Breed of ducks - which one to choose?

In recent years, the development of agricultural business in our country has begun to gain serious momentum. One of the most profitable and promising directions of it, without exaggeration, is the breeding of domestic ducks. There are several reasons for this: the rapid growth of a bird (after only two months of age, the weight of one duck can reach up to two kilograms), unpretentiousness in choosing food, and easy nursing.
Which breed to choose

However, this type of entrepreneurship also has its own nuances. First of all, it is necessary to determine its purpose - the receipt of meat or eggs - as well as with what breed of ducks is best suited for this. The best meat breeds are Peking and musky ducks. And the Indian runner will be an excellent layer.

An incubator or a hen?

It is better to start with the purchase of ducklings, and already as the business develops, think about who to entrust the breeding process to - the incubator purchased or to single out one bird for hatching eggs. Keep ducklings (especially in the first few weeks of life) is necessary in the warmth, then the temperature can be gradually reduced. The room should be well ventilated, while avoiding drafts. It is best to use containers or boxes for keeping small ducks, at the bottom of which a thick layer of sawdust or straw is laid out.
Ancestors of poultry

Often, experts agree that the predecessors of domestic are wild ducks: the breeds of these birds in many respects resemble the main parameters with those that are usually kept at home. It is believed that the vast majority of bred in the farming birds of the duck family came from a subspecies of wild cracked. All known to date varieties can be divided into three groups, depending on the type of product for which they are bred: egg, meat and meat-egg. The breed of ducks khaki comes from the UK. It is universal, because meat and eggs give plenty. Its weight reaches 3 kilograms (drakes) and 2.5 kilograms (ducks).

Species of domestic ducks

One of the most common duck breeds is Peking, which also has excellent oviposition rates (up to 120 eggs per year) and meat production. The Peking breed of ducks is somewhat larger than the khaki: the weight of the drake can reach up to four kilograms, the female up to three and a half.

The gray Ukrainian duck is more likely to be attributed to laying hens, since it has a high egg production capacity - about 120 pieces per year. Its dimensions and weight are not the most outstanding: up to 3.5 kg in drakes and up to 3 kg in females. Such a breed of ducks, like a black white-chested, is one of the most unassuming and simple in content for today. Its chicks have a weight of up to 2.5 kilograms at the age of two months. Meat in this breed is much more delicious than others. Very similarities with wild birds have ducks of breed, derived in Rouen, which refers exclusively to meat. By weight and other indicators, it is approaching the Peking breed.