Description of ducks of the Agidel breed and their raising at home
Bashkir ducks of the Agidel breed are a new hybrid species of poultry, with which farmers are just beginning to get acquainted. He received official recognition in 2012. White duck meat is low in fat. The breed is distinguished by its early maturity and high egg production. During the summer, you can breed 2-3 batches of ducklings. In general, agidels are unpretentious in care. But there are nuances in breeding chicks, the knowledge of which will help to grow healthy and well-fed broilers.
The history of the emergence of the breed
The Bashkir duck appeared while trying to improve the Peking breed. Work began at the beginning of the 21st century. The breeders have set the goal of increasing the amount of meat and reducing the fat content in it. Blagovar ducks, super-M cross-breed and Indian runners participated in the crossing. The new poultry species was named Agidel. In the course of selection, two subspecies were identified, numbered 345 and 34.
The cross-breed favorite is also known under the name of the Bashkir duck. An intermediate view was also obtained while improving the Peking ducks. It was bred at the Blagovarsky plant, where the Agidel duck appeared, but it is not a subspecies of it. The Agidel breed is mistakenly called the Adygei or the Adyghe duck. There is no such breed.
Description and characteristics of the duck agidel
What a hybrid breed of poultry looks like:
- massive elongated body;
- low landing;
- pure white plumage;
- orange wide beak;
- strong paws.
Agidel is a very early maturity broiler breed.
The differences between the duck subspecies are minor and relate to performance:
| Parameter | Agidel 345 | Agidel 34 |
| Weight in kilograms | 3 | 3,05 |
| Costs in feed units per kilogram of mass | 2,27 | 2,28 |
| Fat percentage of meat | 28,2 | 28,4 |
| Number of eggs from one individual per year | 345 | 227 |
Ducks at the age of six months begin to lay. The eggs are large, weighing 77-95 grams.
Birds of the Agidel breed are calm in nature. They shout loudly if they sense danger. Males do not fight among themselves during the mating season.
Advantages and disadvantages
The breed is distinguished by its high egg production, despite its meat-based orientation, and resistance to leukemia. Several batches of ducklings grow up during the season.A quality feather is an added bonus to tender, dietary meat, bringing economic benefits. Agidel ducks are able to graze in the meadow and do without swimming. To bring the survival rate to an average of 80 percent, eggs are warmed in an incubator.
Features of maintenance and care
Growing Agidel ducks at home does not require a specially equipped room and a reservoir. The main requirement is the absence of a draft. Conditions for growing the breed:
- density of placement of adults - 3 ducks per square meter;
- the temperature in winter is above +5 degrees;
- the floor in the duckhouse is covered with sawdust, hulls of sunflower seeds, fresh straw;
- the thickness of the litter is 30 centimeters in winter, 20 centimeters in summer, and 5 centimeters for newborn ducklings.
Near the duck house, you should fence off the area for walking ducks. A pond for birds will be replaced by a bowl of water. The container should be placed outside in the summer so that the ducks swim while walking. In winter, water should be placed in the duckhouse for two hours a day or in a separate room and the birds should be taken there for a walk and swim.
Before settling in a new batch of ducklings, the old bedding is removed and the ducklings are disinfected. The top layer should be renewed every 2 days and not allowed to dry out with a crust.
For a flock of ducklings less than a hundred individuals, you can prepare cardboard boxes or cages with bedding at the bottom. Chicks are not recommended to be launched in a whole flock into a large room. Agideli ducks are afraid of hands and it is difficult to keep up with them. To keep birds without walking, a ventilation system or vents for ventilation are installed in the duck. Ducks become aggressive from constant stay in musty air.
You should also organize the lighting correctly. In the first two weeks of life, ducklings need light 24 hours a day. Then daylight hours are reduced to nine hours.
Diet
Feeding high-protein whole grains will maximize weight gain for Agidel ducks. The food is based on barley, oats, wheat, corn. For normal digestion and prevention of vitamin deficiencies in the diet of birds include:
- fresh grass;
- beans;
- beet tops;
- vegetables - boiled potatoes, carrots, fodder beets;
- fish fat;
- sunflower cake;
- wheat, oat bran;
- bone meal;
- a piece of chalk.
In winter, ducks are given silage, grass meal. To digest tough plant stems, birds need solid food additives - crushed shells, fine gravel.
The hatched ducklings are fed with chopped boiled eggs. Then corn flour, low-fat cottage cheese, mixed in meat or fish broth are added to them.
Ducks need to drink plenty of water. Potassium permanganate is added to the water for chicks twice a week. The pale pink solution of potassium permanganate prevents the development of intestinal diseases. Feeding birds are not limited in food. Layers are fed 4 times a day.
How to breed a bird
To hatch chicks of the Agidel breed, eggs of the correct oval shape with a smooth shell are chosen. They are placed in an incubator and incubated for 26 days under the following conditions:
- the average temperature is 38 degrees, in the first 14 days, keep 37.8-38 degrees in revenge, from the fifteenth day gradually increase to 38.7;
- maintain a humidity of 70 percent for the first two weeks, then reduce to forty;
- so that the embryo does not move from the center, the eggs must be turned over 10 times a day at regular intervals;
- cool eggs twice a day after equal time.
While waiting for the chicks to hatch, it is recommended to increase the air humidity in the incubator to seventy percent so that the shell becomes softer and easier for chicks to break through. Conditions for keeping hatched ducklings:
- room temperature in the first week +38 degrees;
- in the second week, reduce the heating to 26 degrees, and in the third - 18 degrees;
- optimal humidity - 60-70 percent;
- stocking density in the first five days - 30 individuals per square meter.
If the ducklings are huddled together, it means they are cold. You can enhance heating using electric radiators and lamps. In an overheated stuffy room, chicks breathe heavily. The duck house needs to be ventilated and the temperature reduced.
Starting from the second week, ducklings need to be planted more freely, at 10-15 individuals per square meter. During feeding, it is important to ensure that all chicks eat. Weak individuals who could not break through stronger brothers need to be planted. Chicks who are not interested in food are fed from a pipette with chicken or duck yolk mixed with milk.
From the tenth day, the ducklings are released for a walk. A dry sunny day is suitable for walking. Ducks should not be released after rain or dew falls to keep them from freezing. Sunbathing is good for ducklings as it helps to synthesize vitamin D, which is essential for growth. But you should protect the chicks from overheating and drive them into a duck house or under a shady shelter at noon.
Possible diseases
Agidel ducks are more resistant to disease than other breeds. But errors in feeding and maintenance lead to vitamin deficiency, helminth infection and infections.
The main diseases leading to the sudden death of birds:
- hepatitis;
- paratyphoid;
- salmonellosis.
Ducklings are often infected with hepatitis. Symptoms of the disease are manifested by lack of appetite, inactivity and throwing the head back. The increased humidity in the ducklings leads to fungal infection of the upper respiratory tract of ducks. In the breathing of birds, wheezing is heard, and they pull their head forward.
From lack of fresh air, vitamins D and E, birds become aggressive and attack their relatives.
Keratoconjunctivitis develops in ducks in a dark room without ventilation. Birds get poisoning with ammonia vapors, carbon dioxide. The condition is aggravated by the low content of vitamin A in food. As a result, the ducks become lethargic and lose their sight.
A common disease in ducks is conjunctivitis, which appears as foam on the eyes. When a symptom appears, ducklings should be removed from healthy individuals. Foam, film, watery eyes can be signs of hepatitis. Eating only plants leads to eating disorders. Ducks devour all objects that they meet on their way. Birds swallow rocks, debris and run restlessly until they see a new object.
Uncontrolled devouring leads to another pathological condition - a blockage of the goiter. A solid object can only be removed by surgery.
When to slaughter
Agidel ducks can be slaughtered in 1.5-2 months. At this age, birds reach their maximum weight. Further fattening of ducks for meat is not profitable. They absorb food, but gain little in weight. During molting, the mass leaves, and it is difficult to pluck the carcasses.
The readiness of the duck for slaughter is determined by the weight and condition of the feathers. If the mass has reached three kilograms, and the plumage has not formed, the bird can be cut. If molt has begun, slaughter is postponed until it ends. Then the carcasses are easier to pluck.
