Ducks for Dinner

Ducks occupy an important position next to chicken farming in India. They form about 10% of the total poultry population and contribute about 6-7% of total eggs produced in the country. Ducks are mostly concentrated in the Eastern and Southern States of the country mainly coastal region with non-descriptive indigenous stocks, which however are poor layers. Central Duck Breeding Farm under Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India was established in the year 1981 during the 5th Five Year plan with technical collaboration of Government of United Kingdom in order to introduce high yielding variety of ducks for the benefit of farming community. This farm had also imported meat variety ducklings (VIGOVA SUPER-M) from Vietnam under bilateral program between Government of India and Vietnam during the year 1996.

ACTIVITIES

1. To supply good quality hatching eggs & day – old ducklings of egg and meat type strain
2. To replenish the foundation stock of State Duck Farms.
3. To serve as centre for training in Duck Production and Management.
4. To introduce low input Technology birds and upgradation by exotic blood under scavenging system.

MANAGEMENT GUIDE ON DUCKS

1. Duck farming has following advantages:-
2. Ducks lay more egg per bird per year than chicken.
3. The size of the duck egg is larger than hen egg by about 15 to 20 gms.
4. Ducks require lesser attention and thrive well in scavenging conditions.
5. Ducks supplements their feed by foraging. They eat fallen grains in paddy fields, insects, snails, earthworms, small fishes and other aquatic materials.
6. From commercial point of view, ducks have a longer profitable life. They lay well even in second year.
7. Ducks do not require any elaborate houses like chicken
8. Ducks are quite hardy, more easily brooded and more resistant to common avian diseases.
9. Marshy river side, wet land and barren moors upon which chicken or no other type of stock will flourish, are excellent quarters for duck farming.
10. Ducks lay 95 – 98% of their eggs in the morning before 9.00 AM. Thus saving lot of time and labour.
11. Ducks are suitable for integrated farming systems such as duck-cum-fish farming, duck farming with rice cultivation. In duck-cum-fish farming the droppings of ducks serve as feed for the fishes and no other feed or manuring of the pond is necessary for fishes (200-300 ducks per hectare of waste area). Under integrated duck farming with rice cultivation, the ducks perform four essential functions viz., intertillage as they search for food, their bills loosen up the soil around the rice plants-weeding, insect control and manuring.
12. Ducks are good exterminators of potato beetles, grasshoppers, snails and slugs. In areas plagued liver flukes, ducks can help correct the problem (2 to 6 ducks per 0.405 hectare of land). Ducks can be used to free the bodies of water from mosquito pupae and larvae (6 to 10 ducks per 0.405 hectare of water surface)
13. Ducks are quite intelligent, can be tamed easily, and trained to go to ponds and come back in the evening of their own