Peking duck: breeding at home, how to grow and feed

Peking Duck is one of the best meat duck breeds. It is not only bred everywhere, but also used in breeding work to breed other varieties. Consider the description and characteristics, pros and cons, as well as the technology of breeding Peking duck at home, the diet of feeding, the requirements for the conditions of keeping and caring for this breed.

History of origin and distribution

The breed was bred about 3 centuries ago in China. In the 19th century, the Peking duck was brought to America and then to Europe. Now in the poultry industry, the breed is common both on industrial farms and in private backyards.From this breed, many duck breeds, including broilers, subsequently descended.

Description and characteristics of Peking duck

The duck has a powerful physique, it has a wide back and chest, a large head, and a curved neck. It is characterized by a convex forehead and a large, flat, bright orange beak. Large wings and a small tail with a raised end. The legs are short, the plumage is dense. Its color is predominantly pure white, although there are birds with cream plumage.

Ducks and drakes are almost the same size, but larger than musky ones. When crossed with them, they give mulards that grow larger than their parents. Beijing females lay white or bluish eggs, without a specific smell and taste. Productivity Feature:

weight of an adult drake - 3.5-4 kg, ducks - 3-3.5 kg;
weight of 2-month-old ducklings - 2.7-3 kg;
number of eggs laid per year - 150 pcs. (each 90g).

Ducklings are grown to slaughter within 60-70 days. Until this age, they grow intensively, then molting begins, and feed consumption increases. Poultry farmers prefer to slaughter during this period also because the bird then plucks badly. Slaughter output - 70%.

Good and bad sides

Pros and conslarge body with a large yield of meat;can be grown not only for meat, but also for eggs;down and feathers of plucked birds can be used, the raw materials are warm and soft;ducks tolerate heat and cold well;indiscriminate in feed;differ in precocity;can do without reservoirs.they do not like dampness in the duck house;old birds have fatty meat, young ones are leaner;bad hens.

Despite minor shortcomings, Peking ducks are revered by poultry farmers from different countries, and when choosing a breed for breeding, they prefer them to other varieties.

Maintenance and care requirements

Due to unpretentiousness to the conditions of detention, good tolerance of heat and cold, ducks can live in a simple poultry house, without any amenities. You need to pay attention to the humidity, which must be maintained at the level of 65-75%.

In summer and winter, birds can live in a barn, it should be spacious (for adult ducks, the area should be 0.5 m² per 1 duck, for ducklings - 1 sq. m per 12-16 heads), bright, ventilated . As already mentioned, Peking ducks do not like dampness, so you need to monitor the cleanliness and moisture of the litter. The bird does not tolerate drafts, so it is necessary to close all the cracks in the walls and windows. The litter can be laid from dry peat, shavings, straw.The thickness should be 30 cm, if you pour a fresh layer on top, you can change it 2 times a year. Or clean it often, as soon as the layer gets dirty.

In summer, ducks should be kept at a temperature not higher than 25 ° C, in winter - not lower than 10 ° C. If they are too hot or cold, they will become worse to eat, weight gain will be reduced. When kept in a poultry house, it is necessary to ventilate it every day so that ammonia and other harmful compounds evaporate. For ventilation, it is necessary to arrange windows in the wall with an area of 100 cm² per m² of the room. Lighting in summer is natural, in winter - artificial, up to 10-12 hours

Keeping Peking ducks in a poultry house is not always desirable. They need to walk, move, swim. They can do this on a paddock or in a paddock, the area of \u200b\u200bwhich must be at least 3 square meters. m per duck. A container of water is placed in the corral.

How to feed the Beijing breed

When compiling a diet for Peking ducks, you need to take into account the characteristics of the breed: they have an accelerated metabolism, food passes through the intestines quickly. In this regard, ducks must be provided with food constantly. The weight gain of the bird depends on this.

Protein foods should be included in the diet of Beijing ducklings. As for the diet, the birds are omnivores, they can eat everything that is offered, vegetable and animal feed. They are given grain mixers, grass, aquatic vegetation. To replenish the body with vitamins, protein - fish, dairy waste, mineral supplements. Ducks eat a lot and often, if they lack food, they begin to lose weight.

It is noted that Pekinese ducks are noisy, easily excitable. Not everyone likes it. In order not to hear duck cries, it is necessary to provide the bird with everything necessary. If ducks live in a warm, clean room, away from other living creatures, they will quack less. Birds are slaughtered at 2 months of age, before the start of molting. Ducklings are already able to reach a weight of about 3 kg, then they begin to spend energy on feather growth, which is why weight gain is reduced.Keeping ducklings becomes less economically viable as feed costs increase.

Besides, the meat of young Pekingese is not fatty, but becomes fatter with age. A well-known dish is prepared from it - Peking duck.

Home Breeding

Beijing ducklings are resilient, unlike chickens, they survive after hatching more than 95%. The chicks hatch in the incubator, you can entrust the incubation and the brood hen. For bookmarking, you need to select only the best specimens of eggs, large, fresh, with a smooth shell. To get a thoroughbred bird, you need to select eggs from Beijing females and males.

After hatching, ducklings are kept for 1 month in a brooder, under a lamp, with moderate humidity. The first food for chicks is a boiled egg, cottage cheese, porridge from crushed grain. Gradually, it is necessary to transfer ducklings to the diet of an adult bird, to give grass, duckweed, grain mixers. As well as small fish, the remains of dairy production, mineral supplements.

Then, the monthly ducklings are transferred to growing in a herd. If you organize feeding and maintenance correctly, Peking ducks can be considered beneficial for home breeding. You can keep a small amount for yourself, or organize a duck farm for the production of meat and eggs. Breeding Peking ducks is profitable, hatching eggs, purebred little ducklings and adults are not cheap. Crossbreeds with other breeds and species can also be profitable, for example, you can start breeding mulards.

Frequent diseases

Ducks that live in a damp and ventilated room suffer from colds. Little ducklings can die from this. Adult ducks are characterized by diseases and problems:

clogged esophagus caused by coarse greens;
prolapse of the oviduct in females, the cause is large eggs, the treatment is washing the oviduct with potassium permanganate or alum for 5-7 days;
plucking feathers, the cause is a lack of vitamins and minerals, the treatment is the addition of mineral and vitamin supplements, charcoal, crushed shells to food.

In order not to miss the onset of the disease, watch the bird, examine it more often. At the first sign, such as loss of appetite, lethargy, depression or dullness and loss of feathers, contact your veterinarian.

For the prevention of infections, young animals are soldered with vitamin preparations, to make vaccines. Clean and disinfect the premises, inventory, monitor the cleanliness of the feed. Walk the bird in the fresh air, or better - in a pond where it will swim. Sick individuals should be separated from he althy ones for the duration of treatment and returned only after recovery.

Peking duck is known to poultry farmers who keep ducks for meat or for breeding. The breed has many advantages and few disadvantages, for which it is valued. Pekinki grow quickly, fatten meat on a simple, standard feed, its quality is recognized by all cooks.