BREEDING �AND �MANAGEMENT �OF DUCKS

Waterfowls -classification

WATERFOWL

Muscovy duck

Greylag goose

Kuttanad duck

Chromosome number

• Duck 80
• Muscovy duck 80
• Goose 80*

* 82 also have been reported

Duck Breeding

* Growth and carcass traits

* Egg and reproduction traits

GROWTH TRAITS

• Rapid growth during first weeks of life
• Attain 70-80 % of adult size at market age (broiler chicken 40 % only)
• Males grow faster than females
• White Pekin - 5-8 % (8wks)
• Muscovy - 45% (11wks)
• Geese – 10% (8 weeks)

Mallard duck and family

Growth pattern in White Pekin ducks (Cherry Valley)

N=eggs 675, ducklings 539

Ref: Hall,A.D. and Martin D.M.(2005). Proc. 3^rd WWFC, Guangzhou, China

White Pekin ducks

Heritability of Body weight

• Ducks - 0.4 to 0.6

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• Muscovy - 0.3 to 0.6

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• Geese - 0.3 to 0.5

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Mean and h² estimates in White Pekin ducks �(Cherry valley)

Ref: Hall, A.D. (2005) Proc.3^rd Waterfowl Conference, Guangzhou, China

Genetic parameters of growing White Pekin ducks

N=220 progeny from 36 sires and 94 dams

Ref: Z.Li, S.S. Hou and X.L. Liu. (2005) .

Proc.3^rd Waterfowl Conference, Guangzhou, China

Selection for market weight

• Mass selection effective (high h²)
• Results
• Ducks
• Powell (1984)- BW at 7 wks - 3.2 to 3.7 kg – 5 Gens.
• Geese
• Schneider (1988) – BW gain – 900g – 5 Gens.

INDIAN RUNNER DUCKS

Tissue composition in White Pekin ducks (without neck and giblets)

Source- R.D.Crawford (1990). Poultry Breeding and Genetics. Elsevier, Amsterdam

White Pekin brereder

Tissue distribution in Muscovy ducks ( Males)

Source-R.D.Crawford (1990). Poultry Breeding and Genetics. Elsevier, Amsterdam

Muscovy duck

Heritability estimates for body weight

Source- R.D.Crawford (1990). Poultry Breeding and Genetics. Elsevier, Amsterdam

Confirmation

• The Breast muscle thickness
• Direct measurement or on close relatives
• Muscle depth using a probe
• Ultrasound method
• h² is medium to high
• Selection increases the thickness
• More meat yield

Feed Conversion Ratio

• Kg feed per kg gain in weight
• Medium heritable
• Response to selection has been proved
• Laborious procedure

Green sheen on Male ducks

EGG PRODUCTION TRAITS

• High intensity of laying
• Large eggs
• Oviposition during night (after midnight)
• Egger ducks more in in Asia
• China,Thailand,Vietnam,India
• Kuttanad ducks of Kerala – a good layer

Heritability estimates

EN-egg number, EW-egg weight, AFE-age at first egg

Selection methods

• Heritability low
• Individual recording difficult
• Family selection can be practiced
• Selection improves egg number (Powell, 1985)
• Ducks capable of laying 300 eggs per year

Interspecies hybrids

• Muscovy (M) X Pekin Mulard or Mules
• Pekin (M) X Muscovy Hinny
• AI is to be used
• Progeny is sterile
• Low hatchability
• Good growth rate – for meat production
• Used for fatty liver production also

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Mule Duck

SYSTEMS OF REARING

1. Herded system of rearing or open range rearing.

2. Semi intensive system
3. Intensive system

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Housing for ducks

1. Open range rearing system

• Portable light material

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• Fences (60 – 90 cm) height

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• Thatched house

(12’ X 8’/60-70 ducklings)

Housing

2. Semi intensive system

• Outdoors during day time
• Cement floor
• grower and layer ducks
• Waterer arrangement (channel 50 cm breadth, 15-20 cm depth)
• Feeder arrangement (long feeders/hanging feeders)

Housing

3. Intensive system

A. ROOF

Shed / gable

5 to 12 m. wide,60 m long

B. SIDE WALLS

1.5 – 3m

C. INSULATION AND

MECHANICAL VENTILATION

Housing

Intensive system (contd..)

D. FLOOR

Cement concrete

All wire mesh

Combination of litter and

wire mesh

Housing

Intensive system (contd..)

• CEMENT CONCRETE

Easy to clean and disinfect

• ALL WIRE MESH

12 G (2.6mm)welded 2.5cm mesh 30cm height

slope floor

Litter not needed

No contact between bird and droppings

No frequent cleaning

Housing

Housing

COMBINATION OF LITTER AND WIRE MESH

Wire floor 1/4^th of total floor space

Waterers located on one side of the building

Intensive system (contd..)

Management of ducks

Semi intensive system

• Floor space 1395 sq.cm per bird
• Run area 929 – 1395 sq.cm. (Up to 16 weeks)
• Shelter : Run area = ¼: ¾
• Waterer space : 12.5 to 15 cms.
• Widely practiced

Management of ducks

Intensive system

• Confinement rearing
• Brooding

a. Battery brooder

b. Brooding on wire floors

c. Brooding on deep litter

Management of ducks

a. Battery Brooder

• 4-5 tiers up to 3 weeks of age
• Electrical thermostats,heaters or

bulbs

• Feeders and waterers outside the

tier

• Area ¼ sq.ft (0.023 sq.m) upto 4

weeks

Management of ducklings

Intensive system

2. Brooding on wire floors

Wire net (13 sq.mm mesh, 8 gauge thick, 20 - 25 cm above floor )

Up to seven weeks of age

Avoids problem of wet litter

Floors are given a slope

Management of ducklings

Intensive system

• Brooding on deep litter

a. Litter 5 – 10cm depth

• Floor space 90 – 100 sq.cm

per duckling

c. Wet litter is a serious problem

Management of ducklings

Intensive system

• Adult management

a. Litter thickness 15 - 20 cm

b. Wet litter problem

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Deep litter

Floor space

Meat type on Deep litter

Floor space

Meat type on Wire Floor

Feeder and water space - wire floor

Feeder and water space - deep litter

CAGE SYSTEM –Layer ducks

• Floor space up to 16 weeks 900 sq.cm per duck
• Cage size 20” X 16” X 18” for 2 ducks
• Floor should have a gradient
• Feeder and waterer outside the cage

EXTENSIVE DUCK REARING SYSTEM

CHARA

KUTTANAD DUCK VARIETIES

CHEMBALLI

Duckling management

• Temporary thatched sheds
• 2000 – 6000 ducklings
• 2m X 4m for 2000 – 3000 ducklings
• Partition prevents huddling and mortality
• No artificial warmth
• Mixed sexes

Duckling management

• Shed with an enclosed open area used for feeding and watering
• Starter feed (cooked rice + chick feed + dried fish powder) for 2 weeks
• Feeding and watering 3 times/day

Brooding shed

Duckling management

• Swimming from 7th day
• 1m wide pathway to the water
• Feeding ( cooked rice + dried small fish + grains)
• Foraging

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Ducklings in rice field

1. Mortality – 8 per cent�2. Males separated at about 2-3 months of age�3. Grower birds in open fields�4. Vaccination-Duck Plague

Ducklings

Grower ducklings

Management of adult ducks

• No permanent housing
• Nomadic, depending on harvest season
• Foraging in harvested paddy fields
• Neighbouring states also
• Trucks, swimming/foot
• Enclosed with plastic nets/chicken mesh with bamboo pole
• 2 sets of nets to prevent predators

BILL MARKING�METHOD FOR IDENTIFICATION OF FLOCKS

Night shelter

Flock shifting by road - transportation charges

Mini Lorry : Rs. 13/km

Lorry : Rs. 20/km

Management of adult ducks

• Flocked in elevated places during nights
• Laying (12 midnight-6 morning)
• Egg collection 5A.M
• Early collection prevents soiling and breakage

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• Foraging begins 6 A.M
• Paddy fields booked or public auction
• Hand feeding during lean season
• Jowar,wheat,paddy or dried fish
• Maintenance ration

(palm pith + groundnut cake + grains )

Management of adult ducks

Foraging

Management of adult ducks

• Changing the field
• No separate breeding flock
• Sex ratio 3-4 drakes per 100 ducks
• Fertility 50-80 per cent
• Drakes control social order

Management of adult ducks

• Production limited to seven months
• Hand feeding
• 125-150 kg per 1000 ducks
• Feeding umbrella palm
• Modified extensive management system

CORYPHA PALM, TRUNK AND PITH

PROXIMATE COMPOSITION OF PALM PITH(%)

Sustainability of palm

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• It blooms only once in life.

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• After the fantastic bloom and fruiting, the plant dies.

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• The palm tree intended for feeding ducks to be cut before the onset of blooming.

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• When it blooms, the quality of starch in the pith declines.

Mean body weight(g) of Chara and Chemballi females at different ages

Reproductive traits of Chara and Chemballi

Egg number per duck and per cent duck-day egg production of Chara and Chemballi at thirteen 28 day laying periods

Mean egg weight(g) of Chara and Chemballi ducks at different ages

Figures with different superscripts in a line differ significantly (P<0.05)

�DUCK FARMING ACTIVITIES�

DUCK FARMING ACTIVITIES

DUCK EGGS� BEFORE PACKING

Weekly body weight, daily feed consumption and feed conversion efficiency of Kuttanad ducklings of Kerala

WEEKLY WEIGHT OF KUTTANAD DUCKLINGS �UPTO 8 WEEKS OF AGE

Production performance of Kuttanad ducks from 21 to 40 weeks of age(CAGE).

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Frequency distribution (percentage) of egg number/duck up to

280 days of age.

CROP CONTENTS OF FORAGING DUCKS

REGION : PALAKKAD

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CROP WITH CONTENTS : 40.13g

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CONTENTS : PADDY, CRABS, SNAILS, WORMS

SOLID CONTENTS : 22.5g

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CROP SAC : 8.22g

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CROP WITH CONTENTS

CROP CONTENTS

PROXIMATE COMPOSITION OF CROP CONTENTS (%)

PREVALENT DUCK DISEASES

1. Duck Plague

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2. Duck Pasteurellosis

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3. Eye Degeneration

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4. Paralysis and Arthritis

Eye Degeneration

SICK BIRDS

�AUTOPSY EXAMINATION�

Duck Plague Vaccination

BLOOD COLLECTION

FOOT LESIONS

FIELD VISITS - PALAKKAD

Flock movement of ducks in Kerala

Duck/Fish integrated farming system

• Major feature

> increased productivity

> greater income

> improved cash flow

> full employment

> better diet

LEO JOSEPH

PROFESSOR

UNIVERSITY POULTRY FARM,

VETERINARY COLLEGE,

KERALA AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY

MANNUTHY-680 651