In the past and up to now, more Filipinos are raising chickens. But in recent years, farmers have realized that raising ducks can also be a profitable venture because of their eggs. Ducks’ most important product, the balut and penoy (boiled incubated duck’s eggs), are sold daily throughout the archipelago for their delicious flavor and nutritive value.
There are several other reasons why duck raising is a good business venture. “Among the avian species, duck is considered as the most versatile because it can subsist under a wide range of climatic and nutritional conditions,” pointed out the Laguna-based Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD).
Not only that. “Duck raising is inexpensive, requires non-elaborate housing facilities, and little attention, and less space for rearing compared to chickens,” PCARRD said. “Moreover, ducks are shown to be relatively hardy, resistant to common avian diseases, and subsist on a variety of feeds.”
This is why PCARRD is recommending duck raising in various parts of the country. “Duck raising offers an opportunity for rural families to improve their nutrition and to augment their income by producing highly priced protein products out of locally available feed resources,” it said.
The Davao-based Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center (MBRLC) Foundation, Inc. is also spearheading for its production. Here are some pointers:
1. Buy your breeding stock from reliable duck raisers. The Pateros duck (native duck or ‘itik’) is good for egg production so are the Khaki Campbell (developed at Cherry Valley Farm in England), Indian Runner and Tsaiya (developed in Taiwan). The Pekin duck is good both for meat and egg purposes. Another meat-type duck is the Muscovy duck (locally known as ‘pato’).
2. Build your duck house in a quiet, cool place and near as possible to a stream or pond. Local materials like bamboo, nipa and cogon are cool and cheap. Provide each duck with at least 3-4 square feet of floor space. Cover the floor with rice hull, corn cobs, peanut hulls or similar materials to make it dry and clean; and to help prevent the spread of pests and diseases.
3. You can provide a swimming pond for the ducks if you wish. One of 10 feet wide and 20 feet long is adequate for 50 birds. However, a pond is not really necessary in duck raising. The ducks can lay just as many eggs without it.
4. Pateros ducks start laying when they are about 4-6 months old. Pekin and Muscovy ducks start laying at about 6-7 months old. In breeding, you need male for every five female ducks. Starir selecting breeders when birds are about 8 weeks old, and again at 4 to 5 months old. Eggs for hatching purposes should come from ducks not less than 7 months old to ensure better fertility, hatchability and livability of offspring.
5. Drakes (male duck) should have the same age as ducks or even a month older. They should be raised separately from ducks. Both the male and female ducks are put together only when ready for mating. (Only eggs coming from mated flocks are considered for ‘balut’ and duckling production.)
6. Ducklings need to be brooded or warmed until they are a month old. The temperature required for brooding is 95°F for the first week, 90°F for the second week, 85°F for the third week and 80°F for the last week. A good brooding area is at least 1/2 square foot per duckling during the first week. The area should be increased by about 1/2 square foot every week until the fourth week.
The behavior of the ducklings is a good indicator whether brooding temperature is correct. The ducklings huddle close together toward the- source of heat when temperature is low; scattered or spread evenly when the temperature is correct; but panting and moving away from the source of heat when the temperature is too hot.
When your ducklings show signs of sickness, add three tablespoons of Nexal for every gallon of water for-2-3 days. Skip or withdraw after 3 days. Then continue for another 3 days. Terramycin poultry formula can also be used. Follow the instructions written on the package carefully. In order to prevent Avian Pest Disease, immunize your ducks with Avian Pest Vaccine which can be obtained free from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI).
7. Sex your ducklings. This is done by pressing the region of the crop inward, and with two fingers, press the vent slightly outward. By this process, the male organ protrudes and is exposed to view, while it remains flat in the female. If you desire to fatten the extra males, then grow them separately from the females. When ducklings are six weeks old, they can be transferred from the brooder to the growing house. Transfer the layers to the laying house when they are four months old.
8. Give your cJucks the right kind of feed. Here are some recommendations: One-day to 6-week-old ducklings should be fed with starter mash with 10-21 percent crude protein. Sixweek-old to 4 month old ducklings should be fed with growing mash with at least 16 percent crude protein. Four-month-old ducks and above should be fed with laying ration with at least 16 percent crude protein.
9. Commercial feeds are good for your ducks. However, if you want to mix your own feed, here is a formula for a practical general purpose ration: first class rice bran (’darak’), 55 kilograms; ground corn or binlid, 20 kilograms; shrimps or snails, 25 kilograms; wood ash or ground charcoal, 1.5 kilograms; ordinary table salt, 250 grams; ground limestone or shells, 250 grams; and Afsillin or Aurofac, 250 grams. This general purpose ration may be fed to your ducks of any age.
10. In addition, feed your ducks plenty of chopped green leaves of either kangkong, comfrey, camote, ipil-ipil and legumes as additional feed. Give at least 10 grams of chopped green leaves per duck per day. You can also grow and feed freshwater snails to your ducks. Giving one gallon of fresh snails a day to 24 duck layers will help increase egg production. More importantly, provide your ducks plenty of clean fresh water all ‘the time.
11. If you provide a swimming pond for your ducks, limit their playing in the water to 1-2 hours a day. Too much playing in the water will tire your ducks and make them eat more feeds. Do not allow your ducks to get wet under the rain because they may get sick.
12. You may start growing your replacement ducks when your layers are in their second year of laying. ‘Dispose of your pool layers and retain the good ones.
Here are some tips from PCARRD on how to prevent duck diseases in your farm:
• Raise only healthy stocks. Sick birds should be culled immediately and disposed of properly to avoid spread of infection.
• Provide cool, fresh, and clean drinking water at all times. Clean waterers at least once a day. Highly polluted water is detrimental to the ducks’ health and can affect overall performance.
• Provide clean and dry feeders at all times. Wet feeders are prone to the growth of yeasts, harmful bacteria, and harmful molds which are sources of mycotoxins such as aflatoxin, ocratoxin and related toxins. Since ducks are highly susceptible to aflatoxicosis, the above activity should be strictly followed.
• Keep the farm and its surroundings clean. Ducks should be provided with clean and dry litter and well drained areas.
• Provide well ventilated housing with dry flooring or litter. Do not overstock the animals in the pen. Secure constructed buildings so that dogs, cats, rats and other possible disease carriers cannot enter.
• Burn or bury dead ducks as soon as possible to avoid flies from breeding on the decomposing matter. This will also prevent infected maggots from being eaten by ducks.
• Prohibit delivery trucks and visitors from entering the production areas as disease organisms are often introduced into the farm by these delivery vehicles and/or visitors.
• Install footbath in strategic locations to prevent entry of infective agents into the farm.
• Vaccinate ducklings against duck cholera with polyvalent bacterin if available. Give antibiotic-vitamin-mineral supplement to suppress build-up of bacterial infection and improve the ducks’ health condition.
• Spray the, animals with insecticides, at least once a year to control lice and mites, beetles and other arthropods that can cause annoyance to the ducks.
• Avoid giving decomposed food such as snail, shrimps, fish, and meat which may contain virulent microorganisms or their toxins.
• Maintain good production and health records. Supervise closely the overall duck farm operation.
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