How to Raise Muscovy Ducks? A Full Guide to Breeding Tips and Methods

Muscovy Duck Breeding Tips

Muscovy ducklings tolerate heat better than water ducks and need a higher ambient temperature. Generally, at 1 day of age the temperature must reach 35°C, then drop by 1°C each day, until weaning at 20 days of age or at 20°C, so attention must be paid to keeping ducklings warm during the brooding period. In addition, during the first 10 days or so after Muscovy ducklings are moved into the house, at night they often pile up in great heaps to sleep, which very easily causes death. Therefore, when raising Muscovy ducklings, no more than 200 ducks may be kept in each small pen, and every 1 hour the piled-up flock must be pulled apart, until the day the flock stops piling up.

Muscovy ducklings can be started on broken rice. In the early stage feed duckling feed, in the middle stage feed grower duck feed, and in the late stage feed adult duck feed or add 10% rice-milling bran (the by-product other than rice obtained when milling rice with a rice mill, containing a small amount of broken rice, rice bran and a large amount of rice-hull bran, with crude protein of about 3%). Newly hatched ducklings should first be given water in bell-type drinkers, then "started" on broken rice or cracked corn. The broken rice or cracked corn must first be scalded with boiling water, and after cooling it is supplied all day in feed troughs.

At present, farmers raising Muscovy ducks generally feed the water-duck series of feeds. From the 4th day, gradually increase duckling pellet feed with no less than 19% crude protein, and by 6 days of age switch entirely to 19% duckling pellets, no longer feeding corn or broken rice. At 30 days of age feed grower duck pellets with no less than 16% crude protein, and at 60 days of age feed adult duck pellets with no less than 15% crude protein. If you think the ducks' feathers are not growing fast enough, after 60 days of age you can add 10% rice-milling bran to the adult duck feed.

Muscovy ducks are pugnacious; if the rearing environment is crowded, filthy and poorly ventilated, and they are also fed in separate meals, pecking fights very easily break out in winter and spring, and sometimes the ducks peck each other until blood drips. Therefore, within 1 week of age, cut off the front 1/4 of the ducklings' beaks, and disinfect the cut surface with iodine tincture or a branding iron. Some duck raisers in rural areas release the ducks to roam freely or raise them with water baths in the middle and late stages, so the ducklings do not need beak trimming.

Muscovy ducks produce a large amount of droppings in the middle and late stages of rearing, which very easily contaminates the duck house, so special attention must be paid to the cleanliness and hygiene of the duck house. If raising them in hot weather, the duck house should be washed with water more than 2 times a day; if raising them in cold weather, litter such as straw and rice hulls must be spread more than 3 times a day, and the Muscovy ducks must not be allowed to sleep on the droppings. Otherwise, the feathers on the ducks' breast and belly will rot away, or they will become dung-caked ducks.

Methods for Raising Muscovy Ducks

Muscovy ducklings tolerate heat better than water ducks and need a higher ambient temperature. Generally, at 1 day of age the temperature must reach 35°C, then drop by 1°C each day, until weaning at 20 days of age or at 20°C, so attention must be paid to keeping ducklings warm during the brooding period. In addition, during the first 10 days or so after Muscovy ducklings are moved into the house, at night they often pile up in great heaps to sleep, which very easily causes death. Therefore, when raising Muscovy ducklings, no more than 200 ducks may be kept in each small pen, and every 1 hour the piled-up flock must be pulled apart, until the day the flock stops piling up.

Muscovy ducklings can be started on broken rice. In the early stage feed duckling feed, in the middle stage feed grower duck feed, and in the late stage feed adult duck feed or add 10% rice-milling bran (the by-product other than rice obtained when milling rice with a rice mill, containing a small amount of broken rice, rice bran and a large amount of rice-hull bran, with crude protein of about 3%). Newly hatched ducklings should first be given water in bell-type drinkers, then "started" on broken rice or cracked corn. The broken rice or cracked corn must first be scalded with boiling water, and after cooling it is supplied all day in feed troughs.

At present, farmers raising Muscovy ducks generally feed the water-duck series of feeds. From the 4th day, gradually increase duckling pellet feed with no less than 19% crude protein, and by 6 days of age switch entirely to 19% duckling pellets, no longer feeding corn or broken rice. At 30 days of age feed grower duck pellets with no less than 16% crude protein, and at 60 days of age feed adult duck pellets with no less than 15% crude protein. If you think the ducks' feathers are not growing fast enough, after 60 days of age you can add 10% rice-milling bran to the adult duck feed.

Muscovy ducks are pugnacious; if the rearing environment is crowded, filthy and poorly ventilated, and they are also fed in separate meals, pecking fights very easily break out in winter and spring, and sometimes the ducks peck each other until blood drips. Therefore, within 1 week of age, cut off the front 1/4 of the ducklings' beaks, and disinfect the cut surface with iodine tincture or a branding iron. Some duck raisers in rural areas release the ducks to roam freely or raise them with water baths in the middle and late stages, so the ducklings do not need beak trimming.

Muscovy ducks produce a large amount of droppings in the middle and late stages of rearing, which very easily contaminates the duck house, so special attention must be paid to the cleanliness and hygiene of the duck house. If raising them in hot weather, the duck house should be washed with water more than 2 times a day; if raising them in cold weather, litter such as straw and rice hulls must be spread more than 3 times a day, and the Muscovy ducks must not be allowed to sleep on the droppings. Otherwise, the feathers on the ducks' breast and belly will rot away, or they will become dung-caked ducks.