How to feed broiler ducks: a diet for growing at home

Bringing broiler ducks is becoming more and more popular. However, it is important to bear in mind that this direction is considered a difficult task that requires a lot of time and effort. In order for birds to grow well and not get sick, they need to choose the right food. What exactly to feed broiler ducks depends on their age and characteristics of the content.

Features of the diet

A properly composed diet of birds helps in a short time to get full-fledged birds for slaughter. It is believed that it is cost-effective to keep a duck for no longer than 3 months. Subsequently, feed consumption increases significantly while body weight gains are much slower.

Small farms use cereals and other natural products to feed the birds, while industrial farms usually use compound feed.

When compiling a diet, you should be guided by the following rules:

1. First of all, it is important to consider the age of the bird. Adults should eat three times a day.
2. Constant nutrition can be cereal mixtures or compound feed.
3. Broiler ducks need wet mashes. They are made from root crops, tops of carrots or beets. Also, the composition often includes greens - nettle, duckweed, clover.
4. Be sure to install a container with crushed shells and chalk.
5. Fish oil should be added to the diet from time to time.
6. Drinkers should always be filled with clean and fresh water.

How to feed broiler ducks at home

The cultivation of these birds has a number of features. When compiling a diet, you should definitely focus on the age of the pets.

Adults

When keeping adult broilers, they should be given a finisher feed. It is introduced into the diet for 26-27 days. Adult birds need to be given a scattering of coarse grinding. It is also acceptable to use a granular version. Its diameter must be greater than 4 millimeters.

Creating homemade food is hard enough. Therefore, the best option would be to buy ready-made finishing feed. There are many types of such food.

Some farmers replace 90% of the diet with corn to achieve maximum body weight at the end of fattening. At the same time, the remaining 10% should be vitamins, chalk, s alt, fishmeal. Some growers go up to 60% cereal.

Choosing the best option is quite problematic. Therefore, it is worth focusing on your costs and the results that you plan to receive. The full-fledged finishing compound feed includes the following components:

• 60 grams of cereals - these include corn, wheat, barley;
• 35 grams of skimmed milk;
• 30 grams of boiled potatoes;
• 20 grams of greens;
• 7 grams of yeast;
• 5 grams of meal;
• 5 grams of cottage cheese;
• 5 grams meat and bone meal;
• 3 grams of chalk;
• 0.2 grams of s alt.

The number of feedings should be selected taking into account the age category:

• in 10-15 days it is recommended to feed ducks 6-8 times a day;
• at 15-30 days food should be given 4-6 times a day;
• adult birds from 31 days to slaughter should be fed at least three times a day.

Ducklings

Ducklings need a balanced diet for proper development. At the same time, it is important to start competent feeding literally from the very first day of life. Ducklings certainly need to be fed in the first 16-18 hours. This is of great importance for their full development.

The first food for birds can be crushed eggs. Special starter compound feed is required to be given from 1 to 10 days of life inclusive.

If you can't buy a ready-made mixture, you can make it yourself. To do this, take the following:

• 50% corn;
• 25% oats;
• 10% barley;
• 5% meal;
• 10% composition of premix, fishmeal, s alt, chalk.

Beans must be thoroughly ground before mixing. Equally important is the hydration of feed. In this case, it is worth adding boiled potatoes, greens, low-fat cottage cheese to the composition. It is also acceptable to use boiled chicken eggs.

On the 11th day, ducklings should be transferred to the growth mixture. At the same time, small-fraction foods and moisturizing ingredients should be gradually excluded. It is required to transfer ducklings to growth food within 2 weeks. At this time, there is a risk of a significant slowdown in weight gain. However, there is no need to worry - this is considered a variant of the norm.

What should not be given to broilers?

Feathers are forbidden to give such food:

1. Spoiled bread and moldy food. Such food can cause aspergillosis.
2. Fine flour. This product is able to turn into dough, which will lead to blockage of the nasal openings in the beak. As a result, breathing problems are more likely.
3. Fresh milk. First of all, it should not be given to ducklings. This product often turns sour in the stomach, which provokes diarrhea.
4. Poisonous herbs. These include henbane, celandine, cocklebur and other dangerous plants.

Feeding broiler ducks has a number of features. To be successful in breeding birds, you need to make them a balanced diet, taking into account age.

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