How to Raise Meat Ducks by Dry Farming? A Detailed Explanation of the Technical Points

Dry farming of meat ducks has always been a difficult problem in meat duck breeding, so how should meat ducks be raised by dry farming? Below we introduce it.

1. Building the shed: Choose a site with good soil water permeability, facing the sun and sheltered from the wind, level the ground, and prevent water accumulation.  2. Selecting breeds: At present, the main breeds available for selection include Shanghai White Duck, Zhongshan Ma Duck, Beijing Duck, Cherry Valley Duck, Gaoyou Duck and other breeds. These meat ducks are gentle in temperament, highly adaptable, and good in fattening performance, making them very suitable for intensive group feeding in pens.  3. Feed formula: ① Brooding duck stage (1-25 days of age): corn 50%, rapeseed cake 20%, broken rice 10%, wheat bran 10%, fish meal 7.5%, bone meal 1%, shell powder 1%, salt 0.5%. ② Growing duck stage (26-45 days of age): corn 50%, wheat bran 12%, broken rice 10%, large and small wheat 17%, rapeseed cake 5%, fish meal 4.5%, shell powder 1%, salt 0.5%. ③ Fattening stage (7-15 days before sale): corn 35%, rice bran 30%, coarse flour 26.5%, soybean 5%, shell powder 2%, bone meal 1%, salt 0.5%. In the later stage, remove the soybean, reduce rice bran by 5%, and increase sorghum by 10%.  4. Feeding method: After ducklings hatch, water should be provided promptly within 24 hours. The method is: spread a plastic film on the ground, sprinkle some cool boiled water or 0.01% oxytetracycline aqueous solution, and let the ducklings drink freely. At the same time, mix the prepared feed with water until moist and scatter it on the plastic film for them to eat freely. Start by scattering a little, calling while scattering, to guide the ducks to recognize food and look for food. Ducklings 1-3 days old should be fed once per hour, and feeding should be completed within a short time. After 4 days of age, let them eat day and night, feed small amounts frequently, and provide clean and sufficient drinking water. The growing duck stage is the period of fastest weight gain, so feed should be given at fixed times, allowing them to eat their fill and eat well, and exercise should be increased to promote robust development. During the fattening stage, ducks must be forced to increase their food intake, with manual forced feeding being best. Mix the compound feed with an appropriate amount of warm boiled water until moderately soft and firm, and roll it by hand into finger-sized pellets. The amount of manual forced feeding depends on the duck's digestive capacity, with filling them full being appropriate, and exercise should be reduced.  5. Shed temperature requirements: 1-3 days of age, shed temperature 30-31°C; 4-7 days of age, 28-30°C; 8-14 days of age, 25-28°C; 15 days of age and above, maintain 20-25°C.  In addition, ventilation and light transmission in the duck shed should be strengthened, the air should be kept fresh, feed troughs and water troughs should be kept clean, feed should be fresh, drinking water should be hygienic, and during the brooding duck stage the bedding straw should be changed and added frequently. Supplement light at night, and stock 25-30 ducklings or 5-8 adult ducks per sq m. 

Short-term intensive fattening. This is mainly to increase the fatness of meat ducks and make the meat more delicious and tender. When growing ducks are raised to 45 days, starting fattening is most suitable. During the fattening period, a compound feed with high energy and low protein should be used. Reference formula one: in the early stage, use corn 35%, secondary flour 26.5%, rice bran 30%, beans (fried) 5%, shell powder 2%, bone meal 1%, salt 0.5%; in the later stage, use corn 35%, secondary flour 30%, rice bran 25%, sorghum 6.5%; shell powder 2%, bone meal 1%, salt 0.5%. Formula two: corn flour 35%, secondary flour 26.5%, rice bran 25%, sorghum 10%, shell powder 2%, bone meal 1%, salt 0.5%.      

The fattening methods include: (1) Self-feeding fattening. Mix the compound feed with water and let it stand for 3-4 hours to soften, so as to improve digestibility and feed utilization. Feed at fixed times 4-5 times a day, including 1 nighttime feeding, and provide water while feeding. In management, note that the light in the duck shed should be dim, and the ducks should move less and rest more. (2) Manual forced-feeding fattening. Mix the compound feed with water into a dry paste, and roll it by hand into round strips 3.3 cm in diameter and 5 cm long. The operator sits on a small stool, clamps the lower part of the duck's body between both legs, uses the left thumb and index finger to open the duck's bill, presses the tongue with the middle finger, and with the right hand first dips the round strip in a little water to lubricate it, then inserts it from the oral cavity into the esophagus. Feed 3 times a day. On days 1-3 of fattening, feed 3-4 round strips each time; on days 4-7, feed 4-6 strips each time; after 8 days, feed 6-8 strips each time. After forced feeding, provide sufficient drinking water. The fattening period is generally 10-15 days. When the meat duck's body weight reaches 2-3 kg, the subcutaneous fat is felt to be thickened by hand, and the feather roots of the wing feathers appear transparent, they can be sold on the market.      

Carry out disease prevention and control well. In intensive dry farming of meat ducks on netting, the flock is large and concentrated, and disease prevention and control is the key to success. Therefore, disease prevention and control must follow the general principle of "prevention first, prevention more important than treatment, treatment as supplementary." For this reason, keep the duck shed clean and dry, and wash the feed and water troughs frequently; before the ducks enter the shed, strictly disinfect the duck shed with sodium hydroxide and the like; when meat ducks are raised to about 20 days, inject each duck intramuscularly with 1 ml of attenuated duck vaccine to prevent duck plague; at 30 days of age, inject each duck with 2 ml of fowl cholera bacterin to prevent duck cholera. Often add 0.5%-1% sulfadimidine to the feed and feed for 3-5 days, then stop for 10 days and feed again, and add 0.02% potassium permanganate solution to the drinking water for drinking. If abnormal reactions are found in ducks, isolate and diagnose and treat them promptly, and disinfect strictly.