How to Raise Laying Ducks? Master These Tips to Raise Laying Ducks with Ease

Due to the soaring profits of duck eggs, raising laying ducks has attracted more and more attention from farmers. Laying ducks are a project with relatively low investment cost and relatively high breeding profit, and the threshold for raising laying ducks is relatively low, so farmers can reasonably choose a breeding scale that suits them according to their own economic conditions.

How to Raise Laying Ducks

1. Selection of laying duck breeds

Choose breeds with good production performance, a docile temperament, a relatively small body size, early maturity, fast growth and development, low feed consumption, high egg production, high feed conversion rate, strong adaptability and strong disease resistance. For adult female ducks, keep the good ones and cull the inferior ones within 2 years, and replace all of them in the 3rd year.

2. Feed preparation and formula

Prepare the feed in the following proportions: grains 50%-60%, cakes and meals 10%-20%, fish meal or soybean meal 10%-15%, shell powder 1%, salt 0.5%, multivitamins 0.2%-0.5%. Reference formula for the laying period: corn 45%, rice bran 20%, wheat bran 6%, soybean cake 10%, fish meal 10%, rapeseed cake 6%, shell powder 1%, bone meal 1%, salt 0.5%, poultry multivitamins 0.5%. If conditions permit, commercial laying duck feed can also be used.

3. Feeding method

After the feed is crushed and prepared, add water and mix well, until it can be squeezed into a ball by hand and breaks apart when the hand is opened. Generally, feed 4 times per day and night, that is, once each at 5 a.m., 10 a.m., 3 p.m., and 9-10 p.m., and the last feeding should be increased so that the ducks eat their fill. Each duck is fed 125-150 grams per day. Ducks in the non-laying period only need to be fed 2 times a day.

4. Timely start of laying

Laying ducks start laying at around 150 days of age. If they start laying too early, they are prone to early aging; if too late, it will affect economic income. The specific method is: control green feed to prevent enlarging the stomach and intestines, and after 120 days of age gradually increase the amount of feeding and improve feed quality.

5. Releasing into water

After feeding every day, drive the ducks into the water to bathe. In summer, 4-5 times a day, or they can be released into water freely; at night, when the duck flock is noisy and restless, they still need to be released into water once, 20 minutes each time. In winter, release them into water once each at 10 a.m. and 2-3 p.m., 5 minutes each time. After releasing into water, let the ducks bask in the sun in winter and rest in a cool place in summer. Never expose them to strong sunlight.

6. Matching males and females

The stronger the ducks' libido, the more eggs they lay. Therefore, enough male ducks should be provided in the laying duck flock. For small-group raising, match 1 male duck per 100 female ducks; for large-group raising, match 1 male duck per 200 female ducks, which can increase the laying rate by 5%-8%. For egg-type breeding ducks, match 1 male duck per 20-30 female ducks. For commercial ducks, isolate the male ducks during the laying period, non-laying period and molting period to avoid harassment.

7. Supplemental feed for old ducks

Old ducks that have laid for 1 year should be supplementally fed cod liver oil, 7 days per month, which can make old ducks lay more eggs and prolong the high-yield years.

8. Forced molting

In late summer and early autumn, laying ducks stop laying and molt. At this time, artificial forced molting should be adopted. The method is: stop food and water for the first two days, provide water but stop food from the 3rd to 5th day, from the 6th day feed half of the normal feed amount and provide water, and from the 7th day restore normal feeding, so as to promote fast and uniform molting and make the laying ducks start laying uniformly.

9. Litter

Use rice straw, wheat straw, rice husk or sawdust as litter on the floor inside the house, add litter once every other day, and pile it a little higher at the laying place. Combined with ventilation and light transmission in the duck house, prevent heatstroke and lower the temperature so as to keep the duck house clean and dry. In summer, a layer of mud and sand or gravel can also be spread.

10. Supplemental lighting

In autumn and winter, because natural light is shortened, the pituitary gland and endocrine glands of ducks are reduced, which affects egg laying, so artificial supplemental lighting must be adopted. Generally, the continuous lighting time per day should reach 16 hours. A 60-watt bulb can be installed every 30 meters in the duck house, with the bulb hung 2 meters above the ducks' backs and equipped with a lampshade. Turn on the lights twice a day, in the morning and evening, that is, turn on the lights at 4 a.m., turn them off at 8 a.m., turn them on at 5 p.m., and turn them off at 8 p.m. The time for turning the lights on and off must be strictly fixed. At the same time, 2 weak-light bulbs of 3-5 watts should be installed in each duck house for lighting, so as to avoid startling the flock after the lights are turned off. In case of dark and low-light weather such as heavy snow, dense fog, or consecutive rainy days, turn on the lights appropriately earlier in the evening, and the time for turning them off in the morning can be extended. If necessary, lighting can be provided all day. Practice shows that laying ducks with supplemental lighting have a laying rate 20%-25% higher than those without supplemental lighting.

11. Increase nighttime feeding

Generally, laying ducks fed at night can increase egg production by about 1% compared with those not fed. Therefore, in autumn and winter, laying ducks should be given additional nighttime feed. When feeding at night, two points should be noted: first, sufficient drinking water must be provided; second, the protein in the nighttime supplemental feed must not be too high.

12. Reduce stress

Laying ducks have vigorous metabolism and are especially sensitive to polluted air, so attention should usually be paid to ventilation. Whenever the duck flock is playing in water, all windows of the duck house should be opened. Usually, do not make loud noises in the duck house, and even less should you chase or frighten the duck flock with a bamboo pole in hand. Keep warm in winter and cool in summer, minimize the adverse effects of cold and heat stress on laying ducks, and keep the laying ducks living in a quiet and comfortable environment.

13. Prevent abnormalities

When laying ducks show conditions such as smaller individual eggs, thinner eggshells, prolonged laying time, or, after drinking water and coming ashore, damp feathers and immediately burrowing into the duck house, effective measures should be taken promptly to prevent and control them. The following methods are generally commonly used: (1) improve feed quality, especially increase protein feed; (2) frequently drive the duck flock to increase exercise; (3) increase lighting; (4) keep the duck house warm, preferably add liquid cod liver oil, 1 milliliter per duck per day mixed into the feed, and feed for 3-4 days.

14. Do a good job of hygiene

The indoor and outdoor exercise areas of the duck house should be cleaned frequently, the feeding troughs and water troughs should be washed and disinfected frequently, the feed must be fresh, and moldy feed must never be fed. Drinking water must be clean. The duck house should be well ventilated to keep the air fresh and prevent ammonia irritation to the ducks. The litter must be changed frequently to ensure it is clean and dry. Ducks love cleanliness. Once their feathers are dirty, immediately drive the ducks into water to clean them; otherwise, the ducks may become infected and sick due to soiled feathers, or even stop laying.

15. Regular disinfection

Every week, 20% quicklime milk, or 2% sodium hydroxide, or 3% compound phenol (disinfectant) can be used to disinfect the pens and exercise areas, and the feeding troughs and utensils can be disinfected with Baidusha, etc. The green feed and drinking water can be treated with 0.02% potassium permanganate solution.

16. Regular epidemic prevention

Earnestly do a good job in epidemic prevention. To prevent duck plague, attenuated duck plague vaccine can be used. After 20 days of age, ducklings are vaccinated with 0.5 milliliters injected into the leg muscle per duck; adult ducks are injected with 1 milliliter into the chest muscle per duck each time, and adult ducks are injected once every 6 months. To prevent duck cholera, avian cholera aluminum hydroxide vaccine can be used. After 20 days of age, ducklings are injected with 1 milliliter into the leg muscle per duck, and at 3 months of age, 2 milliliters into the chest muscle, with an immunity period of 75 days. Oxytetracycline can also be used. At a dose of 5 tablets of 250,000 units of oxytetracycline per 100 ducks, grind into powder and mix into feed or dissolve in water, and feed once every 2-3 weeks.

Tips for Raising Laying Ducks Well

1. Look at egg shape: If the large end of the egg is relatively small, it means the duck has not eaten enough early feed; if the small end is relatively small, it means the duck has not eaten enough midday feed. The eggshell should be uniform, normal, smooth and thick. If the eggshell is thin, translucent, rough, etc., the calcium and phosphorus ratio in the feed should be adjusted; the appearance of sand-shell eggs, spotted eggs, etc. is caused by inflammation of the oviduct.

2. Look at laying time: The normal laying time for ducks is from 2 a.m. to 8 a.m. If it is delayed every day, or even eggs are laid during the day, and laying is very sporadic, the cause should be identified promptly.

3. Look at body weight: After laying for a period of time, if the body weight remains unchanged, it indicates that the feeding and management are appropriate.

4. Look at egg weight: At the beginning of laying, the eggs are very small. Taking the light-type Ma duck as an example, the first-laid egg is only about 50 g. By 200 days of age, it can reach 90% of the average egg weight for the whole period, and by 250 days of age, it can reach the standard egg weight.

5. Look at laying rate: The laying rate in the early laying period rises continuously, and for ducks that start laying in early spring, it rises faster. Taking the light-type Ma duck as an example, by 200 days of age at the latest, the laying rate should reach about 90%. If the laying rate fluctuates or even declines in the early laying period, it is abnormal, and the cause should be sought in feeding and management.

Breeding Cost of Laying Ducks  

1. Young ducks 14 yuan/bird × 3000 birds = 42,000 yuan. Young ducks refer to laying ducks about 100 days old before starting to lay.  

2. Feed cost 0.2 kg/day·bird × 1.75 yuan/kg × 360 days × 3000 birds = 378,000 yuan.  

3. Wages, water and electricity, epidemic prevention 25,000 yuan.  

4. Duck shed construction 25,000 yuan. The total investment in the above items is 470,000 yuan.

Breeding Profit of Laying Ducks  

1. Raising 3000 laying ducks for one year, calculated at 280 eggs laid/bird, yields a total of 60,000 kg of eggs. If the selling price is calculated at 7.5/kg, the total output value is 60,000×7.5=450,000 yuan.  

2. Culled laying ducks calculated at 18 yuan/bird, 3000×18=54,000 yuan.  

3. Total 504,000 yuan.  

4. Net profit: 504,000 yuan - 470,000 yuan = 34,000 yuan. Raising one improved-breed laying duck can generally yield a profit of more than 10 yuan per year.

6. Look at feathers: Smooth, tight, close-fitting feathers indicate good feed quality.

7. Look at appetite: Whether raised in pens or grazed, laying ducks (especially high-yield ducks) are the most diligent in foraging. They wake up early in the morning, forage everywhere when grazing, and are the first to scramble for food when fed, showing a strong appetite, and should be fed more.

8. Look at spirit: Healthy and high-yielding laying ducks are lively in spirit and agile in movement. When let out to graze, they like to leave the flock to forage and move alone, and after entering the duck house they lie down alone and sleep quietly. If they are listless and slow to respond, they are weak and sick.

9. Look at playing in water: Healthy ducks with a high laying rate dive for a long time after entering the water, and after coming ashore their feathers are smooth and not wet. If ducks are afraid of entering water, unwilling to bathe, and after entering the water their feathers become wet, or they even sink, and after coming ashore their wings droop and their movements are weak, this is a sign of declining egg production.

From the above analysis, it is not difficult to see that the breeding prospect of laying ducks is very good, and from the above profit analysis, the profit from raising laying ducks is also very good. It can thus be seen that raising laying ducks is a project with low investment cost and high breeding profit.