Aung Win Htut - How to raise ducks, quails, sheep, goats, and bees

Part (1)

Duck farming

1. The nature of ducks

Ducks, despite living on land, are actually aquatic creatures. Raising ducks is no different from raising chickens. However, chickens prefer to be dry, while ducks cannot live without water and are happy only with it.

When the ducks are about to lay their eggs, they do not stay in the water for long, but often come up to the land to bask in the sun. They can only lay eggs well if they get vitamin D from the sun and are warm. An environment must be created for them to lay eggs well. Those who will be keeping the ducks must be trained to be tame and not afraid.

Ducks do not need to be specially built like other animals. However, small duck houses (depending on the number of ducks) should be built for them to sleep at night. The duck houses should be made so that they always have access to fresh air. They should also be made so that they can move freely. When raising ducks, just like when raising other animals, you should pay attention to the weather.

In villages, ducks can be raised near natural lakes, streams, and ditches without special feeding. However, this type of breeding is possible if only a small number of ducks are raised. If a large number of ducks are raised for commercial purposes, they can only be successful if they are raised correctly. This system can also reduce the cost of feeding. In the morning, they can be fed with a mixture of rice bran, broken rice, shrimp paste (or fish meal) and dried herbs in the evening. The important thing is to have natural lakes, streams, and ditches so that the ducks can often go into the water. These natural lakes, streams, and ditches often contain small insects that ducks eat and dried herbs, which are sufficient for ducks to eat.

There are many such places in Myanmar, which are very good for duck farming. Therefore, duck farming is a profitable and commercially viable poultry farming business.

2. Types and breeds of ducks

There are many types of ducks, but you should choose and breed only those that are suitable for the Myanmar climate. Ducks can basically be divided into two types: egg-laying ducks and meat-laying ducks.

The most popular ducks are the Indian Runner and the Khaki Campbell . The Indian Runner has a straight body with long legs and a rounded back. It is agile and fast, with neat feathers. The chest is flat and tapers towards the tail. The neck is straight and long. The wings are slightly short compared to the body and the legs are long and strong. The color is yellowish-brown or light brown, with pale underparts and darker on the tail. The average weight is 1.5 pounds for males and 1.25 pounds for females.

The Khaki Campbell duck has a better egg production record than the Indian Mallard. It is larger and has a slightly flatter body. The forelegs are higher than the tailbone. The bill is large and straight, and the face is full. The thighs are medium-sized, and the legs are not set far back from the abdomen like the Indian Mallard. The color is khaki on the body, with greenish and brownish on the tail feathers, head, and neck. The bill is often black or dark green, and the tips of the legs are orange. The females are usually covered in khaki feathers. The males weigh 1.5 pounds and the females 1.25 pounds.

Among the meat ducks, the Peking duck is famous. The body is large and strong, with a broad, slightly curved tail. The head is round, the forehead is high, and the neck is short. The legs are strong and well-developed, and they are located at the back of the body. The color is pale yellow and white. The weight of the male is about 2.5 pounds and the female is about 2-25 pounds.

The Irish berry carnivore has a good meat growth rate. The body is long and broad. The tail is short and the tail feathers are strong. The legs are short but strong. The large bones allow it to support its body weight well. It is white in color. The body weight is about 10 pounds for males and 9 pounds for females.

A farmer who has many ducks should take care of the ducks. They should not be confined. Because ducks are easily fat, if they are confined, they will become obese. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a place for the ducks to run around freely. The meat quality of the ducks can be judged by the appearance of the ducks. It should be noted that egg-laying ducks can only be good ducks if they are free from small breasts, short hair, too long or too short necks.

While breeding male and female ducks is natural and necessary, it is important to know how many birds to keep together. For laying ducks, there should be six females per male, and for meat ducks, there should be three females per male. Generally, ducks start laying eggs at about six months of age, and the best age to hatch them is between (1-2) years. Unlike chickens, ducks can continue to be raised for (3-4) years.

3. Things to note

It has been mentioned above that ducks need natural ponds, streams, and ditches. Ducks are very water-loving creatures, so they prefer to stay near water all day except when they are breeding. Therefore, water is essential for ducks. If there are no ponds, streams, or ditches in your breeding area, you should create them.

It is also necessary to take care of ducks that are naturally afraid of people who keep them. Ducks that are afraid of people do not live long. They should be trained gradually so that they are not afraid of people and become tame. Another factor that can make ducks fearful is related to the construction of the duck pen. Since fresh air is needed to provide oxygen, windows should be placed in the duck pens to ensure good ventilation. However, it is not necessary to make large openings as the ducks may be frightened by light (moonlight, lights) at night.

It is also important to note that when feeding ducks, whether they are meat ducks or egg ducks, the food they feed them needs to be good for their health. Therefore, they should be fed good food on a regular basis.

The area where the ducks are kept or released should be spacious and not too narrow. Only if it is spacious will the ducks not be restricted from moving freely. Although ducks are carefully fed for their health, they also eat worms, snails, small insects, snails, slugs, and algae while moving freely. The area where the ducks are raised must be spacious to allow for such movement and eating.

For small-scale farmers, there is no need to build a special duck house. Furthermore, there is no need to provide special food for ducks. Ducks usually spend their time moving around from dawn to dawn, searching for food, mating, and so on.

4. Breeding

When starting to raise ducks, there are several ways to do this: buy and raise young ducks, buy eggs and raise them with hens, and buy and raise young ducks. Buying and raising young ducks is easy, so you can start raising them in a suitable place after purchasing them. Those who want to start a business by buying duck eggs must choose a good type of duck egg. If you tell some duck egg sellers in advance that you are going to buy ducks for hatching, they will choose and sell you the right type of duck egg.

It is necessary to check the eggs that have been purchased. Generally, the eggs that are going to hatch will change color within 2 weeks. However, the eggs that are not going to hatch will not change at all. A person who starts a business by buying eggs does not need a lot of eggs to start with. The eggs are placed in the hen's nest and the young ducklings are hatched. If such eggs are hatched, the hen's nest should be well-made with straw to keep it safe and warm. The environment should be sprayed with a small amount of insecticide to keep it free from pests. The eggs should be checked while they are in the nest. After 21 days, the unhatched eggs should be removed. The eggs are usually very soft to the touch.

When incubating duck eggs with hens, a method is also used where hens are allowed to hatch in groups rather than individually. This method is more time-saving.