Is it possible for ducklings to lay sawdust at home, and which bedding is better
Raising ducklings is a profitable business. But to get profit from the birds, you have to work hard. This bird is very gentle, therefore it requires appropriate care. Even if the breeder has an idea of the content, not everyone knows that hypothermia leads to the death of young animals. Consider what kind of bedding is better to choose, and is it possible to lay sawdust for ducklings?
What is the best bedding for ducklings
In recent years, breeders have preferred deep, permanent bedding. Its advantages:
- generates heat, helps maintain a microclimate in the room;
- suitable for raising adult ducks and young animals;
- vitamin B12 is formed in the flooring;
- the breeder does not have to clean the droppings out of the barn every day.
The duck bedding should absorb water well. At home, it is best to use as flooring:
- peat - perfectly absorbs moisture: 4 times better than straw. It also absorbs harmful gases from the air. The disadvantages of peat litter include: in wet weather plumage is smeared, in the heat a lot of dust forms in the shed. It is allowed to use peat together with other materials;
- sawdust absorbs moisture better than straw, while generating much less heat. Ideal for ducks - large sawing of spruce and pine. For chicks, you should also choose the maximum size sawdust so that the young are not tempted to swallow them;
- straw - the litter should have a bright yellow tint, without black blotches that signal the appearance of mold. Rot and fungus will cause disease in poultry.
In addition, sunflower husks, dry fallen leaves, crushed corn stalks are suitable. The thickness of the flooring in winter should be at least 20-30 cm, in summer - 5-10 cm less.
Litter placement
Litter is laid in dry weather. Before this, the floor covering is cleaned, disinfected, and crushed with slaked lime. The next step is to spread the bedding material, the initial layer is 5-7 cm.
Deep bedding is laid in layers. So that the flooring is not taken by the crust, the breeder loosens every day, preventing the formation of a litter crust. After the bird has gone for a walk, the litter layer is leveled, and dry material is applied on top.
If everything is done correctly, at a depth of 4-5 cm the temperature will be + 12 ... 18 ˚С.
The basic rule is that the litter should always be dry. Therefore, the drinker and feeder must be periodically rearranged from place to place. You should also ventilate the room so that gases do not stagnate in it, moisture does not accumulate.
If the flooring is damp, it is treated with slaked lime at the rate of 300-500 g per 1 m2.A complete litter change is made after the batch has grown.
What to do if ducks eat sawdust
An unbalanced diet of ducks causes the ducks to eat sawdust. Birds are deficient in B vitamins and sulfur. Another option is a large crowding of birds, a small area for walking.
Sawdust is an inexpensive, readily available raw material for creating deep, permanent bedding. They not only protect the bird from hypothermia - thanks to the bacteria eating organic material, they generate heat. This is extremely important for newly hatched chicks who are unable to regulate body temperature on their own.
