On farms and plots, you can increasingly see how the mute ducks walk. The recognition of poultry farmers was won by their unpretentiousness and tasty, but at the same time lean meat.
Mute ducks
Homeland of birds
The homeland of mute swan is South America, where the birds living here were raised. After the Europeans opened the New World, feathered pets were brought to France. After about 30 years, birds, along with former slaves returning home, entered Africa. On a hot continent, ducks are nicknamed “Guinean” and “Barbary” in the north.
Mute ducks have many names. One of the most famous nicknames is “the musky duck.” This name was suggested by the famous Carl Linnaeus because the birds secrete a secret with the smell of musk. In fear of an unpleasant odor, poultry farmers were even recommended to cut off the bird's head during slaughter. According to another version, the creature inherited its name from the tribe of Indians "Muiska".
In the USSR, the mute swan reached only in 1981-1988. First they were brought in from the GDR, then from France. A characteristic feature of these birds is the fleshy growths, akin to what the turkeys wear, because of this external similarity of mute swan they began to call "indo-birds". Not everyone supports this view. According to another hypothesis, the native Indians got a peculiar nickname, thanks to the Indians who first domesticated them.
Characteristic features
The musky duck has an elongated body and a long tail, but a short neck and paws - their distinctive features are clearly visible in the photo. Drakes gain weight on average up to 6 kg, and females - up to 3 kg. Compared to other feathered indoutos:
- Hardy and rarely sick, quickly adapt to the new climate. True, if ducks are not taken care of, they will catch an infection, like any other bird.
- Unpretentious. They eat little, but almost everything that is not always good. Sometimes curious birds swallow pieces of glass and injure themselves.
- They grow rapidly and do not complain about fertility.
There are many other great traits in ducks, and for beginner poultry farmers, mute swan breeding at home seems to be the best choice. The love of the poultry houses helped to conquer duck meat - usually fatty, but dietetic, tender. At the same time, mute ducks do not even have that specific shade of taste that other waterfowl have.
Ducks are found mainly in black and white, white, black and blue, although in Europe you can find birds and other colors. An interesting breed with the following pattern: black spots scattered on a white background. Brown with white and brown with a chocolate tint are also very beautiful. Mute swords usually have red beaks.
Growing ducks
Before embarking on the breeding and rearing of birds, you need to prepare a duckweed for them. Indoor walking area should be spacious enough so that they can walk on it without interference. In the nest there are 3 ducks per 1 sq.m. Tightness harms the well-being of birds as much as cold. A drop in temperature by several degrees reduces the productivity of a mute swarm - it will carry fewer eggs.
Muters especially do not like the winter season. So that their life in the cold season is not threatened, you need to warm the caddy with straw. The optimum temperature that should be maintained is 16 ° C. The humidity level for all months should be no more than 60%. Ducks are sloppy birds, and for the sake of humidifying the air in the summer they will have to hang wet rags - as a result, the floors in the house become wet. A good solution to the problem is mesh floors.
Mutex cannot be left in the dark. In order for them to grow and multiply, a 14-hour daylight is needed. In summer, light can enter through the windows, and in winter you need to take care of artificial lighting. The room should be aired daily. Poor care leads to the fact that the birds begin to languish, and sometimes it happens that they cease to rush at all. When hatching, sometimes problems also arise: sometimes the duck flatly refuses to sit on the masonry. This is often due to improper care.
What feed to choose
Indoor women do not have a good appetite: they eat little and are not too picky. However, if breeding of birds is not so much a pleasure for you as a business (and you can build a good income on ducks, it is necessary to select special diets. Depending on age, health, season and mood, a bird needs various nutrients that strengthen its body and, therefore, have a beneficial effect on the taste of its meat. An excess of substances, as well as their lack, interferes with the full and rapid development of birds.
Although the Indians are not gluttonous, if the feeder is filled with food, they can overeat, which is just as bad as malnutrition. On the other hand, upscale elite feeds that are difficult to get in your area should also not be chased. The construction of ducklings and the purchase of ducks and drakes are a small part of the costs. Mostly hit the wallet feeding.
- Experienced poultry houses are usually fed half of the daily allowance with birds in the form of raw grains, and the second half of the ration is made from a mixture of the same cereals with herbs and vegetables;
- Cereals are primarily wheat and barley, and ground corn can also be given. Ducklings need to be fed with crushed grains.
- Green grass with dandelion, clover and other useful plants favorably affects the body of birds, but feeding should be carried out only with freshly cut grass.
- Vegetables: mashed potatoes, grated pumpkin and carrot.
- As additives, suitable meal, bran, fish oil, chopped fresh fish, feather meal. Ducklings are sometimes recommended to drink fermented milk.
Please note that during feeding, ducks begin to hiss and fight for food with birds of other species, and they can also pick up garbage and try it on its beak.
Breeding secrets
Breeding of mute swords is exactly what they usually get for their business. The risks are quite high: a bird can die without leaving offspring. It happens that the Indochka begin to rush badly - this usually happens if the care and feeding were incorrect. If the birds are bred with errors, this also greatly affects the number of eggs. The devil is not so terrible as he is painted - at home you can take care of the ducks and learn how to breed them as effectively as they do in poultry farms. You can see the breeding secrets in the video.
First of all, so that the cultivation does not go to waste, you need to find healthy and strong birds on the tribe: only such can become good hens and bring good offspring. The selection of strong individuals and the screening of weak ducklings should occur constantly and soon become a habit. One male is enough, while the farm is small.
Ducks "Mute" (Musky).
Musk ducks. Care and maintenance. Summer 2014.
The subtleties of breeding musky ducks.
Eggs begin to lay in March-April. Bird birds flock especially often at night and in the morning, so they should not be allowed to walk until 10 in the morning, otherwise the eggs in the nests will be in vain expected. When the clutch is filled with a dozen eggs, the mute swan sharply become caring hens and sit to hatch. For birds that sit for several days, poultry farmers begin to lay other people's eggs from ducks, which are difficult to call exemplary brood hens.
How much a duck sits on eggs depends on many factors, for example, during the onset of the winter months, the duration of hatching increases and vice versa. On average, babies begin to hatch on the 30-35th day of life. The chicks are left with the hens for half an hour, then they are taken and settled in a box specially prepared for them, where it is warm and cozy. It is better if the bird hatches eggs, because in the incubator the chicks are poorly hatched. Hatching has another noteworthy feature: most of the chicks will be male.
Growing chicks
After the duck successfully hatched the eggs, the chicks leave the nests (with the help of the farm owner) and move to a special warm place where they can get stronger. How many days it will take them depends on the state of the duckling after birth. Kids grow up quickly, and after only 60 days they can be slaughtered. When feeding chicks, it is important to take into account several points, but do not be afraid that at home growing small birds is doomed to failure.
What can be done so that ducklings can safely become adult ducks?
- In the first days of life, the birds, who are still sitting in the box, are fed with a chopped boiled egg mixed with animal feed. The first few times you will have to feed the babies by force, then they will learn how to do it themselves. Depends on the age of the ducklings how many times a day to feed them: the smallest - as often as possible, at least 8 times. You should be trained in drinking water carefully, because the duckling can get wet and get sick.
- In the diet of chicks who have been living for about 3 days, you can mix a little greens and vitamin and mineral supplements. At this age, birds begin to be released briefly into the yard.
- A feathered child who is already 10 days old can finally try mashed potatoes and canned foods that adults can enjoy.
Pros and Cons of a Business
Due to the combination of the rapid growth of chicks and their pleasant meat, the cultivation of mute ducks at home looks like a promising plan for the business. However, in order to sell the carcass more profitably, it is worth waiting with a slaughter for several months until the bird acquires an appetizing appearance. But young animals older than 4-5 months are usually not sold, since the price of such individuals is falling.
Fortunately, you can find another way to recoup the costs of ducks - selling eggs.
At home, the mute sweeps rush briskly and annually bring 110 eggs of 70 g each. Ducks rush twice a year. If the laying hen successfully hatches ducklings, but you do not want to wait until the livestock grows, you can sell them small. It is possible to build good profits on ducks, but only if you take care of the birds and do not spare money for food. Now you know how the growing of mute swan occurs.