Why ducklings and mulardy go bald and itch, what to do and how to prevent
When raising ducklings, farmers face such a problem as baldness as a result of feather loss. There are several reasons for this. To understand everything, consider why and when ducklings go bald, what can lead to such a problem and how to deal with it at home, as well as preventive measures that can prevent baldness of birds.
Lack of vitamins and unhealthy diet
Feathers in young and adult ducks fall out due to a lack of protein, vitamins and minerals in feed (especially the amino acids methionine, sulfur and calcium). Moreover, for the feathers to begin to fall out, this deficit must be significant and last a long time. The feather falls from the backs, sides, neck, belly, large feathers on the wings and tail remain.
It's all about the wrong feeding. To prevent the birds from becoming bald, their food must contain greens, young grass, duckweed. As well as grain, root crops, vegetables, fish and dairy waste. The more varied the diet, the better. If there is a lack of quality products, then you need to use premixes, yeast, chalk. Add bone meal, crushed shells, shells. Small fish and earthworms are useful.
To quickly fill the lack of vitamins, ducklings need to be drunk with vitamin preparations in drops. You can buy it at veterinary pharmacies or stores for livestock breeders. The dosage and course of treatment are prescribed in the instructions.
Cannibalism among ducks
Due to poor feeding, ducks can begin to peck out each other's feathers, peck at the skin until it bleeds. But this is not the only reason for this behavior. Pecking and plucking of feathers is the result of crowded housing, when there is not enough space, ducks do not feel comfortable. The mental state of the ducklings worsens, which is why attacks on each other begin. Bright light can also cause cannibalism.
If mulard has a bald back or neck due to pecking of feathers, you need to put the livestock in another room or walk longer in the pen.
And also, if the reason is bright lighting, hang a red lamp in the house, the light of which will distract the ducklings from pecking.
Pecking can also be observed when replanting new birds to an already formed flock. Ducklings can peck at the weak, thus establishing a hierarchy. If this is the case, aggressive ducklings need to be planted separately for a while. After 1-2 weeks, when new individuals are accepted into the flock, the bully can be returned back.
Feather parasites
If the feathers of ducklings fall out, and they itch, behave restlessly, eat poorly, this is a consequence of infection of the bird with feather parasites.If red spots are visible on the skin, this only confirms the diagnosis.
Control measures - treatment with acaricidal preparations. Products are available in the form of sprays or powder. All livestock must be treated, regardless of whether the duck is infected or not. If there are chickens, geese, turkeys, quails in the courtyard, they may also have parasites. They are also subject to processing, like the room where the bird lives.
To prevent the appearance and reproduction of parasites in the poultry house, there should always be a vessel with sand or ash. Ducklings will swim in it. In addition, you need to clean the room, replace the bedding as often as possible, clean the feeders and drinkers, disinfect, or at least steam.
Crowding
If ducklings are forced to live in a cramped duckhouse, they behave aggressively. They can fight and pluck feathers. This usually does not happen if the bird density standards are observed - per 1 square meter. meter of ducklings can accommodate no more than 2 adult ducks or 5 pcs. young animals.
The situation worsens if the bird is not allowed to walk or if it does not spend enough time outside to walk and rest. There should be a platform near the poultry house where ducklings can walk in the sun. The walls of the walk are best done with mesh. Better yet, drive the young to a pond if it is located nearby.
For waterfowl, this is a great place to swim and get enough of natural food.
Lighting also plays a role. Little ducklings should be lit for at least 20 hours a day. In this case, one cannot do without artificial lighting, despite the period of the year. By the age of two months, the duration of lighting should be brought to 12 hours and maintained throughout the entire growing period.
Poor ventilation and low humidity
The air, which is saturated with ammonia and other harmful substances released during the decomposition of manure, has a bad effect on any living organism. If the room is not ventilated, ducks are forced to breathe this air. Low (below 50%) humidity also negatively affects the pen. It makes the feathers dry and brittle and they fall out.
For a comfortable stay of a bird in a duckhouse, you need to maintain a humidity of 65-70%. This can be done by installing several containers of water in it. It will evaporate, increasing humidity on hot summer days.
The air temperature is not higher than 27-30 ° С in the 1st week of keeping ducklings, 23-26 ° С - from the 2nd week and 19-22 ° С - from the 3rd. Remember to ventilate the house every day by opening windows and doors. But it is better to install a ventilation system that will artificially maintain an optimal microclimate.
If ducklings lose their feathers or pluck them out, this is a signal that the owner has made serious mistakes in keeping or feeding them. To identify the cause, you need to analyze how the diet is composed, whether it contains all the nutrients or not. Is there enough space, how the ducklings behave, whether they are calm or excited. Usually, if it is possible to normalize food, provide everyone with sufficient "living space", take care of the prevention of parasite infestation, the problem with feather loss will be solved.
