When ducks start laying: age and how many eggs are given per year at home
Farms breed ducks for meat, incubation material and feathers. Livestock productivity is influenced by many factors: age, he alth status, conditions of detention. Egg production depends on breed data, puberty. To achieve maximum business profitability, you need to know when domestic ducks start laying, how many eggs individuals lay annually.
At what age do ducks lay?
Representatives of wild breeds breed in the spring. The females incubate new eggs the following year. Adult laying hens reach puberty by 10-11 months. The greatest fertility occurs only by 2 years.
Breeders managed to accelerate the puberty of laying hens. Individuals at home are able to carry out the first laying already at 4.5-5 months for 140-160 days. Egg production in meat breeds begins by half a year, on day 175.
The farmer needs to keep an eye on the first clutch of eggs, which should appear in a timely manner. Early egg production does not bring positive results, usually a poor quality incubation product that does not meet the requirements of poultry farmers. In the clutch there are small specimens with a meager supply of nutrients, which are not enough for the normal development of the fetus.
Late laying is also not desirable. Chicks with good immunity appear, their muscle mass develops well. But the egg production and the quality of the incubation material of such offspring are low.
How often do they do this?
The life expectancy of poultry is about 20 years. At 5-6 years old, laying hens already lose their ability to lay eggs. Each female brings the farmer up to 120 eggs per year. Livestock productivity is affected by:
- timely care;
- organization of optimal conditions of detention;
- rational nutrition;
- nutritional supplements in the diet;
- permanent access to water and feed;
- breed;
- age.
Egg-laying in females begins at six months of age and continues almost every day. Young growth within a month brings up to 2 dozen eggs. After 1 or 2 months, the female is able to bring up to 23-26 eggs.
If the duck is kept in favorable conditions, receives a balanced diet, its egg production only grows.
By 10 months of age, laying hens bring up to 27 eggs. After a year of life, the duck lays high-quality eggs, grows he althy offspring. After another year, egg production declines, the laying volume is reduced by 5-10 percent. By the age of 5-6 years, the bird reaches its minimum value.
What factors influence?
The breed affects the fertility of laying hens. The most productive are Pekin ducks, which bring up to 200 eggs per year. High profitability is observed on agricultural farms that breed birds of English breeds, as well as the Indian runner. The productivity of the livestock is up to 170 eggs.
To improve the quality of meat and the productivity of pets, poultry farmers cross different breeds. This is how the offspring of the Mulard breed is obtained. Such individuals grow quickly, females lay eggs as early as 6 months of age, bringing up to 100 pieces annually.
The egg production of laying hens is affected by the conditions of their maintenance. In the poultry house, the temperature regime is not lower than +8 degrees. It is important to ensure cleanliness inside the premises, regularly change the bedding, and organize a ventilation system. In winter, the duck house is equipped with artificial light to keep the temperature comfortable for the birds.
Possible problems
When feeding ducks, you need to follow a diet, give birds quality food. You can not overfeed the females, otherwise they will suffer from obesity and stop laying. The diet includes grains, special herbal mixtures, bone meal.
Ducks need regular grazing, especially in winter. Due to the lack of fresh air, they stop laying eggs. The farmer must walk the ducks every day, at least for an hour.
If you follow the simple rules of keeping ducks, they will lay eggs in a timely manner. In this case, only he alth problems can reduce egg production. If an illness is detected, the help of a veterinarian will be required.
To increase the productivity of birds, the farmer should regularly monitor the he alth of laying hens and drakes. In addition to the usual diet, various vitamin and mineral complexes are added to the feed.
Ducks do not tolerate a change of residence, so it is better to exclude updating the duck house or moving birds to a new place during laying. Laying hens may become stressed on this soil, and they will stop laying eggs. Also, you should not arrange a joint grazing of ducks with another kind of poultry.
Ducks are unpretentious birds in care, which, under the conditions of keeping, give a good offspring. Their life expectancy is high, so a few individuals are enough for breeding. To obtain high-quality incubation material, not only laying hens, but also drakes are carefully selected.
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