Many owners of summer cottages are thinking about breeding poultry. Most prefer meat breeds of chickens, but there are alternatives. One of these options is the breeding of muscovy ducks.
The musk duck is an unpretentious bird, and with proper care, the amount of meat that can be obtained from one adult individual exceeds the weight and volume of chicken meat. In addition, by raising muscovy ducks, you can provide yourself and your family with eggs, the nutritional value of which is almost equal to that of chicken eggs. By the way, one duck can produce up to 120 eggs per year.
Moreover, observing a certain technology of keeping and feeding these birds, you can get a rich duck offspring. And it is from the duck liver that the famous delicacy called foie gras can be prepared.
Features of the content
In order to keep muscovy ducks, it is necessary to have a poultry house appropriately equipped and protected from the cold on your garden plot. The muscovy duck is a southern bird, therefore, when keeping it, a certain temperature regime should be maintained. In order for adults to feel quite comfortable, the temperature in the poultry house should not fall below 15 ° C, for ducklings this figure is 20 ° C.
The muscovy duck does not get along well with other birds, so a separate room must be allocated for its maintenance. If chickens, geese and turkeys move freely around the yard, duck ducks should be separated from them, as conflict cannot be avoided.
During the winter months of the year, muscovy ducks are best kept indoors where temperatures do not drop below freezing. In order for the birds to feel comfortable, it is necessary to lay straw or pour sawdust on the floor.
Feeding features
Muscovy ducks are unpretentious in their food. These birds are happy to feed on special compound feeds that can be purchased in stores. In no case will the birds refuse from wet mash, which the owner can prepare with his own hands. The daily diet of muscovy ducks should include beet greens, chopped grass, and corn kernels. By the way, cornmeal is a favorite delicacy of musky ducks.
Keeping duck ducks can be more effective if there is a body of water near or on the garden plot. These birds are very fond of water and can flounder in it even all day - from morning to evening. In the reservoir, ducks feed on various waterfowl insects and aquatic plants.
Important: Muscovy ducks fly quite well, therefore, before releasing birds into the pond, it is necessary to slightly trim the tips of their wings.
