A Detailed Explanation of Muscovy Duck Breeding Methods and Technical Points
The scientific name of the Muscovy duck is the warty-faced duck (Cairina moschata). The Muscovy duck was originally a variant breed of the American goose, and after being introduced into China it has been raised artificially ever since. The Muscovy duck is larger in body size than ordinary ducks, heavier in weight, and has a strong gamey flavor, making it popular with many consumers. The Muscovy duck not only has high food value, but its medicinal and ornamental value should not be underestimated either. So how should this promising breeding project be carried out? Let's take a look together below!
1. Site Selection and Coop Construction
The Muscovy duck has strong adaptability and can quickly adapt and grow in various environments. However, for artificial breeding, you should still try to choose a quiet, non-noisy place with high terrain and plenty of sunlight. The soil of the duck coop must not be clay, as clay will make it difficult for Muscovy ducks to walk. There must be sufficient water sources and ponds nearby to satisfy the Muscovy duck's love of water. When building the coop, you should establish a duck coop, a brooding house, and an exercise yard, and raise ducklings and adult ducks separately to increase the survival rate of the ducklings. After building the coop, do a good job of epidemic prevention in the duck coop to prevent the spread of pathogens, and at night set up various facilities in the duck coop, such as water troughs, feed sheds, and anti-escape equipment.
2. Selecting Superior Breeds
After choosing the site, you must select excellent Muscovy duck breeds. Of course, if you are an experienced breeder, most likely you use the method of keeping your own breeding stock. When selecting breeds, we should choose ducklings with strong growth ability, good spirits, and smooth, glossy, bright feathers. Good breed selection can effectively reduce your own breeding pressure. When keeping breeding stock, observe the color and size of the duck eggs, and try to choose eggs with no impurities on the surface and a normal shape as breeding eggs, then let the breeding ducks incubate them. The selection of breeding eggs directly determines the growth ability of the ducklings after hatching. Only by selecting good breeds can you ensure sustained and efficient production of Muscovy ducks.
3. Incubation Management
After selecting the breeding eggs, the incubation period begins. The natural incubation time of Muscovy ducks is relatively long. So in order to speed up incubation, we must manage incubation well during the process, especially for breeders who use machines for incubation, for whom incubation management is very important. During incubation, the surrounding temperature should be controlled at around 35 degrees, because the breeding eggs have the function of automatically dissipating heat; the temperature in the middle part of the breeding egg will be relatively high, while the two sides are not as warm as the middle, which is very unfavorable for incubation. During incubation, frequently observe the condition of the breeding eggs. When you find that the eggshell is ice-cold, the color has darkened and turned black, and there is a certain odor, it means the embryo has died. At this time, you must take it out promptly.
4. Feeding Management
Breeding ducks have a relatively omnivorous diet, so feeding them poultry-specific feed every day is enough. The number of feedings per day must not be less than two, and the amount fed each time should be determined according to the body weight of the Muscovy ducks. Also manage the daily drinking water of the Muscovy ducks well, because the Muscovy duck's demand for water differs from that of other ducks; its demand is relatively large. So we must ensure that there is always water in the trough to meet the drinking water needs of the Muscovy ducks. Regularly disinfect the duck coop, because Muscovy ducks are gregarious animals and like to move in groups, so there will be a lot of feces. Feces can easily lead to the breeding of bacteria. Therefore, the disinfection work of the duck coop is very important.
The above is a brief introduction to Muscovy duck breeding methods. The commercial value of the Muscovy duck is very high, and it is also a relatively new breeding project. It is now gradually becoming known to people, and its flavor is also sought after by people, so its breeding prospects are also very good. However, before breeding, everyone should still make all preparations to prevent breeding failure caused by insufficient preparation. This article is for reference only. Thank you for your reading and support.