Duck Raising Tips: 100 Questions and 100 Answers

Author: Zhang Zi Yuan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
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Fragment: (2) Cherry Valley ducks were introduced to China from the Cherry Valley Farm in the UK, where Beijing ducks and Aylesbury ducks were used as parental stocks for hybridization and selective breeding to develop this. China later imported L2, SM, and breeding ducks from the farm. Guangdong Province introduced L2 commercial hybrids for trial breeding in 1980 and L2 parental stocks the following year. Sichuan Province imported SM super meat duck parental stocks bred by the farm in 1985. In 1992, the Animal Husbandry and Food and Beverage Bureau of Mianyang City, Sichuan Province, imported SM grandparent breeding ducks and jointly established "Sichuan Mianying Duck Co., Ltd." with Cherry Valley Company, establishing a Cherry Valley SM super meat duck grandparent breeding farm to supply parental stocks to domestic and international markets. Cherry Valley meat ducks are similar in appearance to Beijing ducks, with slightly broader bodies. Male ducks have larger heads, thick and short necks, and shorter legs. Adult male ducks have white feathers all over their bodies, with occasional scattered black feathers. The beak is orange-yellow, with some reddish meat. The shanks and webbed feet are orange-red. Cherry Valley SM super meat duck parental stocks begin laying eggs at 26 weeks of age, weighing 3.1 kg at the start of production. Each female duck lays about 220 eggs in 40 weeks, with an average egg weight of 80-85 grams. Most eggs are white, with a few light blue. At 40 weeks of production, each female duck can hatch about 178 ducklings. Commercial meat duck hybrids reach a live weight of 3.3 kg at 49 days of age, with a dressed carcass yield of 72.55% and a feed-to-meat ratio of 2.6:1. (3) Dekalb ducks were developed by the Dekalb Company in Australia by crossbreeding Beijing ducks with hybrid female ducks of Beijing and Aylesbury ducks. They resemble Beijing ducks in appearance. Parental stocks begin laying eggs at 26 weeks of age, with female ducks weighing 2.85 kg at the start of production. They lay about 230 eggs per year, with an average egg weight of 88 grams and white eggshells. Under a male-to-female mating ratio of 1:5, the fertility rate exceeds 90%, with an egg hatchability of about 85%. Each female duck provides about 160 commercial ducklings per year. Commercial meat duck hybrids reach a live weight of 3.0 kg at 49 days of age, with a dressed carcass yield (including head and feet) of 79.7% and a feed-to-meat ratio of 2.9-3.0:1. (4) Lohmann ducks are a meat duck breed developed in Denmark. Female ducks reach a laying rate of 5% at 25 weeks of age, with a peak laying performance of 87%. On average, each female duck lays 206 eggs in 40 weeks, with an average egg weight of 85 grams. Commercial meat duck hybrids weigh 2.91 kg at 7 weeks of age, with a feed-to-meat ratio of 2.95:1. (5) Muscovy ducks, also known as musk ducks, are commonly referred to as "Chinese musk ducks" in China. They are native to tropical regions of South America and Central America. In foreign countries, France has the highest number of muscovy ducks, accounting for about 80% of the total duck population, while Hungary also raises a significant number. In China, Fujian Province has a long history of raising muscovy ducks, and they are also raised in coastal provinces in the southeast. Recently, Sichuan Province imported muscovy ducks from the Crimora Company in France. Muscovy ducks have a body shape that is broader in front and narrower in the back, with a horizontal body posture. Their beaks are short and narrow, with red or black skin tumors at the base and around the eyes, which are more developed in males. They have a row of longitudinal feathers on their heads, which stand up when stimulated. Their heads are large, necks are thick and short, chests are broad and flat, abdomens are underdeveloped, and tails are long. Their primary wing feathers extend to the tail, giving them some flying ability. Their legs are short and strong. During the breeding season, male muscovy ducks emit a musky odor, hence the name "musk ducks." The plumage of muscovy ducks is primarily black and white. Black muscovy ducks have dark green feathers, reddish meat beaks with black spots, black-red skin tumors, light yellow iris, and mostly black shanks and webbed feet. White-feathered muscovy ducks have pink beaks, bright red skin tumors, light gray iris, and yellow shanks and webbed feet. Female ducks begin laying eggs at 180-210 days of age, laying 80-120 eggs per year, with high-yield females laying 150-160 eggs. Egg weights range from 70-80 grams, with white eggshells. Under a male-to-female mating ratio of 1:6-8, the fertility rate is 85-94%, with an egg hatchability of 80-85% and an incubation period of 35 days. There is a significant weight difference between male and female muscovy ducks. At 8 weeks of age, males weigh 3.0 kg, while females weigh only 2.0 kg, a difference of 50%. At 10 weeks of age, the average weight is 2.86 kg (males weigh 3.55 kg, while females weigh 2.17 kg), with a feed-to-meat ratio of 3.09:1. Growth slows down after 10 weeks.