When at home ducks begin to lay and how many eggs are given per year
Farms breed ducks for meat, incubation material and feathers. The productivity of the livestock is influenced by many factors: age, health status, housing conditions. Egg production depends on breed data, sexual maturity. To achieve the maximum profitability of the business, you need to know when domestic ducks begin to lay, how many eggs are laid by individuals annually.
At what age do ducks fly?
Representatives of wild breeds breed in spring. The female hatches new eggs next year. Adult layers reach puberty by 10-11 months. The greatest fertility occurs only by 2 years.
The breeders managed to accelerate the puberty of layers. Individuals at home are able to carry out the first clutch as early as 4.5-5 months at 140-160 days. Egg production in meat breeds begins by six months, at day 175.
The farmer needs to keep track of the first clutch of eggs, which should appear on time. Early egg production does not bring positive results, usually the incubation product is of poor quality and does not meet the requirements of poultry farmers. In the clutch, small specimens with a meager supply of nutrients are observed, which are not enough for the normal development of the fetus.
Late laying is also undesirable. Chicks with good immunity appear, their muscle mass develops well. But egg production and the quality of the incubation material in such offspring are low.
How often do they do this?
Domestic birds have a lifespan of about 20 years. At the age of 5-6 years, laying hens already lose the ability to lay eggs. Each female brings the farmer up to 120 eggs per year. Livestock productivity is influenced by:
- timely care;
- organization of optimal conditions of detention;
- balanced diet;
- nutritional supplements in the diet;
- constant access to water and feed;
- breed;
- age.
Oviposition in females begins at six months of age and continues almost every day. Young animals bring up to 2 dozen eggs within a month. After 1 or 2 months, the female is capable of producing up to 23-26 eggs.
If the duck is kept in favorable conditions, receives a balanced diet, its egg production only grows.
By the age of 10 months, laying hens bring up to 27 eggs. After a year of life, the duck lays high-quality eggs, raises healthy offspring. After another year, egg production is declining, the volume of clutch is reduced by 5-10 percent. By the age of 5-6 years of age of the bird, it reaches its minimum value.
What factors are involved?
The breed influences the fertility of layers. The most productive are Peking ducks, which produce up to 200 eggs per year.High profitability is observed on agricultural farms that breed English birds, as well as the Indian runner. The productivity of the livestock is up to 170 eggs.
To improve the quality of meat and the productivity of pets, poultry breeders cross different breeds. This is how the offspring of the Mulard breed is obtained. Such individuals grow quickly, females lay eggs as early as 6 months of age, bringing up to 100 pieces annually.
Laying hens' egg production is influenced by the conditions of their keeping. In the poultry house, the temperature regime is not lower than +8 degrees. It is important to ensure cleanliness inside the premises, regularly change the litter, and organize a ventilation system. In winter, ducklings are equipped with artificial light to keep the temperature comfortable for the birds.
Possible problems
When feeding ducks, you need to follow the diet, give the birds high-quality food. Do not overfeed the females, otherwise they will suffer from obesity and stop rushing. The diet includes grain, special herbal mixtures, bone meal.
If you follow the simple rules for keeping ducks, they will lay eggs on time. In this case, only health problems can reduce egg production. If an ailment is detected, the help of a veterinarian will be required.
To improve the performance of birds, the farmer should regularly monitor the health of the layers and drakes. In addition to the usual diet, various vitamin and mineral complexes are added to the feed.
Ducks do not tolerate a change of residence, so it is better to exclude the renewal of the ducklings or the moving of birds to a new place during laying. Laying hens can become stressed in this environment and they will stop laying eggs. Also, do not arrange joint grazing of ducks with another variety of poultry.
Ducks are unpretentious birds in care, which, subject to keeping conditions, give a good offspring. Their lifespan is high, so a few individuals are enough for breeding. To obtain high-quality incubation material, not only layers, but also drakes are carefully selected.
