Michigan State University Extension
MSU Extension Poultry Bulletins - E1260001
04/21/00
Raising a Few Ducks
List of files and visuals associated with this text.
By C. C. Shepperd, C. J. Flegal
E1260
Nothing brings out the maternal or paternal instinct more
quickly than very young ducklings. Before you plunge,
however, remember that:
1. They can be very messy!
2. Duck feed is not always available.
3. They grow up to be adult ducks and then what do you do?
4. They require care, housing and equipment.
5. They have very fragile legs. They should be held by the
neck and lifted with the palm of the hand under their
breast.
But you want to raise a few ducks anyway-fine. None of the
problems mentioned (or others not mentioned) are
insurmountable.
What Duck? What Breed?
When raising ducks for meat, you are almost limited to the
White Pekin duck. There are two other meat-type ducks, the
Rouen (a tame Mallard bred to a much larger size) and the
Muscovy. It is the White Pekin duck, however, that is
grown and marketed by commercial duck growers in the
United States.
The Pekin duck is a white-feathered duck. It grows rapidly
to 6 to 7 pounds in 7 to 9 weeks if fed well. It does not
fly; therefore, it does not waste a lot of energy (food)
in the exertion of flying. But it must be protected from
dogs, foxes, and other predatory animals.
The Muscovy is good if you want a semi-wild flock of
ducks. It is a good forager when grown. The Muscovy
doesn't quack; it makes a hissing sound and is a strong
flier, but generally will not leave home. It perches or
roosts like some of the lighter breeds of chickens. It
grows more slowly than the Pekin duck. A female will weigh
6 to 7 pounds and a male 10 to 13 pounds at 16 to 20 weeks
of age. The White Muscovy is the most popular of the
various feather colors available.
Some people keep ducks for egg production. The Khaki
Campbell and Indian Runner breeds are both well known for
their egg laying ability.
Obtain day-old ducklings by checking the farm magazines'
classified ads in February, March, April and May.
Vocational agriculture teachers, county Extension agents,
4-H agents and the Department of Poultry Science at
Michigan State University are also good sources of
information. If you order the ducklings to arrive in May
or later, your housing problems will be less difficult.
Housing
Assume that you are starting with a few ducklings. A small
pen 5 feet by 5 feet will be fine to start 10 to 15
ducklings. Remember, the pen may have to stay the same
size but the ducks surely will grow so be sure you have
enough room to begin with. The house, or pen, may be very
simple, but it must be vermin-proof, reasonably tight from
drafts, and dry. Very young ducklings will swim, but
should have a warm, dry place to spend some of their time.
Equipment
Chick feeders and waterers (Vis. 1) will work well for
young ducklings. Ducklings will play in and spill water,
and make the litter wet. This is undesirable. Water
fountains or pans should be put on a water stand (Vis. 2)
as soon as the ducklings can climb up on it. This is a low
stand 2 feet by 2 feet covered by a quarter to half-inch
screen or hardware cloth. Put the waterer on it and the
drippings and splashings will be down below the screen and
not all over the litter. Provide fresh water in clean
waterers at all times.
Heat
Ducklings need heat for the first few weeks. A 250-watt
heat lamp bulb (Vis. 3) will provide heat for up to 250
ducklings. Two lamps are a good idea as one may go out. A
100- or 150-watt incandescent bulb will provide enough
heat for only a few ducklings. The lamp should be hung
(using a porcelain socket to prevent overheating) 2 feet
above the backs of the ducklings. The temperature should
be warm at floor level under the lamps and cooler 2 to 3
feet away from the point directly under the bulb. If it is
comfortable for your hand (for 3 to 5 minutes) directly
under the lamp, it will probably be comfortable for the
ducklings. A corral (Vis. 1) will help the ducklings
locate the heat. It can be removed in 5 to 7 days. As the
ducklings begin to feather, they will need less and less
heat. You can raise the heat lamp gradually. In a matter
of a few weeks, in warm weather, the ducks will not need
any heat. When grown, they will only need feed and water.
Litter
Litter to cover the floor when starting ducklings can be a
problem. Day-old ducklings might eat sawdust or shavings,
and straw is difficult for the young birds to get around
in for the first week or two. A hard surface, such as
concrete, or any nonskid surface, will do for the first
two or three days. Shavings and crushed corn cobs make
fine litter after that; however, they have a tendency to
get wet and pack, which is undesirable. Another factor to
keep in mind is cost. Most litter materials have become
quite expensive, but straw is probably the cheapest.
Water
The water fountain should be big enough and deep enough to
allow the birds to immerse their beaks and eyes in the
water. This will help to clean the beak, nostrils and eyes
of dust and sticky mash. A water pan with a wire guard
(Vis. 4), to keep the ducks out of the water, is good for
larger birds.
Feeding Ducks
The birds can eat well from a hanging feeder (Vis. 5), it
should be placed on the floor when the birds are one day
old. Litter can be piled at the side of the feeder so that
the day-old ducklings can stand up high enough to reach
the feed. The feeder should be high enough so the
ducklings will stand up with their backs at least level
when eating. A situation where the shoulders are slightly
higher than the rump is even better. The bird will not
shovel the feed out of the feeders into the litter as
easily when the feeders are raised. Pelleted feed will
also help prevent feed wastage. The covered feeder in
(Vis. 6)cross-section plan shown in
(Vis. 7) will help eliminate feed wastage if you wish to
feed the ducks outside.
Ducklings from day old to 2 to 3 weeks of age should have
a 22 to 24 percent duck starter ration available at all
times. Chick starter can be used if duck starter is not
available, but must not contain any drugs which could be
harmful to the ducklings. Check the label. Whatever
starter ration you use should be crumbled or in small
pellets if possible. Mash tends to gum up in the
ducklings' beaks. Ducklings can eat mash but waste a lot
of it by going to the water fountain and washing a part of
the feed out of the beak into the waterer.
At 2 to 3 weeks of age the feed can be changed to an 18 to
20 percent duck grower feed. This feed can be used until
market age-8 to 10 weeks for Pekin ducks. If duck grower
pellets are not available, a chicken grower mash, pelleted
if possible to cut wastage, can be used. Be sure to avoid
feeds with drugs in them as ducks can be very sensitive to
some of the drugs used in poultry feeds.
The expected growth rate and feed consumption of growing
ducks can be seen in Table 1 (Vis. T1). This information
will show you how ducks selected for rapid growth will
grow when fed properly. They will grow almost a pound a
week. It is also interesting to note that feed consumed
per pound of gain increases from the first to the eighth
week of age.
The small duck flock will do well if it is hatched and
reared in late spring (May and June) when the weather is
warm. A tender, green pasture, clean water and a good
chick crumble are usually adequate as far as the
nutritional requirements of ducks are concerned. Weather
permitting, the ducklings can be allowed out in the grass
at 4 to 5 days of age.
Table 2 (Vis. T2) lists the ingredients of some starter,
grower and breeder duck rations. These rations were common
in the early 1960s and are less complicated than the
commercial feeds that are presently used. Some country
elevators may be able to mix these diets for you.
Breeding Ducks
A breeder ration is listed in Table 2(Vis. T2). If you
keep a breeder flock, a breeder ration is necessary. Much
of the difference is in the vitamin and mineral
composition of the breeder diet as compared with the
starter and grower diets.
If you keep a breeder flock, one drake (male) will breed 5
or 6 ducks (females). It is easy to tell the drakes from
the ducks. The tips of the middle tail feathers on the
adult drake curl forward. This does not occur on the
female duck.
Disease
Ducks are not susceptible to many of the diseases of
poultry. Usually ducks that are kept in small flocks that
have plenty of range do not have disease problems. If
problems occur, it is usually with large numbers that are
closely confined. Sanitation, good nutrition, brooding,
ventilation and general management will prevent most
disease. Wet litter and mud are areas where diseases may
develop.
Killing and Dressing
One of the primary reasons for keeping ducks may be to
have roast duck. This means that the birds must be killed
and dressed. A strong quarter- or three-eighths-inch rope,
a sharp knife and a candy thermometer (Vis. 8) will make
the job easier. Tie the duck's legs, as shown in
(Vis. 9), and hang the bird so the head is at least waist
high (Vis. 10).
Hold the head firmly in one hand and cut the jugular vein
(one goes down each side of the neck from the head to the
body). The bird will flop so stoop below the wing action.
Hold the head firmly with pressure down to keep the head
from throwing blood.
After the struggling has stopped, dip the bird into
140-150 degrees F water for one to one and a half minutes.
Use a large vat and plenty of water. You must move the
bird around in order for the hot water to penetrate the
feathers. Some detergent will help the water to penetrate
the feathers. After the bird has been scalded (the body
feathers should pull easily), hang the bird up again and
remove the feathers. The scalding water cooks the outside
skin layer, called bloom or cuticle, and it is usually
removed during the picking procedure when the skin is
rubbed to remove pin feathers and down. When this outside
layer of skin is removed, the remaining skin tends to dry
out and become leathery in texture. You can prevent this
drying by cooling the birds in a tank of cool water after
the feathers have been removed.
The bird is then ready for evisceration as follows:
1. Remove the head and legs.
2. Cut the skin down the back of the neck and peel out and
remove the neck.
3. Cut open the abdomen between the tip of the keel
(breast) bone and vent (anus).
4. Cut around the vent and remove the intestines. Your job
will be much easier if the birds were starved for 12 hours
(just take the feed away the night before butchering). Be
sure to remove the heart and lungs; they are located well
forward in the body cavity.
5. Wash the carcass and put it into clean cold water until
you are ready to package, freeze or cook it.
6. Clean the liver and gizzard; the gizzard will clean
more easily if it is cold. The gizzard contains a sack
that acts as the teeth of the duck-it grinds any pellets,
grain or mash that the duck eats. This sack must be
removed.
7. Remove the oil gland at the base of the tail of the
duck.
Now you are ready to package the bird for freezing.
(Vis. 11) Put the heart, liver, gizzard and neck inside
the body cavity. Place the bird in a plastic (freezer
type) bag. Remove as much air from the bag as possible and
tie it tightly. When the bird is put into the freezer,
maintain the temperature at as near 0 degrees F as
possible. Fluctuating temperatures tend to cause more
freezer burn (dehydration) than a steady cold temperature
even if the bird is well wrapped.
This information is for educational purposes only. References
to commercial products or trade names does not imply
endorsement by MSU Extension or bias against those not
mentioned. This information becomes public property upon
publication and may be printed verbatim with credit to MSU
Extension. Reprinting cannot be used to endorse or advertise
a commercial product or company.
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