Turkey Raising Guide

Technical advances in turkey genetics, production, and processing have created a turkey which produces a pound of meat, using a smaller amount of feed, in less time than most other domestic meat-producing animals.

All commercial turkeys produced today are the white broad breasted turkey breed. This breed was first used for commercial turkey production in the late 1950’s. By the late 1960’s the majority of the industry used this turkey breed.

The Wonders of Kabir Chicken

What is Kabir Chicken?

Kabir Chicken originated in the Middle East, where it is desired due to its very large size. Kabir means “large” in Arabic. Kabir chicken has been distributed throughout the world, gaining popularity because of its exceptional characteristics. Since its introduction into the Philippines, Kabir has become known as the chicken most-in-demand for backyard and small enterprise flocks.

Pekin Duck: Fast-Growing Money-Maker

One promising new money-maker for local investors is the Pekin duck, particularly the F1 (first generation) ducklings of a superior genetic line from the Czech Republic that is now available locally.
According to Dr. Erwin Cruz who is distributing the ducklings, this Pekin duck will usually attain a liveweight of 3.6 kilos in only 49 days. With a dressing percentage of 69%, each bird will yield 2.48 kilos of marketable meat. The meat has a farmgate price of P190 per kilo, hence one dressed duck will gross the raiser P471.20.

HERBAL PLANTS AS POULTRY ANTIBIOTICS

Poultry raising is one of the common and practical businesses in our country today. It is a good source of livelihood for family subsistence because it requires less capital investment compared to other domesticated animals. However, the continuous rise in the cost of medicines such as antibiotics affect local broiler producers. This has led a lot of poultry and plant experts to think of alternative sources to solve this problem. Flower herbal plants are one of them.

A researcher/professor of the Ifugao State University shares with us his study on flower herbal plants as an alternative medicine even for broilers.

Let’s get to know some of these plants and their corresponding properties:

Kamantigui (Tin patients trifloral Blanco) an erect succulent, branched herb, which grows one m high or less. Its leaves are glabrous or oblan-ceolate acuminate. Its flowers are usually pink, white, red and purple. Kamantigui are used to cure dysmenorrhea, snake bite, painful inflammation.

Sampaguita (Jasminum sombre Ait) in English is called Arabian jasmine. The national flower of the Philippines, it’s a spreading shrub usually less than two meters in height. The flowers are white, very fragrant and are borne singly or has terminal inflorescence. Its constituents are tannin, fats, silicon, iron, glycosides, calcium oxalate. Essential oil from the flower is similar to jasmine. The sampaguita flower or leaves are known to cure fever, cough, diarrhea and abdominal distention. The flowers are also used as flower tea.

Marigold (Tagetes patula L.) sometimes called amarillo. It is a rather coarse, erect, glabrous branched, smelling annual herb 0.4 to one meter in height. It is used to cure anemia, rheumatic muscular, bone repair, irregular menstruation and abdominal pain during menstrual period.

Damong Maria (Artemusia vulgaris) in local term, is called Arbaaka. It’s an erect perennial herb, hairy, aromatic, often semi woody and has a height of one meter. It is widely cultivated in the Philippines, around the houses, garden and open places. The plant yields a volatile oil consisting of crineol, thujone and aldehyde. It’s fragrant but bitter in taste. Decocotion of fresh leaves and flowering tops, is said to induce menstruation, also for post-partum abdominal cramps. Decoction of boiled leaves, followed by the juice of aloe or other purgative plants are use for intestinal deworm-ing. Leaves are also used for abdominal colic pains, asthma, and dyspepsia.

Coral plant (Jathropa multifida L.) a glabrous shrub two to three inches high. Planted in the Philippines as ornamental for borders and red flowers. The seeds are very powerful cathartic. One seed is said to be enough as emetocathartic. Dried root decoction has been claimed to be a remedy for indigestion, while colic leaves are used for scabies. The latex is applied to wounds and ulcers. Due to its high potency, experts warn that using this plant should be handled with caution.

The study sought to find out the effects of different flower herbals as source of antibiotics on the growth performance of selected broilers. It also sought to find out if flower herbals can be a good source of antibiotics for broiler production. Lastly, it also aims to evaluate the cost and return analysis of the different flower herbal plants as source of antibiotics.

Processing the Flower Herbal Plants

The flower leaves were gathered, washed then boiled for 10 minutes with a ratio of 5 grams leaves in 4 to 5 cups of water. The boiled leaves were cooled and placed in sterilized bottles ready for use as decoction. Vetracin was used as control treatment following the manufacturer’s prescription, while the different decoctions were used as drinking water throughout the study.

Experimental Broiler and Design

Ninety (90) broilers were used in the study. There were five (5) birds per treatment and replicated three (3) times in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with the following treatments: vetracin (control), kamantigui decoction, amarillio decoction, damong maria decoction, sampaguita decoction, and coral plant decoction.

Feeding, Care and Maintenance

The experimental broilers were given ad-libitum feeding. Checking and filling of the feeding troughs were done three times a day. The decoctions of the different flower herbal plants were available to the birds at all times. To ensure proper health and sanitation, cleanliness was practiced at all times.

The Results: Final Weight

The final weight of the birds revealed that birds given with Amarillo decoction obtained the highest mean weight of 7.05 kg., followed by those birds fed with damong maria, coral plant, kamantigui, vetracin (control) and sampaguita decoction with means of 7.00 kg., 6.92 kg., 6.85 kg., and 6.38 respectively. There is no significant difference between treatment means.

Feed Consumption

The total feed consumption revealed that the birds given with amarillo de-cocotions consumed the highest amount pf feeds with a mean of 13.47 kg. This was followed by those birds given with coral plant, damong maria, kamantigui, sampaguita decoctions and vetracin (control) with mean weights of 13.28 kg., 13.22 kg., 12.65 kg., and 11.81 kg., respectively. Statistically, there was a significant difference found between the different treatment means. However when compared with the control, highly significant difference was found on coral, damong maria and Amarillo decoctions with a significant difference on kamantigue decoction.

Gain Weight

The gain in weight of birds in kilograms shows that the same birds given with Amarillo decoctions got the highest gain in weight of 6.82 kg., and sampaguita with 6.18 kg. There was no significant difference found between treatment means when it was compared with the control.

Feed Conversation Ratio

The feed conversation ratio reveals that the birds given with sampaguita decoctions were more efficient in converting the feeds into meat with a mean of 1.81 kg., followed by those birds given with vetracin (control), kamantigui damong maria, Amarillo and coral plant decoctions with their means of 1.83 kg., 1.93 kg., 1.95 kg., 1.98 kg., 1.98kg., respectively. There was a significant difference found between treatment means and the comparison between the different treatments over the control.

Dressing Percentage

The dressing percentage of the birds at the end of the study shows that the birds given with Amarillo decoctions gave the highest percentage of 78.13%. The analysis of variance was found highly significant between treatment means.

Cost and Return Analysis

As to the cost and return analysis of the study, the birds given with Amarillo decoctions garnered the highest net profit of P 433.19, followed by those birds given with damong maria, kamantigui, coral plant, sampaguita and vetracin (control) with net profits of P431.26, P408.35, P404.65, P282.55, and P189.14, respectively.

Conclusion and Recommendations

Based on these findings, Amarillo can be a good source of antibiotics and substitute to commercially manufactured antibiotics for broilers. Further work is still needed to determine the economic feasibility of adopting in a practical farm conditions.

For more information, contact:

Ifugao State University (formerly Ifugao State College of Agriculture and Forestry)
Nayon Lamut, Ifugao

source: Wedy J. Lannaon, Marid Digest, photos from flickr.com, gitaasuncion.blogspot.com, houma.com, stuartxchange.org, just-jan.com

QUAIL RAISING 2 of 2

C. Rearing Management

After the 15th day, the birds are transferred to the growing cages. During the growing stage, it is not advisable to expose the birds to more than 12 hours of light. For smaller operation, a brooder/grower box combination can be constructed but the space requirement of the birds
should be observed.

Only birds which are healthy and with uniform size should be transferred to the growing cages. The small ones should be disposed. The average mortality from the start of the growing period up to 35 days is 1% - 4%. On the 35th day, the male birds are already discernable by the dark brown color of the breast feather. At this stage, the female birds can be segregated and transferred to the laying cages. Approximately 40% of the total population can be chosen as layers on an assumed 50/50 male/female ratio. The remaining birds can be fattened up to 60 days before these are dressed and sold as broilers. During the 25 days fattening period, light should be restricted form 6-8 hours a day. This practice will improve the quality of meat.

D. Layer Management

On the average, quail start laying after 45 days from hatching. The production cycle lasts for 300-320 days and within this period the laying efficiency should be maintained at 65 %. Some of the major consideration when managing layers are;

1. Feeding - this will be discussed separately
2. Water - like any other bird, quail needs a lot of fresh and clean water. Whenever possible, flowing water should be maintained except when there is supply problem in which case water should be replaced daily and the watering trough must be cleaned everyday.
3. Culling - For large scale operation, it is advisable that massive culling be done regularly, preferably on a quarterly basis or even once every 4 months. Birds that have physical defects should be removed including those which have grown fat, or are sickly and are not laying eggs. This later condition is manifested by the size of the vent and the conformation of the abdominal parts.
4. Removal of Waste - Because of the high protein content of the quail feeds, quail manure has high ammonia content which will cause discomfort for the birds if not removed daily. Removal of the manure can be facilitated by placing a manure receptacle or receiver under the cage.
5. Light - Laying quails may be given extra light up to midnight. This will allow the birds to consume the feed in the trough. Furthermore, the weaker birds in the group will have enough time to eat after the dominant ones have eaten their share.
6. It is not advisable to mix male birds in the laying cage except when fertile eggs are to be produced. If there is an intention of producing fertile eggs for future replacement, the male should be kept in separate cage and should only be mixed with the layers at the time fertile eggs are to be produced at a ratio of 1:6 and 1:3 for the Japanese and American breed, respectively.
7. Quail birds are very sensitive to high salt level in the feeds. The optimum level of this mineral should be kept at 7% and in no case be more than 1%.

E. Feeding Management

The major cause of failure in quail raising is the faulty feeding practice employed by the raiser . most of our quail raisers today feed commercial chicken feeds to quails. This is an erroneous practice and it should be corrected. The protein requirements of chicken and quails are different and as such the use of chicken feeds in quail raising is not advisable. Below is a comparison of the crude protein requirement of chicken and quail.

Quail / Chicken:

• Chick stage, 28% / 21%
• Grower stage, 24% / 16%
• Layer stage, 26% / 15%

From the above information, we can clearly see the mark difference in the Primary requirement of both birds. Quail cannot survive on chicken feeds for a long time. If ever they will survive, the mortality rate will be very high sometimes reaching up to 70% from day old to 45 days. Moreover, the growth of the birds is very uneven and the survivors will not be efficient layers. The productive laying period for quails fed with chicken feed do not go beyond six months.

Another disadvantage of feeding chicken mash to quails is the very occurence of molting which affects severely the egg production.

The claim that mixing quail feeds with higher protein is expensive and not economical is baseless. The advantages of giving the right ration far outweigh the cost of giving chicken feeds. This advantages can be summarized below:

1. Mortality rate can be kept low with good feed:

• 5-8% from 1-15 days
• 1-4% from 16-35 days
• 8-12% from 36-360 days

2. Production:

• a) Laying efficiency can be easily maintained within the average range of 63%-68% for a period of 300-320 days. It is not rare to get laying efficiency of 80%.
• b) Eggs are bigger and more nutritious
• c) For breeders - fertility and hatchability are high

These things when quantified and taken together would positively refute the claim that feeding quails with higher protein content as recommended here is costly and uneconomical.

The feed consumption of quail at different stages are: (Japanese vs American)

• Chick stage (per bird) 7 grams/day vs 10 grams/day
• Growing stage (per bird) 17 grams/day vs 32 grams/day
• Laying stage (per bird) 23 grams/day vs 45 grams/day

During the first 15 days, the feeds of the birds should be grounded to a fineness enough to pass an ordinary window screen wire. Like chicken, quails are affected by abrupt changes in feeding. Hence, it is not advisable to change feed abruptly.

G. Maintaining Health

There is no known morbid disease of quails. While they suffer from some respiratory disorders, these do not spread fast and the mortality rate is very low. Hence it is not difficult to maintain the health of birds. Regular cleaning and disinfection program, however, should be followed. Cages and broiler boxes including the incubator and hatchery trays can be cleaned with strong water dried under the sun. spraying with disinfectant follows. Vitamin premix can also be added to the feeds or the drinking water to promote growth and improve the laying performance.

IV. MARKETING

A. Eggs - Eggs are the main product of quails. For small scale/backyard quail raising, this can be placed in a basket and marketed fresh. For bigger operation, it is advisable to pack eggs in carton boxes with individual dividers to protect the quality of the eggs. Storing eggs in a cool dry place where air circulation is good can keep the eggs fresh for a period of seven days.

B. Broilers/stewers - The average feed conversion ratio of quail is 3:1. this poor feed conversion efficiency makes a broiler production uneconomical and therefore any broiler produced should be treated secondary product in quail raising. The procedure in dressing quail is the same as in chicken. The birds are bled and scaled in hot water (about 132-135 F) after the feathers are removed. Evisceration follows. The dressed birds are then chilled and packed by the dozen or in
kilos.

C. Prices - Broilers are more tender than stewers (culled layers). As such, the former are sold at a higher price. The selling price of these should be based on the cost of production from day old to 60 plus the dressing, storage and related selling cost.

D. Quail Production

1. Cost of Production (100 Quails)
2. Income computation
   • 70 eggs/day x P 0.60/eggs-P42.00
   • 100 quails x 2 kgs feeds x P 8.50/kg
3. Housing Equipment
   • 100 quails x P 5.00/quail
4. Other sources of income
   • a. male quails which are not needed
   • b. feathers
   • c. dungs

For grower/layer cage illustrations, download the instruction manual here
Part 1

QUAIL RAISING 1of 2

Quails by some distinction are classified as “game-hunting” birds and as such, quails should not be compared with chicken, whose requirements are different. On a commercial scale, quail raising has not attracted the interest of the investors because of the lack of data particularly with regards to feeding. Many people who go into quail raising are usually hobbyist who are not income-conscious.

Breeds of Quail

• Japanese Seattle
• Silver
• Negro
• Japanese Taiwan/ Chinese Quail
• Tuxedo
• Brown Crosses nos. 1 and 2

Starting the Project

To start a project, care must be exercised in the selection of the first stock. There are many quail breeding farms on and near the Metro Manila area.

A. Selection of Stock

For a beginner, it is best to start with quail pullets about 30-35 days old. Some of the pointers in selecting quails are:

1. Body conformation
   • 1. The feathers should be tidy and neat
   • 2. Avoid buying those with streak of white or black feathers - these could be signs of inbreeding
2. Choose birds with uniform size. A mature (60 day old) Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) would have an average weight of 120 grams. However, a 30-35 day-old bird would only average 100 grams. The American quail (Coturnix conurnix) however weight heavier at 220 grams for the mature bird and 200 grams for the 30-35 days old.
3. Record the parents stock
   • 1. Size of eggs
   • 2. Laying efficiency - a 65% average laying efficiency within 300 days laying period is desirable.
   • 3. Growth rate/ body weight

B. Size of the Flock

The size of the initial stock totally depends on the financial capacity of the person. However, it is not advisable to start big. Quails are not easy to raise and a beginner should first get the necessary experience before going into large scale. Quails multiply rapidly and therefore expansion will not be a problem. A beginner can start with 10-15 pullets.

Management

A. Housing and Equipment - One of the advantages in quail raising is the relatively small space that is required. Commensurately, the cost of putting up a cage is less. The materials commonly used in making quail cages are:

1) plywood
2) 1/4 inch mesh wire
3) 1″ x 1″ lumber to serve as framework

for every stage in the quail’s life, space requirement varies. This is true as in the case of the other fowls and even livestock animals. The following will help guide the raiser in determining the space required for quails (per bird)

1. Chick stage (1-15 day old), Japanese: 2 ½” x 2 ½”; American: 2 ½” x 2 ½”
2. Growing stage (16- 35 days old), Japanese: 3″ x 3″; American: 3 ½” x 3 ½ ”
3. Laying stage (36 days old & up), Japanese: 3 ½” x 3 ½”; American: 4 ½ ” x 4 ½ ”

Since quails are not efficient feed converter, they should not be raised for broiler production.

Layer cages should not be too high preferably a 5″ and 6″ height can accommodate the Japanese and American breed, respectively. Providing too much space will encourage too much movement thereby increasing the risk of injuries.

B. Brooding Management

1. Temperature

During the first five days, the temperature requirement of the quail chick is 95°F. this may be reduced to 90°F on the 6th day down to 85°F on the 10th day after which the quail birds will have developed enough feathers to keep their body warm under ordinary room temperature

To ensure better circulation of air in the brooding box, air vents should be provided. Used clean cloth or sack can be spread over the screened portion of the brooder especially during the first 10 day. This will help conserve the heat in the brooder. Five or six layers of clean and dry newspaper shall be used to cover the mesh wire flooring during the first 10 days.

This practice is necessary because it will not only help conserve the heat inside the brooder box but more importantly, cleaning and removal of quail manure (which is done on every other paper) is facilitated by just rolling the topmost layer of paper. After the 10th day, all the papers are removed and feeding through covered with 1/4 mesh wire (to avoid too much spillage) will be used. Water in the drinking fountain should be changed daily and care must be exercised to avoid spilling of water over the paper to prevent unnecessary dampness.

Gas lamp or electric bulb may used to control the temperature inside the brooder. The brooder box must be cat and rat proof. With proper feeds. Enough water and optimum temperature maintained, the mortality of quails can be kept at 5%-8% during the brooding stage which usually last up to 15 days.

Part 2

BACKYARD DUCK RAISING TIPS...PAGE 2 of 2

Management of Litter and Yards

Ducks drink and excrete more water than chickens or turkeys. Their droppings contain over 90% moisture. It is therefore necessary to take extra measures to maintain litter floors inside sheltered areas in a dry condition. This will require regular addition of fresh bedding, on top of the bedding that has become soiled or wet, and when necessary, cleaning out the old litter and replacing it with fresh litter.

Under semi-confinement growing, in which case ducklings spend most of their time outdoors during the day (after the first 3 weeks), waterers should be located outside, as far away from the house as possible. This will reducing tracking water to the litter. During periods when temperatures drop below freezing, water must be provided indoors. Duck yards should be maintained in a clean condition by removing the upper few inches of soil and replacing it with clean soil (preferably sand) whenever necessary.

Feeders and Feeding Space

Most feeders used for other poultry, are satisfactory for ducks, provided sufficient room is allowed for the larger bill of ducks and their “shoveling” eating motion. If ducks are hand fed, simple trough feeders work fine. If feed hoppers are used, they should be constructed so that feed will slide down freely into the bottom of the hopper as feed is consumed. Providing an apron in front of the feeding area, for catching feed that is dropped or billed out, will reduce feed wastage. During their early stages of growth, ducklings eat frequently, much like chickens.

As they grow older they are able to store increasing amounts of feed in their esophagus at each feeding, and thus need to eat less frequently. By about four weeks of age, Pekin ducks can easily consume 100 grams or more of pellets at a single feeding. It is important to provide about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of feeder space per duck for about the first 3 weeks. Afterwards this can be gradually reduced to about half this amount so long as there is no crowding at the feed hoppers. Developing breeders that are being fed an allotted amount of feed each day should be allowed plenty of feeding space so that all birds can eat at once, which requires about 4 inches (10 cm) of linear space per duck.

As a general rule, ducks need twice as much feeding space as hens. Flock feeders are the most satisfactory types of feeders for ducks. Provide each duck with a feeding space of at least 12 cm (the equivalent of four 2 m flock feeders per 100 adults).

Waterers for Ducks

Waterers designed for chickens and turkeys are usually satisfactory for ducks, as long as the size of the duck’s bill is considered. Trough, can or jar-type waterers can be used so long as the drinking area is wide enough (at least 4 cm) for the duck to submerge its bill. The same requirement applies to automatic trough, cup or Plasson waterers. Nipple waterers, if properly adjusted for the duck’s height, are also satisfactory. If waterers are located indoors where the floor is bedded with litter, waterers should be located on a wire-mesh screen to reduce wetting of the litter.

In commercial duck houses it is usually advisable to construct a cement floor drain underneath the water screens. For starting and growing ducks, provide a minimum of about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of linear watering space per duck. Increase this to 2 inches (5.0 cm) per duck for developing and laying breeders. If nipple waterers are used, provide 15 nipples per 100 ducks for starting and growing ducks and 20 nipples/100 ducks for developing and laying breeders. Starting ducklings should always have access to watering cans, jars or troughs until they have learned to drink from nipple waterers.

Swimming facilities are not essential. However, pools can be made available where outside runs are provided. Concrete ponds 1 m wide by 0.25 m deep are satisfactory. To keep litter in the shed dry, place the ponds away from the house. Alternatively, saucer-shaped pools 0.25 m deep and 2 m wide may be used. In both cases, good drainage is essential. To limit wastage of eggs, it is advisable to prevent outside swimming until about 10.00 am, when most eggs will have been laid (most ducks lay their eggs in the evening and early morning).

Although swimming water is not necessary, ducks do need plenty of clean drinking water. Birds should be able to immerse their heads completely and hence clean and prevent blockage of their nasal passages caused by food and dirt. Keep drinking containers shaded at all times. To prevent damp litter, place drinking vessels outside the shed or on a wire grid. Provide about 3 cm of drinking space for each adult bird.

Ventilation

Duck houses or shelters for small flocks usually do not require mechanical ventilation as used in modern commercial duck buildings. However some ventilation is always necessary when ducks are kept in a house enclosed on all sides. Window openings, and ridge ventilation may provide adequate air exchange. If larger flocks are kept in totally enclosed houses, the use of ventilation fans may be necessary. Proper ventilation of commercial duck buildings requires the expertise of an agricultural engineer or someone with knowledge and experience in designing and ventilating poultry buildings. Modern duck buildings must be adequately insulated for ventilations systems to work properly.

Lighting

The length of the laying period of ducks can be increased considerably if supplemental lighting is provided. If supplemental light is not provided, egg production will be seasonal and dependent on changes in natural daylength. Adding artificial light to extend the daily light period to 14-17 hours, and preventing any decrease in day length, will provide adequate light stimulation for ducks to lay continuously for 7-12 months, depending upon their ability to lay, and other conditions.

If ducks are confined to a building at night and allowed outdoors during the day (or if confined to non-lightproof housing), the usual practice is to turn artificial lights on at a set time before sunrise, off at a set time after sunrise, then on again before sunset and off after sunset, maintaining a constant light period (14 hours, for example) and a constant dark period (10 hours in this case) each day. Such a lighting regimen is usually implemented with the aid of electric time clocks that turn lights on and off at set times.

A light intensity of about 10 lux (1 foot candle) at the duck’s eye level is sufficient to stimulate adequate sexual response in both drakes and ducks. In practice, however, breeding and laying ducks are commonly lit to provide 20-30 lux at duck level. Artificial lighting is less important for growing ducks. Ducks are nocturnal, and can find feed and water in the dark. However artificial light is important the first few days to assist ducklings in getting started drinking and eating.

Totally confined ducks being grown-out for marketing, as in commercial production, are usually provided some light every day. It is also beneficial to provide dim light by means of low wattage bulbs during dark periods to help prevent stampeding if the flock is disturbed and to discourage feather pecking. During the development period of breeder-layer ducks, it is desirable to avoid either increases or decreases in day-length as much as possible.

Nests

Encourage ducks to use nests because cleaner eggs result and fewer breakages occur. Furthermore, eggs laid in nests are not exposed to sun or damp. This may be difficult with breeds other than Muscovies.

Nests should be clean, dry, comfortable and only large enough to be used by one duck at a time. Build them from timber and place them in rows along the walls. A suitable size is 30 cm by 30 cm by about 40 cm deep. Nesting material should be placed in the nest to a depth of about 7 cm. Use shavings, sawdust, sand or shell grit. Broody ducks will further line their nests with their own body feathers.

If you wish to follow a system of progeny testing, use trap nests to facilitate identification of eggs laid by individual ducks. Identify and discard ducks that continually lay almond-shaped eggs or other misshapen eggs. Individual duck production can also be recorded. In intensive buildings, encourage Pekin ducks to lay in nests by providing open-framed nest boxes on the side of the walls. The nest boxes must be at floor level, as ducks will not use elevated nests.

Duck Housing Design

Elaborate sheds are not necessary, but you should observe the general principles of poultry house design. Breeders may be housed either intensively or semi-intensively:

• intensive housing - the birds are housed indoors for the duration of the season;
• semi-intensive housing - the birds have access to outside runs during the day, but are locked indoors at night and during adverse weather conditions.

For each type of housing:

• The housing must be clean, dry, adequately ventilated and able to keep out beating rain.
• Allow each breeder an area of at least 0.2 m2 of floor space inside the shed (i.e. 5 birds/m2).
• Cover the shed floor with litter for the comfort of the birds, to absorb moisture and to prevent egg breakage - wood shavings are probably the most suitable, but any soft absorbent material to a depth of about 7–8 cm is satisfactory.

Siting

The area selected for sheds should be gently sloping. If the site is too hilly, sheds will be difficult to build; if the site is too flat, drainage will be impeded. The shed should face north to north-east and should be at least 2 m high at the back, to give enough head room. Since ducks are very susceptible to excessive sun, provide adequate shade.

Layout

For a systematic farm layout, first draw up a ground plan and spend some time thinking about the plan and shed design. This will enable you to make modifications. When planning the farm, allow for housing growers and adults separately, and make sure there is no drainage from the adult housing area to growers. Whatever housing is chosen, a cheap and effective type of shed is one with a skillion roof.

The ideal method of housing breeding stock is in a building which has both litter and slatted or wire floor areas. This greatly reduces the amount of wet litter and improves overall production. Feeders and waterers are placed on the slats. The litter area is used by the ducks for mating and for laying eggs. A combination of litter and slats prevents possible leg damage to heavy breeding ducks, which may occur if they are housed on slats only.

Part 1

sources: www.duckhealth.com,www.dpi.nsw.gov.au, photo from pathanamthitta.com

BACKYARD DUCK RAISING TIPS ... PAGE 1of 2

The Small Home Flock

In areas where poultry raising is allowed and space is available, a small flock of ducks can be kept in the yard of a household at a low cost. Except for a brooder, which is needed for the first week or so, the main facilities and equipment needed to get started are a simple structure, such as a partially-enclosed shed, inexpensive fencing, a feed hopper or trough made of wood and a simply constructed watering device.

The shelter should be located on a high, well-drained area of the yard. Whenever available, sandy soil is preferable for the duck yard because it drains quickly after a rain. The earth floor of the sheltered area should be bedded with straw, shavings or similarly dry absorbent material. Low fencing (about 61cm) is satisfactory for Pekins, since they do not fly, but not for Muscovies, which are adept to becoming airborne. If predators are a problem at night, the open areas of the shed and pen may have to be covered with inexpensive netting or wire mesh.

Raising Ducks on Open Ponds

Ducks may be kept successfully on open ponds, provided a nearby dry sheltered area is available. Ducks kept on ponds may obtain part of their food from plant and animal life in and around the pond, but supplemental feeding will probably be necessary. In tropical areas it is common to combine duck raising on ponds with fish farming. Ponds are stocked with fish such as Tilapia which are raised for human food.

Manure from the ducks provide nutrients for growth of animal and plant life which the fish consume. The number of ducks kept on ponds must be limited to prevent an over-supply of nutrients and overgrowth of plant life which will cause depletion of oxygen in the water and kill the fish. Usually both the ducks and fish are given supplemental feed, which on commercial duck/fish farms is often a nutritionally complete pelleted ration.

Herding Duck Management

In Indonesia, herded flocks under the care of a single herdsman usually range in size from 90 to 130. During the day, a flock of ducks, usually mature females, is allowed to search for food in harvested rice fields and other areas where food is plentiful. At night, the flock is returned to a confinement, usually a bamboo pen, where eggs are laid during the night. Eggs are collected and sold, or used for food by the herdsman’s family.

The major part of the diet of herded ducks consists of whole grains and snails, plus small amounts of insects, leaf material, crabs and frogs. It is the job of the herdsman to move the flock, as often as necessary, to areas where food is plentiful. Portable fencing and other equipment is moved with the flock to each new location. A grassy area with some protection, such as provided by trees, is selected as a base camp where the fencing is set up. Supplemental feed is given to herded ducks only when the food supply in the fields is inadequate.

Commercial Duck Production

A thorough discussion of modern commercial duck production is beyond the scope of this web page. More in depth sources of information can be found in Publications. Commercial duck housing is usually one of two types: total confinement and semi-confinement. Modern commercial total-confinement duck housing usually has clear-span-truss framing, and is well insulated and mechanically ventilated. Age groups are kept isolated, either in separate buildings or in separate rooms with solid partitions between them. Floor design is usually one of two types: all wire mesh; or a combination of litter and wire mesh with waterers located on the wire.

Ventilation systems are usually the negative pressure type with adjustable, or automatically controlled air inlets and exhaust fans located along the side walls. Because waterfowl drink and excrete more water than land fowl, extra demand is placed on the ventilation and heating system to remove the extra moisture and maintain proper temperatures. The advice of an agricultural engineer, who is familiar with duck housing, is very helpful when designing buildings. When properly designed and managed, modern duck housing provides ducks a high degree of protection from the detrimental effects of extremes in weather and entry of duck diseases.

The ability to exclude wild birds from buildings is alone a large factor in preventing the introduction and spread of diseases. In addition to allowing year-round production and marketing at an earlier age, benefits include improved feed conversion and more predictable, and usually better weight gain. Semi-confinement duck housing is similar to the above in many respects with the exception that ducks over 2-3 weeks of age are allowed outdoors during the day. Ducks over 4 weeks of age may spend much of their time outdoors with minimal use of shelter.

Brooding

Much of the information on brooding chicks, available in poultry textbooks and other sources (see Publications), can be applied to ducklings. If ducklings are hatched artificially, rather than by a broody duck, the caretaker must provide the newly hatched ducklings with a warm dry brooding area free of drafts, with a source of heat, such as radiant or hover-type gas brooders, and feed and drinking water located near the heat source so that the ducklings learn to drink and eat soon after they are placed in the brooder.

If ducklings haven’t learn to drink within a few hours, it may be necessary to dip their bills in the drinking water in order to coax them to start drinking. In the case of earth or cement floors, the brooding area should be bedded with clean dry litter such as wood shavings or chopped straw. If drafts are a problem, newspapers may be put down on wire floors for the first few days. Use brooder guards to keep the ducklings confined to the area where the heat, water and feed are located.

The brooder guards should allow enough room so that the ducklings can move away from the heat if it gets too warm. In addition, ducklings should be allowed access to more of the floor area of the pen as they grow older.

Floor Space

Overcrowding ducks can be extremely detrimental to their health, growth or egg production. Providing adequate floorspace at each stage of development is basic to successful duck raising. While undercrowding is not usually a problem, it is better to stock ducks at near the recommended density (see table below) in cold weather so that body heat will help warm the room in which the ducks are confined.

Floor Space Allowances For Ducks

Age of days = Space/Duck (sq ft)

• 1 = 0.31
• 2 = 0.62
• 3 = 1.10
• 4 = 1.47
• 5 = 1.90
• 6 = 2.28
• 7 = 2.48
• Developing Breeders = 2.69
• Laying Breeders = 3.02

Flooring for Ducks

Duck keepers should avoid flooring that will injure the skin covering the feet and hock joints of ducks. The smooth skin of ducks is not as tough (not as cornified) as that of land fowl, and is more susceptible to injury when ducks are confined on surfaces that are too rough, or abrasive. Slats, wire floors or cage bottoms may cause injury to the feet and legs of ducks, unless these surfaces are smooth, non-abrasive, and free of sharp edges. Stones, mixed with the soil covering the duck yards can also cause injury.

The detrimental effect of flooring on ducks increases with the age and size of the duck, and the longer ducks are confined to the flooring. The likelihood of injury is greatly reduced if wire occupies no more one-fourth to one-third of the floor area. Properly constructed wire floors are usually a better choice than slats, which can cause leg deformities as well as injury to skin. If wire floors are used, floors for ducklings under 3 weeks should be constructed of 1.9 cm (3/4 inch) mesh, 12-gauge welded wire, attached to a frame designed to keep the wire flat, and minimize manure accumulation. For ducks over 3 weeks, 2.5 cm (1 inch) mesh is best. Vinyl coated wire is preferable, but smooth galvanized wire is satisfactory.

Part 2