What are the brooding methods for ducklings?

There are generally 3 brooding methods, namely floor brooding, wire-floor brooding and multi-tier cage brooding.

????Floor broodingThis involves spreading 5-10 cm of soft litter on the floor of the brooding house and raising the ducklings directly on the litter, using underground (or above-ground) heating pipes, coal stoves, brooder umbrellas or infrared light bulbs to raise the temperature inside the brooding house. This method is simple and easy to carry out with low investment, but the utilization rate of the building is low, and since the ducklings are in direct contact with droppings, their feathers become dirty and they are prone to infection.

????Wire-floor broodingThis refers to installing metal mesh, plastic mesh or bamboo and wood slats 30-80 cm above the ground inside the brooding house and raising the ducklings on the wire floor, with droppings falling through the mesh openings or the gaps between the slats onto the ground. With this method the ducklings do not come into contact with the ground, so the chance of infection is reduced; the utilization rate of the building is more than doubled compared with floor rearing, labor productivity is improved and a large amount of litter is saved. The drawback is that the one-time investment is relatively large.

Multi-tier cage broodingThis refers to raising ducklings in specially made multi-tier metal cages or moso bamboo cages. Compared with flat-floor brooding, this brooding method makes more effective use of the building and heat; it has the advantages of wire-floor brooding and can also raise labor productivity, but its drawback is likewise a relatively large investment. At present, commercial meat ducks are mostly raised by wire-floor brooding or multi-tier cage brooding, while meat-type breeding ducks are generally raised by floor brooding or wire-floor brooding.

Sarula