How to nurse weak autumn ducks back to health? Scientific methods are key

In autumn, temperatures gradually drop, the temperature difference between day and night is large, and daylight hours become shorter. Autumn ducks hatched the previous year, after laying eggs for most of the year, are already very fatigued; if there is the slightest carelessness in management, they will stop laying and molt.

Laying ducks hatched in early spring begin laying from late September to mid-October. At this time the weather gradually turns cooler, and the temperature difference between day and night is too great. Especially for free-range laying ducks, the food they can find in late autumn is scarce, which causes nutritional deficiency, affects egg production, and makes newly laying ducks "drop eggs." Therefore, rural laying duck farming has the saying "fear the fourth in spring, fear the eighth in autumn; get past the eighth, and they lay until the twelfth month." That is to say, the eighth month of the lunar calendar is a difficult hurdle; get past this hurdle, and the ducks can keep laying until the twelfth lunar month, with the possibility of maintaining an egg production rate above 80%. Therefore, management should be strengthened in autumn, attention should be paid to nutritional regulation, the environment should be kept stable, and molting should be delayed as much as possible to raise the production level of laying ducks.

Ensure lighting time

In autumn, natural daylight hours gradually shorten, which is not conducive to laying ducks maintaining vigorous reproductive function. Artificial lighting should be added; daily lighting time must not be less than 16 hours, and light intensity should be kept stable. Generally, install one 40-watt bulb per 20 sq m of duck house, add a lampshade above the bulb, keep the distance between lamps equal, hang them at a height of 2 m, and keep the bulbs clean.

Increase the protein level of feed

In autumn, animals all have the trait of storing energy to ensure safe overwintering. At this time, laying duck feeding should control fattening and prevent excessive fatness. Energy should be appropriately reduced or appropriate exercise maintained, and the weight of autumn ducks should be controlled within 2 kg. At the same time, appropriately increase the protein level of the daily ration; the crude protein content of the daily ration for confined laying ducks should be raised to above 18%. Free-range laying ducks should be appropriately supplemented with protein feed so that they can take in enough protein to meet egg-laying needs.

Do a good job of cold protection

After the beginning of autumn, every time the wind blows, the temperature drops once. A sudden drop in temperature will cause a large decline in the egg production rate. In production, the range of change in the duck house microclimate should be reduced as much as possible. Therefore, cold protection and warmth work in late autumn should be done well, and it is best to keep the duck house temperature at 13°C-20°C. At the same time, keep the laying duck shed dry.

Autumn is a rainy season. The exercise yard is prone to accumulating water, and the bedding in the duck house is prone to becoming damp and moldy. Measures should be taken to lower the humidity inside the house and prevent the bedding from becoming too damp.

Cull low-yielding laying ducks

In autumn, for laying ducks kept for more than two years, inferior ones must be culled and superior ones retained. Select and retain high-yielding laying ducks with a small head, large and spirited eyes, a slender and long neck, a long and wide bill, a wide back, a broad chest, a pubic bone spacing of 3 fingers to 4 fingers, a gap between the pubic bone and the end of the breastbone that can accommodate 4 fingers to 4.5 fingers, a large and soft abdomen, full but not drooping buttocks, and messy, lusterless feathers, and walking with a waddle; cull low-yielding ducks. If the egg production rate of the flock has already declined and molting has begun, artificial forced molting can be used at this time, that is, pluck the large feathers from both wings and the tail of the ducks, and at the same time increase the feeding of concentrate feed and vegetable leaves.

Keep operating procedures and the rearing environment stable

Laying ducks live regularly: after eating they bathe, rest, and do not run around; at night when resting they lie still. Therefore, operating procedures and the rearing environment should be kept stable, the ducks' life rhythm should not be disrupted, and laying ducks should be kept in good egg-laying performance.

Deworming

After a summer, it is unavoidable that ducks have parasites that have entered the digestive tract. These parasites not only compete for the ducks' nutrients, but also affect the ducks' health, causing reduced resistance and infection with other diseases. A deworming treatment is needed once in autumn.

Do a good job of disease prevention

Autumn is a high-incidence period for diseases such as duck plague, duck cholera, and egg drop syndrome. Therefore, disease prevention and control work should be strengthened: keep the duck house clean and sanitary, and remove manure promptly; frequently wash the water troughs and feed troughs, and regularly disinfect the duck house and equipment; strictly carry out vaccination according to the immunization program to prevent disease and ensure the health of the flock.