Breeding poultry in your own backyard is considered a very profitable occupation. Ducks are the best option for this. Unlike chickens, ducklings grow quickly, they are less whimsical to keep and can be pastured. And this is an important detail in terms of feed savings. Our article is devoted to the features of breeding the Bashkir duck.
The story of
Breeders did not specifically work on breeding the Bashkir duck. This breed turned out by chance, when trying to improve the productivity of the Peking duck. No wonder it is called a random hybrid. But what happened as a result of the work done surprised many. The Bashkir has received many different positive qualities, and she was recognized as an independent breed.
If we talk about the place of origin, then this individual was bred in Bashkiria, hence the name.
Today, the Bashkir is in great demand among breeders, as it gives a person tasty meat, fat and eggs.
Breed description
To describe the characteristics of the breed, you need to start with drakes. They are very beautiful: they have a dark blue head with a shimmer (bright green), a snow-white collar separates it from the neck, and the wings attract attention with a kind of rich blue stripe. Colored drakes weigh about 4-4,5 kg.
Ducks, as is customary in nature, have a modest color: gray-brown, white-black or khaki (this species practically does not differ from the mallard). Their weight is 3,5-4 kg.
They are distinguished by high egg production, although the Bashkir is considered a meat breed.
Since the Bashkir came from the Peking duck, they have certain similarities. The only difference is the good frost resistance of Bashkir ducks. They live in conditions in which Peking ducks cannot live.
The body of the representatives of this breed is very massive. Powerful paws are widely spaced, have a thick bone that can withstand a lot of body weight. The rounded chest moves forward, and the wings are pressed against a powerful body. The head is slightly flattened at the very top, the beak is flat. The neck is thick and short.
The bird is distinguished by a variety of colors. The hues of each pen are unevenly distributed. The color of the head almost always matches the color of the tail.
Representatives of this breed are able to move effortlessly on ice and snow.because there are no nerve endings and blood vessels in the paws. The plumage of the Bashkir ducks is considered waterproof. This is the noisiest breed of duck, but drakes cannot quack, unlike females.
Performance indicators
Bashkir colored duck very quickly gains in size and weight. Already in 2-3 months, with good care and constant feeding, ducklings grow to an impressive size.
These individuals are distinguished by very tasty meat. Its yield is 75% of the total mass. And if you consider that the weight of some individuals reaches 4.5 kg, then this is considered a significant indicator of performance. There is practically no fat in the carcass, and a small amount can be used for frying.
It does not have a peculiar smell, just like the meat of the bird itself.
From each duck you can get up to 220 eggs per year, their weight is approximately 90 g. Ducks begin to rush about the fourth or fifth month from the day they were born. Eggs practically do not differ in taste from chicken.
100 g of raw egg contains 180 kcal. That is why obese people and people with high cholesterol should not eat this product. Children are not recommended to eat such eggs.
If you apply a mask on your hair, which includes a duck egg, you can get rid of split ends and give your curls a healthy, pleasant shine.
Advantages and disadvantages
Let’s start with the benefits, because they became the reason for the enormous popularity of the Bashkir.
- High adaptability to adverse weather and climatic conditions.
- This breed is practically not afraid of any diseases due to high immunity.
- Birds are unpretentious in food. Walking can be done in different areas.
- Meat is considered low-calorie and is characterized by the absence of high fat content.
- When laying eggs in an incubator, breeders receive up to 80% of ducklings from the total number of eggs laid. Ducklings grow quickly, they are very hardy and do not require special attention and conditions.
But the Bashkirs have practically no shortcomings. Unless, lower egg production compared to other breeds of ducks and too much noise.
Without clean water, birds cannot exist, so a reservoir of some kind is necessary.
Conditions of detention and care
Provide good housing conditions so that the bird is healthy and gains weight well. After the ducklings hatch, the room should be approximately +30°C, then the temperature should decrease. In the third week, the room should be +22°C. Adult ducks do not require a special temperature regime.
They tolerate temperature changes and adapt to their natural environment without difficulty.
The poultry house should always have dry litter and air humidity up to 70%. Content density per 1 sq. m should not exceed 2-3 ducks. If you have a very large number of pets, then divide the house into sectors.
Place LED lamps to ensure optimal daylight hours indoors (There should be 10 lamps for 5 heads). Fix them at the level of two meters from the floor. For birds of one month of age, daylight hours should be 12 hours, for young animals – a little more. Provide ventilation holes in the room (windows are suitable for this).
Walking ducks is provided with the help of special pens, fenced with a net.
All rooms and places for walking are equipped with special equipment: drinkers, feeders (they must be stable).
Remember that grazing saves time and feed. In nature, ducks significantly increase their immunity, so sow places for walking birds with perennials. It is desirable that there is a natural reservoir nearby. If not, then make an artificial one.
Feeding
Both ducklings and adults need to be fed at the same time. A duck is a bird that eats constantly, so it quickly gains weight and height. From the first week of life, ducklings are fed 8-10 times a day. They start early in the morning and end at nightfall.
It is desirable for young animals to give low-fat cottage cheese, boiled eggs. Drinking bowls must contain fresh water. On the fifth day, start giving mash. To do this, add ground corn to cottage cheese and eggs and tear. After a week of life, greens are added to food. After 2 weeks, cottage cheese, eggs are removed from the diet and duckweed is added. It is advisable to switch to dry feeding at the same time.
From the age of one month until the very slaughter, ducks begin to be fed with grain or millet. Chalk, river sand, shells, cake, yeast are added to this mash. It is necessary that the diet contains 30% greens and 40% dirt.
If the grass has not yet grown, add vitamins to food. They are also needed for the prevention of various diseases.
Breeding
There are no special rules for breeding Bashkir ducks, but the following information will be useful for beginners. To begin with, you can purchase adults and try to get eggs from them, and then organize a perch for a duck that will incubate them. However, it must be remembered that Bashkir ducks practically do not sit on eggs. This breed was originally bred as meat and therefore the motherhood instinct was destroyed.
It is advisable to take a duck of a different breed (musk, for example) to hatch eggs, or lay eggs on a chicken or turkey.
The room where the nest is located should be warm, the floor should be covered with a bed of dry shavings or straw. Then you need to start preparing the nest.
- Choose the darkest corner. It must be hidden from prying eyes. Draft is unacceptable.
- The nest can be built of wood (put together a wooden box) or laid out of bricks. Then place a straw nest in it. You can put some down and feathers in it.
- The room should be free of parasites. If they are present, then pre-treat it with special chemicals.
- The barn should be without gaps so that wild animals or a cat cannot get into it. If this happens, the mother hen may become frightened and leave the nest.
From 12 to 15 eggs are laid under the duck, depending on the season. In cold weather, fewer eggs are laid than in the warm season. Create conditions so that the mother hen can cover them and warm them with her body. If the eggs are incubated by a chicken, then 8-9 pieces are enough.
After the hen begins to complete her task, approximately 28-29 days should pass. Then the ducklings will start hatching.
Do not disturb the bird for three days, wait for the process to complete. After that, you can either pick up the brood or leave it with the hen.
If the mother hen is a duck, then there will be no special problems. And if the chicken brought out the ducklings, then you need to look at the prevailing circumstances. Perhaps the ducklings will have to be removed. From the age of three weeks, a duck with a brood can be released into the street, where a small pond with clean water should be organized (you can dig a small depression and place a trough in it). Remember that clean water is important for ducklings so that they do not contract any disease.
Having a mother duck is good, but if you want to significantly increase the population, then use an incubator.
One such device is capable of producing many ducklings. And this will happen at any time convenient for you.
Incubators are equipped with all the necessary functions (humidity, temperature), so you just have to watch the process and turn duck eggs. To hatch eggs, take high-quality incubators that will work smoothly. For bookmarking, only high-quality (very fresh, preferably daily) eggs will be required. Before laying, the device is heated, setting the temperature 2 degrees higher than it should be for the total incubation period. Increase the humidity a little too.
When buying an incubator, require detailed instructions that are attached to it without fail. Each device works in an individual mode, which you must strictly observe. If you strictly follow all the breeding rules, you will get a very good result.
Remember that the first 20 days of ducklings need special care. If they are with a duck or a mother hen, then they will not need additional heating. The main thing is that the bedding is clean and dry. After three weeks of age, ducklings will no longer need additional heating if the outside temperature is kept above + 18°C.
How to determine gender?
It is difficult to determine the sex of ducks, but this can be done if you take a closer look at the birds when the ducks have reached their full maturity. Drakes have larger body sizes compared to females. Also, gender can be determined by plumage and color. The female always has a very modest appearance compared to the male.
The head and forehead of the drake are wider and larger (a pineal growth on the head) compared to the female. A duck does not have a beard on its neck. The drake’s tail feathers can curl up.
Reviews
About this breed breeders speak only on the positive side. Yes, birds eat a lot, but all costs are paid off by the rapid growth of the bird. After two months, you can start them for meat.
Most of the livestock is sold in the form of carcasses before the onset of cold weather, so the savings are obvious. No need to spend money on warmth and maintenance in the winter. The rest of the ducks carry eggs well. One bird is capable of producing 200-230 pieces. weighing up to 90 g.
The output of ducklings using an incubator gives up to 80% of chicks from the total number of eggs laid. Young growth is strong and grows quickly.
Bashkir ducklings are unpretentious in food. Difficulties may arise during the first month of life, and after passing this period, they become independent and very hardy.
About the Bashkir duck, see the video below.
