Why do ducks pinch each other: reasons for pecking and what to do about cannibalism

When breeding ducks, it is important to take into account all the features of keeping these birds. Sometimes farmers face different violations. Experienced poultry farmers often notice that adults and small ducklings tend to pluck each other's feathers. This causes serious damage. To cope with the violation, you need to understand why ducks pinch each other.

Why do ducks peck each other

Feather-plucking is common among poultry. This is done not only by ducks, but also by chickens or turkeys. However, especially often ducklings pluck feathers. This is due to the free range of grown ducklings.They are released to pasture at 2 months old. Adults are not too happy with babies. This is due to the competition of birds. Because ducks often pinch or even eat ducklings.

Innocent cubs take a cue from adult birds and also begin to pluck feathers. This causes fights or aggression. The following factors lead to unusual behavior and the appearance of cannibalism in ducks:

• malnutrition or lack of water;
• too much food;
• small corral;
• changing nutritional requirements in ducks;
• lack of feeders or water tanks;
• presence of aggressive birds in a flock.

Ways to resolve duck conflicts

There are many options for resolving conflict situations between birds. First of all, it is worth changing their diet.

Changing the diet

That mulards peck at each other because of malnutrition. This applies to other breeds as well. To deal with the violation, it is recommended to follow the following rules:

1. Introduce he althy supplements into the feed. These include arginine, cystine, methionine. Ducks also need sulfur or calcium. With a sufficient amount of such substances, ducks will not pluck feathers. In addition, useful elements help feathers grow on the affected areas of the body. Sulfur also normalizes metabolic processes and accelerates weight gain. It should be in the diet starting at 2 weeks.
2. Introduce foods that contain iron and copper sulfates. Ducks also require sodium selenite, Biovetin, citric acid. In addition, they should be given cob alt chloride.
3. Giving meal to the birds. Ducks are in need of flax, sunflower, soybean meal.
4. Giving fresh fish to ducks. For feeding birds, it is permissible to use capelin or sprat. It is also allowed to use meat and bone meal or chopped minced meat for feeding. To get rid of problems, it is recommended to give 1 individual at least 50 grams of fat per week.
5. Introduce milk into the diet. It is also acceptable to give milk waste to birds.
6. If there is a reservoir nearby, be sure to take the ducks out to swim. When a problem occurs, small shells or duckweed will be an excellent food option.
7. It is useful to give the birds fresh herbs and herbal flour. Ducks also need chopped pine or spruce needles.
8. Ducks need crushed chalk. If birds pluck each other's feathers, it is recommended to increase the daily amount of table s alt.
9. In order to reduce the cost of maintaining about 40% of cereal feed should be replaced with a simple mixture consisting of greens, boiled potatoes, bread. From greens, it is useful to give ducks beet tops, nettles, cabbage, dandelion leaves.

We calculate and set aside the aggressor

If you manage to find an individual that pinches other ducks to the blood, it is recommended to catch and place it separately. After isolation of an aggressive bird, it is recommended to feed it properly and control its behavior. Usually a balanced diet helps to completely solve the problem. Only after the signs of aggression have been eliminated is it permissible to return the duck to its place.

Make good access to drinkers and feeders

If there is a pecking of birds, it is worth inspecting the courtyard. Sometimes the cause of problems is the incorrect calculation of the number of feeders and drinkers. This provokes fights between birds. If such problems are identified, it is worth increasing the number of access points to food and water and try to make them as comfortable as possible.

Changing the lighting in the house

In winter, birds quite often peck at each other due to improper organization of daylight hours. There are many indicators to consider when creating lighting in a poultry house.

First of all, it is important to focus on the duration of daylight hours. It should be 10-12 hours. Any deviation from these parameters can provoke aggressive behavior in other members of the livestock.

The brightness of the lighting is of great importance. Normally, it should be 15 lux. To do this, it is enough to use several light bulbs with a power of 40-60 watts. They should be evenly distributed around the entire perimeter of the house.

We observe the level of humidity in the room

When breeding ducks, it should be borne in mind that they are waterfowl, which are sensitive to any changes in humidity parameters. At the same time, birds can hardly endure changes in humidity. This causes condensation to form on their feathers.

To maintain the required humidity parameters at home, it is worth placing a hygrometer in the house. Depending on its parameters, different methods can be used. So, it is permissible to place a gas boiler or a potbelly stove in the room, which will remove excess moisture. In case of insufficient indicators, on the contrary, it is recommended to use a humidifier. In winter, the humidity parameters should always be 50-60%, and the air temperature cannot fall below +5-7 degrees.

Possible Complications

If musky ducks or other types of ducks pull each other's feathers, this leads to negative consequences. When the wings or body are pecked, dangerous wounds appear, which provokes the occurrence of cannibalism in the herd.

Ducks peck their wounds harder as they bleed. This provokes severe blood loss or infection. As a result, the threat of bird death is high.

How to prevent the problem from occurring

To prevent such problems, it is recommended to adhere to the rules for keeping and feeding birds. If the number of nests is not enough, it is worth making additional ones. This will help avoid conflict situations. The most aggressive birds should be separated. It is not recommended to change the conditions of keeping or walking areas for birds. This must be done gradually, taking into account the wishes of the birds.

If ducks constantly bite themselves, it is important to keep the room clean. This will help to avoid the penetration of contaminants and infection into damaged areas. At the same time, it is recommended to do a general cleaning of the premises weekly, wash the floor every day, and clean the feeders and drinking bowls. If dirt gets into the water, it needs to be replaced.Food and water should be at room temperature. Periodically it is worth showing birds to the veterinarian. Preventive examinations are recommended at intervals of 6-12 months.

Ducks pinch each other for various reasons. The provoking factors of problems include malnutrition and violation of conditions of detention. To cope with the violation, it is worth adjusting the rules for caring for birds.

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