The benefits of duckweed for feeding ducks, at what age and how to give it correctly
Everyone has seen on the surface of a pond or river a green plant with very small leaves - duckweed, but not everyone knows that it is she who is the main food for ducklings. It is difficult to overestimate the benefits of duckweed for ducks - the plant contains all the trace elements necessary for proper growth and development - calcium, silicon, iodine and phosphorus. In central Russia, you can find three types - small, large and three-row.
Why is duckweed useful for ducks?
It contains a lot of proteins, so you can save on artificial feed by adding an aquatic plant to the diet of young ducklings. It can be used both independently and as part of a combined feed. The food is not picky about storage conditions, it waits out the winter well, therefore, even in the cold season, you can provide birds with quality food.
With the help of the plant, high gains in live weight are achieved. In terms of nutritional value, duckweed is comparable to representatives of grain crops, but it costs much less, it grows twice as fast.
100 grams of feed contains up to 1-2 grams of pure protein. The composition includes rare elements - iodine and iron, which are lacking in common plants. With the help of duckweed, the farmer can save up to 30-40% of the total cost of feeding on concentrated feed.
At what age can you give?
Ducklings receive the first portion of the aquatic plant on 4-5 days of life. Green pods are placed in the drinking bowl. Young birds are pre-fed, because hungry ducklings can swallow too much green food, which will cause blockage of the goiter. Adult ducks feed themselves to any age, but no more than 0.5 kg per day.
If the animals are free-range in a pond, it is advisable to supplement the diet with concentrated feed daily, otherwise the birds will not be ready for wintering and will not gain the required body weight. Remember that duckweed is a groundbait, not a staple food, so you cannot expect a duck to feel fine without other concentrated foods.
How to feed properly?
You can not give groundbait in unlimited quantities. The first portions of the ducklings are received on 4-5 days of life at the rate of 10-15 grams for each newborn. The portions are gradually increased, with the maximum volume not exceeding 500 grams per day per duck. With this feeding, a rapid increase in body weight is achieved.
Unfortunately, you cannot feed ducks only with duckweed.The plant lacks vitamin C, which is necessary for the proper development of the duck.
If you do not add it to the diet, the birds will rush poorly, gain weight, and a serious lack of the mineral will cause an endemic disease - vitamin deficiency or hypovitaminosis.
Duckweed can be obtained for free at any suitable reservoir. Most breeders collect the plant with special wide nets, and give it to ducks, both dried and fresh. Farmers also grow fodder on the plot, in a specially dug pond, and prepare "hay" for the winter. For this, the plants are laid out in a clean and dry, windless place, for example, under trees. Greens cannot be stored under the sun for a long time, they lose their beneficial properties. Rotten and moldy food should not be fed to ducks. Duckweed poisons are toxic and will lead to a massive loss of livestock.
