Ukrainian gray duck: characteristics of the breed

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Duck breeding belongs to one of the most early maturing branches of meat poultry farming: from ducks in 6-7 weeks you can get a fairly large amount of tender, highly nutritious, juicy meat, large fatty liver and good fluff.

Ukrainian gray ducks

The Ukrainian gray duck breed was bred by the Ukrainian Research Institute of Poultry Farming by crossing local populations of ducks with wild (malk ducks). This breed group is resistant to low temperatures, has a strong constitution and powerful muscles. The gray duck is mobile, constantly looking for food, loves freedom very much and that there is a reservoir nearby, grows quite quickly, has excellent meat qualities. In feeding and maintenance is very unpretentious. The gray duck is disease resistant. It is bred both in home gardens and in small farm associations. The bird swims well, but dives only during molting or when injured. The flight of the duck type breed, it easily rises from the water, can take off almost vertically.

Gray duck description

Grey ducks mediumsize have a long, wide, slightly raised body in front, a small long head, legs are short, strong, mobile, orange. Plumage color, like that of wild ducks: gray with various shades. The gray duck drake has a dark gray (or black) head with a silvery or greenish tint, a dark brown with a white collar, and a medium-length neck. The chest is wide, massive, magnificent, the body (lower part) is light gray, the wings are gray-brown, with white mirrors, not very long, the color of the beak is olive, black at the end, wide, not very long. The tail of a gray duck is of medium length, slightly raised.

Ukrainian gray duck: characteristics

The average live weight of drakes is about 3.5-3.8 kg, females - 2.8-3.0 kg. Egg production per laying hen is 120-140 eggs per year. With good care, adequate lighting and heating of the room, record figures can be achieved - 260 units. in year. The average weight of one egg is about 70-90 grams. The cycle has an average duration of approximately 20-22 weeks. Ukrainian gray duck reaches maturity at 6 months of age. Young stock hatching - 72-76%.

Biological features

Young gray ducks are characterized by high growth rate and good viability. Their live weight reaches 2.2-2.5 kg by the age of 50 days. An adult gray duck (photo below) has a survival rate of 96-97%, ducklings - 95-97%.

Duck room

The gray duck is undemanding to conditionsmaintenance, she needs the most ordinary room with bedding, a paddock and a small pond (you can do without it by installing a bathing container on the paddock).

The main requirements for the room in which the bird will be kept - it must be protected from dampness, sudden changes in temperature, and have an adequate level of lighting. It is permissible to breed ducks together with other birds or animals, limiting their territory with a net or a solid partition. The size of the house depends on the size of the herd. For ducks, planting density per 1 sq. m area is 3 birds. They do not tolerate overcrowding quite well, they crowd together, interfere with each other to eat, and are easily injured. For ducks, wooden (for dry food) and metal (for wet mash) feeders are made. The design of the feeder is very important, because ducks eat food carelessly, scattering it on the floor. One adult bird needs 15 cm of feeder length for wet food and 6 cm for dry mixes.

The nest for ducks is made one for 5 layers. Its width is 40 cm, depth - 50 cm, height - about 30 cm. For walking, special holes are made. It is recommended to install them on the south side of the house, at a distance of 8 cm from the floor. The height and width of the manhole are 40 cm each. It is better to fence the walking area with a metal mesh.

Deep bedding

The non-replaceable litter in the poultry house helps to maintain the desired microclimate, it generates heat and does not require dailycleaning, well absorbs moisture. For bedding, straw cutting, shavings, crushed corn stalks, and sunflower husks are used. It is important to prepare the litter in dry weather, this will help eliminate the possibility of mold and fungus. Peat has a remarkable moisture capacity, however, due to the formation of dust, it is recommended to use it together with any other materials. Before backfilling the bedding, the floor should be prepared, cleaned and disinfected, dry slaked lime should be poured on top. Initially, a layer of 5 cm is filled up, then, as we moisten, new material is added. In winter, the layer is adjusted to 30 cm, in summer - up to 20 cm. As a rule, a new portion of the bedding has to be added every 12-15 days.

Caring for ducklings

Carrying out competent and good care of chicks is perhaps the most crucial moment in keeping a domestic duck. Breeding involves the separate maintenance of young animals from the parent herd. In the first three weeks, ducklings must be kept in a fairly warm room. During the first days the temperature should reach +30 °C. For 1 sq. meter area should account for no more than 25 goals. Gradually, the temperature should be reduced. At the end of the third week, it should be +20 °С.

Lighting

The room with ducklings in the first week should be constantly lit (24 hours). Starting from the second week, its duration should be gradually reduced. On the tenth day, lighting should last 16 hours, and on the twentieth - only 9-10.

Feeding ducklings

During the first three days, ducklings are fed semi-liquid food, to which milk is added. In the future, they will be able to confidently cope with dry food, green mash. The following feeds are used for feeding: corn, wheat and barley turd, sunflower and soybean cake or meal, fish and meat and bone meal, grass meal, fodder yeast, fresh nettle, alfalfa, dandelion greens, boiled potatoes, carrots, beets, food waste. In the first few days of life, you can give fresh cottage cheese, whey, powdered milk, hard-boiled eggs. The most important thing is that all food is fresh and of good quality.

Drinkers and feeders should be located so that all ducklings have free access to water and feed. During the first 1-2 days, ducklings can be fed on trays, the height of which is 2 cm, later - from groove feeders with sides of 5-6 cm. Older ducklings are fed from feeders, the sides of which are bent inward, and there is also a protective bar, so that the ducklings cannot get into the feeder and contaminate the feed with their droppings. A special feed trap is installed at the bottom of the feeder, because ducklings lose a lot of it near the feeder. For watering in the first 6-10 days, vacuum drinkers are used (1 pc. for 50 ducklings), later open drinkers with a special fence are installed so that the ducklings do not fall into them, but freely lower their heads into the drinker.

You can also put small plastic bowls or buckets. Wash drinking bowls and change the water in them daily.

Maintenance and nutrition

Duck grayUkrainian herbivorous and quite unpretentious in content. It perfectly feeds on aquatic vegetation - duckweed, algae. With great pleasure it can graze on the grass, eat food waste, perfectly gaining weight on special compound feeds. In summer, the grain mixture in the diet of a duck is only 25%.

In late autumn, winter and early spring, of course, the proportions change: cereals and animal feed make up about 50% of the daily diet, the second half - vegetables - small boiled potatoes, apples, pumpkin, cabbage, food waste. Compound feed is recommended to be given in the form of wet mash, adding grated beets, boiled potatoes and other additives. With timely and proper feeding, you can achieve excellent results in the cultivation of gray ducks: to achieve maximum weight in drakes, maximum egg production in ducks, and most importantly - to get beautiful young offspring.

In the summer, the gray duck (you see the photo in the article) spends the whole day in the aviary, they drive the birds indoors only at night.