Owl Star 53

Star-53 ducks are also called Peking ducks, they are extremely common all over the world, including in Russia, largely due to unpretentiousness, excellent immunity and early maturation. These ducks are omnivorous, thanks to which body weight is growing by leaps and bounds. Of course, this breed of domestic ducks, like any other, has advantages and disadvantages, and before acquiring birds, you need to familiarize yourself with the features of keeping, growing and feeding.

Features and history of appearance

Star-53 ducks were bred in France by Grimaud Freres, however they are called Peking ducks, since this famous bird was one of the progenitors of the breed. Pekin ducks are popular with poultry houses all over the world due to their amazing precocity, which is second only to some broiler varieties of domestic ducks. The natural origin of the Beijing breed has made it necessary for all breeds bred on this basis, a large amount of green type feed almost from birth. After breeding the Star-53 duck, they quickly gained world fame, as they were distinguished by high productive characteristics. Breeders are constantly working on Star-53 crosses, adapting this breed to local conditions, improving performance.

Owl Star 53

The external description of this variety is similar to the Peking duck cross, their standards are very close in value, but Star-53 is much larger. Feathers have a snow-white color, although there are representatives with a creamy sheen of plumage. The limbs and beak are rather bright, yellowish, the chest is of a wide type, powerfully developed, convex in ducks of any size. Back with well-developed muscles, the body is slightly elongated, set low. If the duck does not bathe, its breast and belly become dirty pretty soon. The head is compact, round in shape, on a thickened neck with strong muscles. The tail part is densely feathered, directed upwards, the wings are elongated and powerful, however, these ducks do not fly, they are hindered by an oversized body. The maximum of their abilities is to fly or jump a couple of meters forward and slightly up.

Owl Star 53

The Star-53 duck is very strong and strong – to be convinced of this, it is enough to hold it in your hands, this event will not be easy for you, it is quite difficult to hold the bird, especially the drake.

Performance indicators

The metabolism of this breed of French crosses is surprisingly well developed, so they mature quite quickly and gain excellent body weight in the shortest possible time. After 4 months, the duck is prepared for slaughter. A huge plus of the breed is a small financial expenditure on feed, which makes breeding extremely profitable. The quality of meat products is highly valued. Productivity characteristics are as follows:

  • the meat percentage in the carcass is more than 60, which is considered an excellent indicator for ducks;
  • the loin part is about 30% of the total meat product;
  • duck fat is not harmful to the body and does not have foreign flavors;
  • the egg production of this breed is very high, especially in comparison with other non-egg breeds, annually this figure is 280 pieces;
  • the taste of an egg is very much appreciated by experts, gourmets note tenderness and richness, oiliness of the contents of the shell;
  • the size of the eggs is slightly larger than the standard chicken, it is approximately 90 grams;
  • there is more fat in duck eggs of this breed than in chicken eggs, other characteristics are approximately the same;
  • a feather, downy indicator is also considered good, since the plumage of a bird has a thick type, dense structure, which leads to excellent quality;
  • it is very important to keep the bird clean so that the down-feathers are obtained in the right condition; before slaughter, the birds are washed and dried in any case.

Owl Star 53

Owl Star 53

Often, non-specialists confuse the Star-53 duck with the mulard. The mulard duck was also bred in France from the Peking breed, however, it has significant differences, both external, for example, a black spot on the head, and qualitative: a higher percentage of fat content in meat, the need for more feed. It is somewhat more expensive to keep mulards than Star-53 ducks, but they are larger in size and weight, calmer in nature.

Owl Star 53

Owl Star 53

Advantages and disadvantages

Like any breed of birds, Star-53 has its pros and cons. The main advantages of the breed:

  • precocity, rapid growth – one of the main advantages;
  • a set of excellent body weight;
  • delicious meat;
  • excellent indicators of egg production;
  • a small amount of feed, making their content economically viable;
  • the endurance of young animals is noted, they very rarely get sick, as a result of which the case is minimal;
  • the low cost of ducklings attracts, this also inclines breeders in favor of Star-53;
  • if desired, meat can be obtained already at the age of one and a half months, this makes it possible to grow 4 updated livestock during the warm season;
  • another obvious plus is good fertility, thanks to which reproduction is complete, which cannot be said about broilers.

Owl Star 53

As for the minuses, experts say that there are very few of them, in addition, they are not very significant. For example, they include the noisiness and loudness of the breed, activity, talkativeness at night. Another drawback is that the belly and chest are constantly dirty, as the body is set low, so the bird must be bathed regularly. In addition, it should be noted that females do not hatch eggs too actively, or rather, they stop doing it too early. There are two ways out here – to purchase an incubator or keep other breeds of ducks in which the incubation instinct is not lost. They will perfectly hatch Star-53 chicks along with their own.

Owl Star 53

Conditions of detention and care

Growing ducks of this breed in Russia is common. Despite the unpretentiousness of this species, poor care should not be allowed, everything must be done correctly. If you neglect the elementary rules of keeping, you should not wait for the optimal rate of weight gain, the down-feather will be of poor quality, egg production will decrease significantly. In addition, despite excellent immunity, ducks can get sick. Therefore, ensuring good conditions is mandatory even before purchasing a bird.

Owl Star 53

The main content requirements are as follows.

  • Spacious room. In this case, tightness should not be allowed in any case; a large number of birds should not be placed in a small area. This will greatly affect the temper of the ducks: they will begin to fuss, worry, be frightened, become more noisy, noisy.
  • Compliance with the temperature regime. This is important not only for young animals, but also for adults. The heat will lead to shortness of breath, lethargy, apathy. Make sure that the duck’s beak is not open – this is how it shows poor health due to the hot temperature. If the birds are cold, they cling to each other and warm themselves – this is a signal that it is cold in the house. Avoid drafts, otherwise it may adversely affect the development of the bird.
  • Correct lighting. The room in which the Star-53 ducks are placed must be able to be darkened even during the daytime. In this case, they sleep longer, do not spend calories and gain the necessary mass faster.

Owl Star 53

Ducks are very fond of water, but you have to take into account that even more calories are consumed in the process of swimming than when walking. Therefore, it is better to exclude such procedures. If you grow a bird near a reservoir or on it, then the procedures are excluded until they reach the age of one month. But free walking in the warm period is necessary. There, the duck will walk under the sun and master pasture, including protein.

Owl Star 53

Feeding and fattening for meat

In addition to the content, it is very important to competently organize the feeding of the bird, without this high-quality meat product cannot be achieved. Despite the fact that ducks are omnivorous, in no case should you feed them with what you have to, with what remains from your table. All this will affect the taste of the meat. In the event that Star-53 is bred for the egg direction, feeding from the table is quite allowed, but only with fresh products. Spoiled food is contraindicated. Experts recommend feeding ducks with combined feeds produced specifically for crosses, only you need to purchase it in reliable places, avoiding delays. They can be either dry or wet. Excellent additions to the diet will be:

  • cereals, especially barley and wheat;
  • vitamin and mineral supplements in the form of premixes and greens;
  • be sure to include chopped green onions in the menu of two-day-old ducklings and older ducklings.

Owl Star 53

Owl Star 53

The organization of feeding is as follows:

  • adults are kept on two or three meals a day;
  • ducklings need to be fed 5-8 times, depending on age;
  • it is necessary to ensure constant access to fresh water and change it regularly.

Owl Star 53

Feeding ducklings differs from adult birds:

  • immediately after birth, the chick is fed with a boiled egg and porridge, in this way they are fed up to three days;
  • from day 4 they switch to grain-type mixers and feed 4-5 times a day;
  • after 10 days, gradually move on to 2 or 3 meals a day.

Owl Star 53

Mineral additives should be in separate containers; chalk or crushed shell rock can be used.

If you want to feed your ducks with your feed mixtures, make them like this: per kilogram of cornmeal, 2 kg of seed and half a bucket of grass. This is a fairly inexpensive method of feeding, which is also great for ducks, so you need to take care of the components in advance. If everything is done correctly and freshness is ensured, purchased feed will not be needed at all. Feed preparation:

  • first, the grass is crushed, if, of course, it is not small, so it is perfectly digested;
  • solid type vegetation is soaked in hot water for about half an hour;
  • after cooling, mixing occurs;
  • juicy herbs do not soak;
  • be sure to add water so that it covers the grass;
  • do not fill in too much liquid, otherwise spoil the necessary consistency;
  • after that, both types of flour are introduced and everything is mixed.

Owl Star 53

Breeding

Experts do not consider breeding the Star-53 breed too difficult; ducklings are quite successfully bred in ordinary households. It is very important to form the correct proportions of hens and drakes in the livestock – this will allow you to get an excellent egg for incubation. From 4 to 5 females per male. It is important that the duck that gives the egg for fertilization be healthy, dimensional, and peaceful. Eggs received in the spring produce stronger and more resistant ducklings. Ifhonor the basic rules of breeding, then the young will turn out to be very strong and of high quality:

  • within 2 weeks before laying eggs, it is necessary to include mineral-type supplements and protein foods in the diet of birds;
  • chicks are housed in a box or brooder;
  • the optimal temperature regime is from +28 to +30 C, upon reaching a week of age, you can gradually lower the temperature;
  • it is impossible to organize walking in cold, wet weather, the time for walking chicks at the initial stage is 20 minutes;
  • maturing ducklings walk for a longer time, in the end the ducks are left on the run for almost the whole day;
  • feeding chicks includes, in addition to boiled eggs and porridge, sour milk, for example, yogurt;
  • the absence of green onions in the early diet can lead to irreparable consequences, vitamin deficiency and death;
  • it is necessary to change the floor mat after it gets dirty, if this is not done, the ducks can get sick.

Owl Star 53

It is enough to follow these recommendations in order to successfully grow Star-53 ducks, even without experience in this area. Ducklings are purchased only in proven poultry farms or from reliable breeders. The price varies depending on age: daily ducklings are cheaper than young ones, but the mortality among them is somewhat higher. Before purchasing a bird, make sure the breeder has positive feedback and compare the external characteristics with the proposed chicks, the standards must match. Obtain information about whether the parents of the chicks and the chicks themselves are vaccinated.

Owl Star 53

Owl Star 53

Reviews

Most breeders describe Star-53 ducks only on the positive side. They note the highest productivity of the breed, they write that 4 weeks are enough to get a carcass weighing up to 2,5 kg. As for the quality of meat, it is defined as excellent, tender. Birds are undemanding in care: it is enough to organize walking, some organize small ponds. These ducks get sick very rarely, especially if you take care of them properly, breeding experience is not required, this breed is easily bred even by beginners. The only thing that is most often noted as a minus is loudness and a weak instinct of a hen.

Owl Star 53

For information on how to properly care for the Star-53 duck breed, see the following video.

Anna Evans

Author-editor

View all posts by Anna Evans →
Exit mobile version