Duck farm already popular with their big income. This business is already known well since a long time ago as an option of profession for some people. Many people which tries this business. Most of them are success and half of it also got lost. Some people who had lost basically not really know about some signs that should be done in the beginning of this business. Actually it is important thing for beginners to learn directly with the success farm. The success farm would share their experiences about do or don’t when they start to make something in this business.
But don’t worry for you who don’t have any friend or someone to talk about this business. Literally by this chance, we will share some tips and steps how to start duck farm business for beginners. Don’t need to worry because all we shared below is valid information and you wouldn’t get lost when following this step. So let’s jump to the information.
Some information
- The main output of this business is eggs.
We can also got the meat but it would be the second profit and used for the duck which not productive anymore. So in another word, duck eggs are the main focus of this business. Some people does use the meat as their main output but it is depend of you which one is more profitable to be main output.
- Productive age
The productive age of duck is 20 weeks old until a year after it and after turn the egg usually the duck isn’t productive anymore. The duck can produce 200-300 eggs per year which per egg has 70 grams. Moreover the Alabio duck can produce up to 250 eggs per year which produce period until 68 weeks.
The Steps
- Chose which one the duck that you want to raise
Before we talk deeply about the step, first of all choose the kind of duck that you want to raise. As your information, here are some options of duck that can you choose. There are egg duck like Indian Runner, Khaki Campbell, Buff (Budd Orpington) and CV 2000-INA. There are also cattle duck like Peking, Rouen, Aylesbury, Muscovy, and Cayuga. And the last is ornamental duck like East India, Call, Mandariun, Blue Swedish, Crested, and Wood. Beside of all options, chose the one that as your basic to raise. Choose which one is more profitable on your domicile. Different domicile also has different preferable over the duck. There is just cattle, but also just needed egg. So the choice is in your hand.
- The cage
Make sure that the cage is covered all equipment that needed for this business. Make sure that temperature inside the cage is 39C and the moist is 60-65%. Light the cage to make you easy to manage the cage included arrange the cage as suit as the function. This light is also avoided your poultry from any steal case. The cage for baby duck on starter period or called as box cage with 1×2 meters can cover 50 ducks. Brower cage that used by adult duck which can cover 16-100 per group. And the last is monitor cage that used for the duck which is in lay eggs period usually shape as battery cage which place one or two ducks inside the box. It can also location cage that every meters can cover 4-5 ducks. And categories the cage that look by the age is one day until 2 weeks old is 1-2 meters, 2 weeks old is 2-4 meters, 2-4 weeks old is 4-6 meters, and 6-8 weeks is 8-10 meters.
- Duck seeds
There are some tips that you can do when you choose good duck seeds. Firstly, buy cracked eggs from guaranteed mom duck. Secondly, buy a couple duck which is male and female duck to get their egg and start to raise it in big million. Last one is does the day old duck. This method can you got by seed which already guaranteed or already has recommendation from any poultry association. Make sure that the guaranteed is good and there is no disability and has shiny feathers.
- Seeds treatment
For duck seeds you better place it in the brooder cage as soon as possible after you got it. Make sure that brooder temperature is compatible and enough to warmth their body. If you buy a couple duck as parent, separate them into 2 the one is consume egg and the second one is cracked eggs. Both of them has same treatment but for cracked eggs should had male duck minimal one male for 5-6 female duck.
- Food
If we talk about food, we must make it suit with their age. For lay egg period, duck need 17-20% protein and 2.700-2.880kkal energy. The main ingredients of their food are bran, corn, charcoal or aking (dried rice) and groat. And for additional you can give trash fish, clam, mussel, and shrimp skin. For food place, here are the guidelines. For 0-16 days old give it to tray feeder which has flat shape. For 16-21 days old give the food using tray feeder and spread out in the floor. For 21 days old until 18 weeks old the food should spread in the floor. And for 18-72 weeks old there are two ways which 7 days first using tray feeder and after that using ad libitum. Avoid the food from hot or sunlight. You better feed them all twice a day in the morning and evening. You can also give them three times a day morning, afternoon, and evening. Don’t change the kind of food and the man who usually feed them because it makes the duck feeling stressed. Avoid feeding in the outside of food schedule and don’t force the duck to stop eating. Make sure when you feed them, the ducks are in their good condition, not when they are sleep.
- Disease therapy
There is no poultry or livestock or any animals in the world which free from disease, so does duck. Usually, the duck will show some symptom like low appetite, silent, and passive. The disease that commonly attacked the duck is same as the disease that usually attacked chicken poultry.
- Marriage
After the duck is 20 weeks old, usually the duck will be ready to marriage. There are two marriage systems which usually used by the farm such like hand mating and nature mating.
- Harvest
After cracked egg process already passed, so the harvest time is coming. The duck can produce 200-250 eggs per years. The right time to harvest is 6 or 7 AM. Prepare eggs container or basket. You directly sell this egg or if you want you can process it as salted egg to increase the value.
- After-harvest
And the final output from this business are eggs, salted egg, meat, food, feathers can be used for ornamental or something which has art value like paint or hand-held fan, and the last is their poop which can used for manure.