Ducks of meat breeds: description, features of cultivation. How to Feed a Duck

Ducks meat direction is very popular with our compatriots. They quickly gain weight and do not require special care. Therefore, they are often bred by beginning farmers. In today's article, you will find a brief description of the most common breeds.

General characteristics

Ducks of meat breeds are characterized by relatively high fertility, precocity and relatively low egg production. They are characterized by large sizes and a living mass. With proper feeding for the first two months of life, they gain about three kilograms. As a rule, such birds do not need specific care and independently find food on a free grazing.

Meat of such ducks is very different from chicken. It has a darker shade and a coarse-fiber structure. It contains a high percentage of fat. The saturated taste of this product is especially appreciated by gourmets. Therefore, it is widely used in cooking.

Breeding of musk ducks

These birds got their name due to the specific smell emanating from their subcutaneous glands. They are very calm and do not cry, like most of their relatives. Musky ducks are rather large short-legged birds with powerful wings, a short neck and a broad chest. Their body is covered with blue, white, brown or black plumage.

Breeding musk ducks - a fairly profitable occupation. These unpretentious birds are quite strong health and rarely sick. They are not particularly demanding on the quality of feed and have high productivity. From spring to autumn, one female is able to sit two or three broods out of fifteen ducklings. These birds do not tolerate the cold, so for the winter they are transferred to a warmed room. To keep them you can not use cages and summer houses. They need to settle in solid well-lit poultry houses, which reliably protect against dampness and a sharp temperature drop.

Peking duck

These birds have a long history. They first appeared in China about three hundred years ago. The Beijing breed of ducks quickly gained popularity in their historic homeland, and then spread throughout Europe.

Such birds have a strong body with a broad chest and a large back. They are easy to recognize by a special convex forehead. On the big head of such ducks is a flat beak of bright orange color. The large trunk of these waterfowl is covered with white or cream feathers.

Peking breed of ducks has tasty, nutritious meat with a relatively low content of fatty fibers. The birds themselves are hardy enough and not lethargic. They are rapidly gaining weight and can be kept away from water. The main shortcomings of this breed include the underdeveloped maternal instinct and inability to live in damp premises.

Moscow white

The first representatives of this breed appeared in the 40s of the last century. They were withdrawn by crossing Peking ducks with Kembel spleen. Subsequently, these birds spread widely throughout Russia, the Baltic States, Ukraine and Belarus. Most often small farmers farm their farms.

The white Moscow duck has a broad chest, short paws, a long neck and a large oblong head with a light pink beak. The body of the bird is covered with pure white feathers without bright spots. The weight of an adult varies from three and a half to four kilograms. With good nutrition, 50-day ducklings grow to 2.5 kg.

White Moscow has a thin bone and juicy tender meat. They are characterized by high performance and survivability. Like many other ducks of meat breeds, they do not require special care and are not fastidious in everything related to food. They have good immunity and easily tolerate colds.

Swedish blue ducks

These birds were bred in the XIX century. Subsequently, they spread widely outside their homeland. Especially popular among German farmers. By analogy with other ducks of meat breeds, they are distinguished by good immunity and the ability to adapt quickly to any conditions of detention.

These birds have a well-muscled torso, covered with gray feathers, to which are attached strong large wings. Under the body of the Swedish blue duck, there are short paws of a dirty orange color with black spots. On a small oval head there is a straight yellowish beak with a green tint. The weight of an adult is between three and four kilograms.

In the diet of these unpretentious, but rather voracious birds must prevail greens. Its absence negatively affects the quality of meat. In addition, Swedish blue ducks need to walk. In case of his absence, the birds begin to ache and gain weight poorly.

Ukrainian gray

Representatives of this breed were bred by long selection. They have a strong constitution with a rough skeleton and well developed musculature. The body of these birds is covered with light and dense feathers. On a small, slightly extended dark brown head, there are shiny eyes and a strong beak of olive shade.

By analogy with many other ducks of meat breeds they quickly gain weight. These unpretentious birds are able to winter in unheated rooms. As for nutrition, they are Ukrainian gray ducks can eat grass, mixed fodder, vegetables and fruits. With special pleasure they eat different water vegetation like duckweed or algae.

Rouen Ducks

These heavy birds were bred in Normandy. The ancestors of this breed of ducks, a description of which will be presented below, are considered domesticated animals that lived in the vicinity of Rouen. Over time, these birds spread throughout the European continent.

The juicy dark meat of the Rouen ducks is distinguished by its high taste and very delicate structure. The breeding of these birds should be undertaken by experienced farmers, since they require careful care.

Representatives of this breed have a massive body with a broad chest and strong back. Their plumage is very similar to that of wild ducks. On both sides of the dark brown head are beige strips. On the upper part of the long broad greenish-yellow beak there are well-defined spots. Under the massive trunk of the duck, there are short, thick legs. The average weight of an adult varies from three to four kilograms.

Eelsbury Ducks

This is one of the oldest meat breeds. It was bred by English breeders in 1845. Eilsbury differ horizontally delivered dense body with a powerful, well developed skeleton. On the large head is a relatively large pale orange beak and small leaden-blue eyes. The imposing massive body of these ducks is covered with pure white feathers. The average weight of an adult is 3.3 to 4.5 kilograms.

To breed these birds you need to have a small plot of land located on a slope. For the year-round cultivation of ducks of this breed it is recommended to equip a capital warm room with concrete floor. It is desirable to keep young animals in a closed poultry house on a deep bedding. In addition, these ducks need to provide access to the reservoir.

Bashkir color

The ancestors of this breed are the usual Peking ducks. They have a tightly knocked down massive body, under which are widely spaced thick legs. The body of these birds is covered with feathered feathers. The weight of an adult can reach three or four kilograms.

The main advantages of the Bashkir colored duck include stress resistance, ability to withstand low temperatures, high immunity and rapid growth. The most important drawbacks of the representatives of this breed include the tendency to obesity, gluttony and excessive shouting.

Features of the content

For growing ducks at home, you need to equip a separate room. The wooden walls of the house should be plywood, cardboard and whitewashed. Log building must be plastered and plastered. The walls made in this way will keep cool in the heat in the heat, and in the frost they will keep the heat.

To the ducks did not penetrate the rats and mice, the floor of the house is located at twenty centimeters above the ground level. From above it is covered with a peat layer, wooden shavings or dry straw. The complex for growing ducks should be maintained at a comfortable temperature. In addition, it must necessarily provide good ventilation and lighting.

Features of food

To make a good duck from the chick, it must be properly fed. Immediately after birth, they are given chopped boiled eggs and crushed oatmeal. On the second day in the diet of chicks enter cottage cheese, and after five days - chopped fresh herbs.

Two-week-old ducklings may well use mashed potatoes from potatoes and other root crops. During the first few days the chicks are fed six to eight times. Starting from the tenth day, the kids are transferred to five meals a day. Adult individuals are fed only in the morning and in the evening.

Having dealt with the regime, it is necessary to say a few words about what to feed the ducks. In the mornings, they are recommended to give a crushed duck, and in the evening - mash. They can be prepared from aquatic vegetation, vegetables, root crops and fresh herbs. Since these birds are unpretentious in everything that concerns food, they often feed the waste from the master's table. Many experienced farmers recommend adding serum, fish and meat flour to the menu.

Those who are trying to understand how to feed ducks raised for meat will not stop remembering that the basis of their diet should be the grain. For a couple of weeks before slaughtering in the menu, birds are added foods containing an increased amount of protein. It can be legumes or cottage cheese. In the period of fattening it is desirable to limit the ducks in motion.

Helpful Tips

Many experienced experts recommend taking the ducklings from their mother immediately after their birth. In this case, you can immediately begin to fatten them for meat. It is important to remember that children are very susceptible to fluctuations in temperature and drafts. During this period, they can not be released into a body of water, and in their diet it is desirable to add any vitamin-mineral complex.

Ducks, which are grown for meat, need a certain space. Three birds should have at least one square meter of the shed area. Since ducks of meat breeds also carry eggs, they need to equip their spacious nests. They can be built from ordinary wooden boxes lined with clean straw.

Birds can be grown for meat not only in the warm season, but also in winter. In the colder months, birds need to be fed three or four times a day. In the mornings they are filled with bryozoans, and in the evening - grain.

To score a duck for meat, does not necessarily have to wait all summer. Do this preferably before the first molt. The carcass of the sixty-day duckling has a more aesthetic appearance, since there are no so-called hemp on her skin. Early slaughter is also carried out for economic reasons. Birds who have not reached the age of two months consume much less food.

The older ducks become gluttonous and rapidly accumulate fat. A five-month-old bird can eat about twenty-five kilograms of food. Therefore, it is advisable to keep them for a long time only when you have a pond nearby, in which they will independently obtain their livelihood in the form of duckweed and various insects. Do not forget that the meat of large ducks is too fat and not so tasty.