Wild ducklings at home grow for a long time. Breeding wild ducks. What can be cooked from wild duck: recipes for all occasions

Ducks eat almost everything that a person feeds them. Not all of this food is good for the bird's body, and some causes significant harm to its health. If a person is guided solely by good intentions and wants to help his feathered friends survive, then he definitely needs to know how to feed ducks. Otherwise, instead of good, it is easy to destroy the birds.

Before feeding, learn about the effects of different foods

Adults and children, walking through the park, love to feed the ducks on the pond. They find the activity fun and rewarding. Say, a man saves his younger brothers from starvation. Not everyone knows that there are products that harm the body of birds.

The feed must be balanced, with a sufficient content of proteins. It is not necessary to choose proteins of plant origin, animals are also quite suitable. You should also take care of the presence of a large number of vitamins and minerals. Among the latter, it is necessary to highlight:

• copper;
• calcium;
• magnesium.

feeding bread

Often, wild and domestic ducks are fed with bread. And it’s completely in vain (it also applies to bakery products). Now you will not surprise anyone with the lack of benefit to the human body, and even more so to the bird. Other products are not capable of causing as much harm to birds as bread.

If you have to feed ducks with bread, for these purposes you should use soaked crackers added to gruel from cereals. It is explained by four main factors.

1. AT natural conditions there is no food that even remotely resembles baking. The body of birds is simply not adapted to digest it.
2. When eating bread in large quantities in ducks, a blockage of the esophagus occurs, leading to death.
3. Due to the abundance of carbohydrates in bread, the bird begins to quickly gain weight. For domestic ducks - a positive moment, and wild ducks often lead to death.
4. Mold develops in stale bread. From eating such food, a dangerous disease, aspergillosis, can develop. The affected bird has less than a week of life left, and there is no chance to save it. The disease is dangerous with the risk of infecting the entire livestock.

Feeding birds with bread can lead to a dangerous disease

Feeding at the city pond and in the park

What to do if you want to please yourself and the children by treating the birds on the pond? What products to choose and not harm the birds? You should definitely avoid foods high in fat. It is better to opt for the following:

• grated cheese;
• bananas, apples, strawberries (other soft fruits are allowed);
• oatmeal in any form.

The presented list provides the bird with the necessary nutrients.

There is food that does not affect the body at all. It does no good or harm. This should include:

• potatoes;
• cabbage;
• worms;
• small fish.

Don't feed the ducks too often in city ponds. It should be remembered that they are migratory, and lured individuals may remain for the winter. But in severe frosts it will be difficult for them to survive without human help.

What types of food are suitable for wild individuals

What to feed wild ducks is useful for those who feed them at least sometimes. It is optimal to use food of grain origin or made from legumes. A good option would be a special compound feed.

It should be remembered that wild ducks should not be given the same type of food. It should be changed periodically, and even better - mixed. Combined food - ideal for birds.

Excellent food for wild ducks will serve:

• barley;
• oats;
• wheat;
• corn;
• peas.

The proportion of barley in the feed mixture must certainly be 30-35%. The composition and ratio of other components can be changed at will.

compound feed

The modern market provides a rich selection of combined feeds. In addition to the main elements, they, as a rule, contain a variety of useful additives. The main ones are amino acids and minerals. It is better to stop the choice on the feed that is created specifically for ducks. It is quite possible that it will be possible to get a composition designed specifically for wild ducks. True, this is quite rare, but food exists.

If wild ducks are kept in the household, and granulated feed is purchased for them, then it should be soaked before being fed to the bird. Thus, not only will it not scatter around the aviary, but it will be easier to eat. But the food has a drawback: a rather high price. If there are not many birds, then the difference is imperceptible, but with a large population, the amounts come out decent. Self-prepared mixtures are much cheaper at cost.

No need to buy the cheapest combination food. It is important to follow the indication of the manufacturer, the quantitative composition and the expiration date. Otherwise, due to malnutrition, ducks may be susceptible to various diseases.

dry mix

It is better to make a diet for domestic birds on your own. If the bird is fed for meat, then after the third week of life, it should significantly increase the feed rate (three times). And when the young are kept for other purposes, then such an increase will be inappropriate.

Dry mixes purchased in a specialized store or on the agricultural market contain a balanced complex of vitamins and microelements. Ducklings quickly gain weight, and after a couple of months they are ready for slaughter. It is recommended to moisturize before applying the mixture.

What do ducks eat in winter

In winter, the duck diet is based mainly on combined feeds. On their basis, a wide variety of feed formulations are made. It would be nice to add boiled vegetables as well. It is very important in the cold season to ensure the optimal balance of minerals, sources of calcium. It is achieved through the introduction of the following components into the feed:

• shells;
• sand;
• eggshell;
• chalk.

All components must be stocked up in advance. In the summer, these components of the duck can easily be found on the street themselves, but in winter the snow sweeps up the necessary additives. In the cold season, it is good to give sprouted grains and herbal flour to the bird. It is useful to periodically feed ducks with fishmeal, which is an important part of their healthy diet.

There is a false belief that in winter it is necessary to feed the bird intensively. She should put off fat and due to it it is easier to endure the cold. It's not like that at all. Under no circumstances should ducks be fed. Due to the decrease in physical activity in winter, the need for calories also falls. Enhanced nutrition leads to obesity, disease and death.

What do ducks eat at other times of the year?

In the spring, ducks especially need vitamins. Egg laying begins, and the bird's body uses many resources. It is advisable to introduce grated cheese, fruits or berries, as well as oatmeal into their diet.

In summer, the bird walks a lot on the street and add many necessary trace elements yourself. Significantly reduced consumption of herbal meal, fish or meat and bone meal, bran and boiled potatoes. It is absolutely necessary to remove sprouted grains, beets, carrots, sand from the diet.

In autumn, excessive concern for nutrition harms the birds. You should not be zealous with their feeding.

Winter diet for home conditions

It has already been said that in the summer, ducks forage on their own in sufficient quantities. But not in the cold. There is a need to create an original recipe for feeding pets in order to saturate them and provide them with all the nutrients. Store bought food is also acceptable. But developed independently, with an individual approach, it will be much better.

For meat ducks

Young animals that will go for meat are fed for two months. At first, their diet consists of boiled eggs and low-fat cottage cheese, and then they gradually switch to complex feeding. It will be good to use dry fortified food with a high content of minerals.

In winter, meat ducks are not fed fresh greens. But they significantly increase the amount of cereals and boiled potatoes in the diet.

For adults (parent pack)

The winter "table" of adult ducks is characterized by the fact that germinated grain must be included in it. But fresh greens are not given at all. Such nutrition provides the bird's body with the necessary complex of substances for regular egg laying in the spring.

Along with other elements, the feed ration should contain baker's or brewer's yeast, boiled meat or fish waste, and fat-free cottage cheese. The use of chalk and ground shells will have a beneficial effect on the health of birds.

Making your own feed

Of course, it is much easier to buy ready-made feed. But from time to time there is a need to cook it yourself. The reasons may be different, but there are no complexities and wisdom in the procedure itself. It consists of certain stages. First of all, you need to decide on the recipe and stock up on all the relying ingredients. When calculating the proportions, the number of birds is taken into account.

If you have equipment for grinding cereals, make your own feed

For cooking combined feed you will need a special crusher. Initially, it is permissible to take it from friends, evaluate how ducks react to cooked food. If everything goes well, feel free to purchase a thing for your needs. It is not necessary to grind the ingredients separately. Before going to the crusher, mix them together.

The ground components must be turned into a homogeneous mass. It is quite possible to mechanize the process: purchase a stirrer, mixer or similar tool. And if there are no financial opportunities, then everything is easily done manually. By the way, if the crusher good quality, at the output the device will already give a fairly homogeneous mixture.

In the process of mixing, it is recommended to add additional components (chalk, shell, yeast, etc.). You don't have to put it all in at once. The ingredients are added one by one. If any type of flour is present in the selected recipe, then it is added last. The fact is that the indicated component is a fine powder. It will be much better to mix it when the rest of the ingredients are already prepared.

The final step is granulation. It happens in a special apparatus - a granulator. Although such a stage is not at all necessary: ​​when the funds do not allow you to purchase equipment, then it is permissible to feed compound feed anyway.

Additional tips for planning a diet for any time of the year

When formulating duck feed, you need to know which ingredient is needed for what purposes, as well as in what volume it is better to add it. Wheat is a source of protein, the percentage of which is 12-14%. It also contains essential vitamins B and E.

If there is a need to introduce millet into the diet of ducks, then purchase a low grade that is not intended for human nutrition. Significantly reduced material costs.

Barley, peas, oats and other cereals - have many vitamins that are good for the health of ducks

An important component of a healthy bird diet is barley. Its percentage must be at least 20% of the total amount of grain. It is given whole to little ducklings. It is good to use germinated or pre-soaked barley for poultry feed. With all the advantages, this grain has a significant drawback. It is covered with a layer of fiber, which is poorly absorbed by the body of ducks.

Oats are indispensable in the bird's diet. It contains essential fats and amino acids. Only now there is a grain film on the surface of the grain, which is a negative characteristic.

Little fiber contains corn. In terms of nutritional properties and the presence of trace elements, it is in a leading position. The digestibility of grains is simply excellent. Yellow varieties contain a lot of keratin, which can turn into vitamin A during digestion. There are few proteins in corn. In its pure form, it is not recommended to feed it. As supplements, you need to use foods rich in protein.

There is enough protein in peas. Ducks love him. The product contains enough amino acids necessary for the body of birds. The disadvantage of this food is the specific smell and taste. Peas should be fed in ground form. Most likely, the bird will refuse to eat this food as a whole.

The diet of ducks necessarily contains green fodder. They are responsible for the normal growth and development of the bird. Useful herbs:

• sedge;
• nettle;
• clover;
• dandelion;
• alfalfa.

They have enough vitamins and minerals. The consumption of grass is recommended both in pure form and as part of a mash. Nettles should be washed with boiling water before feeding.

Naturally, the suggested rations are only examples. In practice, they are compiled individually, with an eye to the specific conditions of detention and the characteristics of a particular flock. After all, it is important to consider every detail in order to achieve a good result. If we talk about how to feed ducks in winter, then we will give some tips.

1. Be sure to include sprouted grains and healthy foods in your diet.
2. Feed the bird according to age. Young growth needs special care, different from adult relatives. Otherwise, large individuals will not work out of it.
3. Mixers must be moistened. For adult birds, water is suitable as a moisturizing agent, and for young birds it is advisable to use milk.
4. Do not forget about the fish components in the diet. Not only boiled waste, but also fish oil, fishmeal.
5. In winter, it is optimal to feed the bird 2-3 times a day. More frequent feeding can harm their body.

Conclusion

Feeding ducks even in winter is not difficult. The main problem lies in the correct selection of the diet. And achieve the desired result only by trial and experiment. In no case should you give the bird prohibited foods, you can experiment with the rest.

It is important to constantly clean used utensils from food debris. If not done in a timely manner, mold will appear, which causes dangerous diseases that can kill livestock.

In the cold season, do not try to pamper ducks with an abundance of food. Overnutrition, just like undernutrition, is not the best way for their health. In winter, the birds move less, try to huddle together and warm each other. Calorie consumption is reduced. If there is a lot of food, then obesity will begin, contributing to the development of dangerous diseases.

When choosing food for wild ducks living in the wild, remember that their body is sensitive to bakery products which cannot be given to feathered friends. Their lives and health are in your hands.

Outwardly, wild ducks look more graceful than large farm birds. This makes one think about the difficulties in breeding them. Is it so? And how to grow a healthy and strong livestock, we will tell in our material.

Features of a wild bird

Did you know?During molting, wild ducks lose their ability to fly.

The undoubted advantage of wild ducks over domestic breeds is their strong immunity, which is developed by a bird that lives in freedom. Among the shortcomings, it is worth highlighting the tougher meat and their relatively small size.

But, if the diet of these birds does not differ from the diet of domestic ones, then their meat will soon acquire other taste qualities, it will become like an ordinary duck.
These waterfowl get along well with domestic herds, successfully breed in captivity and breed healthy offspring. A distinctive feature of these birds is eggs with a green shell.

What breed to choose

Most popular breeds:

Important!It is best to catch ducks when there are a lot of grown-up youngsters who do not yet know how to fly well enough.

How to catch a wild duck live for breeding at home

There are three main ways to catch a wild duck alive. Some can only be handled by experienced hunters, and some can be handled even by a beginner.

So, you can catch a wild inhabitant of rivers and lakes alive with the help of:

• loops;
• traps;
• hands.

Video: how to catch a wild duck with a trap Only experienced hunters can handle catching with a noose: the bird is attracted with bait (the food it loves) and the hunter, sitting in ambush, tightens the noose on its paws or torso. The complexity of the method lies in the high risk of bird injury

Trapping is much easier. To catch a bird alive and unharmed, all you need is a box or a cage equipped with a special return mechanism that is triggered by the weight of the duck. When the bird sits on the roof of the trap, it will fall inside. To facilitate the process of fishing, you can use baits that are placed on the lids of the boxes.

Did you know?Duck feathers cannot be wetted with water without subjecting them to special treatment.

Catching wild birds with their hands is only possible for those who know the basic rules for the behavior of ducks. With an approaching danger, the queen diverts the predator's attention to itself, and the young of the bird tries to hide. At this time, he is most vulnerable, because the birds do not move and sit still.

Breeding wild ducks at home

Breeding wild ducks in captivity is almost the same as breeding domestic poultry.

Nutrition and feeding

Whatever the diet of wild ducks, they will never gain the mass of their domestic counterparts. The only thing that can be achieved with such a diet is the similarity in taste of wild and domestic poultry meat. In the wild, these waterfowl eat fish, river vegetation, algae, and small insects.

In captivity, you can feed ducks with hard varieties of barley and buckwheat, fresh fish, small crustaceans, bloodworms. The food should be crushed, but not very finely.
Be sure to eat birds should eat medium-sized pebbles and clean river sand. It is also important that the ducks have 24/7 access to a clean drinking water. Ducklings eat the same things that chickens eat - grass, boiled eggs, vitamin supplements.

Bird care

The owner should take care of regular cleaning in the duck house. This will help prevent the spread of various diseases.

Important! In the summer, a weak solution of potassium permanganate must be added to the water for waterfowl to protect the livestock from intestinal infections.

Since wild ducks have strong immunity, their vaccination is carried out only in farms that are disadvantaged in terms of morbidity.

Video: breeding wild ducks at home It is important that the bird has the opportunity to freely walk around the territory of the poultry house - for wild ducks, walking and the availability of natural or artificial reservoirs are required. The paddock should be equipped with a canopy that will help protect the birds from rain and sun.

These birds tolerate cold well, so the duckling does not need special heating. But it is better if the owner still takes care of protecting the herd from severe frosts and provides for the possibility of warming the room. Also, the duck house should be ventilated daily to avoid the spread of various infections.

The room must be clean and dry. The duck house itself should be spacious enough - the ideal density of heads is no more than three per square meter. In the warm season, waterfowl feel comfortable in the fresh air, where they can stay around the clock.
With the onset of cold weather, they need to organize lighting (daylight hours to preserve egg production should last at least 14 hours) and insulate the floors with a thick layer of straw bedding. In nature, wild ducks build their nests in small holes.

At home, special nests can be built for waterfowl, but it is not a fact that the bird will want to sit on it. These birds are good mothers who boast strong and fast-growing offspring. Therefore, human intervention in the care of newborn chicks is minimized.

Breeding wild inhabitants of reservoirs at home does not require special knowledge and a lot of work. With the right approach, this can become not only interesting, but also quite profitable. After all, tasty and protein-rich meat of wild ducks is highly valued in the market, and the birds themselves are always in demand in forestry.

Poultry farmers have long learned to catch and tame wild birds.

The mallard is unpretentious in food, it does not need special conditions of detention. She breeds offspring quickly, nests are easy to make on their own. The bird has a calm character.

Features of a wild bird

The mallard is a wild duck that was bred at home.

The species can be found on every continent except Antarctica. Its main feature is the cardinal difference between male and female.

Bird characteristics:

• The weight of the male does not exceed 2 kg, and the female - 1.5 kg in winter, in summer, the mass of birds is much less.
• Small body size, does not exceed 55 cm, wingspan - 80-90 cm.
• Inexperienced poultry farmers carry the female and male wild duck to different subspecies. The female has brown, brown feathers with small spots on the back. Color helps her survive in wild nature, it becomes invisible to potential predators. The beak and belly are also dark in color. The color of the drake is radically different. Nature has rewarded him with a variety of colors. The bird's head is a bright emerald hue that shimmers in the sun. The lower part of the body is light, and the chest is green. Paws, like those of the female, are red or orange. When the bird spreads its wings, a purple "mirror" can be seen on its back.
• Ducklings are colored the same. They are difficult to distinguish by gender. Their backs are brown and their belly is yellow.

During the hunt, it is easy to recognize a wild duck by its voice. He is the same as poultry. Only during the mating period, the male makes non-standard sounds.

What breeds exist

The wild bird has more than ten subspecies that have spread throughout the world.

Popular breeds:

• Black American mallard. Lives near fresh water. He likes to choose the area near the countryside. Prefers small forests located in the vicinity of estuaries. Refers to migratory birds. With the onset of cold weather, it chooses a warm region. The wild bird has dark plumage, the head and neck are gray, the eyes are blue, and the beak is tinged with orange. Habitat - Eastern Canada.
• Hawaiian. By the name of the species, it is easy to determine the habitat of a wild bird. The individual prefers to lead a settled way of life, for this he chooses lowlands in river valleys. The Hawaiian bird is often seen in pairs, it does not live in a flock. similar in appearance, they have a brown color, and the “mirror” is bright blue.
• Gray. Habitat - forest-steppe in the Amur region. The bird is smaller in size and weight than the common mallard. The color of individuals is the same, gray or brown, it helps them survive in the wild.
• Black. It lives in the countries of Europe, Asia and Australia. Representatives of the breed are small in size, do not exceed 1.5 kg. Plumage of the same dark color. The head is bright red, and the paws are yellow.

Mallard can be found on the territory Russian Federation, in America and in the regions of Eurasia.

How long do wild ducks live

It is difficult to determine the exact lifespan of a mallard.

In nature, birds are exposed to various dangers:

• predators that live in places of bird settlement;
• human factor - it is allowed to hunt a bird;
• diseases that significantly reduce life expectancy.

Some scientists claim that the mallard can live for twenty years or more.

The average life expectancy is fifteen years.

At home, the bird lives only three years, sometimes less. Farmers raise poultry for meat dietary dishes.

Breeding wild ducks at home

Breeding a mallard will not be difficult , she is unpretentious in care. It can be kept with domestic individuals, the principle of breeding is identical. It is important to create comfortable conditions, control the nutrition of livestock.

Experienced poultry farmers raise duck exclusively for meat, but there are farmers who have built a business selling eggs. Wild bird has a positive effect on children's behavior.

It does not require additional waste, in winter the house is not heated. Chicks hatch without an incubator.

What do wild ducks eat in summer

In nature, the duck dives to the depths and gets its own food.

Her diet includes:

• small fish or fry;
• seaweed;
• aquatic plants;
• shellfish.

At home, it is difficult to recreate a natural diet, but mallards are unpretentious in their choice of food.

Buy for her:

• various types of cereals, cereals (oatmeal, wheat, barley porridge are suitable);
• peas;
• germinated wheat;
• boiled potatoes;
• carrot;
• fresh beets;
• bran or cake;
• vitamin B (for this, beer or baker's yeast is added to the finished porridge);
• grass.

The duck needs to be constantly given water - both for drinking and for bathing. The fenced area for the poultry house is covered with gravel or shell rock.

Meat or fish products are added to the diet.

Nutrition Proportion:

• grain - 75%;
• vegetables - 15%;
• additional products - 10%.

Grass should be included in the diet every day or the bird should be allowed to graze on its own.

What do ducks eat in the cold season

In winter, the mallard gains weight, the diet changes.

It includes:

• Corn grits. It promotes weight gain and saturates the body with essential vitamins.
• Wheat groats (wheat). Contains essential beneficial nutrients.
• Oatmeal. It contains an amino acid.
• Bean cultures. Before use, they must be crushed, otherwise the bird will choke on a large product.

The mixer is made in equal proportions. It can be given dry or pre-soaked. Farmers germinate seeds for wild duck.

This saturates her body with the necessary macro- and microelements. Boiled eggs are added to the diet.

Bird care and conditions

For the normal development of livestock, it is important to follow the rules for care.

The requirements are drawn up taking into account the physiological characteristics of wild individuals:

• The number of ducks in the poultry house is calculated in the following way: 2-3 birds per 1 m2.
• For feeders, drinkers and nests allocate 3-5 m2. The indicator depends on the number of birds in the flock.
• The poultry house is chosen from brick. It does not need to be additionally heated, birds easily tolerate cold. But it is better to insulate the walls with thin foam or sew up chipboard.
• A "carpet" of sawdust or hay is lined on the floor of the chicken coop. Change it in winter 5-6 times per period, and in summer once a month. The thickness of the floor is 25-30 cm.
• In the poultry house they conduct electricity and install ventilation.
• It is important to protect birds from drafts.

With a strong drop in temperature, the chicken coop is heated, electric furnaces or potbelly stoves are installed, having previously protected them from mallards. The air temperature must exceed -5 degrees Celsius.

How to make nests for wild ducks

Duck nests are easy to make at home.

This requires the following materials and tools:

• sheets of plywood or thin boards;
• slats made of wood;
• nails or screws;
• saw;
• sandpaper;
• hammer, screwdriver;
• pencil and ruler.

Manufacturing process:

1. 2 squares are cut out of plywood sheets, one side should be 35-40 cm.
2. A hole with a diameter of 18 cm is made in the center of one sheet, it is carefully sanded.
3. Cut out two sheets of 40 * 50 cm.
4. The roof is cut to the size of the nest, mounted on self-tapping screws.
5. Wooden slats are knocked down and placed under the nests of ducks. It is necessary for one wild duck.

Walk for ducks

Near the poultry house it is worth protecting a small area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe territory. The bird needs to go outside every day. Metal pegs are driven in along the perimeter and the paddock is fenced with a fine mesh.

The top is also closed, the bird can fly away. A wild duck gets used to a person, but this will take time. A container with water is placed on the territory, the duck loves to swim.

When the birds get used to the new owner, they are given access to reservoirs or shallow rivers.

How to catch a wild duck for breeding at home

There are several ways to catch wild birds.

This does not require a gun and special skills:

• On the hook. The process is similar to fishing. Bait (small fish, piece of meat) is baited on the hook and thrown into the water. When the bird swallows food, it is pulled to the shore. The method harms the health of the mallard, so the hook was subsequently replaced with a button.
• A product with a lid that closes inward, a box or basket is suitable. It is installed between the boards, masked with earth and grass, and bait is placed. When the bird sits on the box, the lid slams shut.
• Silk. At a later time, a self-tightening loop is installed. The hunter waits for the duck to go to sleep and step on the rope with his paw, then he tightens the noose.
• Bait box. A support is placed under it and the bait is placed. When the duck comes in, they sharply pull the rope with the support, the structure falls.

Young animals can be caught by hand, but this will require a thorough study of the behavior of the mallard.

Conclusion

Wild birds are raised at home for meat or eggs. The duck quickly gets used to the person and does not try to fly away. Care and maintenance will not be difficult, the diet is the same as that of poultry.

Differences between wild animals and domesticated breeds.

• The meat of a wild animal is slightly bitter, a little sweetness is felt.
• In appearance, wild and domesticated breeds differ little. However, poultry has wider shapes, a different color.
• The shell of eggs in wild individuals is green, in domesticated ones it is white. Sometimes a slightly greenish tint appears on it, there is a greasy sheen.
• Cultivation of wild ducks, maintenance. Wild animals are less whimsical. Breeding does not require an incubator. Feel good in any weather.

Features of breeding, keeping a wild duck

No specific conditions needed. In food, animals are unpretentious: they do not need special food. It is possible not to equip the cages additionally, the poultry house is not required to be heated. This is due to the fact that wild animals are less whimsical.

It is not required to purchase an incubator, which will please beginners. At any time of the year, individuals live quietly in a brick building. In order for the birds to feel good, it is necessary to make a corral with a net. Animals calmly tolerate low temperatures, even in frosts wild individuals feel great.

How to tame a wild duck

In summer, birds are provided with a place to swim. It could be a pond or a small body of water. For ducks, summer is swimming season. Water should also be in the drinker. This rule applies to all months. The water tank must always be full. Only clean fresh water is suitable.

Wild individuals extract small fish from reservoirs. It is recommended to add it to the diet of animals. If it's raining outside or it's getting hot, the birds hide in a shelter. It is necessary to build a canopy for this. There you can hide from the rain, the hot sun.

What types of wild individuals can be kept at home?

Mallards - ducks that can be domesticated

1. Mallard. Mallard is the largest bird in Russia. Depending on gender, months can weigh up to 2 kg. The wings are large and strong. The span reaches 1 m. Females and males have a different shade of color. The females have brownish plumage. This color helps them to camouflage and hide from danger in the forest.

The male differs in color. Its plumage on the head and neck is dark green, the bottom of the body is grayish in color. Beak, paws have a bright red tint. The offspring of this breed has a light brownish color. This type ducks require a reservoir. They love shallow shallow lakes.

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1. Redhead dive. Sizes are average, weight - up to 1.2 kg. The head is painted in a bright red hue, hence the name of the breed. Birds arrive in the spring, when there is no more snow and ice. These birds live in a flock. Males and females differ little in weight and size. The first ones are 300 g larger than the second ones. Representatives of the breed love small reservoirs with thickets of grass and reeds.

In dense vegetation, birds arrange nests and raise offspring. This should be taken into account when arranging a habitat for an individual at home. The eggs are greenish in color.



1. Gray ducks. Similar to mallard, but much smaller in weight. Females and males are similar in appearance, they have no differences. Bird weight - up to 1.5 kg. The plumage is a light brown shade, there are small white spots on the wings.

The plumage of the drake is grey. They shed heavily during the offspring, becoming the same color as the female. Birds molt a lot in the summer, so they cannot fly at these moments. They hide in thickets and bushes.

What should be remembered?

If you feed her correctly and systematically, monitor the conditions, provide good maintenance, she will be able to give 4 times more eggs, she will get fat faster.



Next, you need to decide on the site. When creating a farm, this is one of the important points that is not always paid attention to. The site should not be far from the place of release into hunting conditions. In this case, the place should not be closer than 1 km to the settlement.

Be sure to equip the pond on the farm. The drakes are in separate enclosures. The breeding stock is also located separately. It is recommended to locate the site away from the city. The sizes depend on the livestock that is planned.

Chicks are hatched without an incubator, in a natural way. After hatching, young animals are released into common areas. Now it can be walked with the rest of the livestock.

poultry house

Since wild ducks are waterfowl, they react negatively to temperature changes. Therefore, it is worth taking care of the building where the poultry house will be located - there should not be cracks or holes. Walking is done next to the poultry house. There should be enough room for outdoor movement to be comfortable.



You can limit the walking area with a mesh fence. The height of the fence is 1.5 m. If the maintenance of individuals is planned in large numbers, water is not put in the walking area. Otherwise, the site will be dirty and untidy, and the "residents" will fight.

In the poultry house, you need to choose and equip three places: for ducklings, broodstock, grown-up individuals. The broodstock includes two families of 3-4 layers and one drake. Such a flock will allow you to get enough eggs. In the poultry house there should be not only feeders, but also drinkers, otherwise the animals will look for their own water. Containers for water and feed are also installed on the paddock.

In the poultry house, it is better not to put open-type drinkers. This is inconvenient, especially in winter, because ducks can bathe in drinkers in the cold and freeze.

It is better to purchase drip system products. If this is not possible, you will have to give the birds snow in winter.

Open type drinkers must be removed. Nests should be placed at the locations of the broodstock.

How to feed?



In winter, individuals are fed three times a day. In the summer months, the number of meals is reduced to two. At the same time, the farm must have a good reservoir.

You can feed in two ways:

• compound feed (dry food);
• vegetable feed (wet mixes).

More money will have to be spent on dry feed. But you need to cook vegetable mixtures separately, sometimes this requires an additional person.

Vegetables can be grated and mixed with tops of carrots, potatoes, beets. Season the mixture with whey or broth.

Cooking will take time, but this method is more useful, since the birds get everything they need.

You can save on food if there is a real pond or lake nearby. Wild ducks can eat algae, plankton, and other food from the water. You can make a pond yourself if the groundwater passes close. To do this, you can simply dig a hole 3 m deep.

If breeds with a fast metabolism are bred at home, the feeders need to be replenished with fresh food constantly.

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Video: Gutting a wild duck in Evenki

The duck has long been included in the list of agricultural birds, often bred in the conditions of domestic farms. Russian poultry farmers prefer this bird because of its many advantages. First of all, these advantages include the unusual pleasant taste of feathered meat. What is interesting in recent times farmers became interested in directly breeding wild ducks at home, and not in buying breed varieties that had already been domesticated decades ago. Let's see what causes this trend, and what conditions must be met for successful breeding of wild birds.

To understand why modern farmers have suddenly begun, against all logic, to give preference to breeding wild ducks, let's pay attention to the following comparison table.

Table 1. Comparison of the main qualitative characteristics of wild and domesticated duck breeds

Criterion	domesticated breeds	wild breeds
Taste of meat	Tender and sweet, juicy.	More fibrous, bitterness is felt.
Body dimensions	Larger torso, broad forms.	Smaller body, more graceful forms.
shell shade	Domesticated breeds of chickens have a white shell shade.	Eggs wild breeds chickens have a green tint, the shell is covered with a greasy coating.
Breeding	In order to breed ducks of domesticated breeds, it is most often necessary to use an incubator. In addition, ducklings of domesticated breeds are more painful at a young age.	Wild ducks are unpretentious, and in almost 100% of cases they are able to independently breed chicks. At the same time, babies feel great in various climatic conditions and, in principle, in the conditions of the external environment created for them.
Content	The maintenance of domesticated birds is accompanied by the implementation of all sorts of nuances.	Wild ducks are, in principle, unpretentious and quite easy to handle, so the lower quality characteristics of their meat product are more than offset by the ease of cultivation.

Breeds of wild ducks suitable for keeping at home

So, as you might have guessed, not every wild duck is suitable for keeping at home. Let's look at which breeds take root best in humans and have the highest quality characteristics of productivity.

Mallard Ducks

The mallard is a wild duck that lives almost everywhere in our country. It is considered one of the largest wild breeds that can potentially be tamed by humans. The maximum weight of the carcasses of these birds reaches two kilograms.

The wingspan of a mallard can sometimes be a meter. The shade of the plumage of the females of these birds is always brown, although its tones may vary. Nature thus created for them the perfect camouflage suit, thanks to which the survival rate of females increases, because they must raise their babies without fail.

The male has a multi-colored plumage:

• neck emerald-pearl;
• the body is gray with black accents;
• red beak and paws.

Chicks that are born in mallards also have a brown shade of plumage, which changes over time as the birds grow older.

Duck breed Red-headed pochard

The duck of the breed variety under consideration is somewhat smaller than the mallard. So, her body weight is approximately 1 kilogram 200 grams at the maximum value.

This breed got its name for the interesting color of plumage. So, the head of a bird is covered with red feathers, unusually lush and soft.

These birds lead a flocking lifestyle. In the cold season, they roam south, and return to our region only when they have already left the street and the river:

• snow;

The body size of males exceeds the same parameter in females only slightly, by about 150-300 grams.

Representatives of this breed also need to equip a pond, and in addition, plant it artificially with reeds or other coastal grasses, since it is the thickets that are the natural habitat of these wild birds.

Gray duck

Gray duck has appearance, similar to mallard, however, its weight parameters are much more modest. So, the maximum value of this indicator will be no more than one and a half kilograms.

The feathers of the female gray duck are brown and gray, and the wings of these birds are dotted with white spots.

Drakes, on the other hand, can boast of really gray plumage, which, however, completely falls out during breeding, being replaced by feathers of the same color as that of females.

However, in the summer, these ducks molt so actively that both sexes cannot even fly. At this time, in their natural environment, they sit in the thickets, and lead a calm lifestyle.

Unfortunately, not every breed of wild duck is suitable for growing in Russia, with its unstable climate. All three that we have listed will be able to adapt to a person.

However, as you can see, the effectiveness of each breed does vary. So, the best option for taming and nurturing at home - wild mallard.

It is these ducks that are the most productive in relation to the final meat product and unpretentious bird in everyday life, which is beneficial to keep at home. Despite its body weight, which in any case will be less than that of domesticated bird breeds that have undergone breeding metamorphoses, it is sometimes even more profitable to keep Mallards, since these birds are by nature:

• give a lot of eggs, about 4 times more than other ducks of wild breeds;
• get fat faster;
• have healthier and stronger offspring.

Caught mallards settle in a pre-prepared area, not too far from the place of residence of the farmer himself. However, if you want to form hunting grounds with the help of these ducks, it is best to choose a more distant one from locality zone.

As we have already said, these ducks cannot live without a reservoir, therefore, you will have to equip it with them, or organize a farm near a lake or pond. However, this is required by all the breeds we are considering, and not just mallards.

The breeding of Mallard chicks will be carried out without the use of an incubator, as these ducks have a highly developed maternal instinct. Another point: at a young age, young animals can already be launched into a common room with adult ducks, and not kept separately, since this breed is very careful with the younger generation, taking care of it with the whole flock.

What living conditions should be provided for wild ducks

In order for a wild duck, having got to your farm, to quickly get used to it and be able to continue producing offspring that will be viable, it is necessary to equip several important conditions for her living.

Pond

The pond must be equipped on the site. It can be artificial, or natural if you're lucky enough to live by a body of water, but it's a must.

Note: a simple children's bath or a small pool for children will not be enough, since in the summer ducks prefer to be in the water, for them the warm season is the swimming season. Therefore, the reservoir you have should simultaneously accommodate most of your livestock.

We also want to point out to you one feature of keeping wild ducks: in conditions natural environment birds catch small fish from the pond. Provided that you can populate the reservoir you have, it will be great, and the efficiency of poultry keeping will increase. However, otherwise, such a fish will have to be added to their diet separately.

Large drinkers

However, it must be remembered that the water balance in the body of wild ducks is restored with water not only from the outside, but also from the inside, therefore, it is also necessary to equip the territory where birds live with volumetric drinking bowls, preferably automatic ones, since the requirements for the liquid they contain are as follows:

• freshness;
• purity.

Bad, stagnant water is contraindicated for ducks, since you will not find such a thing in the river, and wild ducks do not survive in swamp conditions.

Duck house

One more required condition– creation of a poultry house that will:

• insulated, but not necessarily heated;
• protected from drafts;
• equipped with high quality ventilation system.

Inside the poultry house, ducks will hide in the cold, fleeing from low temperatures.

That is why, it is necessary to equip it in such a way that the birds are comfortable by making the room:

• spacious;
• cozy;
• equipped with bird nests;
• insulated with peat bedding.

Inside the poultry house, it is necessary to define several zones, and separate them from each other not only visually, but also in reality:

• mother liquor;
• department for keeping adults;
• area for youngsters.

In the mother liquor, as a rule, they contain one duck herd containing a total of:

• 3 laying ducks;
• 1st drake.

However, if you are interested in a higher production intensity, you can add another layer to the herd.

There should also be voluminous drinking bowls inside the house, however, in this case they should already be closed so that:

• the ducks did not pollute the water too quickly;
• water did not freeze in an unheated poultry house;
• ducks did not bathe inside the drinkers if they were of sufficient size.

It is very convenient to use drip drinkers for ducks. However, if in winter you will not be able to equip the automatic replenishment of the drinking system, you can give the bird cleared snow.

In the area where the broodstock will live, it is necessary to equip separate nests for ducks, preferably fenced with walls from each other. Let's look at the instructions for making such duck houses, in which ducklings will be hatched in the future.

How to make nests for wild ducks

Step number 1 - collect the necessary materials

To make nests suitable for wild ducks, you can use improvised materials. So, we need to collect:

• plywood;
• wooden slats;
• self-tapping screws;
• jigsaw;
• ruler;
• pencil or pen.

Now that we have got hold of all the necessary devices, we will proceed to further work.

Step number 2 - cut out the details and assemble the nests

From plywood, we will need to cut out two squares with sides equal to 40 centimeters.

In one of the squares, approximately at the level of the middle, a hole is made, also square, with sides equal to 17 centimeters. It is very important to sand the hole with sandpaper so that the ducks, climbing inside, do not accidentally get hurt on chips or sharp edges.

Now we cut out two rectangular parts, the size of which will be as follows:

• 50 centimeters long;
• 40 centimeters high.

After that, it will also be necessary to cut out a ceiling part of the same size, and then install the segments in place and fix them relative to each other with self-tapping screws.

Then, the floor is knocked down from pre-prepared slats, which is then covered with a bedding of hay or shavings. Ready-made nests can be installed directly on the floor.

Hooray, our duck nest is ready! Similarly, you can make as many of these nests as you need to breed a new generation of ducklings.

Walk for ducks

Next to the poultry house, it is necessary to arrange a paddock for ducks, such that they can move to fresh air, leaving directly from the chicken coop, thus depriving you of the need to monitor them. It is better to make the top of the paddock closed, for example, to cover it with a steel mesh. The same material is also preferably used for walls.

Provided that you keep a large number of individuals, the paddock will not need to be equipped with a pond during the cold periods of the year, however, you can put a small pool for several ducks.

Feeding wild ducks at home

Feeding wild ducks is the key to their rapid weight gain and overall health. That is why it is necessary to introduce balanced feed substances into the diet of wild birds so that they do not feel worse than in the wild.

Ducks are fed:

• three times a day during the cold season;
• twice a day during the warm season.

At the same time, we remember that birds should receive part of their food in the reservoir that you organize for them, whether it be at least coastal vegetation, at least fish of extremely small breeds.

Two types of food can be used to feed ducks:

• ready-made combined feed;
• wet mixtures made up of plant foods on their own.

On the one hand, compound feed is not cheap, on the other hand, how much easier it will be to feed it to ducks, saving time on making vegetable mixes from:

• grated root vegetables;
• carrot tops;
• serum;
• return;
• grain crops;
• bran;
• hay flour, etc.

In addition, it is necessary to additionally introduce into the diet of ducks with natural feeding also:

• fish and meat waste, either in the form of flour or in the form of minced meat;
• cottage cheese.

Even if you have chosen compound feed, from time to time you will need to supplement the ducks in any case:

• shell;
• chalk;
• table salt;
• gravel;
• baker's yeast.

These supplements are essential for duck organisms.

Which feeding method to choose is up to you. We can only say that in reality the choice of a specific nutrition system does not affect the set of duck mass, as well as the quality of duck meat. The main thing to remember is that any bird food should be in abundance, since wild ducks have a much more developed metabolism.

Summing up

Wild ducks today are increasingly found in domestic farms. The thing is that, despite the lower characteristics of the end product produced by the duck compared to the long-domesticated species of this bird, its unpretentiousness causes much lower costs for rearing, while providing decent quantitative and qualitative characteristics:

• duck meat;
• feather and down;
• fat;
• eggs.

By taming wild ducks, you can also reduce the initial cost of buying ducks for breeding. As a result, you will only need to equip the bird with decent living conditions. If you successfully cope with the breeding of mallards, then you can move on to more demanding and whimsical fruits of breeding work.

Video - Breeding wild ducks at home