Modern poultry farming is developing more and more every day. Although chickens continue to dominate this market, more and more producers are starting to breed ducks. This applies to both large industrial farms and home gardens. Ducks value both meat and eggs. Their meat contains up to 35% fat, and eggs are used in confectionery. The Agidel breed is famous for its rapid weight gain, good egg production, undemanding food and living conditions, and calm disposition. Such birds grow well both on the farm and in the garden.
History of origin
Breeders started breeding a new breed back in 2000. The main site was PPP Blagovarsky, located in the Republic of Bashkortostan. Scientists used the following main lines of birds:
- English cross Super M;
- Blagovarsky hybrid;
- Indian runner.
Among the representatives of these breeds, snow-white individuals were selected, after which active selection work began. And already in 2003, scientists presented the results of their activities to the general public. The white color of the ducks was not chosen by chance. In the Russian Federation, white down is purchased by the textile industry to create insulation. The Agidel breed is the second supplier of feathers and down at the moment after the White Moscow. Work on selection and strengthening of traits is ongoing today. Not so long ago, scientists have achieved the stability of traits, as well as the possibility of inheritance without compromising the quality of meat and egg production.
Features of the breed
Let’s talk about the external description of the breed. Agidel ducks are quite large. By six weeks, drakes reach a weight of 3,2 kg, females – 2,49 kg. After another week, the result increases by about 700–800 g, further breeding for meat is not advisable, since body weight gain slows down, and feathers coarsen and shed.
Over 1,5 months, those individuals are cultivated from which offspring are desirable or to obtain eggs.
The appearance of ducks is memorable. The body is powerful, located horizontally, the back is wide. The chest strongly protrudes forward. Large head, wide white-pink beak. The eyes are large and dark in color. The plumage is always white.
The Agidel breed develops well in industrial poultry houses and in household plots without a decrease in weight gain and egg production. These ducks are calm, do not scream for no reason, do not run around the site. Scientists have bred the breed, increasing the rate of weight gain, egg production, as well as immunity and resistance to disease. Agidel has an excellent survival rate, which reaches 98% by six weeks.
Buy this breed should be from trusted suppliers. It is better to take duck eggs and wait for the ducklings to appear. To do this, you need to make an incubator and keep the eggs there for 28 days, turning them daily. After four weeks, the first duckling will hatch, after which, after 2-3 days, the entire offspring will appear.
Performance indicators
Rapid weight gain is the main distinguishing feature of Agidel ducks. On average, 2–2,5 units of feed are needed per 1 kg of weight gain. This indicator may vary depending on the conditions of detention, ambient temperature, amount of light. Although the Agidel is also a broiler breed, their egg production is quite high. The latest figures for this indicator are 257 eggs in 10 months. At the same time, the average weight of each egg is 90 g. Remember that this figure may decrease at home.
To maintain such a high level of egg production, intensive fattening is also necessary. You will need 3 units of food for approximately every 27 eggs.
Advantages and disadvantages
The positive characteristics include the following:
- a high level of natural survival reaches 98%, which distinguishes them from other breeds;
- quick and rapid weight gain;
- high egg production;
- unpretentiousness in care and maintenance;
- good indicators of the quality of feathers and down;
- tasty and juicy meat.
Of the negative aspects, only a high level of feed consumption can be distinguished. However, the intense weight gain of these ducks cancels this out.
Conditions of detention and care
The Agidel breed is not whimsical in care. For normal development, it needs space, access to drinking water and food. If you want to keep ducks only in the summer, then create a small paddock in which the pets will spend the night. For autumn and winter, a warmer room is required, equipped with an artificial lighting lamp and a heating system. It also requires enough space, which is calculated as 2-3 birds per 1 square meter.
Of the features of care, access to water can be distinguished. It is believed that ducks are grown near water bodies, but this does not apply to the Agidel breed. It is enough if they have access to a small trough with fresh water. A good drainage system should be taken care of so that splashed water does not stagnate in the paddock and does not create dampness.
Equally important is the cleanliness of the floor in the room. It is recommended to cover it with sawdust, hay or straw. Cleaning should be done weekly. You will also need a container for feeding and drinking bowls.
If you decide to breed ducks for eggs, you need to make special nests for them.
Feeding
To obtain an intensive weight gain, an increased diet is needed. In the first weeks of life, the menu of ducks consists mainly of starter feed, then they switch to concentrated feed. You should be aware that the maximum weight gain will occur with the use of industrial feed. At home, some changes in the diet are possible.
For example, agidel gave a good weight gain when eating wheat, corn and barley. If you have a grinder, you can give your pets a mixture of crushed grains. And at the age of six weeks they can be slaughtered for meat.
To improve the characteristics of meat quality, it is recommended to keep ducks on pasture, to give a lot of fresh grass. However, the growth of body weight in this case slows down. When keeping laying hens, such intensive feeding is not required. It is enough to develop a balanced diet that includes fresh grass, vegetables, fruits. And you can also use cereals and feed.
Breeding
New offspring of the Agidel breed is more profitable to breed from the incubator. Approximately 80% of the eggs will hatch into chicks. At the same time, there are no special requirements for the incubator. It is worth adhering to the following recommendations for choosing eggs:
- purchase eggs only from a trusted supplier, it is best if it is an official representative of PPP Blagovarsky;
- before buying, carefully inspect each egg for chips, cracks, shell deflections.
It is necessary to adhere to the following rules for keeping eggs in an incubator:
- strict adherence to the temperature regime is necessary;
- to prevent the embryo from sticking to the shell, turn the eggs at least 10 times a day;
- pay attention to air humidity – the first 7 days the eggs are in the incubator, it should be 60–70%, then reduce it to 45%.
After 26–28 days, the first ducklings will appear. Their brothers will follow them within 2-3 days. For newborn babies, a special growing environment should be created. At first, round-the-clock lighting is necessary. Only after 7 days you can dim the light for 2-3 hours.
The temperature in the nursery should be kept at a high level, approximately + 30 ° C. Starting from the second week of life, lower the air temperature so that by the end of the third week they can withstand +16°C. Follow the rate of ducklings per square meter. Up to 14 days it is allowed to keep up to 25 ducklings, then the conditions of detention are expanded to 21 ducklings per 1 m². For young animals, constant access to water and food is especially important, which is associated with their intensive metabolism, which means eating food at night.
If you want to fatten ducks for meat, you should start from the first days of life with starter feed.
Reviews
Among the many reviews about this breed, it is difficult to find a negative one. All breeders who dared to purchase the Agidel breed were satisfied. They note a really rapid increase in body weight, high resistance to infections, and a high percentage of survival. In addition to the main product – meat, these ducks carry a large number of eggs that can be used in the diet, as well as cosmetic procedures based on them. Pure white feathers and soft down are perfect for creating natural feather pillows and duvets. The textile industry is also happy to buy feathers from manufacturers.
Important! If you come across a negative review about this breed, then most likely it will be associated with the dishonesty of sellers who, under the guise of agidel duck, sell other, less meaty breeds.
For proper feeding of ducks, see the following video.
