A Detailed Guide to Scientific Feeding Methods for Wild Ducklings

The wild duck is a specialty poultry with strong adaptability, a wide range of foods, tolerance of coarse feed, and ease of rearing. Under good nutrition and feeding management, it grows quickly and has a high feed conversion rate; at 60-70 days of age, it can reach a market weight of 1.3 kg, with a meat-to-feed ratio of 1:3. So how do you distinguish male from female wild ducks? And how should wild ducklings be fed?

In adult wild ducks, the male has 4 male feathers at the center of the tail, black and curling upward like hooks, and a very obvious white ring below the neck. These are the most typical features of adult male wild ducks, while adult female wild ducks do not have these features. Ducklings can be identified by the following methods:

1. Appearance identification method. Hold a female wild duck in your hand; those with a relatively large head, thick neck, raised and long, round, narrow head, thick and hard nose base, flat without undulations, and upright forehead feathers are male wild ducks; female wild ducks have a small head, flat body, spread tail, relatively large and slightly round nostrils, soft nose base, and forehead feathers lying flat.

2. Movement identification method. When driving ducklings, those that lower their heads, stretch their necks, and give loud, sharp, clear calls are male wild ducks; those that hold their heads high and give low, coarse, deep calls are female wild ducks.

3. Syrinx palpation method. Palpate the syrinx: in male wild ducks, the syrinx located at the lower part of the trachea is spherical and easy to feel; in female wild ducks, the syrinx is the same as the upper trachea.

4. Cloaca inversion method. Hold a newly hatched wild duckling in your left palm, clamp the duck's neck between the middle finger and ring finger so the head faces outward and the belly faces up in a supine position; then use the right thumb and index finger to squeeze out the meconium, and gently turn the cloaca inside out. If it is a male duckling, a 3-4 cm copulatory organ can be seen, while female ducklings do not have one.

5. Cloaca pinching method. Hold the wild duckling in the left hand so its back faces upward and the cloaca faces the identifier's right hand. Gently pinch outside the cloaca with the right thumb and index finger; if it is a male duck, a copulatory organ tube the size of a rapeseed can be felt between the fingers; if it is female, no foreign body can be felt. 

Feeding methods for wild ducklings:

The first feeding of ducklings is called start feeding.

1) Feeding time for wild ducklings: wild ducklings are started on feed 2-3 hours after their first drink. For ducklings in the same batch, hatching times differ, so the times for first drink and first feed should also differ. Even for wild ducklings that hatched at the same time, those not yet suitable for start feeding should be placed separately according to the actual situation, and started on feed when the time is right.

2) Feeding utensils for wild ducklings: ducklings are generally started on feed using shallow feed trays or egg trays, or the feed can be scattered in shallow feed troughs. To prevent wild ducklings from wasting feed, spread a layer of newspaper under the shallow feed tray or egg tray, or flatten a duckling box and place it underneath; after 3 days, remove the newspaper or cardboard. Feeding utensils can be homemade, or thicker plastic sheeting can be used; according to the size of the brooding area and the number of ducklings being brooded, cut it into rectangles 60-90 cm wide and 90-120 cm long.

3) Feed for wild ducklings: prepare the start feed at the rate of 500 g of rice or millet for 200 ducklings. First cook the rice or millet until half-cooked, take it out and soak it in cold water to remove stickiness, then mix in fish meal and soybean cake. Moistened mash feed with water or crushed pellet feed can also be used. After wild ducklings start feeding, they should be given compound feed.

4) Feeding method for wild ducklings: scatter the start feed in shallow trays, or on bamboo drying mats, or on plastic sheeting, and let the wild ducklings feed freely.

Number of feedings for wild ducks:

1) 1 day of age: feed supplied all day

2) 2 days of age: 8 times per day, 5 times during the day and 3 times at night.

3) 6-10 days of age: 6 times per day, 4 times during the day and 2 times at night,

4) 11-16 days of age: 4-5 times per day, 3 times during the day and 1-2 times at night,

5) After 17 days of age: feed 4 times per day, 3 times during the day and 1 time at night

6) When raised as breeding ducks, after 20 days of age, basically let them forage in the wild all day, with 1 supplementary feeding in the morning.

Feed for wild ducks

1) Within 5 days of age: feed cooked rice, while adding an appropriate amount of vitamins, antibiotics, cod liver oil, and chopped green vegetables, water plants, etc.

2) 6-10 days of age: mix 1/4 compound feed into the rice, and also feed some green feed as well as small fish, small shrimp, clam meat, earthworms, yellow mealworms, and other fresh live animals.

3) 11-20 days of age: feed water-soaked brown rice mixed with 1/3 compound feed.

4) After 21 days of age, compound feed can be fed entirely.

5) After 30 days of age, appropriately reduce the proportion of fish meal and soybean cake in the feed, gradually increase coarse feed to 15%-20%, and at the same time feed enough green feed, such as various tea leaves, alfalfa, green grass, and water plants.

6) After 55 days of age: reduce coarse feed, increase fish meal and soybean cake, and also feed enough green feed.