Detailed Explanation of Key Points on Muscovy Duck Breeding and Management Techniques
Everyone assumes that the Muscovy duck is a new breed that appeared in recent years, but that is not the case; Muscovy ducks have a breeding history of several hundred years in China. The Muscovy duck looks very strange, resembling neither a duck nor a goose, yet it has great value, being not only a very promising meat duck but also valued for its duck liver, which can be used as food. However, many people find during the breeding process that Muscovy ducks grow slowly and have poor meat quality. In fact, this is mainly because breeding and management are not done well, so below the editor brings you the breeding and management of Muscovy ducks; let's take a look together.
1. Selecting the breed
Choosing a good breed is the key to ensuring successful breeding. When selecting a breed, we can choose according to the color of the Muscovy duck's feathers, as different colors correspond to different breeding purposes. For example, breeds used for making processed snack products are suitable for raising white-feathered Muscovy ducks, while breeds sold on the market can be black-feathered Muscovy ducks. So we must choose according to our own breeding purpose. Breeding ducks must grow normally, be free of disease and harm, and be able to ensure that no abnormal conditions occur during later growth. This improves the chances of successful breeding.
2. Management of young Muscovy ducks
After selecting the breed, the next step is managing the young Muscovy ducks. In fact, managing young Muscovy ducks is not much different from managing ordinary ducklings. You must ensure the temperature for the early growth of the ducklings, pay attention to temperature changes in each season, and promptly make adjustments to the duck house temperature. Temperature changes also need to change along with the growth of the Muscovy ducks. During the three days after young Muscovy ducks are born, continuous lighting in the duck house must be ensured and must not be interrupted, then the time should be gradually reduced, but not reduced too much at once, to avoid the Muscovy ducks failing to adapt and developing problems. Good escape-prevention equipment in the duck house not only prevents the Muscovy ducks from escaping but also prevents bad weather from invading, ensuring the survival rate.
3. Management of medium Muscovy ducks
When ducklings grow to between one month and one and a half months, they are called medium ducks. Although they have not completely left the duckling stage, their growth habits are completely different from those of ducklings. This stage is when ducklings grow fastest and their nutritional needs are very high, so the amount of feed given must be increased, and the nutritional content in the feed must also be increased, to ensure the growth of the Muscovy ducks. Regardless of the breeding method, a water pool must be set up next to the duck house, because ducks love water very much, so the Muscovy ducks' love of playing in water must be satisfied.
4. Management during the fattening period
After the Muscovy ducks have passed through the duckling stage and the medium duck stage, preparations for the fattening period can begin. However, the timing of the fattening period is not fixed; it is mainly determined by the growth condition of the Muscovy ducks, their weight gain, and the differences among individual Muscovy ducks. The timing must be chosen well, neither too early nor too late. If it is too early, it will have a great impact on the growth and development of the Muscovy ducks; not only will they fail to fatten, they may even lose weight. But if fattening is too late, it will seriously waste feed and reduce the feed conversion rate. Generally, however, fattening starts at two months and lasts about one month.
The above is the breeding and management work we need to do when raising Muscovy ducks. We also need to note that Muscovy ducks cannot molt, so in high-temperature weather such as summer, ventilation in the duck house must be ensured and the flock of Muscovy ducks should be appropriately driven into ponds to cool down. Otherwise, the Muscovy ducks are very likely to suffer heatstroke. Pay attention to the hygiene of the duck house; keeping Muscovy ducks clean and tidy with smooth, glossy feathers will also increase their commercial value.