Description and characteristics of ducks of the Ukrainian breed, conditions of detention
The duck of the Ukrainian breed was bred near the city of Kharkov, at the research institute in Borki as a result of crossing the best meat breeds. Ukrainian ducks are famous for their excellent appetite, gain weight quickly and prefer to be free grazing. Birds are mobile, unpretentious to food and conditions of detention, grow to large sizes. Young meat is tender and tasty.
Description and characteristics of the breed
Ukrainian poultry belongs to meat breeds and is very popular among farmers, as it quickly gains body weight. By two months, the ducklings weigh 1.8-2 kilograms, and at four months they reach 4 kilograms. Ducks are distinguished by good survival rate - only 3-5% of young animals die.
The plumage of Ukrainian ducks is quite thick and lush. If you feed and care for the bird correctly, you can get a large number of eggs. The steppe duck of the Ukrainian breed got its name for its great love for spacious pastures. Birds are mobile, love freedom, swim well, quickly climb onto the wing. They are vociferous, quacking can be heard from a distance from the corral.
Appearance of Ukrainian ducks:
- white - the body is covered with completely white feathers, the beak is from bright yellow to dark orange;
- clayey - brown plumage, green beak, red-orange paws;
- wild - the feathers of these ducks can be golden, light or dark brown. On the neck of males there is a white stripe, bright bluish-green plumage above, orange paws, greenish beak with a black dot at the end. During the molting period, males become females-like;
- gray - the backs of these ducks are dark (from brown to black), the wings and abdomen are gray, bluish plumage is visible on the sides.
Ukrainian ducks have a powerful, muscular body, strong neck, wide chest, raised body. The head is elongated, the forehead is flat. The Ukrainian bird is mobile, rarely sits still, constantly looking for food and eating, thanks to which it quickly gains weight. The character is flexible.
Ukrainian ducks are bred not only for the sake of meat, laying hens give 120-140 eggs during the year. With enhanced care and rational nutrition, you can achieve 240-250 eggs.
Pros and cons of Ukrainian duck
The Ukrainian duck is famous for its unpretentiousness in keeping conditions - an adult bird does not need a warm heated room, a sufficiently dry and deep litter. Other pluses of the breed:
- mobility and the ability to independently obtain food for themselves;
- rapid weight gain, due to which the first slaughter of poultry can begin as early as two months of age;
- high-quality meat - in young animals it is tender, soft and tasty;
- docile and peaceful character;
- excellent down that can be used for stuffing pillows and featherbeds;
- high rates of egg production.
A large number of minuses in the Ukrainian breed were not noted - ducks are not susceptible to cold, but to drafts and strong dampness in a cold room. Under the influence of drafts, the Ukrainian bird quickly gets cold and sick.
Conditions of maintenance and care
The Ukrainian bird rises well on the wing immediately from the water, it can fly high enough, so the fences of the enclosure must be at least two meters high. Ducks do not tolerate crowded housing; it is not recommended to place more than three individuals on one square meter of the enclosure.
The bird is unpretentious in terms of keeping, it feels comfortable even in winter, in cold weather. The only condition for a good keeping of Ukrainian ducks is pens, in which there will be no drafts (the bird is very sensitive to them), a warm and dry bedding on the floor made of shavings or peat. Ducks do not need a thick-walled building with powerful heating. They can coexist in the same room with another bird if the barns are not overcrowded. For hens, it is important to build 40 * 50 centimeters of wood nests. One nest can accommodate up to five hens.
Diet of birds
The diet of chicks and adults is different. Adult ducks need to make dry food troughs made of wood, with walls not lower than 6 centimeters; for mixed feed, metal dishes 15 centimeters high are suitable.
It is important for young animals to introduce into the diet:
- semi-liquid feed with milk - in the first 1-2 days of life;
- mixed feed from cereals - corn, wheat, barley with the addition of fish-bone or grass meal, fresh herbs and vegetables;
- bone meal and crushed shells are necessary for young animals to replenish the volume of minerals.
As they grow older, young ducks are transferred to the diet of adults. In addition to the ready-made feed, the bird eats with pleasure food waste, herbs, grain (in summer it is given up to 25% of the total food volume, in winter - up to 50%).
Most of the feed in the summer season, ducks can get themselves, but the farmer must provide the bird with food at least three times a day. Vegetables (beets, potatoes, cabbage, zucchini, pumpkin) and fruits (ranet, apples) are important in the diet. It is not recommended to give compound feed in dry form, it is better to mix it with juicy grass and vegetables. It is important to provide the ducks with clean water supplies as they drink a lot.
Features of breeding at home
To breed Ukrainian ducks on your own, you need to take eggs no later than 20 days before the date of laying them in the nest under the hen. One hen is capable of hatching 7-12 eggs. It is recommended to set more eggs in the incubator. Ducklings hatch on day 29-30.
Young animals are initially kept in a separate room with a temperature of 30 aboutC, after a few days the temperature is reduced to 20 aboutC. Ducklings need clean water, fresh food from boiled eggs, cottage cheese, wheat porridge with milk.
Possible diseases
Despite the good immunity of Ukrainian ducks, they can tolerate two types of pathologies:
- infectious, for example, paratyphoid - young ducklings are most susceptible to it. The mortality rate is up to 80%. Manifested by diarrhea, inflammation of the mucous membranes of the eyes, poor appetite. Viral hepatitis is also dangerous - it leads to mass mortality of birds;
- parasitoses - when infected with helminths, ducks lose weight, lose their appetite, internal organs and the immune system suffer.
To avoid diseases, it is important to disinfect the place where the poultry are kept, to give the ducks vitamins and feed enriched with nutrients. This strengthens the immune system and curbs the epidemic of infectious diseases on farms.
The Ukrainian duck is unpretentious and agreeable, gives high-quality meat and a very egg-laying. The breed has long won the love of farmers, because it is suitable for home keeping and does not require special costs.
