Ducks are being reared all over the world and almost 75% of them are found in Asia. Domestication of wild ducks first started in china (as early as 4000 BC) and it posses the highest duck population in the world. India has a population of 107 million ducks with annual growth rate of 16.8%. The population of duck in Nagaland is 228 thousand. Duck eggs and meat are important source of nutrient in human diet. Unemployed rural youths and practicing farmers can adopt duck farming as source of income and can compensate high meat and egg demand of the state to a certain extent.
Advantages of duck rearing: Rearing of duck is comparatively easier than chicken. A family can maintain 20-25 ducks easily. Hybrid duck attains up to 3 kg live weight in 50 days. Duck meat is uniformly dark and palatable. Khaki Campbell, a layer breed of duck, lay more eggs per bird per year than chicken (Avg. 250 eggs annually per bird). Duck eggs are larger and heavier than chicken eggs, and have slightly higher nutrient value. Feathers of duck can be used to manufacture high quality bedding materials. Duck is generally hardy, resistant to wide variety of diseases. Water for swimming is not essential; though they come under the category of water fowl. They are suited to wide range of housing system. Ducks play effective role in controlling of pest. They exterminate grasshopper, snails, slugs, potato beetles, mosquito larvae etc. Ducks are well suited in integrated farming system, e.g. duck-fish farming, duck-paddy farming, duck-fish - paddy farming.
Breeds of duck available: Pati Hanh, Khaki Campbell, Sera Chameli, Muscovi (China Hanh, Sylhet Mete and Indian Runner
Housing of ducks: Ducks may be reared in intensive, semi intensive, free ranging or backyard system. No elaborate housing is required for ducks. House with shed type roof with concrete floor and an outside run is best suited. The house should be well ventilated and rodent proof. Day old ducklings are brooded at 29 to 30°C temperature for a period of 3-4 weeks in litter or wire floor during the first week. It is reduced by about 3°C per week till reaches up to 24° C during the fourth week. Under intensive system(i.e confined system), a floor space of 4 to 5 sq. ft per adult bird is essential whereas, a floor space of 2.5 to 3 sq. ft. per adult bird should be provided as night shelter in case of semi intensive system of rearing. Water in a drinker (5 to 6 inch deep) should be provided to allow immersion of their head. Under range system, a flock of 1000 birds can be reared in one acre of land.
Feeding of ducks:During first eight week, birds should be fed ad libitum and later they may be fed twice at morning and late afternoon. An adult duck consumes about 100 to 120 gm of feed per day. Since duck feeds are not commercially available in the market, a mixture of standard poultry feed and rice bran at 1:2 ratio can be fed. Duck feeds should be stored at cool and dry environment to avoid mould formation. Weeds and phytoplankton like Lemna, Wolfia and Azolla may be fed to the ducks. The use of range, ponds and supplemented green significantly reduces feed cost. Kitchen waste like broken rice, vegetable peelings etc. can be effectively utilized in backyard rearing system. It is always to be kept in mind that duck should never have access to feed without water.
Health care: Ducks are resistant to common avian diseases. Duck plague is the most common viral disease and there is no treatment for it. However it can be prevented by administering Duck Plague Vaccine at 8 to 12 weeks of age. Duck cholera is another common disease of bacterial origin. Inappetance, fever, thirst, diarrhoea and sudden death is observed in birds suffering from duck Cholera. Duck cholera vaccine should be administered for prevention of duck cholera outbreak. Botulism is serious disease in duckling and adult caused by bacteria. The disease can be prevented by avoiding ducks to scavenge on decaying organic materials. Ducks are also highly susceptible to aflatoxicosis caused by a mould called Aspergillus flavus. High humidity, rain or improper drying of feed favours this mould growth. There is no treatment for aflatoxicosis. Birds usually recover when the source of aflatoxin is removed. Ducks are usually resistant to internal parasites.
Duck as component of integrated farming system: Fish cum duck is a very common, familiar and popular integrated farming system of northeastern India. Here, duck house is constructed in the dyke or above the pond. Duck house wastes, faeces and waste feeds are canalized to the pond which acts as fertilizer for the pond and feed to the fish. Excreta of thirty ducks are sufficient to fertilize 0.1 hectare pond area. No feed should be provided separately for the fishes. The ducks feed on natural food available in the pond- aquatic weeds, grasses, insect etc. and hence need very little supplementary feed, which can be met from household wastes- kitchen wastes, waste grain and grain by-products.
Low input, high disease resistance and feed efficiency provides ample scope in this enterprise. The misconception that water is imperative for duck rearing has discouraged people from this enterprise. However, Duck rearing in scientific way is advantageous and profitable like any other poultry farming in Nagaland.
Advantages of duck rearing: Rearing of duck is comparatively easier than chicken. A family can maintain 20-25 ducks easily. Hybrid duck attains up to 3 kg live weight in 50 days. Duck meat is uniformly dark and palatable. Khaki Campbell, a layer breed of duck, lay more eggs per bird per year than chicken (Avg. 250 eggs annually per bird). Duck eggs are larger and heavier than chicken eggs, and have slightly higher nutrient value. Feathers of duck can be used to manufacture high quality bedding materials. Duck is generally hardy, resistant to wide variety of diseases. Water for swimming is not essential; though they come under the category of water fowl. They are suited to wide range of housing system. Ducks play effective role in controlling of pest. They exterminate grasshopper, snails, slugs, potato beetles, mosquito larvae etc. Ducks are well suited in integrated farming system, e.g. duck-fish farming, duck-paddy farming, duck-fish - paddy farming.
Breeds of duck available: Pati Hanh, Khaki Campbell, Sera Chameli, Muscovi (China Hanh, Sylhet Mete and Indian Runner
Housing of ducks: Ducks may be reared in intensive, semi intensive, free ranging or backyard system. No elaborate housing is required for ducks. House with shed type roof with concrete floor and an outside run is best suited. The house should be well ventilated and rodent proof. Day old ducklings are brooded at 29 to 30°C temperature for a period of 3-4 weeks in litter or wire floor during the first week. It is reduced by about 3°C per week till reaches up to 24° C during the fourth week. Under intensive system(i.e confined system), a floor space of 4 to 5 sq. ft per adult bird is essential whereas, a floor space of 2.5 to 3 sq. ft. per adult bird should be provided as night shelter in case of semi intensive system of rearing. Water in a drinker (5 to 6 inch deep) should be provided to allow immersion of their head. Under range system, a flock of 1000 birds can be reared in one acre of land.
Feeding of ducks:During first eight week, birds should be fed ad libitum and later they may be fed twice at morning and late afternoon. An adult duck consumes about 100 to 120 gm of feed per day. Since duck feeds are not commercially available in the market, a mixture of standard poultry feed and rice bran at 1:2 ratio can be fed. Duck feeds should be stored at cool and dry environment to avoid mould formation. Weeds and phytoplankton like Lemna, Wolfia and Azolla may be fed to the ducks. The use of range, ponds and supplemented green significantly reduces feed cost. Kitchen waste like broken rice, vegetable peelings etc. can be effectively utilized in backyard rearing system. It is always to be kept in mind that duck should never have access to feed without water.
Health care: Ducks are resistant to common avian diseases. Duck plague is the most common viral disease and there is no treatment for it. However it can be prevented by administering Duck Plague Vaccine at 8 to 12 weeks of age. Duck cholera is another common disease of bacterial origin. Inappetance, fever, thirst, diarrhoea and sudden death is observed in birds suffering from duck Cholera. Duck cholera vaccine should be administered for prevention of duck cholera outbreak. Botulism is serious disease in duckling and adult caused by bacteria. The disease can be prevented by avoiding ducks to scavenge on decaying organic materials. Ducks are also highly susceptible to aflatoxicosis caused by a mould called Aspergillus flavus. High humidity, rain or improper drying of feed favours this mould growth. There is no treatment for aflatoxicosis. Birds usually recover when the source of aflatoxin is removed. Ducks are usually resistant to internal parasites.
Duck as component of integrated farming system: Fish cum duck is a very common, familiar and popular integrated farming system of northeastern India. Here, duck house is constructed in the dyke or above the pond. Duck house wastes, faeces and waste feeds are canalized to the pond which acts as fertilizer for the pond and feed to the fish. Excreta of thirty ducks are sufficient to fertilize 0.1 hectare pond area. No feed should be provided separately for the fishes. The ducks feed on natural food available in the pond- aquatic weeds, grasses, insect etc. and hence need very little supplementary feed, which can be met from household wastes- kitchen wastes, waste grain and grain by-products.
Low input, high disease resistance and feed efficiency provides ample scope in this enterprise. The misconception that water is imperative for duck rearing has discouraged people from this enterprise. However, Duck rearing in scientific way is advantageous and profitable like any other poultry farming in Nagaland.
Dr. Debojyoti Borkotoky
SMS (Animal Science)
KVK, NRCM, Phek, Nagaland
