Fatty liver is a specialty of mule ducks: how to force-feed mule ducks to obtain fatty liver

    Fatty liver is a specialty of mule ducks. By force-feeding mule ducks with the correct method, high-quality fatty liver can be obtained in a short time. The force-feeding techniques for mule ducks are described below:

Mule duck

    Selecting mule ducks:The mule ducks used for producing fatty liver must be large mule ducks, with 3 specific criteria: (1) body weight above 3 kg, preferably reaching 3.5 kg; (2) age above 70 days; (3) strong body, preferably with a short thick neck, broad breast and long body, and a large chest and abdominal capacity.

    Feed preparation:Pour corn into a pot, add clean water, with the water surface covering the corn by 6—10cm, bring to a boil, then boil for another 5 minutes, stop the heat, scoop out and drain off the water, and while hot add 1—2% oil and 1% salt, mix well, and it is ready for force-feeding.

    Force-feeding method:Work in pairs, coordinating the operation. First pour the prepared feed into the hopper of the force-feeding machine, then drive the mule ducks to a corner of the force-feeding room, enclose them with a fence, and the assistant carries the mule duck to one side in front of the force-feeding machine and sits down, places the mule duck on the bird holder under the filling tube, presses the two thumbs tightly on the duck's two wings, and wraps the other four fingers around the duck's body to prevent it from struggling free, and forces the duck's two legs to stretch backward. The force-feeder sits in front of the force-feeding machine. When starting to feed, first smear the filling tube with cooking oil to lubricate it, then grasp the duck's head with the right hand, with the thumb and index finger lightly pressing both sides of the base of the duck's bill to force the duck to open its mouth, then extend the left index finger into the duck's oral cavity, press down the root of the tongue, pull outward, draw out the duck's tongue and fix it, then insert the filling tube into the duck's bill, slowly move it upward until it enters the enlarged part of the duck's esophagus. At this point, the force-feeder fixes the duck's head with the left hand, steps on the switch with the left foot, the feed in the filling tube enters the duck's esophagus, and the right hand strokes and smooths the lower part of the duck's neck, so that the feed enters and fills the enlarged part of the esophagus.

    Pre-feeding period:The pre-feeding period is the transition period from duckling to force-fed duck, and its length varies. If the ducklings are raised by grazing, the pre-feeding period should be slightly longer, so that the ducks gradually adapt to the force-feeding environment; if they are pen-raised ducklings, the pre-feeding period can be slightly shorter. Generally the pre-feeding period is 3—7 days.

    During the pre-feeding period, do three things well:Stop grazing and use pen raising; feed all concentrated feed, mainly corn; in the last few days of the pre-feeding period, begin adaptive force-feeding: generally feed 1—2 times a day, with a small feeding amount, to make a good adaptive transition for the official start of force-feeding.

    Force-feeding period:For producing mule duck fatty liver, the force-feeding period is generally 2 weeks, at most 20 days. If extended further, it still cannot be filled up, which indicates that the force-feeding process is improper and the force-feeding has failed.

    Force-feeding frequency:Base it on force-feeding 3 times per day and night, but it is not 3 times from beginning to end. Generally the force-feeding period is divided into three stages: days 1—4 are the early force-feeding stage, generally feeding 2 times a day (once each at 8 o'clock and 6 o'clock), at most 3 times; days 5—10 are the middle force-feeding stage, feeding 3 times a day (once each at 8 o'clock, 15 o'clock, and 22 o'clock), and in the last one or two days it can be increased to 4 times depending on the situation; days 11—15 are the late force-feeding stage, feeding 4 times a day (once each at 7 o'clock, 12 o'clock, 17 o'clock, and 22 o'clock).

    Force-feeding amount:Feed less in the early stage, and after the mule ducks adapt, increase the force-feeding amount as the number of feedings increases. Generally in the early force-feeding stage, each bird is fed about 400 grams of corn per day (measured as dry corn), increasing to 700—800 grams in the middle stage, and up to 900—1000 grams in the late stage. Throughout the entire force-feeding period, each mule duck consumes about 14—17 kg of feed.