Muscovy duck and Indo-duck are the same or not? The second name of the Indo-duck is musky duck; oddly enough, it has nothing to do with a turkey. For their inability to quack, they acquired another name - mute. One of its original names is the Barbary duck, as the French called this breed.

In this article, you can find out how to feed Indo-women at different periods of their lives. In order to raise healthy offspring, it is not necessary to know everything about Indo-girls. The main thing is to know how to properly organize their feeding. Then in 2 months you can enjoy delicious dietary meat.

Muscovy duck breed description

Indo-duck is a type of wood duck, so she can freely do without a reservoir. The plumage of mute beasts is characterized by different colors: black, white, black-white-winged, brown and fawn. She has a wide chest, large wings, short legs and a neck. On the head above the beak and near the eyes there are characteristic fleshy growths of red color.

These birds have won their recognition for their delicious dietary meat without a specific taste (typical of waterfowl) and eggs, which are not inferior in taste to chicken. Muscovy ducks are distinguished by good weight and stable egg production, so breeding this bird at home is very popular. An adult drake weighs 5-7 kg, while a duck weighs 2.5-4 kg.

Indoor

Important! When breeding Indo beef ducks, the use of growth stimulants is unacceptable. In a short life cycle, antibiotics and hormones do not have time to completely leave the body of birds.

Proper Feeding Indo

Growing Indo-Ducks is a very profitable business. The choice in favor of these particular birds is influenced by:

  • how much the indout grows (slaughter can start from 2 months of age);
  • unpretentiousness of the bird;
  • innate immunity to disease;
  • the ability to quickly gain bottom hole weight;
  • omnivorous;
  • quality of meat;
  • good egg production.

Note! In contrast to an incubator, with the natural method, the percentage of birth of young animals is much higher.

The initial stage of feeding the ducklings is extremely important, because it triggers the digestive system, affects the proper absorption of feed and the normal development of a healthy individual.

On the first day, ducklings only drink water, and start eating the next day. You need to drink water with the addition of potassium permanganate (light pink solution) from intestinal infections. Newly hatched chicks cannot drink on their own. For training, they are dipped into the water with their beak, tapping the container with their finger.

Important! Care should be taken to ensure that chicks do not overeat. This leads to serious consequences: health problems and even the death of young animals.

The first feeding of day-old ducklings is carried out with a finely crumbled egg, which is poured directly onto the backs of the chicks. A small duckling sees only moving particles of food and easily pecks up falling crumbs. On the second day of life, you can start giving a semi-liquid milk mixture: flour from oats, corn, barley or bran, previously steamed with milk, is added to the egg. In the future, add one new ingredient every day, making the mash thicker and thicker.

Feed mix

From 3-4 days it is advisable to start introducing vitamin and mineral supplements.This speeds up development and strengthens the immunity of babies. The use of ready-made compound feed is reflected in the cost of keeping musk ducks. On the twentieth day of life, young chicks can already be transferred to adult food.

Table of detailed diet of young animals

AgeFeedNumber of feedings
Up to 7 dayseggs up to 3 days;
oatmeal, corn, barley flour or cereals;
low-fat cottage cheese (3-5 g per one);
fish or meat and bone meal;
low-fat fish and meat broths;
small meat waste;
milk, milk whey;
finely chopped: nettle, onion, spinach, beet greens, clover, dandelions.
8 times a day
Up to 3 weeksVitamin and mineral supplements are introduced. All components are fed in the form of wet mash. They include boiled vegetables (cabbage, zucchini, potatoes, pumpkin), herbaceous plants. It is prepared with whey, fresh or sour milk, fish or meat broth. The mash should be thoroughly crushed and not stick to the beak.
The main source of minerals and vitamins is feed yeast, chalk, shells, meat and bone and fish meal. A little salt can be added to the water to improve appetite.
4-6 times
After 3 weeksGradually begin to introduce whole grain feed.
Transfer to an adult diet. By all means, the feeders should contain: gravel or sand (for grinding food in the stomach), chalk, shells or eggshells.
3-4 times

Indoor breeding is a troublesome but profitable process. Keep the house, feeders and drinkers clean. It is necessary to replenish them in a timely manner with feed and fresh water. Then, if looked after at the proper level, the chicks will soon become adults. It's good if there is free access to the sand. Ducklings actively eat sand, they need it for normal digestion.

Important! Calcium cannot be absorbed without vitamin D. Put 2-3 drops in the mouth of each Trivit or Tetravit chick if they start to fall off their feet.

Competently organized feeding is the key to the health of Indo-Ducks. They need a varied and balanced diet.

Important! It is strictly forbidden to feed the bird population with hot food and give hot water at any time of the year, even in winter.

It is necessary to provide the bird flock with gravel or small fragments of granite - this will significantly improve their digestion.

All wet mash should be crumbly. Sticky mushrooms clog the nasal passages, which leads to inflammatory diseases.

Gravel for Indo-girls

Drinking bowls should be placed close (1.5-2 m) from the feeders. Mutees always rinse their beaks while eating. One individual drinks 1 liter of water per day.

Feed should always be fresh, without mold, rotting or fermentation. Dairy products are given only after complete fermentation.

Note! Indo-ducks can fight for food with other species of birds, so you cannot have general meals.

Meals in winter

In summer, the emphasis is on vegetables, tops and grass. In winter, cereals make up a significant part of the diet.

In winter, mute mongers should not be allowed to get food in the pond. The weak sebaceous glands of these birds do not protect the feathers from icing, and the individual will die.

Top dressing: vitamins and minerals

Proper feeding of Indo-Ducks implies a stable intake of:

  1. Vitamins A, B, D E, K, C and H.
  2. Macro - and trace elements, including calcium, chlorine, manganese, iron.

When ducks start laying, they need calcium. To increase the calcium content in the body, duck ducks are given fine chalk, crushed shells or egg shells. Table salt maintains sodium and chlorine levels, which are responsible for good appetite. The amount of salt is 0.7% of the total mass of dry feed. You can also add wood ash aged (at least a month) in the fresh air. Before giving it to the birds, it must be sieved to remove hazardous impurities.

Aft shell

Important! Do not use ashes from herbaceous plants. Ash also makes you thirsty. Watch the filling of the drinkers.

Approximate diet

Foods that the mute eats with pleasure:

  • chopped beet tops;
  • grass;
  • duckweed;
  • grain and compound feed (pre-soaked in water);
  • food waste;
  • boiled meat waste;
  • boiled potatoes;
  • corn.

Note! The diet of an adult Indo-duck is three times less than the diet of ducks of other breeds.

The basis of the diet is cereals with the addition of vegetables and green mass. It can be:

  • cereals such as oats, wheat, barley, corn;
  • a variety of mash - this is a natural type of feed that is easily prepared at home using vegetables and kitchen waste;
  • ready-made compound feed;
  • meat and bone and fish meal;
  • milk return, whey and sour milk;
  • bran, cake and meal;
  • vitamins and supplements.

Note! With inadequate nutrition (lack of vitamin B and sulfur) or lack of free space and lack of good walking, Indo-women develop a perverse appetite. They begin to eat litter, peck at eggs and pluck feathers.

During the moulting period, ducks need to be fed with a significant amount of nutrients. Sulfur is required in the feed. It is found in legumes, cabbage and oilcake.

Forced molting scheme

When the muscovy duck is about to lay eggs, you need to rethink its diet. During incubation, wet mash is canceled and only dry food is given. The hen is provided with a separate fenced pasture.

What you shouldn't feed musk ducklings

Babies are contraindicated:

  • Fresh bread. Yeast ferments the stomach, which negatively affects their well-being and can seriously affect their health.
  • Hot food and water.
  • Large pieces. Chicks greedily swallow food and may choke.
  • Sour products, especially of animal origin. Disorders of the digestive system can cause illness in young animals.
  • Whole grain feed up to 3 weeks of age.

With the right approach, musk ducks reach slaughter weight after 2 months.

Indoor, growing at home

When breeding musk ducks at home, you should adhere to certain norms. It is necessary to properly care for and know what Indo-women eat.

Keeping these birds is relatively easy. They are actually omnivorous, but feeding rules must be followed so that the birds develop normally and lay many eggs.

With free grazing, the costs of maintaining indoor ducks are reduced, and if there is still a reservoir, then the duck will be able to find itself worms and various insects. Then a feeder in the poultry house is not necessary for her.

Indoor grazing

Interesting. Ducks of this breed are very interested in shiny shards of glass and metal, they immediately swallow them. It is necessary to monitor the ideal cleanliness of the yard, walking areas and the reservoir.

It is as easy as possible to grow a musky breed, especially for novice farmers. They will not bring problems to the content. With proper care of Indo-girls, they will certainly delight with the end result. Breeding these birds can be a profitable business.