How to Increase the Egg Production Rate of Laying Ducks? Standardized Scientific Rearing Is the Key

Laying Ducks

    The living environment of ducks alternates between day and night, and affected by this, certain habits of ducks have also developed day-night variation patterns adapted to it. If this variation pattern can be followed in production and standardized, scientific rearing is implemented, the duck flock can be well managed, feed costs can be reduced, and the egg production rate of laying ducks can be effectively increased, thereby improving rearing efficiency.

    I. Day-Night Variation Pattern of Duck Feeding

    Under natural light, a duck flock has 3 feeding peaks within a day and night, respectively in the morning, at noon and in the evening. Accordingly, the following should be done in rearing management: 1. Strengthen the morning feeding. The flock has a particularly strong appetite at dawn, and feeding them to satisfaction and feeding them well at this time can help laying ducks produce more eggs. 2. Fixed-time herding. Herding should be carried out at the 3 feeding peaks of the ducks in the morning, at noon and in the evening, and at other times the flock should be allowed to rest or be driven into the water, combining work and rest. If drinking water, medication or medicated feed is needed, it is best to arrange it during the ducks' feeding peaks.

    II. Day-Night Variation Pattern of Duck Egg Laying

    According to reports, egg laying by laying ducks is mainly concentrated in the period after midnight and before dawn, and they usually do not lay eggs during the day. To increase the egg production rate, the following should be done: 1. Turn off the lights on time at 10 pm and stop lighting, so as to ensure that the laying ducks lay eggs in a quiet environment from 1 to 4 am the next day. 2. If it is found that the ducks generally lay eggs later than 5 am and the eggs are rather small, it indicates that the concentrate feed in their daily ration is insufficient, and the concentrate feed should be increased in time according to the standard. 3. If the ducks lay eggs during the day, it is mostly caused by a single feed type, insufficient nutrition, herding too early in the morning, or harsh environments such as high temperature and high humidity in the duck house. The rearing management conditions should be improved accordingly, and the ducks' morning herding time should be temporarily postponed (to 8 am).

    III. Day-Night Variation Pattern of Duck Mating

    Breeding ducks generally choose to mate in the morning or in the evening, on a broad water surface. Therefore, full use should be made of the morning or evening mating peak of breeding ducks by driving them to deeper water areas to increase the fertilization rate of breeding ducks.

    IV. Day-Night Variation Pattern of You-Shi Disease

    You-Shi disease is named because ducks develop the disease at You-Shi (5-7 pm) every day. When the disease strikes, the ducks become violently agitated and quickly huddle together, causing some weak ducks to be trampled to death, with a mortality rate often reaching about 20%. This disease is caused by transport stress, so various stresses before and after long-distance transport of ducks should be minimized. Within several days after the laying ducks are transported, anti-stress drugs should be added to the daily ration 1 to 2 hours before You-Shi every day, so as to promptly stop the occurrence of You-Shi disease.

    V. Day-Night Variation Pattern of Immune Response

    The sensitivity of poultry to immune preparations (vaccines, bacterial vaccines, etc.) shows periodic day-night changes; sensitivity is poor during the day and the immune response is sluggish; near dawn at night, adrenaline secretion is at its highest and the immune response is most sensitive. Therefore, immunization of poultry (including ducks, geese and chickens) is effective when carried out at dawn. There are two benefits: 1. Poultry stop activity at night, are easy to catch, and have little stress response. 2. Inoculation at dawn every day enables them to develop immunity faster and better.