Raising Ducks For Beginners - What Beginners Need to Know to Keep Ducks Successfully

Plenty of people raise ducks for profit. They find ducks better than chickens for a lot of reasons. For instance, ducks tend to live longer than chickens. So, they can make profits even during the second year of laying. They also need a longer interval for stock replacement. Duck housing is also less elaborate and less costly than poultry houses. In addition, they do not easily acquire common avian diseases. However, raising ducks for beginners can be stressful and exhausting. Young ones can be quite difficult to handle.

They are very delicate, and they cannot be fed just anything. But as they grow older, they become more independent. If you want to raise ducks yet you have no experience yet, you can follow these tips on keeping ducks for beginners:

1. Set up the duck houses in a peaceful, cool place that is near to a pond or stream. You can use cogon and bamboo materials for the housing. Then, you must provide every duck with three square feet of floor space. You can cover the floor with hulls to keep it clean and dry.

2. Create an artificial pond or use a children's pool for the ducks. This will keep them cool. Then again, this step is not compulsory. You can still raise ducks without this.

3. Acquire one drake for every five ducks to start breeding. This is actually a very important step on raising for beginners. You can start choosing breeders when they are around two months old. Also, you must remember that the eggs intended for hatching must come from those which are at least seven months old to ensure better hatchability. Younger ones are less fertile.

4. Another tip on raising ducks for beginners is that drakes must be a month older or the same age as those when breeding. These drakes must be raised in a separate house, though; and they can only be placed with others when it is time for mating.

5. Feed them with the appropriate feeds. Newly born ducklings must only be fed with starter mash. Six-week old ducklings may be given grower mash until they are four-month old. Older ducks beyond four months can be fed with laying ration. Nonetheless, you must only get feeds from reputable dealers.

Ducks can bring interest and variety to your life. Ducks can be a good source of income too. People raise them for meat or for eggs. Whatever your reasons, this guide will help you learn how to raise ducks.

Are you looking for more tips on raising ducks for beginners? If you think you still need guidance on where to start, consulting existing duck owners and farmers will certainly be a big help. If you would like to learn more about keeping ducks correctly, please visit: www.howtoraiseducks.com