Waterfowl Breeding

Waterfowl breeding is practiced on large scale in most of the countries wherever its different types are found. A variety of waterfowl species have different requirement that has to be fulfilled. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out proper breeding methods to achieve their successful reproduction.

Hints and tips for waterfowl breeding:

Breeding of waterfowls require proper maintenance. It needs things like nest boxes, well planted hatching areas, arrangement for incubation, and brooders. Follow the tips and hints given below.

• Arrange a good basic nest box of approximately 30cm square for waterfowls to lay eggs.
• Make arrangement of a small amount of straw for nesting material by using used reed-mace leaves, sand and dried shavings to settle at the bottom of the nest box.
• The nest boxes should be well-protected from predators like crows, magpies, etc.
• It is best if the nest box has a sloping removable lid. You can easily inspect the eggs and conduct annual cleaning.
• It is very important to have appropriate entrance hole to the nest box to suit the various waterfowl species.
• Provide a solid ladder type ramp with a wire mesh covering to the box.
• It is beneficial to omit the floor in the box so that the nest is exposed to the humidity of the ground.
• Make proper arrangements for the waterfowl inmates to lay eggs in the nest box
• If the creatures don’t do hatching by self, then collect the eggs and keep them for artificial incubation.
• Occasionally, dummy eggs like hens or bantam’s can be placed in the nest box until entire eggs are laid and incubation starts.

Incubation of waterfowl eggs:

It is better to allow the waterfowl eggs hatch naturally. That is by allowing the ducks to sit and incubate the eggs for around a week or so. Later, you can remove those eggs to an incubator for proper hatch. This method helps the proper incubation of water fowl eggs as it prevents the damage and loss that may arise if the eggs are laid astray. Air type incubator proves beneficial to keep record of the complete incubation period. Fertile eggs are separated from the dead eggs and turned frequently on their sides by controlling the temperature and humidity.
Unblock the air holes when all the feasible eggs hatch. Leave the chicks to dry off. Do not open the lid for almost twenty four hours.
You can also make use of brooders that are easily available at poultry farms. It comes in two types, viz: Dry brooder and wet brooder. Dry brooder is the basic one that helps to rear ducklings while the wet brooder are used for ducklings of sea ducks and diving ducks to profit from early contact to deep water in which they can immerse completely.

All the commonly kept ornamental species of ducks and geese will breed readily in captivity. Suitably sized nest boxes, from which the tops can be lifted to inspect the nest, should be placed around the birds' enclosure, and a layer of straw put into each. For some species the nest boxes must be on posts 75 cm (30 in) above the ground and supplied with slatted planks so that the birds can reach them. Ducks will soon find the nest boxes during the season and start to lay. If you are sure that they are not going to become waterlogged or taken by predators such as rats, leave the eggs where they are, otherwise remove each one as it is laid and replace it with a dummy until the bird starts to cover the clutch with down. This is the time to replace the proper eggs and clean and disinfect the dummies till next year.

When the ducklings hatch, special care has to be taken to ensure that they are not eaten by predators. Their food can be supplemented with boiled potato and whole meal bread, but as with pheasants, ducks can be reared by bantams or in an incubator.

Various waterfowl breeding activities are conducted across the world to increase its survival chance and to safeguard the endangered species. For example, Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Breeding Center and Muddyduck Waterfowl Breeding Center Inc.