Description and characteristics of Eilsbury ducks, breeding rules
A duck breed called Eilsbury was bred in England in the 19th century. Its main advantage is meat, the quality of which is highly appreciated by the manufacturers. Consider the description and characteristics of the Eilsbury ducks breed, what advantages and disadvantages are inherent in it. Those who want to breed ducks will find it useful to know how and what to feed them. How to properly care for, how to propagate, how to treat diseases and how to prevent their occurrence.
Description and characteristics of Eilsbury ducks
Ducks are of the heavy type. Birds are large, drakes can weigh 5.5 kg, smaller ducks - 3.5 kg. Ducklings, when they reach 2 months, weigh 2-2.5 kg. The body of the ducks is inclined horizontally, the back of the birds is wide. The head is large, the neck is of medium length. Legs are strong, short. The feather is pure white.
Females of the Eilsbury breed are considered good brood hens, from them you can get eggs not only for reproduction, but also for food. For a season that lasts 6-7 months, each one demolishes, on average, 85 pieces. The main valuable characteristic of ducks, in addition to high-quality meat, is early maturity.
Main pros and cons
In England, the breed is grown not only on industrial farms, but also on private farmsteads. Drakes are used to cross with Peking ducks to produce hybrids.
How to properly maintain and care for the breed
Eilsbury ducks should live in a spacious duckhouse, they do not tolerate crowded content well. Large birds should be allocated at least 0.5 square meters for each. m. area. The poultry house should be warm, there should be no cracks in the walls and ceiling, so that drafts are not created that cause colds. Each duck house needs to be ventilated so that there is fresh air in it.
The house should be light and can be illuminated by large windows or lamps. Lighting is also important in winter, daylight hours should be at least 10 hours for the ducks to rush.
It is important to observe the temperature and humidity conditions. The house should be dry, dry and clean and litter should be. A 10-15 cm layer of litter can be made from straw, hay, dry leaves. It must be changed as soon as it becomes dirty and damp.
In addition to the ducklings, the Eilsbury ducks need to make a walking area where the birds will walk in the fresh air. You need to drive birds to it every day. The area of the walking yard should be made about 2 times larger than the poultry house. You need to supply water for bathing ducks. If there is a body of water near the house, you can graze the ducks there.On the reservoir, birds can find food for themselves, so it will be possible to feed them only in the evening, upon returning from the reservoir.
What should be fed?
Ducks of this breed eat the same as the rest. They are omnivorous, eating wet and dry food, self-made mash or ready-made feed. Eilsbury's diet is based on fresh green fodder, grass and aquatic plants. In addition to grass, you need to give grain mash, the grain should be of different types and crushed. You can make mash or cook porridge. In the processed form, the grain of the ducks is better absorbed.
You can feed adult ducks 2-3 times a day, ducklings 4-5 times. Give the bird water after each feeding. The water must always be clean and fresh.
How to breed correctly?
To get purebred ducklings, you need to cross the ducks and drakes of the Eilsbury breed. For 1 male you need to pick up 5 ducks. This ratio provides good fertilization of eggs, a large percentage of hatchability of ducklings.
Drakes of this breed can be crossed with Peking ducks. From such a combination, hybrid ducklings are obtained that surpass their parents in productive characteristics: early maturity, egg production, weight gain. However, hybrids surpass their parents only in the 1st generation, then this advantage is leveled.
Ducklings grow quickly, reach a large mass, by 2 months they reach slaughter weight. Therefore, most of the young livestock are fed to this age. The slaughter time was also chosen because then the ducks begin to molt, they begin to eat a lot, and the energy of the feed is also spent on growing a new feather. After slaughter, carcasses are difficult to pluck.
For reproduction and obtaining eggs, birds are left that are healthy, correct in build, clean and bright plumage. From such a healthy, large offspring is obtained. Eilsbury ducks start laying eggs when the females are six months old, and they lay for 6-7 months, then a break follows.
Diseases and prevention
Eilsbury ducks can be sick with infectious diseases. Infections appear among the livestock with improper care and non-compliance with the rules of maintenance and hygiene. Birds become infected with bacteria, viruses and parasites through food, water, bedding. If kept clean, infectious diseases can be avoided.
To prevent metabolic and digestive pathologies, you need to ensure that the diet of ducks is complete, balanced in nutrients and mineral elements.
The English breed of ducks Eilsbury is intended for raising for meat. It is bred in private plots, although it also has an industrial purpose. The main advantage of the breed is tasty meat, large size of ducks. The requirements for keeping and caring are not much different from the rules for keeping ducks of other breeds. Eilsbury can be crossed with each other or with other duck species.
