Why ducks pluck each other's feathers: reasons

Solution

What to do if you have discovered the above signs and established the reasons for the inappropriate behavior of young animals? It is necessary to take measures in each individual case, depending on the cause

When the inhabitants of the poultry house injure each other due to genetics, that is, inherent instinct, their attention should be switched. Give the young animals the opportunity to eat fresh grass in the meadow

You can also offer babies another object to pinch - for example, a piece of fabric.

What can really be done in case of a lack of nutrients? The owner will have to reconsider the daily diet of the pets.

It is recommended to create a menu so that, among other recommended products, birds receive boiled eggs, cottage cheese, and vitamin supplements every day. The more varied and balanced the nutrition is, the less often the goslings will have the desire to injure their relatives.

When overcrowding is to blame, it is important to properly place the young animals in the house. According to the norms, for one-month-old chicks it is necessary to allocate 1 square meter of space per 8–10 birds

At the age of 1–2 months per 1 sq. per meter, it is permissible to place no more than 4 individuals, starting from 2 months - no more than 2. The problem with attacks by stronger goslings on weaker ones can be solved if they are separated from each other.

Sometimes situations arise when the farmer excludes all possible causes, but conflicts still occur in the herd. Then use the universal method. The backs of the chicks should be smeared with birch tar. It has a bitter taste, which will certainly discourage young animals from the slightest desire to maim their fellows.

At the same time, the product will have its inherent antiseptic effect. This will allow wounds previously received from each other in fights to heal faster.

And you shouldn’t pay attention to the temporarily unkempt appearance of the goslings. The main thing is to solve the problem of pecking and even cannibalism in the herd

LiveInternetLiveInternet

—Tags

Read also: How to make a barn for turkeys with your own hands

-Music

—Links

—Search by diary

—Subscription by e-mail

Factors affecting feather plucking by ducks

Ducks are quite peaceful and, under normal conditions, show almost no aggression towards their relatives and other poultry. If they suddenly begin to attack each other in order to pluck feathers, and sometimes even eat them, then there is a good reason for this.

If a poultry farmer wants to find out why ducks start plucking each other's feathers, he should pay attention to the following:

Diet. The deficiency of nutrients that birds need for growth and proper development, as well as for the formation of feathers, enters the body of ducks only with food. If the diet is formulated incorrectly, the feed contains few substances or mineral elements the bird needs, this will, one way or another, affect its health. To build feathers, ducks need complete proteins, vitamins and minerals. If there are not enough of them, they solve this problem in their own way - they pull out feathers from their relatives and eat them, thus trying to make up for the deficiency of the compounds and elements they need. In addition, in this case, ducks pinch other birds until they bleed. Usually they choose one or several of the weakest individuals and attack them as a whole flock. If measures are not taken in time, such manifestations of cannibalism will lead to the fact that the affected ducks can be pinched to death. Poultry farmers note that mulards, which have a more intense metabolism than other breeds, often suffer from a lack of nutrients.
Conditions of detention. If birds are forced to live in a poultry house in numbers exceeding the permissible norms (2 birds per 1 sq. m), they will suffer from overcrowding, become nervous and fight, pulling out each other’s feathers. They won't eat them. The same thing can happen if there are few feeders or drinkers installed in the duck’s home: at the time of feeding, the ducks, trying to get to food and water, will crush each other and fight.
Lighting. Incorrect daylight hours, insufficient lighting from autumn to spring, or bright light, which provokes aggression in ducks. In all these cases, the birds behave inappropriately, fight and pull out feathers from each other. Indo-ducklings especially often suffer from bright light; they pluck feathers from each other’s backs and tails at the age of 1 month and from the wings when they reach the age of 1.5 months.
Microclimate disturbance. Lack of oxygen, as well as too dry air, contribute to increased fragility of feathers and their loss.
Presence of aggressive individuals. These are ducks that absolutely need to prove their superiority to everyone around them, so they choose a victim and begin to peck at it. This may be a young or simply “weak-willed” individual who cannot fight back, and therefore is subject to attacks by more arrogant and stronger ones. They peck at the wings, tail, and other parts of the body, pull out feathers, and when they feel blood, they begin to deliberately peck at the wounds more and more. Other, calmer ducks may join them. If you don’t help a bird that has started to be pecked, everything can end very sadly for it. Even ducklings, not to mention adults, can show aggression.
Presence of external parasites. Lice, fleas, and ticks can attack ducks, and, trying to get rid of insects, they will begin to peck them, pulling out feathers. In this case, they will not attack others; they will not eat their own feathers either.

Having determined why ducks begin to attack each other, pluck feathers and eat them, you can begin to solve the problem.

This is interesting: Why do chickens fall on their feet?

How to prevent it in the future

Now that you know the possible causes of feather plucking and how to avoid it, it's easy to take preventive measures. Follow the rules for caring for, feeding and watering the bird, and if necessary, give additional vitamins and minerals; this will help prevent troubles associated with feather plucking.

Important! An individual that has received even minor damage to the skin should be isolated in a clean cage. Wounds must be treated with an antiseptic until complete healing; tar can be used for this.

Additionally, you can spray all ducks with an infusion of herbs that have a bitter taste, and also use the beak trimming method (for aggressive ducks). If you need to do exactly the last procedure, then it is better to entrust it to an experienced veterinarian.

If you have noticed that ducks peck their own and other people's feathers, then now you know that such behavior in a duck flock is not at all uncommon. Don't panic, but try to understand the reason for such actions. Make the necessary adjustments in nutrition, care or maintenance, and then such problems will quickly disappear.

Be attentive to your poultry, follow all the rules and regulations, and then you will avoid any troubles.

Causes of the problem

Veterinarians have not yet determined the exact reasons why pecking occurs among chickens. However, they highlight the main factors that can provoke such behavior in birds.

These include:

inappropriate conditions of detention;
crowding;
improper feeding;
bad light.

Inappropriate conditions of detention

The microclimate in the room where the chickens are kept is important. If it is disturbed, the humidity in the chicken coop decreases, which leads to dry skin. This may cause feathers to break.

This may cause feathers to break.

To moisturize the skin, the chicks press their beaks on the coccygeal gland, and this causes irritation, which attracts the attention of their relatives. Thus, they begin to peck each other until they bleed. This phenomenon also occurs when the ventilation system breaks down, the backlight does not work correctly, or there is excessive noise.

All these phenomena provoke stress in the chicks, as a result of which their aggression increases. But you should not miss such a factor as hierarchy. Often chickens kept in enclosures peck at each other in the process of establishing a hierarchy. For example, if there is a small feeder or little space

This phenomenon also occurs when the ventilation system breaks down, the backlight does not work correctly, or there is excessive noise. All these phenomena provoke stress in the chicks, as a result of which their aggression increases. But you should not miss such a factor as hierarchy. Often chickens kept in enclosures peck at each other in the process of establishing a hierarchy. For example, if there is a small feeder or little space.

Crowding

Not having enough space in the coop can also encourage behavior such as pecking at each other. Crowding not only leads to disruption of the microclimate in the poultry house, but also causes aggression among chickens. They begin to fight for space, thereby pecking each other until they bleed and plucking out their tails. Very often this leads to the death of the chicks. As a rule, this phenomenon occurs if the owners do not yet have sufficient experience in raising chickens and keep them in too large numbers in a small area.

Improper feeding

A common reason why chickens peck at each other is poor nutrition. If you do not provide the chicks with balanced food, the body will develop a deficiency of nutrients necessary for normal life. They make up for their lack from what they see, as they say. And more often than not, the object of one’s gaze is one’s fellow creatures.

The most common causes of pecking due to lack of nutrients:

Lack of calcium is the most common reason why chickens pluck feathers and pick at each other's skin. The chickens behave quite aggressively.
With a lack of protein in the diet or its excess, aggression in the livestock also manifests itself. It's all about amino acids, which take part in the production of hormones, enzymes and metabolism.
If there is not enough salt in the diet, then the chickens feel worse and aggression increases. This is especially true if you use plant-based food or only whole grains.
At the age of one month, chickens begin to shed down and exchange it for feathers. If there is not enough protein in the food during this period, the chicks begin to pick up and eat feathers. Or pluck them directly from their fellow creatures.

Bad light

Due to the fact that chickens have color vision, they quickly respond to changes in lighting. The behavior of individuals changes if the light regime is changed. For example, blue shades have a calming effect on chicks. Too bright light contributes to irritation of the nervous system and the appearance of aggression, as a result of which they begin to peck at each other until they bleed. Find out in more detail why these problems arise on the farm in the video (POULTRY FARMING channel).

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Xp4kJwdBLmA

Other reasons

There are other factors that influence the occurrence of such a phenomenon in chickens as pecking.

These include:

introduction of new individuals;
a large number of cockerels among the livestock;
injuries and wounds, especially after plucking feathers;
temperature violation;
if dead specimens remain in the chicken coop for a long period;
presence of feather parasites.

Duck conflicts due to small space

Why do chickens pluck each other's feathers and eat them?

In some cases, conflicts between birds arise not only due to an insufficient amount of nutrients in the bird’s body, but also due to crowded conditions. Some poultry farmers strive to house a huge number of young ducklings or adult ducks even in a small room. It is not recommended to do this. If there is not enough space for pets, they will begin to experience discomfort in the barn and fight with each other for territory. It is important to maintain the golden mean and place a certain number of birds in the barn so that each duckling has enough space and access to water and food.

Ducks don't have enough space

If the barn has an area of 5 m in length and 2.5-3 m in width, then 15 to 20 ducks can be accommodated in it, but no more. If the room for their maintenance is smaller, then the norm should accordingly be reduced, and if the room is larger, then the quantity can be increased. At the same time, some experts say that you can slightly deviate from the norm by placing 2-3 more birds in the barn, but in this case you should not overuse it too much.

A smaller number of birds will be better provided with water and food, which will help solve the problem of feather pulling, and the drakes will grow faster and gain the required weight.

Treatment and behavior correction of turkeys

If individuals with plucked feathers or with lacerations on the body are found in the flock, then it is necessary to remove the injured, pecked birds to a separate pen. Provide them with comfortable living conditions. If their feathers are plucked and muscle tissue and skin are damaged, then they resort to certain therapy:

wounds are treated with an antiseptic. To do this, it is better to keep hydrogen peroxide, potassium permanganate, Furacilin or Miramistin in the first aid kit;
After disinfection, the wounds are lubricated with healing ointments. Use "Levomikol", "Iruxovetin" or "Streptocidal ointment";
to reduce stress in birds and increase immunity, feed birds with a 2% solution of glucose or ascorbic acid;
Infection can enter the body through wounds. Birds are given antibiotics as a preventive measure against infectious diseases. Choose a broad-spectrum drug. This could be Baytril, Erythromycin, Furazolidone;
the rest of the herd is given mineral supplements in the feed;
It is recommended to add feather meal to the diet, 4 g per head;
good results are observed when methionine or manganese sulfate is introduced into the feed; 20 mg per head;
for cannibalism for birds, sulfur is added to the grain mixture; 2 g per head;
birds are given potassium iodide, 3 mg per head. This product is a good antiseptic; prevents the development of infection in the body;
chalk, crushed shells, and egg shells are added to the food; 1 g per head for young animals, up to 6 g per head for adults;
Herbal flour, juicy grass, vegetables and root vegetables are introduced into the diet. It is recommended to replace traditional food with combined food for 2 weeks. It will provide the birds with a complete diet.

Pecking most often occurs in winter. In the summer, being on a free range, no changes in the behavior of the birds are observed. In winter, individuals may receive insufficient amounts of mineral salts and vitamins. They develop various types of vitamin deficiencies. It is necessary to carry out preventive measures to prevent pecking in the herd.

Why do ducklings pluck their feathers?

As for ducklings, the main reasons for their abnormal behavior are unbalanced nutrition and improper living conditions. The babies are initially covered with down, and when the process of feathering begins, due to a lack of nutrients, the chicks pluck out both down and feathers.

Sometimes you can see how ducklings even eat feathers, because they see them as a source of vital components for them.

Also, the reason for plucking may be the unsuccessful transfer of young animals to adults, as a result of which a struggle for survival begins in the poultry yard.

Nutrition adjustments: what to exclude and what to add

If you add methionine (450 g per individual per month), calcium and sulfur, then plumage will grow on bald spots of the skin. Sulfur improves metabolism, and thus birds gain weight. Sulfur can be added to the diet after 7-15 days from birth. Additionally, feed the livestock with feed containing sulfate, copper and iron. Give oil cakes as healthy and vitamin supplements.

It is worth including fresh fish in the weekly menu (3 fish several times a week for each individual). Some poultry farmers feed their ducks flour or minced meat. If you raise ducks for industrial purposes, it is easier to negotiate with a fish or meat plant. Be sure to keep in mind that each individual should receive 50 g of fat once a week.

And yet, special attention should be paid to the nutrition of waterfowl pets. After all, it depends on its composition how quickly the ducks will grow and gain good weight

Experienced poultry farmers advise changing the daily diet for pets from time to time. It is recommended to always add arginine, methionine, cystine, sulfur and calcium to the feed. Moreover, it is sulfur that must be present in the food of small ducklings.

Important! Sulfur should be added to the diet of babies from the second week after their birth. It is responsible for good metabolism and also helps babies gain weight faster

In addition, it is recommended to use food that contains sufficient amounts of copper and manganese sulfates, sodium selenite, iron, cobalt chloride, citric acid and biovetin.

It is worth giving ducklings fish more often

Experts also advise giving birds fish as often as possible, and it’s good if it’s fresh. In this case, sprat or capelin are suitable. These are small fish that ducks can easily eat without any problems. Such feeding should be done quite often - 3 times a week. In this case, each duck should be given 3 pieces at once. It is advisable not to change this norm either less or more. Overfeeding with fish can lead to bad consequences.

Note! If sprat or capelin are not available and such fish are difficult to get, then you can replace them with chopped minced fish

Dairy waste should not be thrown away. They will also have a good effect on the growth and weight gain of ducks. At the same time, you can feed the bird not only with milk waste, but also make milk yourself from a special dry powder. You can include grass meal in the ducks' diet, as well as fresh herbs (dill, onion, parsley, celery, basil).

It is worth noting that half of the grain flour feed can be completely excluded from the poultry diet. You can replace it with a regular nutrient mixture, which any poultry farmer can make independently. To do this, it will be enough to mix equal amounts of bread, potatoes and herbs. The latter can be leaves from cabbage, nettles, dandelions and beet tops. You can also add crushed chalk to your diet. You should also monitor the amount of salt; it can be increased daily by 1.5-2%.

Selection rules

You can get a brood of musk duck chicks at any time of the year if you place the collected eggs in an incubator. On average, each egg should weigh at least 70, but it is better to choose specimens weighing 80-90 grams.

Selection of Muscovy duck eggs

Only those specimens that meet the following requirements are sent for incubation:

size: medium;
shell color: white, possibly with a yellowish tint;
shape: oval, regular;
shell: no cracks, defects, chips or growths.

Experts do not recommend placing contaminated eggs in an incubator. But they can be cleaned of droppings. This is done immediately before the start of the bookmarking process: soiled specimens can also be stored.

There is no need to wash with soapy water or intensively clean the shell. To clean and disinfect, you can purchase a special disinfectant or make a weak solution of manganese. All raw materials are placed in a container with liquid, heavily soiled specimens are wiped with a soft sponge or rag. Experienced poultry farmers say that there is no need to wipe them dry; you can wait until they dry themselves.

Mass ovoscopy

Particular attention is paid to ovoscopy. Transillumination allows for final screening

How to make an ovoscope with your own hands

Remove those specimens for which the following problems were identified during ovoscopy:

spotted shells are a sign of calcium deficiency;
excessively large air chamber;
presence of foreign inclusions (grains of sand, feathers);
visualization of blood clots;
the presence of black spots: they occur when affected by mold;
immobility of the yolk, its position shifted to one of the edges;
lack of pronounced yolk: it can mix with the protein;
light stripes that appear due to mechanical damage;
two yolks;
free movement of the yolk under the shell.

Identifying problematic instances

Only those eggs are subject to incubation if, upon candling, it has been established that:

the air chamber is at the blunt end;
the yolk is located in the center, with sharp turns its moderate mobility is observed;
the protein is transparent without additional impurities.

The selected raw materials are brought into the room and warmed up to room temperature. After this, you can begin the process of breeding offspring.

Expert advice

Additionally, ducks are sprayed with an infusion of bitter herbs to discourage birds from eating the feathers of their fellow birds. This behavior is not uncommon, but it can be easily eliminated if the farmer follows the rules and recommendations of experts.

Plucking feathers in ducks is a common occurrence that can be caused by various factors. Having noticed bald patches, wounds and broken feathers in birds, the owner needs to identify the cause that provoked the pecking and eliminate it. Additionally, the ducks’ diet is enriched with vitamins that will help restore plumage.

Possible complications

Feather plucking by ducks seems harmless at first glance, but in fact, such a pathology can cause serious health problems and even cause death. Having noticed bald patches or damaged areas on the body of ducks, the farmer needs to take immediate action, otherwise his charges will face unpleasant consequences:

Initially minor damage to the skin as a result of further pecking turns into deep bleeding wounds. Due to blood loss, the duck may faint or even die.
Open wounds are entry points for infections that cause fatal diseases.

Causes

The habit of plucking feathers from domestic birds, as a rule, causes considerable damage to agriculture. This abnormal behavior is typical for many birds, but today we will talk specifically about ducks. Why do ducks pluck each other's feathers? Let's try to figure out the reasons.

According to experts, the most likely reason why domestic birds behave this way is a lack of nutrients in the body. However, this does not mean that ducks pluck their feathers because they have a disgusting diet or lack of care from the poultry farmer. In many cases, this can be caused by such a coincidence of circumstances.

The bottom line is that many species of birds, due to their genetics, have increased rates of growth and development. This means that their nature is to gain more muscle mass. Accordingly, for this they need to consume an increased dose of proteins, as well as nutritional components. But often this happens during the period when the duck is fed with various vegetables, bran or zucchini.

In general, agricultural experts do not often recommend vegetables, in particular zucchini or pumpkin. Especially when it comes to ducklings. Ducklings also pluck each other's feathers. The bottom line is that vegetables, in particular pumpkin, have laxative effects, as a result of which all microcomponents and beneficial salts are washed out of the bird’s body. If the shortage of these substances occurs at the time when the feather cover is being formed, you cannot avoid the problem of plucking each other’s feathers. This applies to both adults and ducklings.

In addition, the reasons may be the following:

A lack of necessary microelements in the diet, too poor food - all this indicates poor nutrition, and feeding, as you understand, directly affects this behavior. However, this may well happen as a result of overfeeding, as well as protein deficiency.
If there is no arganine in the blood. This element is very important for the health of birds; its norm is 6.9. If it drops to 3.9, ducks pluck feathers from each other, and this happens en masse.
If the microclimate has been disturbed. The lack of oxygen, as well as dry air, contribute to increased fragility of feathers, as well as plumage loss. In addition, the bird itself will want to get rid of the feathers, so they can pluck not only someone else’s plumage, but also their own.

Possible complications

As you understand, this behavior is undesirable, since it indicates certain disorders in the body of the duck or ducklings. In addition to being unpleasant, it is also dangerous. After all, when a bird pulls out a feather, it also pecks at its skin. And just at this moment the first signs of cannibalism appear. When birds feel their blood, they can pick at the wound with their beak so hard that they lose consciousness or even die from blood loss. An equally dangerous complication is blood poisoning, in which case the bird can even infect its fellow birds.

But this behavior can be most dangerous among ducklings. Often, signs of feather plucking and skin pecking appear at two months of age, when birds go out to range. In such cases, the birds will become more aggressive and irritable, they will fight with their fellow tribesmen, and also pluck the feathers on each other’s tail, wings and necks. If you notice that such a problem has appeared in your brood, you need to act immediately.

Avitaminosis

Indo-duck belongs to the category of poultry, for which the presence of vitamins and other useful elements in the feed is a vital factor. Diseases of Indian ducks associated with a lack of vitamins are divided into several categories, depending on which element is deficient. That is why novice poultry farmers should carefully study the information about how this or that type of vitamin deficiency manifests itself and, based on the knowledge gained, organize the treatment of ailments.

Young animals should be monitored especially closely, since young ducklings are not able to independently fight the problem for a long time. If not properly maintained, the duck may encounter:

cloacite;
lack of vitamins of group A;
lack of vitamins B and D.

Each of these diseases has a number of its own characteristics, so methods of treating them should be considered individually.

Solutions

Therefore, it is necessary to determine the cause of this problem.

Birds are aggressors

First of all, there are birds with aggressive behavior that pluck feathers. These ducks are noticeable and can be easily identified.

Daylight hours

Regulate daylight hours in the holding area. Light that is too bright can cause cannibalism, so it needs to be reduced to a dimmer light.

Too many vegetables

It is necessary to reduce the percentage of vegetables in the diet for birds, especially when they are fattening, since zucchini and pumpkin can be laxatives and remove necessary elements from the body. Therefore, in order to recover, birds are forced to peck feathers from other ducks.

Not enough inventory

Provide a sufficient number of feeders and drinkers. Lack of feed can have a negative impact on the condition of some birds.

See if the nests are too close to each other.

Microclimate

Also, the feather can deteriorate due to high or low humidity in the places where it is kept, so the bird begins to peck at the feather. This traumatic action leads to the appearance of blood, which leads to the fact that the birds begin to peck at the wound. To solve this problem, it is necessary to adjust the indoor temperature and provide ventilation.

Beak trimming to prevent cannibalism in the herd is very difficult to do on your own; it is better to solve the pecking situation in another way.

Diet problems

Analyze your diet

It is important that it contains calcium and sulfur, as well as methionine and arginine. The optimal content of these components in the body of ducks will lead to the cessation of cannibalism in the herd and will lead to the rapid healing of damaged skin areas

And sulfur will improve metabolism and increase weight gain. Starting from the second week of life, it is included in the diet.

Substances such as copper, iron, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, citric acid, biotin must also be present in the feed without fail. It is necessary to use ready-made premixes intended for ducks, which already contain these components. It’s good if the birds’ diet includes meat and fish components; they can be obtained from meat-bone and fish meal. You need 50 g per head per week. You can also add milk powder, cottage cheese and skim milk to the duck mash. If you have a pond, you can allow ducks to swim in it.

This way the birds will be able to get greens and shells from the water. Grass meal and fresh herbs should be present in the ducks’ diet. Feed chalk will enrich the feed with mineral components. After the diet acquires beneficial nutritional properties, cannibalism in the herd stops.

To treat this phenomenon, you can use drugs such as Perovin in combination with any water-soluble vitamins.

All individuals that are damaged are removed until the wounds heal. The skin can be treated with any antiseptic preparations. The ducks that were the instigators of this situation are also placed in a separate place. They are given balanced food and after a while are returned back to the herd.

Aggression is not the cause of cannibalism. Basically the problem is unbalanced feeding. Therefore, after solving problems with the diet, the bird recovers and continues to gain weight.

It is no secret to experienced farmers and housekeepers that ducks periodically pluck the feathers of their relatives. However, it often happens that this fact misleads beginners in the field of bird breeding. That is why learning everything about why ducks pluck each other’s feathers is a priority task for the farmer. Incorrect conclusions or simple ignorance can lead to the death of livestock.

Ducks pluck each other's feathers

Ducks' wings become deformed from human food

01.03.2013

A popular practice in city parks could have a devastating effect on bird populations that live in urban environments, says a Sacramento, California-based animal activist. Feeding birds bread crumbs or other human food scraps, especially to flocks of geese and ducks, can actually cause them to develop severe wing deformities. This fact was recently confirmed in a study conducted by the municipal government of Sacramento.

Judi McCleier, a local bird watcher, first began noticing a year ago that many of the birds living in McKinley Park on the city's east side were beginning to develop unusual wing deformities. The wings protruded outward and upward, instead of resting neatly on the body. After investigating the situation, McCluer came to a shocking conclusion:

“I did some research and found that it is caused by us, from the human food we give them,” the enthusiast explained to reporters. - “Human food is not digested properly by the digestive system of birds.”

McCluer initially tried to prevent park visitors from feeding the birds loaves of bread and other foods, which had partial success. But she eventually took the problem to city officials, who came to the same conclusion—human food is toxic to birds and causes developmental defects.

The city soon posted signs in the park warning visitors about the toxicity of human food to birds, and many visitors listened. But in the end, they stopped feeding the birds altogether, which city officials see as a harmful consequence. So the municipality unilaterally removed all the signs and encouraged McCluer to place her homemade signs throughout the park. She was also provided with appropriate free bird food, which had a positive effect, Naturalnews reported.

“Feeding ducks with bread, seeds, crackers, chips, popcorn

is equivalent to feeding your child only candy,” experts explain. “Ducks like bread and other foods and demand more, just like children want candy. However, human food has no nutritional value for waterbirds. It fills their stomachs so much that there is no room for the kind of food that would allow them to stay healthy.”

Yaroslav Plutenko

How to treat when goslings fall on their feet?

Many diseases and ailments have similar symptoms - goslings simply fall on their feet and die over time.

Enteritis affects the liver, stomach, and intestines. Transmitted through sick individuals, equipment, food, water. It manifests itself in the form of drowsiness, weakness of the legs (which causes individuals to fall), discharge from the sinuses, and liquid feces with blood. A 2-time vaccination is carried out against enteritis. If the problem has already appeared, then it cannot be cured - the affected individuals are destroyed.
Salmonellosis or paratyphoid fever is a common veterinarian’s answer to the question of why goslings are dying. Infection occurs from an infected bird or through birds, food, or rodents. The disease often appears with vitamin deficiency. Symptoms: inactivity, lethargy, drooping wings, uneven gait, poor appetite, thirst. Treatment: after examination, the veterinarian prescribes drugs such as Furazolin, Biomycin, Tetracycline, Sulfamedizin. Use them according to the instructions or as the veterinarian says. The room with the poultry is treated with a 5% solution of bleach and 20% solution of slaked lime.

Important! Young animals can be vaccinated against salmonellosis

Hymenolepiasis enters the body of birds with parasites, including mollusks, which are found in water bodies. After about 3 weeks, they begin to fall to their feet, cannot get up, convulsions and paralysis appear, and all this leads to death. The disease is treated with anthelmintics, and a suspension of Albendazole and Liquafen is given.
Renal coccidiosis usually affects three-month-olds. Transmitted through water, greenery or adult birds. Symptoms: lethargy, no appetite, decreased activity (falling on their feet and falling over on their back). It is very difficult to treat the disease because it comes back again. Most often, individuals are simply destroyed.

The reason why goslings fall on their feet may also be the colibacillosis described above.

Prevention

Knowing that ducks can pluck and eat the feathers of their relatives, the farmer can prevent such behavior by observing the following rules:

Provide a proper and balanced diet.
Include vitamins and mineral supplements in the duck menu.
Monitor the number of feeders and drinkers.
When keeping aggressive breeds, trim the beak at an early age.
Provide the birds with a spacious house, a place for walking and a pond.
Regularly inspect birds for injuries and plucked feathers, track aggressive ducks and place them in a separate place.
Control the level of lighting in the poultry house.

When do Indian ducks start laying eggs?

According to breeding principles, there is one male for every four females. Since the males of this breed mature later, they should be correspondingly older. Economic maturity of females occurs at the age of 196-200 days. It is not recommended to induce early egg laying in this bird. Therefore, its daily lighting and diet should be limited.

This bird can lay about 100-150 eggs per year. The quantity will directly depend on the conditions of detention and nutrition. Mature individuals begin to lay eggs as early as March, sometimes in February. The timing will also depend on weather conditions. Young ducks start laying eggs later.

Indo-ducks begin laying eggs around 6 a.m. and finish laying after lunch. This distinguishes them from other types of domestic ducks. It is worth noting that it is easier to breed this breed of birds in natural conditions than in an incubator.

The Indian duck has a well-developed maternal instinct. When picking up a mother duck, you need to examine her properly. First, you should pay attention to the keel. It should hit without pronounced defects and wide enough

Then you need to pay attention to the distance between the pubic bones. The “coral” growths should be bright and small. In young individuals they are very small

In young individuals they are very small.

It is unknown how a young Indian duck will hatch eggs, which is why the owners give preference to proven “mothers”. But, as stated above, this bird takes very good care of its offspring. Prepares the incubation site in advance, looking for a secluded corner for itself, and makes a nest out of its own down.

It is very important that the hen's nest is located in the correct and convenient place. Bird nests should not be located close to each other. Because if one of the females' ducklings hatch early and she shows off and walks around other ducks, then they may run after the brood and leave their nests

You need to make nests from a cardboard box and insulate them with hay

Because if one of the females’ ducklings hatch early and she shows off and walks around other ducks, then they may run after the brood and leave their nests. You need to make nests from a cardboard box and insulate them with hay.

It is quite difficult to determine the exact incubation period of eggs under natural conditions. Approximately it lasts about 30-32 days. Usually, ducklings begin to hatch at the same time for all hens.

There are several nuances that should be taken into account when a bird incubates eggs. Firstly, it is advisable that during the last days of incubation nothing disturbs the mother, especially noise and other animals. There should always be a container with clean water near the duck so that it can bathe. This is beneficial not only for the bird, but also for its future brood. This way the eggs will be better oxygenated and washed.

It is very important to feed the Indian duck with dry food during hatching without adding various wet mash. It is also necessary to provide mother birds with a separate fenced pasture so that they can safely browse the grass.

It is necessary to check the nest and remove eggs with defects only in the absence of the duck. For example, when she goes out to pasture. This breed reacts very calmly to inspection of the nest. And they incubate the eggs desperately, until the very end. In this regard, the Indian duck is very patient. And the experienced mother looks after the brood very well. After the chicks hatch, they can be taken away to ensure their safety, since sometimes it happens that a duck can crush the baby (if it is inexperienced).

The time of hatching can be more accurately determined by the amount of fluff in the nest. In the last days, before the ducklings are supposed to hatch, the duckling begins to squeak. In this way, she seems to be talking to her kids.

In one season, an Indian duck can hatch 2-3 broods of approximately 20-23 eggs each. And most of the ducklings are males. The number of females reaches up to 7 individuals in one brood.

Reasons why ducks pinch each other or themselves and eat feathers, ways to solve them

Solution

LiveInternetLiveInternet

—Tags

—Categories

-Music

—Links

—Search by diary

—Subscription by e-mail

Factors affecting feather plucking by ducks

How to prevent it in the future

Causes of the problem

Inappropriate conditions of detention

Crowding

Improper feeding

Bad light

Other reasons

Duck conflicts due to small space

Treatment and behavior correction of turkeys

Why do ducklings pluck their feathers?

Nutrition adjustments: what to exclude and what to add

Selection rules

Expert advice

Possible complications

Causes

Possible complications

Avitaminosis

Solutions

Birds are aggressors

Daylight hours

Too many vegetables

Not enough inventory

Microclimate

Diet problems

Ducks' wings become deformed from human food

How to treat when goslings fall on their feet?

Prevention

When do Indian ducks start laying eggs?