The Start to Your Backyard Flock
With Duck Incubators
* This article is written to assist you in raising or breeding ducks as a worthwhile venture. It is fairly easy when you have the know-how and proper equipment, such as duck incubators.
>Check out our How to Guide: DIY Incubator for Ducks<
Raising ducks is becoming widely popular because of the wide variety of uses these amphibious creatures have. Ducks are a welcomed source of income for large and small farmers because of there eggs and meat. Incubators can be used in place of a brooding hen and have excellent success rates, even for the inexperienced. Incubators can be used for quail eggs, reptile eggs, chicken eggs and even duck eggs. The incubators are made to be adjusted according to your needs. For example: A certain model can hold 40 quail eggs, 25 chicken eggs and 18 duck eggs. Each capacity will depend on the size of the incubator and the size of your specific eggs.
A Good Start With Duck Incubators
1) Consider what breed will suit your needs best. There are many breeds available to the novice duck breeder. The most popular breed at this point in time is the Peking Duck. Duck breeders who lack vision or knowledge misunderstand the important aspects of breeding Peking Ducks, stereotyping these white birds to be the same as any other. The Rouen duck is also another popular or preferred breed besides the Peking duck. My opinion, however, is that the best duck to breed would be the the Muscovy duck. Other breeds such as the Wood ducks or the Mandarin ducks are more for ornamental purposes. There are lots of good guides on raising ducks for your hands on experience. All these breeds can be hatched and raised via duck incubators.
2) You will need to set up the duck incubators properly for hatching the duck eggs although some may use a broody chicken instead. The advantage of using the artificial incubation is that you do not need to turn the eggs manually. It normally takes 28-30 days for duck eggs to hatch, which is a longer time than that of chickens. Some breeds may take slightly longer, such as the Muscovy duck which takes 35 days.
3) Once the eggs are hatched, the next important phase is brooding. The hatched ducklings need to be placed in a brooder. Duck incubators can be used in place of a duck brooder. Either way, some soft patch that is constantly kept dry and clean should be available for your new ducklings. A constant temperature of around 90 degrees Fahrenheit is necessary for the ducklings to remain warm; this can be achieved through a 250-watt lamp. However, the heat should be decreased in succeeding weeks by 5 degrees.
4) Chick feeds are good alternatives for feeding the ducklings as these contain high levels of protein which contribute to your ducklings’ good growth. Once your ducklings are of a good size, you can change to chicken grower feeds. An ordinary waterer will suffice as long as the ducklings are able to drink from it with their whole head and beak dipped into it. Ducks, like other waterfowls, need lots of fresh and clean water for good and healthy growth. It is not necessary to provide pools or ponds as long as there is a place for the ducklings to wet their heads. If duck incubators are used, there should be sufficient space for the ducklings to roam about, as in half a square foot space which is increased to twice the size as the ducklings grow.
>>Proper Duck Candling<<
So, it is not that difficult to raise or breed ducks now that you understand the basics. It is definitely very rewarding when it results in healthy chicks being born from your care. Duck Incubators can help make this adventure simple and stress free. They are the perfect solution for beginners and the idea choice for seasoned backyard breeders.
