Indo-duck breeds, peculiarities of their breeding and keeping
Indo-ducks are one of the most popular types of ducks among poultry houses. In their own farms, meat and meat-and-meat poultry are of particular value. The name of the breed is associated with the people who raised these birds. The Indians were the first to breed them, hence the Indo-prefix. A similar name was given to the Indian chicken - turkey.
Indo-duck breeds
A bit of history
Karl Linnaeus gave the name to the species - musky. The breed has such a special growth on its beak that produces musk. If you press it, a bold secret with a pungent aroma will come out. This property was taken as the basis for the scientific name.
Individuals live in the southern states of the United States, Florida and Texas. Birds are undemanding to food and care. They are successfully bred by farmers all over the world.
Common signs
There are many breeds of Indo-Ducks, but all are characterized by the same external data. The description of the appearance is as follows:
- large body with low strong legs;
- wide chest;
- on a medium-sized head of drakes and ducks above the beak there are red growths that look like corals.
Indo-duck species are subdivided into breeds and differ in the colors of feathers, eyes, paws and beak. The wings of all representatives are large, tightly fitting to the body. The birds feel great in the water, but in the absence of a reservoir they adapt to the water container set by the breeder.
The character of Indo-girls is calm, balanced. They get along well with other types of poultry. Sensing danger, they do not quack, but emit a hiss, which serves to intimidate the enemy. All Indo-Duck breeds are about the same weight. The weight of the male is 6 kg, the average weight of the female varies around 3 kg.
In the oviposition of a musky female, there are from 8 to 14 eggs. Females lay 120 eggs per year. Indo-ducks by 1.5 months of age gain from 2.5 to 4 kg. The bird manifests itself as a wonderful hen, so very often breeders put eggs and other poultry under it. The diet consists of both plant and animal food.
Existing varieties
Different types of Indo-Ducks differ not only in the shade of fluff, but also in the tone of the eyes and beak. In snow-white individuals, the eyes are gray-blue, the legs are yellow, the beak is light pink. In the black breed of ducks, the color of the feathers is not just black, but with a purple tint, but in the area of the back and wings it is predominantly black-green. The eyes are light brown. The paws are dark, and the beak is most often colored red, sometimes black.
The black-and-white Indo-ducks have a black cover with pronounced purple and green patches. The head is covered with white plumage, smoothly passing to the chest and diluting the black feathers on the wings. The eyes are brown, the legs are yellow, the beak is red with a darkened tip.
The feathers of the brown and white duck are notable for their chocolate green hue. The head and chest are decorated with white feathers. The wings are a shade darker.Eyes and paws are brown. There is a dark speck at the end of the red beak.
The plumage of red Indo-ducks of brown color with a dark chocolate shade with a tint of green and black on the tip of the tail, flight feathers and wings. The eye color is dark brown. The beak is reddish with a darkened tip. This breed of ducks is in great demand due to its wonderful unusual color.
White ducks with an abstract pattern are characterized by black spots all over the body, located in an arbitrary order. Eyes are light brown, paws are yellow, sometimes with dark spots. The nose is red-bluish with dark spots, the eyes are gray-blue or light brown.
Comparative analysis of domesticated and non-domesticated ducks
Domesticated meat breeds differ from their wild relatives in the following ways:
- a domestic individual gains weight much faster than a wild relative;
- in a clutch, a wild bird can have a maximum of 10 eggs, a domestic one - 14, the incubation time is the same - 35 days;
- wild individuals are more hardy than domestic ones, although this does not prevent them from adapting to any conditions just as easily.
Breeding work
As a result of breeding and improvement, an early maturing mulard hybrid was bred. The result is a breed from crossing Indo-Ducks and Peking individuals. These are purely meat ducks, they are not able to have offspring.
This type has a number of advantages. Mute ears grow very quickly. They have increased meat and egg productivity. Their fatty liver is considered a delicacy, used by chefs of the world's best restaurants to prepare foie gras.
Conditions of detention
For domestic breeding, there is no more suitable breed than Indo-duck. They are completely unpretentious in food. For newly acquired chicks, it is necessary to install collapsible structures in the form of canopies, under which you can hide from the heat. The only thing these birds don't like is too high temperatures. On the Internet, you can find a large number of video clips and step-by-step instructions in the photo on how to properly design a poultry house
In order to overwinter, the birds will need more serious buildings. These ducks came to us from warm regions, so their body is not provided with the release of such an amount of fat that may be needed to keep warm. The poultry house must be well strengthened and protected from sudden changes in temperature and wind. The entry of other animals into the territory of the poultry house is not allowed.
It is very easy to keep these birds in tiers of iron cages. To make it easier to clean the cages, the top of the lower tier is used as pallets, lowering the height of the rear by 15-20 cm. If the area is not very large, floors are made of mesh at the far edge of the shed. The width of the rods should not be less than 2 mm, the mesh size should be 20 x 24 mm. The floor should be raised by 20-30 cm and covered with coarse bedding. There is no need to change the floor mat. Biochemical processes create an additional source of heat. The soiled layer should be sprinkled with shavings each time, and lime is placed under the bottom so that the humidity does not rise.
There should be no dogs or other animals in the bird walking area. It is best to enclose the area with a net. Such a move will save the flock and allow the birds to breathe fresh air freely and enjoy the sun. For the successful breeding of Indo-women, their housing must be equipped with all the necessary equipment. The barn should have feeders, drinkers, nests.
Feeding features
For adult ducks and ducklings, feeding is done differently. In the first three days, ducklings are given a chopped boiled egg, then they gradually begin to introduce bread soaked in milk, cottage cheese, herbs, millet. At the age of 14 days, root crops and boiled wheat grains are placed in the feeders. Sand and gravel are poured into various freestanding boxes.
If you do regular feeding with Jerusalem artichoke, weight will gain much faster. Ducks like its shoots and tubers.This food makes the plumage shiny, increases egg production. In the winter months, hay, dried branches, and vegetables are used for feeding. Forbs silage can be given. Mashed and slightly salted, it is put in jars, one aspirin tablet is placed on top and stored in the cellar.
To accelerate the growth of birds, boiled corn, well flavored with fat, is introduced into the diet. It is also useful to give dry feed. Such mixtures saturate the body of birds with vitamins and minerals necessary for the full growth and formation of bones and muscle mass. Indo-women consume a huge amount of liquid, this is the main feature of the species. From birth, they should have free access to clean water.
How to contain
Bird nests should not be placed on the floor. A great option is a wooden house. It should be kept dry by changing the dirty straw periodically. It is important to consider the stock density in the house for breeding success. For 1 sq. m should have no more than 20 ducks in the first 2-3 weeks. When the ducklings reach three weeks of age, the area is calculated as follows: per 1 sq. m there should be 6 males.
Families are transferred to a separate habitat four weeks before the start of laying. Females are especially sensitive at this time, and nervous tension can reduce their fertility. Indoor women rush during the day from 10 to 15 hours. The most egg-laying period lasts about 5 months, then activity gradually begins to decline by about three months.
What can hurt
Indo-ducks are endowed by nature with a rather strong immune system, therefore they are very rarely susceptible to general infection with diseases. The best preventive measures for diseases are to comply with the rules of maintenance:
- clean containers for food and water, always full;
- dry rooms;
- good lighting;
- walking in the fresh air.
Lack of careful approach to raising ducks leads to developmental delays and diseases. It can lead to ailments such as pasteurellosis, viral hepatitis, aspergillosis, salmonellosis. Birds may develop cloacal inflammation or develop abnormal eating habits such as eating down.
Conclusion
Large meat Indoor women are especially popular among poultry farmers. The breeds of these beautiful birds differ in the colors of their feathers, beak and legs. Individuals of the species gain weight very quickly, and quite large. The peculiarity of these ducks is that they do not know how to quack, and when they see the enemy, they emit an angry hiss, thus trying to scare him away.
External data for all breeds are the same. These are individuals of short stature, with strong legs. The wings are tightly attached to the body. They are very fond of splashing in the water, but at the same time they can easily adapt to live without an open reservoir.
Poultry meat is very tasty, practically free of fat with very high indicators of muscle mass, for which it is appreciated by breeders. Indoor eggs are great for eating. Of all breeds, it is these ducks that are the most unpretentious in care and in food. If you are interested in the Indo meat breed ducks, but you have no idea about their characteristics, you can always look at the photos on the Internet and study the description.