Key Technical Points and Rearing Management Methods for Raising Ducks in Winter

In recent years, duck products have sold very well on the market, and the duck-raising industry has developed very rapidly. However, generally when winter comes, the duck meat market experiences a shortage of supply, mainly because raising ducks in winter is very troublesome, and a single careless mistake can cause huge losses, so quite a few people reduce the number of ducks they raise in winter. So today, the editor will teach you how to raise ducks well in winter. Let's take a look.

1. Repairing the Duck House

After late autumn, if you want to continue raising winter ducks, you must repair the duck house. After the start of winter in China, temperatures generally drop sharply, and the constitution of ducklings is very poor. If adult ducks are not raised well in winter, their body weight will drop, let alone duckling rearing. So in late autumn, you need to check whether the duck house has damage, holes and so on, then repair them, fill in the places that let in wind and rain, and then add a stove or other heating equipment in the duck house to regulate the temperature inside.

2. Hot Feed and Warm Water

Whether raising ducklings or adult ducks, in winter we all need to switch to hot feed and use warm water for feeding. This prevents the ducks from catching colds or other epidemic diseases from eating cold food. Generally, winter feeding is mainly based on cornmeal, rice bran, cooked rice and so on, which are then heated before feeding. The temperature of the hot feed should generally be around 38 degrees. Also note that after they finish eating, the leftover feed should be cleaned out promptly, so that they do not eat food that has turned cold.

3. Supplementary Lighting

In winter, the duration of daylight is generally rather short, but newly hatched ducklings have a relatively large demand for light. Many breeders think that because winter is very cold, they should seal off all the places that can let in wind and light, so that the duck house will be warmer. Actually, this is incorrect, because they all ignore the growth needs of the ducklings: the ducklings need a certain amount of natural light, and when light is insufficient, fluorescent lamps are also needed to supplement the lighting. Generally, the daily lighting duration should be kept at at least around 12 hours.

4. Extra Night Feeding ⟧11⟧At night in winter, the temperature is lower than during the day, and this is also the time when ducks consume the most. If you want to maintain the ducks' body weight, or fatten the ducks, then you need to feed them supplements at night. Generally, feeding is done at around 12 o'clock in the evening every day. This not only supplements the nutrition needed for the ducks' growth, but also enhances the ducks' ability to resist the cold. However, note that although night feeding is mainly based on concentrated feed, it does not include food with too high a protein content.

Temperatures at night in winter are lower than during the day, and this is also when ducks consume the most. If you want to maintain the ducks' body weight, or fatten them up, then you need to feed them supplements at night. Generally, feeding is done around twelve o'clock at night each day. This not only supplies the nutrients the ducks need for growth, but also strengthens their ability to withstand the cold. Note, however, that although nighttime feeding is mainly based on concentrated feed, it does not include foods with too high a protein content.

5. Increasing Exercise

The temperature in winter is relatively low, so many breeders do not pay much attention to the amount of exercise for the ducks. In fact, in winter we should increase the ducks' amount of exercise even more, as this can improve the ducks' immunity, promote the ducks' digestion and increase the ducks' appetite. In this way, when the weather turns cold, they themselves will already have a certain ability to resist the cold, and diseases will not occur so easily. So in winter we can drive the ducks to do circling exercises inside the duck house, and when the weather is good, we can also carry out reasonable herding. Herding is generally chosen at noon when the temperature is higher, and the ducks should be driven back before the temperature drops.

The above are the techniques for raising ducks in winter. I believe many people have a lot of confusion in various aspects when raising ducks in winter, so the editor wrote this article hoping to help everyone. If you have other questions, you can consult us at any time.