Duck farming

Listing ID #4953706

WHY Duck Farming..?

• Duck farming is very popular and absolutely a lucrative business. Ducks are highly available around the world. There are numerous meat and egg productive duck breeds available throughout the world. All the present domestic ducks around the glove come from the wild birds. Those wild birds wonder around the world, and some of them have been domesticated as a good source of food. Almost all those wild birds are from mallard species. Incidentally, all hen of the world comes from red wild hen. You might know that, ducks are aquatic organism.
• Duck farming is the important poultry after chicken farming in India. They are mainly farmed for their meat and eggs. Ducks prefer to stay outdoor during the daytime and even during winters and in rain. The night shelter should be properly ventilated, dry and rat proof. Ducks are water fowl and very fond of water. Their main foods are water weeds, snails, fish, insects and worms. In the market nutritionally rich duck feeds are available. It eat grains, but the duck should never have access to feed without water. The first eight weeks duck chick (duckling) should have always access to the food then later they may be fed twice a day 200 to 250gm per day.
• Ducks lay more eggs per year than chicken and the size of the duck egg is larger than that of chickens. After 16 to 18 weeks the ducks will start laying eggs, usually the eggs are laid before 9AM. Good breed of duck can lay about 300 eggs per year. The grown up duck gain weight between 2.5kg to 2.7 kg.
• Some people think that, duck without water and pond without water are the same. Even, some people think, ducks can’t live without water. But it’s totally wrong. You cannot imagine pond without water, but duck can be raised without water. Thousands of ducks can be raised without water by keeping them inside house, in the same way you raise chickens or other types of poultry birds. But, keep in mind that, in case of raising ducks without water ‘your ducks will lay unfertilized egg’. That means you can’t hatch the eggs for producing ducklings. If you want fertile eggs, male ducks and water are essential. You can easily raise ducks without water, they just need water for reproduction or mating purposes.

Advantages of Duck Farming :

• There are numerous advantages of starting duck farming business. In many countries, ducks rank next to chicken for meat and egg production. You can raise ducks in both commercial and small scale meat or egg production purpose. Even, you can raise some ducks on your own backyard with other birds or animals. Some notable advantages of duck farming business are shortly described here.
• Ducks need less expensive, simple and non-elaborate housing facilities. As a result housing costs are very less for setting up commercial duck farming business.
• Ducks are very hardy bird and they need less care or management. They can adopt themselves with almost all types of environmental conditions.
• They lay eggs either at night or in the morning. So you can collect their fresh eggs every morning. And you can do your other work during rest of the day and you don’t have to spend time for caring your ducks.
• You need comparatively less space for raising ducks. Ducks have comparatively shorter brooding period and ducklings grow faster. Ducklings grow so fast that, you can dispense artificial heat within their 5 to 7 days. Although they will require a little longer heating period during cold months.
• Ducks are highly resistant to the common avian diseases.
• You can feed your ducks with a wide variety of foods. A duck’s regular food includes corn, rice, wheat, ground nut cake, poultry feed, Fish waste, fruits and any other low cost and easily available foods. They also have the natural tendency of foraging on aquatic weeds, algae, green legumes, fungi, earthworms, maggots, snails, various types of insects etc. which directly reduce feeding cost.
• You can also use your ducks for controlling apple snails or some other harmful insects from your garden.
• Ducks have less mortality rate and usually they live longer than chickens. In case of egg production, ducks lay eggs for a long time period.
• Duck products such as eggs and meat have a great demand in the local and international market. So commercial duck farming business can be a great source of earning. There are already many successful farmers who are making a high profit from their duck farming business.
• Duck farming business can also be a stable employment source.
• Young unemployed educated people can join this business and make their own employment source.