The Murad duck breed is popularly called duck-goose due to its external similarity with both birds. They are easy to distinguish from other representatives of these birds: they are large, snow-white, and on the head, directly on the back of the head, there is a black spot. Quite often you can find birds with dark spots on their flapping wings. These large birds are bred exclusively for meat, and all grown and gained weight individuals are slaughtered. The latter is explained by the fact that mulards are sterile representatives of the duck family. In other words, they cannot have offspring and are not left for subsequent breeding. Duck-goose ducklings are born by crossing the Peking breed and the Indian duck.
This magnificent hybrid has attracted the attention of farmers due to its high meat productivity. Quite a bit of feed is spent on fattening, and the weight gain is impressive, especially if you use the forced feeding method: by 2-3 months the bird reaches slaughter condition, reaching 4-5 kilograms of live weight!
Origin
The Mulard duck is a descendant of drakes of wild Muscovy ducks and domestic females (mainly the Peking White breed). This hybrid was developed in the mid-twentieth century.
The initial goal of selection was the desire to compensate for minor shortcomings of the main species. Peking duck quickly gains weight, but it is not clean, noisy and prone to fat accumulation, which impairs the taste and healthiness of the meat. Wild Muscovy ducks are not noisy or fatty, but they are demanding of room temperature and slowly gain weight.
The result of interspecific crossing made it possible to combine the best characteristics of the main breeds and obtain a large and easy-to-maintain meat hybrid. Due to the different habitats of the parents (South America for Muscovy ducks and Eurasia for Pekin ducks), these species do not interbreed under natural conditions. Obtaining a crossbreed is only possible under artificially created conditions. The result of interspecific selection is not capable of reproducing offspring, which is why the breed is often called a cross.
Where does the mulard live?
Photo: Mulard duck
Mulards are artificially raised birds that live only with large or private breeders. Like other ducks, mulards are kept on specialized poultry farms.
Mulards are quite unpretentious because they do not require special conditions of detention. All ducks are gregarious, so mulards are kept in small groups. Their main habitat is a dry and warm room, which is covered with straw. Ducks have roosting places - peculiar ground nests where they spend the night and hatch their chicks.
A place for walking is also a must. It is advisable that it be a field or meadow with fresh green grass. This way, the ducks will be able to warm up by walking around the field, and at the same time nibble the grass.
Although mulards are aimed at accumulating mass so that it does not turn into fat, they need to move. Therefore, it is advisable to place a small pond in the walking area, where mulards can swim and catch algae or small crustaceans. At the same time, there is no need to be afraid that the ducks will want to fly away. Mulards are not adapted to flight and quickly get used to their owners and permanent habitat.
Appearance and characteristics
Mulard ducks have a characteristic appearance that reflects the features of both main breeds and does not allow the hybrid to be confused with another species. The adult size ranges from 4 to 7 kg. The difference in weight between the female and male hybrid does not exceed 0.5 kg.
Mulards are white in color, with a black spot on the head. Some birds may have black stripes on their wings, which indicate selection of individuals with different phenotypes. The tail of hybrid ducks is short, predominantly white, but may include black feathers.
The body of the mulard is elongated, but harmonious and dense. The bird quickly gains muscle mass, which distinguishes it from its ancestor (Peking duck), which gains fat. The wings of the hybrid are long and fit well to the body. There is no need to trim the wings when keeping poultry on the farm, because... Due to its heavy weight, the duck is not able to fly over the fence.
The neck of an adult duck is quite thick and long. The head is oval shaped and medium in size. The beak is flat and elongated, has a light yellow color, and the short legs of the bird are of a slightly darker shade - yellow-orange. A characteristic feature of the hybrid is also dark eyes. Due to their large weight, rapid growth of meat mass and elongated neck, mulards are called a mixture of goose and duck (duck-goose).
Mulard ducks: description of the breed, how to raise, price, reviews, photos
Raising ducks for meat has been and remains popular. In order to make this activity as profitable as possible, they try to breed poultry for meat production. One of the most attractive options is mularda ducks.
Mulards are most widespread in France, the USA, England, as well as in Southeast Asia
Sometimes people who are far from poultry farming even confuse them with a goose due to their significant size and somewhat atypical appearance for a duck.
The bird is in great demand due to its high productive qualities, but it also has a significant drawback - the impossibility of natural reproduction .
Origin of the Mulards
The mixture was developed in France by crossing drakes of Peking ducks and Muscovy ducks.
Appearance and characteristics of the breed
Calm, clean and early maturing ducks of hybrid origin
Mulard has a characteristic appearance that prevents it from being confused with other ducks.
The feather color is predominantly white . The black spot is necessarily present only on the head. Some individuals may have black feathers on the wings and tail.
This phenomenon is due to the fact that ducks with different plumage are crossed.
Mulards have a large live weight and good quality meat
The size of the duck is significantly larger than that of its parents, which is why some call the breed duck-geese . The body of the bird is dense, elongated, folding.
The wings are quite long, fitting well to the body. The neck is strong and quite long. The head is oval and medium in size. The beak is light yellow, flat, elongated. The eyes are always dark. The paws are short yellow-orange in color.
The tail is short.
Correcting the deficiencies of musk drakes and domestic ducks is the reason for breeding mulards
The bird's character is calm. She, unlike the Pekingese breed, is not noisy and clean, and does not throw water near the drinking bowl. These ducks are quite smart, and managing their flock is not difficult. For this reason, mulards can be released into open grazing without fear.
Features of keeping hybrids
In order to obtain high-quality meat, the duck must be raised in compliance with certain rules . If they are violated, it will not be possible to obtain high productivity of mulards.
Care
Ducks are ideal for both industrial and private rearing. Caring for a bird is not difficult. Mulards need a small insulated shed where they will be locked at night, and a walk .
The temperature in the poultry house should be no lower than 16 degrees and no higher than 25 degrees. Humidity should be maintained between 60% and 70%. During the day, the entrance to the poultry barn should be constantly open, so that if the weather worsens or gets tired, it can easily return to it.
The floor of the poultry house should be covered with a thick layer of sawdust or straw, which will allow the mulards to feel comfortable even in cold weather. The litter needs to be changed when it gets dirty. It is forbidden for a bird to walk on a dirty floor. It is very important to ensure that there are no drafts in the room where the ducks are kept .
The area of the barn is calculated from the norm: 1 m² for 3 heads. For an enclosure, this figure is: 2 m² per head.
A pond is not required for mulards, but a large basin with clean water in which the bird can swim if desired is necessary. Without this, the bird's feather will not be of high quality.
As a rule, the birds are not left for the winter and the flock is slaughtered before persistent sub-zero temperatures . This is due to the fact that these ducks are not capable of reproduction and, therefore, cannot be kept as breeding ducks.
They do not tolerate the cold well and lose significant weight, and also begin to get sick, which is why the meat obtained in winter is not of high quality. In order to have ducklings in the cold season, it is best to simply increase the number of the last batch of birds, and, having slaughtered them, load the carcasses into the freezer.
Young animals are bred in the spring in April-May . You can get it either on your own, for which the Peking and Muscovy ducks available on the farm will be crossed, or by purchasing it from an industrial farm. Crossbreeds of other duck breeds are not mulards.
Breeding offspring
Breeding offspring on your own is quite possible. , Peking and Muscovy ducks at the age of 10–12 months are crossed at home . In the event that ducklings are hatched under a duck, their yield is 60%. When artificial incubation is performed, then with proper selection of eggs, in the vast majority of cases it is 100%.
To obtain good fertility for 4 musk females, 1 Beijing male is required.
Advantages and disadvantages of ducks
Mularda hybrids have strengths that easily cover the main disadvantage - the impossibility of obtaining offspring from them.
The advantages of ducks are:
- large mass;
- low fat content;
- large liver;
- good survival rate;
- ease of care;
- precocity.
The advantages of the hybrid made it popular in various countries in a short time.
In Russia, mullards are not yet grown in such large quantities, which is most likely due to the fact that their cost is higher than other ducks raised for meat.
Price
The price of ducks, depending on where they are purchased, varies significantly. On average, a duckling at the age of 1 week costs about 600 rubles. Adult birds are not sold, as they are not of interest as breeding material.
Photo gallery
In order not to make a mistake when buying hybrids, it is worth looking at a photo of a mulard duck-goose. This will allow you to accurately determine whether the breeder is offering the right ducklings under this name. The black spot on the head is already present in ducklings, which is a good reference.
Source: https://selshoz.ru/pticevodstvo/utki/mulard
Productivity
Mulard ducks are characterized by good productivity.
In the first 3 months of life, they reach a weight of 3.5-4 kg, and in 4-5 months they gain the weight of an adult. The fat content of the bird is only 3%, which is the minimum for all types of ducks.
Mulard meat does not have an unpleasant odor or taste. Low fat content and high nutritional value allow it to be used to feed sick people, convalescents and children. Another characteristic feature of the cross is the presence of a large and fatty liver. The weight of duck liver is 500-550 g. With the correct diet and maintenance of the bird, this product is not inferior in taste to the traditional base for foie gras - goose liver.
Female hybrids lay large eggs. They have a pleasant taste and can be used both for preparing main dishes and for baking. They should be eaten only after heat treatment (frying, boiling, baking), because... Eating raw eggs can lead to the development of an intestinal infection. The high density and good thermal insulation properties of mulard feathers allow them to be used in the production of featherbeds, pillows and outerwear.
Content Features
The quality of meat and the likelihood of developing diseases in poultry depend on the conditions under which it is kept. Ducks need a warm place to live, daily walking, adequate nutrition and access to water.
Care
Mulards must be kept in an insulated barn, the temperature in which is +16...+25°C, and the humidity is 60-70%. There should be no draft in the duck room. To insulate the floor, you need to cover it with a thick layer of straw or shavings. The litter should be changed when it gets dirty.
During the day, birds should be allowed out to roam, but a warm barn should be available to them at any time so that they can return to it on their own if they are tired or in bad weather. The exit hole for ducks should be located on the south side of the house, 5-8 cm above floor level.
The area of the barn and pen for walking ducks is calculated depending on the number of livestock:
- for a barn - 1 m² for 3 individuals;
- for an open walking area - 1 m² for each duck;
- for an aviary - 2 m² per 1 individual.
The presence of a pond is not mandatory, but you need to place a large basin of water in the birds’ territory in which they can swim. The water in the basin must be changed daily or more often as it gets dirty, otherwise the duck feather will be of poor quality.
The rules for caring for ducks under 1 month of age differ from the described standards for keeping birds.
Feeding and fattening
Compound feed and mixed plant food are used to feed mulards. Compound feed should be designed specifically for ducks: dry feed for cattle can be harmful to the bird. Adult hybrids need to be fed 2-3 times a day.
For the first feeding, it is advisable to use only dry food, and for the rest - plant food (vegetable tops, waste, duckweed, hay, etc.). In small quantities it is allowed to give soaked black and white bread, as well as bran.
Before starting feeding, you need to check the bird's esophagus: if it is soft to the touch, then the previous portion of food has entered the stomach and you can start feeding again. To prevent food from turning sour in the feeders, you need to check how much the birds eat in 30 minutes and do not put more in 1 feeding. The number of meals is calculated according to the volume of food eaten at a time.
An approximate poultry diet contains the following components:
- mixture of grains - 23%;
- crushed wheat - 9%;
- crushed corn - 32%;
- millet - 9%;
- bone and meat-bone meal - 0.9% and 2.3%;
- fishmeal - 5.5%;
- sunflower cake - 5.5%;
- hay flour - 6.8%;
- hydrolytic yeast - 2.8%;
- honey - 1.7%;
- salt - 0.45% (1.5 g per 340 g of feed);
- shells - 2.3%;
- grass meal or duckweed - 1%.
Shells, fine gravel and other inedible components speed up the grinding of food and improve its digestibility. Shells, eggshells and chalk are sources of calcium salts. The diet may include boiled vegetables (potatoes, carrots).
An adult duck consumes about 340 g of feed per day. To provide poultry with timely and high-quality nutrition, you need to equip the poultry house with convenient drinkers and feeders. Only nipple drinkers should be installed inside the livestock barn.
In the paddock for walking, instead of a special drinking bowl, a wide bowl or basin can be placed. Particular care must be taken to monitor the cleanliness of water in drinking bowls and drinking bowls in the yard.
Feeders should be installed so that ducks can take food without stress and haste and do not try to scatter it on the ground. For mulards, a feeder with dimensions of 1.4 * 0.23 m (for hybrids aged more than 2 months) or 1 * 0.15 m (for hybrids less than 2 months old) is suitable. To avoid food spillage, you need to install a special bar on the feeder, which will not allow ducks to throw their heads high.
When feeding, you need to monitor the livestock. In some cases, more active ducks receive more food than calm ducks, which slows their weight gain and reduces the quality of the meat. In these cases, it is recommended to feed the birds separately.
Fattening mulards for foie gras requires the use of special devices to force food into the stomach. To obtain a large and high-quality liver, it is necessary to give ducks 400 g of feed per day, dividing this amount into 5 servings. Force-feeding of birds (mainly drakes) begins no earlier than 13 weeks.
Raising young animals
The rules for raising small ducklings (up to 1 month) differ from keeping adult birds.
Young animals are purchased mainly in April or May. Day-old and week-old ducklings are offered for sale. The most preferred are day-old chicks with active behavior, a clean area under the tail and wings tightly pressed to the body.
After delivering the chicks to the house or immediately after birth and the wings drying, you need to give them a light pink solution of potassium permanganate. Each duckling should be watered separately by dropping a small amount of solution into its beaks. The solution must also be added to drinking water.
Keeping day-old ducklings requires special temperature and light conditions:
- In the first 5-6 days of the chicks’ life, the temperature in the barn should be maintained at +20…+22°C. Near the source of heat, the air temperature should be +28…+30°C. Lighting during this period should be around the clock or at least 18-20 hours a day.
- Starting from day 7, you need to gradually reduce the temperature to the level recommended for keeping adult birds (but not less than +18°C). The duration of daylight hours should be slowly reduced: already on the 11th-12th day of life of ducklings, it should be 16 hours.
The light should be dim and diffused so as not to blind the chicks.
Bedding for young animals can be made from straw, hay and shavings sprinkled with fluff lime. Sawdust can only be used to insulate adult birds: chicks can peck at it and die. The first food for hatched ducklings should be a thoroughly crushed boiled egg. In the first 5 days after purchase, the chicks need to be fed every 2 hours. From 10 days of age, the feeding frequency is 2-3 times a day. The food may contain the following components:
- crushed corn grain - 50%;
- crushed wheat grain - up to 13%;
- sunflower cake - 19%;
- yeast - 5%;
- fishmeal - 7%;
- skim milk and grass flour - 3% each;
- fat and chalk (or other calcium supplements) - 1% each;
- salt - no more than 0.2%;
- sand.
Meat and bone meal and fish meal are an important component of the duck diet, especially during the period of active growth. To ensure long-term preservation of the product, you need to buy flour with a fat content of no more than 10%. Walking should begin depending on the weather, but not earlier than 3-4 days after purchasing the bird.
Increase in offspring
To start breeding these ducks, you need to cross a musk bird and a Peking drake. It is better to plan this process for the summer season. Crossing is carried out between birds that have reached the age of 7-10 months. Appropriate conditions and high sexual activity of ducks must be observed.
When the birds are mated, the female will soon lay eggs. Within a week, you can select the best of them for incubation. Small representatives are bred in an incubator or hatched by a hen. The last option is more fruitful than the first. A hen can be used for more than one season if her behavior is normal. For it you need to create certain conditions. For example, her nest should be in a calm and quiet place. This could be a wooden box or a fence. There should be warm bedding under the brood duck: straw or hay. It is best to place 15 to 20 eggs under it, and they should all be hidden under the hen’s feathers.
After 10 days you need to check the process. This is done using a portable ovoscope (this is the name of the device that allows you to see through the shell). Unfertilized eggs should be removed (light-colored, without blood vessels), and specimens with dead embryos should be thrown away.
Once every few days, the bird may leave the nest for a short time. For this purpose, food and water should be placed close to the incubation site. In addition to natural needs, as reviews from breeders say, the duck must also bathe. With the help of wet feathers, she will moisten the eggs.
Duck diseases
Mulards have a strong immune system, but may suffer from the following pathologies:
- feather pecking;
- cloacite;
- aspergillosis;
- salmonellosis.
To reduce the risk of diseases, it is necessary to monitor the quality and freshness of the feed, the cleanliness of the litter and water, and the content of vitamins and microelements in the poultry’s diet. The likelihood of pecking increases with insufficient territory, a small number of feeders and drinkers, a deficiency of calcium and protein, and an excessive amount of vegetables and bran. Poor appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, lack of interest in food and lethargic behavior of the duck are reasons to contact a veterinarian. Most diseases can be cured without reducing the number of poultry.
Health
Mulards are a cross with excellent health and resistance to many diseases. They tolerate early frosts and sudden temperature changes. When ducks are kept in good conditions and receive adequate food, they rarely get sick. However, problems may arise due to exposure to harmful factors.
Mulards are susceptible to a disorder called feather pecking. The reasons for this are:
- small amount of drinking water, deficiency of protein components of food, mineral supplements;
- predominance of vegetables in the diet. This causes diarrhea, which removes important macro- and microelements from the body;
- the room is cramped, which is why the birds are deprived of a place to rest.
It happens that pecking is initiated by individuals with violent behavior that is not typical for Mulards. They attack their neighbors, and they begin to peck at the others. To stop the fighting in the poultry house, you need to take the rowdy to the veterinarian. When the abnormal behavior is caused by a disease, the doctor will tell you how to treat it.
If everything is fine with health, the cause of unrest in the barn may be stuffiness and lighting errors. Too bright lamps cause aggression in birds, even cannibalism.
Business
When drawing up a farm business plan, the following factors should be taken into account:
- the cost of building a poultry house of the required area;
- feed price;
- the period during which ducklings grow (2-3 months);
- associated costs (transportation, heating, lighting, veterinary examination permit, etc.).
The payback period for small farms ranges from 1-1.5 years and depends on the size of the livestock. Most owners, taking into account the advantages of the breed, raise Mulards for meat or liver. Sales points (restaurants, markets) need to be found in advance.
