily care for the ducks is also detailed as well as drinking water systems, feed, a guide to the
construction duck keeping systems, housing, night shelters, flooring and feeding troughs.

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Description
1. Introduction
About 700 million ducks are kept around the world. The majority of these, more than 500 million,
are found in Asia. Despite this uneven distribution, it is certainly also possible to raise ducks in
other parts of the world, including Africa and Latin America. 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 (foie gras).

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.

There are many 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.

There are also disadvantages of ducks compared with chickens. Both duck meat and eggs taste
different from those of chicken. Not 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.

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Lastly, duck meat is also fattier than chicken meat. Although this is listed here as a disadvantage,
it 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. Muscovy ducks, sometimes called
Barbary ducks, have less need to cool themselves and so have less need for a constant supply of
bathing water. Peking ducks come originally from colder climates and live near to water. These
ducks need water to keep their body temperature at the right level.

2. Breeds and breeding: 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 whether 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 growth, meat ducks are slaughtered before
they have even reached the age at which they can produce eggs.

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Figure 1. Ducks near a pond of water

©FAO/TECA

In many forms of farming, especially small-scale farming, egg production 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 of using
locally available ducks is that you can always obtain them if you need to replace or increase

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numbers. Duck keeping is more common in Asia than in Africa or Latin America, 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.

2.1 The Muscovy or Barbary duck

 This duck comes originally from Central America.

 The Muscovy duck is good for meat production.
 It is easy to recognize it 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 a
pair of scissors to cut most of the large feathers of one wing. A Muscovy duck used for
fattening can reach a weight of 3 kg 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 seven
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 hatches and raises ducklings reliably, which makes them valuable
to small-scale farmers.

Figure 2. Muscovy duck

©FAO/TECA

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2.2 The common duck: a group of various breeds
This group includes various breeds, which originate from Asia and have been imported into Africa.

2.2.1 Khaki Campbell duck

The khaki (beige) coloured duck originated from England and is a cross between the Indian
‘Runner’ and the Rouen duck. The Khaki Campbell is well suited to a tropical climate. Under good
conditions, this breed is capable of laying up to 250 to 300 eggs per year. In Asia, the breed is
used for improving the productivity of local breeds.

2.2.2 Rouen duck

The Rouen duck originated from France and is a reasonably heavy breed with good layers. The
drake (male) is light grey with a green neck and the female is light brown like mallards (wild
ducks).

Figure 3. Khaki Campbell duck

©FAO/TECA

2.3 Peking ducks

A Peking duck is 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 seven to nine weeks. Drakes usually
attain a maximum weight of 3.5 kg to 4 kg and females 3 kg to 3.5 kg. Peking ducks lay eggs from
an age of five to six months and can lay more than 200 eggs a year. Peking duck meat is quite

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fatty, unlike that of the Muscovy duck. It is a quiet breed that tends to walk rather than fly. The
incidence of brooding behaviour is rare.

2.4 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.
 The mule duck is a cross between a Muscovy drake and a female common duck. As these are
two different species the resulting mule duck is sterile and does not lay fertile eggs. The mule
duck is a quick fattener and is used especially for this purpose.

2.5 Other breeds

In addition to the breeds described above, there are many more breeds and crosses.

 Indian runner duck (from India)

 Nageswari (from India)
 Chinese duck (from Indochina)
 Java duck (from Malaysia and Indonesia)
 Brown and White Tsaiya (from Taiwan).

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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 kg and 3 kg.

Figure 4. A common cross

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©FAO/TECA

3. 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.

There are many advantages to breeding ducks.

 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.

There are also disadvantages to breeding ducks.

 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.

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  For small-scale farmers, it is more profitable to breed ducks themselves especially if the
numbers of ducklings they need are small.

3.1 Two ways of breeding

3.1.1 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.

3.1.2 Directed breeding

 You can also direct the process yourself so that you combine the ducks with the most
desirable characteristics.
o In this way, you keep ducks especially for producing ducklings.
o These are known as breeding stock.
o The extent to which you can determine which drake pairs with which duck depends on
how you keep your ducks.
o 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.

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  If you have the possibility and time, then you could consider making separate sections in
shelters, so that you can put one drake together with four to eight ducks so that they can
mate.

3.2 Breeding stock

 Breeding stocks are ducks with desirable characteristics that you like to see in the ducklings.
o 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.
o 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.

3.2.1 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 a duck keeper.
o A duck that 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 better production.

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3.2.2 External 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.

4. 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 drake the chance of fertile eggs increases, but less than four
female ducks per drake are not recommended.
o A relatively large number of drakes in a flock makes the whole flock restless. It also
means that you have more drakes to feed.
o Sell them as soon as they are grown up.
 In Muscovy ducks, introduce drakes into the flock about a month before you require fertile
eggs.
 This ensures that enough pairing has taken place for the ducks to lay fertile eggs.
 In common ducks like Peking ducks you have to make sure that males and females keep their
sexual behaviour.
o Therefore, they have to be kept together from three weeks of age.
 Give ducks access to water.
 Ducks are water birds and they can keep themselves clean (and therefore healthier) if there
is water in which they can bathe.

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  Brooding ducks that can keep themselves clean are better able to maintain the right level of
humidity for the eggs.
 It is often thought that mating can only take place on the water.
o But access to water does not improve fertility.
o Bathing is not necessary for Muscovy ducks as these are originally tree-dwellers.
o Remember that sitting water can also be a source of disease.

4.1 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.
o Selecting ducks and drakes for breeding (see above).
o Culling (removing) unhealthy ducks or low producers.
 Culling means removing from the flock.
o Dispose first of ducks that are so sick that you can no longer treat them or that are not
worth treating (see section 6 for more information on health care).
o It is also worth getting rid of ducks that have already gone through several laying cycles
and are not so productive anymore.
o They make way for younger ducks.
 Once this has been done, further culling will be of ducks that possess undesirable
characteristics such as those that do not produce enough.
 Do not breed with ducks that have 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.

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4.2 Culling systems
4.2.1 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 clearage groups.
 Besides watching for sick ducks you also have to keep an eye on the older ducks and remove
them once they become unproductive.

4.2.2 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 production 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.

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4.3 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.
o 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.
o It requires technical equipment, which has to be used accurately.
 Unforeseen occurrences such as an electrical failure or running out of fuel can lead to
disaster.
o For this reason, you need to consider carefully the advantages and disadvantages of
natural versus artificial hatching as well as what the costs are in terms of money and
time and what the expected returns are.

4.4 Incubating eggs the natural way

 Hatching eggs the natural way means that they are incubated by a duck.
 The big advantage of 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.

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 o Being broody means having the urge to stay sitting on the eggs until they hatch.
o You can tell whether a duck is broody or not by how long she remains sitting on the
eggs.
o The eggs cannot be left alone for more than 15 minutes as they must not cool down too
much.
o The ducklings then cannot develop.
o Most ducks will sit on their own eggs.
 However, it is also possible to let one duck from the flock sit on eggs that have
been laid by other ducks.
 In this way, about 12 eggs, which were laid at the same time, can be incubated by
one duck.
 The Muscovy duck has good broodiness and maternal instincts.
 It can, therefore, be used for incubating the eggs from other types of duck.
 The Muscovy duck is also larger than many other types, so it can incubate more eggs at
once.
 You will have to see how many eggs fit underneath a Muscovy duck, but 12 to 15 should fit
easily.
 Chickens can also be used to incubate duck eggs and vice versa.
 Because duck eggs are larger than chicken eggs a chicken will only be able to incubate 8 to
11 duck eggs at most.

4.5 Some info 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.

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  Incubators come in many different shapes and sizes, and it is possible to make a small-scale
incubator yourself.
 Making and using incubators is described extensively in Agrodok 34 ‘Hatching eggs by hens
or in an incubator’.
 Although the Agrodok is mainly about chickens, much of what is written also applies to ducks.
 The text indicates where ducks have different requirements. Figure 5. shows an example of a
simple incubator.

Figure 5. A small incubator

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 ©FAO/TECA

 The temperature needs to be about 38°C (see Table 1).

o If the temperature is lower or higher the duckling will not develop properly.
o At best the ducklings develop too slowly but will hatch.
o In the worst case, the ducklings die before they hatch.
o When ducklings hatch they need a temperature of about 30°C to 32°C.
o In colder areas, you can reduce the temperature by 1°C each day afterwards.

Table 1. Artificial incubation of duck eggs

er period Temperature Number of times to turn per day

38 5

38 5

37.5 0

Source: FAO 2010

 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.

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4.6 Length of incubation

 Nearly all types of ducks take about the same amount of time to hatch their eggs.
o Generally, duck eggs need to incubate for between 25 and 28 days before they hatch.
o 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.

4.6.1 Advantages of producing eggs artificially

 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.

4.6.2 Disadvantages of producing eggs artificially

 Investments are needed to buy or build an incubator.

 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.
 In case you choose an electrical heat source, power cuts can easily result in a disaster.
 Artificial incubating requires experience, especially in the beginning the risk of eggs not
hatching or ducklings dying is very big.
 If you do not incubate more than 100 eggs at a time (one production cycle) it is not worth
risking so much effort and investment.
 In most cases you make the best of things letting the female ducks do the job they are very
good at, which is incubating their and other’s eggs and taking care of the ducklings.
o Artificial incubation can best be left to professionals to market ducklings and day-old
chicks.

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 o They can turn to Agrodok 34 for information on incubator construction and
management.

4.7 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.
o Good layers will not be broody very often.
o If you make use of the difference in broodiness of different strains or individuals, you will
breed more layer ducklings in the end.
 You select eggs from the best layers, or other traits, and replace the eggs of the broody hen
by them, as soon as she sits permanently

4.8 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 other methods.

4.8.1 Watching the colours of the feathers

 Ducks and drakes of some breeds have different colours which makes it easy to tell them
apart.

4.8.2 Voice

 There is a clear difference in the noise made by ducks and drakes.

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  This is noticeable from about four to six weeks of age.
o A female duck makes a clear ‘quack’ sound.
o A drake makes a deeper and more hoarse sound.

4.8.3 Tail feathers

 The tail feathers of most fully-grown drakes have a clear curl at the end.
o Female ducks do not have this.
o The only breed that does not show this distinction is the Muscovy duck.
o However, Muscovy drakes are much bigger than the females, so it is also easy to
determine sex in this breed.

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 the duck cannot deter all predators.
 Sometimes duck and ducklings must be kept enclosed during the first weeks for protection
against predators.
 Day-old-ducklings you buy (hatched in an incubator) need extra attention.
o You need to pay attention to warmth, water/feed and ventilation. Newly hatched
ducklings cannot maintain their own body temperature so you have to keep them warm.
 The most favorable time for raising ducklings is during the rainy season.
 During the first 10 to 14 days ducklings are kept in several baskets with about 5 cm of rice
husks or straw at the bottom of the basket.
o This is changed frequently to keep the ducklings dry and comfortable.

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 o The basket is covered with a loosely woven jute bag to protect the ducklings from cold
at night.
o The ducklings are kept at about 28 °C for the first 10 to 14 days.
o Ducklings start eating one day after hatching and they grow rapidly.
o They are fed boiled rice, broken rice, rice bran, oil cake, chopped earthworms, snails,
fish, green vegetables or water plants and crushed wheat.
o Feeding is done in a separate (single) basket.
o After feeding they are put on a dry jute bag or on a layer of husk or straw in a separate
basket until they have dried off.
o They are then returned to their original baskets.
 As an alternative to the basket, you can choose a circular chicken wire floor covered with
straw and an external heat source.
 You can keep them close to the heat source by bending a flexible board around the ducklings
in a circle (see Figure 7).
 Elevate the wire floor from the ground to improve ventilation and to remove manure.
 The heat source can be a stove with slow-burning sawdust or an electrical lamp shining in a
clay pot or an infra-red lamp as in Figure 7.
 You can tell whether the ducklings are too warm or too cold by how they behave.
 Figure 7 illustrates how ducklings react to the warmth of a lamp.
o When they huddle close to each other they feel cold, the heat source is not close
enough.
o When the temperature is too high the ducklings will try to get as far away from the heat
as they can.
o If the ducklings move freely throughout the cage then the temperature is right for them.
 From about two to four weeks the ducklings are kept on rice husk or straw with plenty of
fresh air and sunlight.

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 During the day they are kept confined and provided with a mixture of feed and clean drinking
water.
 Simple bamboo containers are used for feeding and watering.
 From four to eight weeks the ducklings are provided with 0.30 m x 0.30 m floor space per
bird.
 In the morning they are given clean water and a mixture if feed.
 After some minutes of feeding, they are allowed to forage in safe water areas. They are
brought back to the house before dark.
 A small quantity of feed is given before putting them inside the house.
 This encourages the ducklings to return home with their caretaker.

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Figure 6. Sexing ducklings

©FAO/TECA

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Figure 7. The reaction of ducklings to light

©FAO/TECA

5.1 Drinking water

 The presence of drinking water is very important for ducklings.

o There must be sufficient, clean water present, otherwise, the ducklings will become sick.
o You have to make sure the ducklings do not try to swim in their drinking water.

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 o 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 prevents the feathers from getting
wet.
 In a natural situation, a mother duck will also rub the 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.
o This is not a problem as long as they do not try to get into water.
o You can stop them from sitting in the drinking water by putting stones in the bowl or
putting chicken wire over the top.

5.2 Feed

 Newly hatched ducklings need special feed.

 You can buy this or prepare it yourself.

6. Duck keeping systems

 There are many ways in which you can keep ducks.

 In practice, farmers can adapt these types to their own needs and the materials available.
 Duck keeping combines well with other forms of farming.
 In these systems, the different forms of production, complement each other and the farmer
will have better production and more profit.
o Waste and by-products are used.
 For example, 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.

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 o Certain inputs are used more efficiently.
 For example, a fishpond is used for fish and for ducks at the same time.
 Ducks grow better if they have access to a pond.
o The farmer spreads risks.
 For example, if the rice yield is low there is still a yield of eggs and duck meat.
 In a free-range system, ducks are only kept enclosed at night.
 During the day the ducks are free to roam outside in search of food.
o They are brought inside at night by putting some extra food in the shelter.
o The ducks only require night shelter and nests for laying eggs.
o Ducks will stay around the place, provided you treat them well.
o 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.
 In a confined system, 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.

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Figure 8. Free range housing system

©FAO/TECA

 An indoor system is used 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.
o Not only do you need to build the shelter, but you also have to provide all feed and
water and clean it regularly.

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 o If properly managed, growth can be fast and production cheap.

Figure 9. Confined housing system

©FAO/TECA

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Figure 10. Indoor housing system

©FAO/TECA

6.1 How to choose the system that fits best in your conditions?

 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.

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  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.

7. 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.
o An advantage of nesting boxes is that they are easy to clean.
o Eggs laid in nesting boxes will be cleaner, and eggs that look clean are easier to sell
than dirty ones.

7.1 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: 1 m 2 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.
2
o In that case, 0.5 m is needed per duck.
o It does not matter what kind of material you use to make the shelter.
o Bamboo, wood or chicken wire are all fine as long as the holes are small, so the ducks
cannot go through.
o The shelter must be well ventilated when the ducks are inside.
o Fresh air is important to prevent the ducks from developing respiratory problems.
 Diseases that are spread through the air can be prevented by good ventilation.
o Air circulation in the shelter makes the temperature lower.

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 o The temperature should not be lower than 10 to 15°C for Peking ducks or 20°C for
Muscovy ducks and other ducks from tropical climates.

Figure 11. Night shelter for 20 to 25 ducks

©FAO/TECA

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7.2 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.
o It is best to attach the construction to the back wall of the night shelter.
o 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.
o Simple construction is one with sidewalls of 30 cm x 35 cm.
 Assemble these at a distance of 33 cm from each other.
 Attach them to each other at the back by means of a raised edge 15 cm high.
 Attach a raised edge of 5 cm height at the front.
 Place the straw in the nesting boxes and clean them regularly.

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Figure 12. Nesting box

©FAO/TECA

7.3 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.

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  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.
o Floor slats should be 2 cm thick and 5 cm wide in order to be strong enough.
o 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.
o This makes cleaning the shelter easy and it fertilises 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.

7.3.1 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.
o 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.
o It is best in combination with longer fibre.
o 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 moldy not only causes sickness in the ducks but damages the eggs so
that they rot or do not hatch.
 Ducks are very sensitive to mold in litter.
o Use this litter in the compost heap.

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7.4 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.
o 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 Figure 13 can be
used for feed.
 To prevent spillage you can use a feeding trough like the one in Figure 14.
 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.
o Sometimes wild birds will eat out of the feeding troughs.
o To prevent this food waste, place a low roof over the feeding trays.
o Wild birds will not usually go under such a low roof.

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Figure 13. Feeding troughs

©FAO/TECA

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Figure 14. Feeding troughs

©FAO/TECA

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7.5 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.
o 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.
o Figure 15 shows some types of water containers 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.
o However, the water must be deep enough for the ducks to be able to put their heads
underwater.
o They need to do this to clean their eyes.
o If they cannot do this, dirt becomes caked around their eyes.
o In extreme cases, this can lead to blindness.
 Ducks also use their drinking water to clean food that remains off their beaks.

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Figure 15. Drinking systems

©FAO/TECA

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7.6 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.
o If it is not possible to keep ducks near water the whole day it is sufficient to place a tub
of water out in the form of a drained stone or slatted floor for them in the mornings and
evenings.
o This will allow them to keep themselves clean and therefore healthier.
o Avoid putting water on top of the litter without draining what spills, as the litter must
remain dry as possible.
o Different sorts of ducks differ in their water requirements.
o Peking ducks need water to keep their body temperature at the right level.
o This is not 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.
o Pools, ponds, troughs or tubs of water all need to be kept clean and hygienic.

8. 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.

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8.1 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.

8.2 Evening

 Scatter fresh straw or rice chaff if the litter is wet.

 Give ducks fresh drinking water.
 Feed ducks.
 Shut ducks up for the night.

9. Agro-ecological zones

 Tropics, warm; and

 subtropics, warm/mod cool.

10. Related/associated technologies

 Rice and duck farming as means for contributing to climate change adaptation and
mitigation: ID 7724.
 Raising rabbits in the tropics: ID 4493.

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11. Objectives fulfilled by the project
11.1 Women-friendly
The technology is not labour intensive. It can, therefore, be adopted by women.

https://www.fao.org/teca/en/technologies/6953

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