Key Technical Points and Precautions for Raising Ducks Under Trees in Rural Areas
Nowadays, raising ducks under trees has become a new type of farming model, and free-range ducks are always of better quality than confined ducks. The specific duck-raising techniques and precautions are as follows:
1. Breed selection
For raising ducks under trees, breeds should be chosen that have strong stress resistance, are suitable both for confinement and for free-range raising in low mountain and hilly areas, and have a wide feeding range, a large food intake, a well-developed muscular stomach, and strong digestive capacity. The Shanma duck, originally from the Longyan area of Fujian, is one of China's fine laying duck breeds, with early onset of laying, high egg production, and wide adaptability, making it suitable for all kinds of farming methods in rural areas; the Ji'an Red-feathered duck has stable genetic performance, good production performance, tolerance to coarse feed, strong foraging ability, tender meat, a high lean meat rate, and feathers that grow in sync with body weight gain, making it suitable for all kinds of rearing in rural areas.
The duckling-rearing stage, commonly called brooding, is a very important foundational stage in duck raising, so it must be managed scientifically, creating for the ducklings a suitable environment of temperature, humidity, air, light, and nutrition that is clean and quiet, and minimizing the effects of harsh stress.
The brooding season is very important, and ducklings mainly come from spring brooding and summer brooding. Spring ducklings are those hatched from March to May; in spring the climate gradually warms up, sunlight is abundant, and conditions are favorable for duckling growth, with high survival rates and strong, healthy birds. By the growing-duck stage, because temperatures are suitable, they spend a long time active outside the coop, have good constitutions, and grow and gain weight quickly. When brooding in spring, attention should be paid to keeping them warm; spring is rainy and humid with changeable weather, and diseases can easily invade, so during the rearing period in the hot summer, work such as heat prevention and shading should be done well.
Summer ducklings are those hatched from June to August; at this time it is hot and humid, the ducklings have poor appetites, growth and development are affected, the productivity of adult birds is relatively low, and the workload of heat prevention and cooling is great. However, summer ducklings generally do not need heating or insulation; when used as commercial meat ducks, as long as heat prevention is done properly, the feeding cost will not be very high.
2. Brooding methods
According to the specific conditions of the existing duck house, various brooding methods can be adopted. For raising ducks under trees, the ducklings should be brooded together first and then dispersed into the woods for grazing.
Flat floor brooding involves spreading a thick layer of litter directly on the floor of the duck house, such as wood shavings, coarse sawdust, dry straw, or dry sand; the litter should be cleaned and replaced regularly to keep it clean and dry. This method is simple and easy to carry out and costs little, but it is not easy to control disease, and the brooding results are average.
Semi-floor, semi-net brooding: one-third of the floor of the duck house is covered with raised netting, while the rest of the floor is not netted and only litter is spread on it. All drinking water is placed on the netting, so the floor inside the house stays dry. Note that the slope must be less than 25 degrees. This method has moderate costs and is good for cleaning work, with fairly ideal results, so it is relatively commonly used.
Cardboard box brooding uses ordinary larger hard cardboard boxes, with the ducklings raised inside them. In warm weather this method requires no heat source and can rely on the ducklings' own warmth for brooding, greatly reducing insulation costs, and it is simple, easy, and requires little investment. However, attention must be paid to keeping it dry, hygienic, and well ventilated; holes are often punched in the cardboard walls for ventilation, and the flock must be divided and moved at appropriate times. As the ducklings gradually grow, some are gradually moved out to other cardboard boxes or brooding houses, so that the stocking density is moderate and they gradually leave the heating stage. Because this method is greatly affected by the weather, involves complicated work, and allows only a limited number of ducklings, it is suitable for small-scale farming.
3. Daily management
Ventilation: at present, the vast majority of open duck houses use regulating indoor temperature and humidity as the main standard for ventilation and air exchange, controlling ventilation by how many doors and windows are opened or closed and for how long. Windows should be set high up, so that the wind does not blow on the ducks and it is easier to expel hotter, lighter stale air. At the same time, prevent drafts and temperature fluctuations from causing colds and poor growth in ducklings.
Density: usually a duckling flock of 400-1000 is appropriate. For flat floor rearing, about 20 per sq m in the first week of age, about 14 in the second week, and no more than 10 after the third week; for net floor rearing and combined floor-and-net rearing, the density can be greater, up to one-third more.
Temperature: ducklings must grow at a suitable temperature, and large fluctuations in indoor temperature should be avoided. At 1-3 days of age, the temperature is 28°C-30°C; at 4-6 days of age, 24°C-26°C; at 7-10 days of age, 20°C-23°C; from 11 days onward, follow the same pattern. In the early stage, when the indoor temperature is below 20°C, infrared lamps or electric heating plates can be used for heating. Be careful to prevent the ducks from piling up and to disperse them promptly.
Humidity: the suitable relative humidity during brooding is 56%-70%, which is close to the humidity inside the machine when the ducklings hatch, and can prevent the ducklings from losing large amounts of body moisture by breathing dry air, which would affect normal body functions.
Lighting: after ducklings start eating, their feed intake is small and their eating speed is slow. To ensure that the ducklings have enough time to eat and drink, generally for the first 3 days, 24-hour lighting is used, that is, artificial lighting is added at night, with light intensity just enough for the ducklings to see the feed and water.
Immunization: the procedures and types of immunization vary from region to region, depending on the occurrence of local infectious diseases. It is best for poultry disease experts to carry out an investigation, formulate an immunization plan, and strictly implement it.
Timely culling: because duck raising in rice fields is mainly carried out under natural, extensive conditions, the duck flock must be healthy. Ducks in poor health or with poor growth should be culled in a timely manner.
4. Feeding ducklings
Drinking water: within 24 hours after hatching, ducklings must drink water. Generally, the ducklings are placed in a shallow water basin 1 cm deep for a few minutes, letting the ducklings wet their feet and drink, which is commonly called “dipping water.” The water must be fresh and clean, and the water temperature close to room temperature. As the days of age increase, the ducklings' water intake increases; frequently clean the drinking utensils and replace dirty water with fresh water.
Starting to feed: within 24-28 hours after hatching, and no later than 36 hours, after all the ducklings have drunk water, let the ducklings start eating. In the first few days after they start eating, a “small meals, many times” system should be used, that is, feeding 7-8 times a day or so, with a very small amount each time, but ensuring the ducklings eat their fill. Afterward, let the ducklings feed freely and drink freely, with no artificial lighting at night.
Feed: duckling feed should be fresh, clean, nutritious, of moderate pellet size, palatable, and easy to digest. During the 10-15 day period, each duckling is given 500 grams of complete feed in stages, with a small amount of cooked rice mixed in during feeding. Then, feed them cooked rice plus grains such as paddy rice and crushed corn until they weigh more than 75 grams, after which they can be released into the fields.
To supplement the shortage of feed during the free-range period, ducks being raised free-range should be given supplemental feed at appropriate times. Free-range raising of ducklings starts at 4 weeks of age; the earlier period is the brooding stage, when they can be kept in pens or cages. Ducklings are given supplemental feed once each in the morning and evening to make up for insufficient energy.
There are many advantages to raising ducks under trees, so when farming, be sure not to spray pesticide, lest the ducks eat pesticide-sprayed food while foraging and suffer food poisoning.