Technical Points for Raising Laying Ducks in Film-Covered Greenhouses

The laying duck breeding industry is an important sector of our country's agriculture, and our country is the world's largest in laying duck breeds, breeding, consumption, and trade. Laying duck breeding techniques are also becoming more numerous and more refined, and now the technique of raising laying ducks in film-covered greenhouses is introduced:

1. Build the duck house: The breeding site should be built on high, dry ground, sheltered from the wind and facing the sun, facing south, with no tall shade-casting objects around it, and relatively close to a water source. One side of the warm house is a single arch, with tiles on the roof and a movable skylight, sawdust added in the middle, and plastic film covering the bottom of the shed. The other side is a steel-bar arch frame, covered with two sheets of plastic film and secured with nylon rope. The front and rear walls are brick structures, finished with smooth cement to facilitate disinfection. Inside, the house is divided lengthwise by partitions into a roosting and egg-laying area and a feeding area. Adjustable movable partitions are set up crosswise so that density can be adjusted at any time according to the number of ducks. The roosting and egg-laying area has a cement floor, with observation windows on both sides. The floor of the feeding area must have a certain slope to facilitate washing. Feeding doors are opened on both sides, drainage holes are left at the bottom edge of the front wall, and ventilation windows and an entrance door are set in the rear wall; water troughs, feed troughs, etc. are provided inside.

2. Regulate temperature: Temperature has a great influence on the egg-laying rate of poultry, and the temperature inside the plastic-film warm house can be manually regulated. The method is: in hot weather, open the ventilation windows, and at the same time open the junction and the bottom of the two sheets of plastic film to promote air circulation, so that the air in the roosting and egg-laying area is fresh and the environment is cool, which is favorable for egg laying. In cold weather, except for the skylight, all openings should be sealed tightly with plastic film to achieve warmth retention and promote egg laying.

3. Control humidity: Ducks prefer a dry roosting environment. In autumn and winter, the relative humidity inside the house is relatively high. At this time, in addition to requiring frequent replacement of bedding in the roosting and egg-laying area, the skylight and the junction of the plastic film should be opened when sunlight is sufficient to let out moisture, and the ducks should be released outside the house to move about at the same time.

4. Supplementary lighting: The suitable light duration for laying ducks to lay eggs is 14-16 hours. When the sunlight duration and light intensity do not meet the egg-laying requirements of laying ducks, artificial supplementary lighting must be carried out. The method is: taking sunrise and sunset as the standard, and calculating the amount of light according to the area of the roosting and egg-laying area, two staggered rows of 25-watt incandescent lamps can be used for supplementary lighting. It should be noted that laying ducks are prone to flock panic and restlessness when encountering adverse stimuli in the dark, so a night light should be installed in the feeding area, and emergency measures should be taken for power outages.

5. Rainproofing and pollution prevention: Practice has proved that if laying ducks are kept in a filthy and damp environment for 1-2 days, egg dropping will occur. If the time is longer, it may cause a large-scale decline in egg production or even cessation of laying. Raising laying ducks in a plastic-film warm house can generally avoid this phenomenon. However, in rainy seasons, if the duck house leaks rain and the ground is filthy, laying ducks will also show reduced production. Therefore, when ventilating and changing air during continuous rainy days, 2/3 of the plastic film covering the top of the warm house should be retained, and 1/3 of the plastic film at the bottom should be lifted open. This can both prevent rain from dripping in and avoid excessive pollution of the warm house floor, ensuring normal egg laying by the laying ducks.

6. Ventilation and air exchange: Plastic-film warm houses are generally tightly sealed, especially in cold weather when laying ducks stay inside for a long time, excreta increases, causing the content of harmful gases to increase. The main measures taken are: first, adjust breeding density. Plastic-film warm houses mostly use intensive breeding methods. When the ammonia smell inside the house is relatively strong, the duck flock density should be appropriately adjusted. Second, ventilate and exchange air moderately. At around 2 p.m., part of the film covering the warm house can be rolled up or doors and windows opened to remove harmful gases, dust, and microorganisms, but cold air must be prevented from blowing directly onto the laying ducks; third, purify the warm house environment. The duck house should be cleaned frequently, accumulated manure removed, and cleanliness and hygiene maintained. In addition, on fine days, ducks should be let out of the house more to move about and breathe fresh air.

7. Disease prevention and treatment: A disinfection pool should be set up at the entrance of the warm house. The site, inside the house, and feeding utensils should be regularly disinfected and sterilized, and vaccination should be carried out properly according to procedures to strictly prevent the occurrence of infectious diseases. Usually, observation should be strengthened, and once sick ducks are found, they should be isolated and treated promptly.