D11: Breeding ducks (breeding goal, use, breeds, traits, breeding methods and hybrids)

Question 1

when were ducks domesticated?
kingdome
phylum
class
order
suborder
genus

Answer 1

origin from 2 breeds:
WILD MALLARD: 2000-3000BC
MUSCOVY DUCK: pre-columbian times by native americans.

kingdom: animalia
phylum: chordata
class: aves
order: Galliformis, anseriformes, columbiformes

order: galliformis
suborder: galli
genus; gallus - chicken (galli gallus = chicken)
genus: meleagris - turkey

order: anseriformes
suborder: anseres
Tribe: Anserini (greylag goose and swan goose)
Tribe: Cairini (muskovy duck)
Tribe: Anatini (domestic duck)

Question 2

what did domestication change?

Answer 2

• Size, weight
• Prolificacy
• Conformation (meat and penguin ducks)
• Plumage colour and varieties

Question 3

What is the breeding goal of ducks?

Answer 3

• producing good-sized eggs,
• quality meat,
• getting rid of slugs and snails from the garden.
  -Some breeds serve ornamental purposes.

Question 4

what are the uses of ducks?

Answer 4

• Meat (broiler)
• Liver and eggs for consumption (in Southeast-Asia of great importance)
• Breeding egg for hatcheries
• Feathers (of lower quality)

Question 5

what are the reproduction traits of ducks?

Answer 5

• Start of laying: 18-26 weeks (approx 5 months)
• Egg production and laying performance is excellent!
  –> 100-300 eggs (species specific)
  –> campbell duck 300+ eggs (60 - 80g)
  –> muscovy duck 90 - 120 eggs ( 80 - 90g)
• Egg weight: 60-90 g
• Laying period: 8-10 months
• Incubation time: 28 days
• Broodiness disappeared in intensive layer types, egg production is decreased slightly (by 10%) in the next year, therefore egg production of ducks worth for 2-3 years.
• Extremely photosensitive birds

*hatchability: 80 - 90%

Question 6

what are the production of traits of ducks?

Answer 6

• Meat production: fast growth in young age, broilers reaches 75% of adult weight in
  the 7th week.
  –> sex differences are low 6 - 9%
• Dressing percentage: 60-65%, high subcutaneous and abdominal fat deposition.
• Breast ratio: 10-15% (h2 = 0.6 - 0.7)
• Liver production: 500-600 g
• Feather production: lower quality than in geese
• Viability: ducks are resistant and losses are low (3-6%)

Question 7

what are the breeding methods of ducks?

Answer 7

-> Different breeds have diff. breeding seasons.
-> Some breed year-round, some breed in seasons, late winter through spring to early summer.
-> Show of mating behavior and lay eggs.

Behavior:
-> neck biting, pecking, head bobbing and attempts at mounting by male.
-> Artificial insemination must be used in Mulard production, natural mating is impossible.
-> Muscovoy duck and Pekin interspecific hybrids are frequently used in meat and primarily in
liver production.

• Purebreeding (breed maintenance, improvement, gene preservation):
  –> mass selection (own performance) and family selection(performance of co-laterals), progeny test (of less importance).
• Breeding duck broilers, liver and layer hybrids: – -> Crossing: 2-way-crossing
  -> Pekin ducks: prolific maternal + paternal lines.
  -> Campbell ducks: only maternal lines.
  -> 3-way-crossing: rarely! = ABC (paternal line meat producer!)
• Hybridization – breed and species crossings, hybridization programs for liver and broiler hybrids)
  –> Producing MULARD ducks.
  —> Artifical insemination!
  —> Pekin layers × Muscovy drakes for meat and liver prod.

Question 8

What type of production systems are available for ducks?

Answer 8

Most important steps:
– Rearing of ducklings in brooder houses
– Supply with water and pasture in free range
– Feeding by stuffing

• Extensive, Semi-intensive:
  – First phase: intensive rearing ducklings up to 18 days in floor brooder houses
  – Second phase: from 19th day extensively free range and water (small lakes).

*Intensive: Both phases of rearing are intensive

• Fattening: stuffing (forced feeding to produce fatty liver) at any age above 8-9 weeks, a 13 day period of forces feeding with maize and cereals.
• Feather plucking is usually done prior to slaughtering.

Question 9

what are the phenotypic traits of ducks?

Answer 9

Plumage colour inheritance:
– Wild type (or mallard pattern): dominant, sexes are different.
– Many other colour loci in variable combinations.

Question 10

how can duck breeds be classiffied?

Answer 10

types:
-> layer
-> meat
-> meat + egg

conformaiton:
- penguin ducks
- landraces

Question 11

mention some layer breeds of ducks

Answer 11

◦ Runner ducks → India, penguin type. Early maturity 180-200 eggs.

◦ Khaki Campbell → England, 300 eggs

Question 12

what breed of ducks are suitable for meat production?

Answer 12

◦ Pekin duck → china, white, American type
‣ Prolific egg: 200
‣ German type → heavier, less prolific

◦ Aylesbury duck → English origin

◦ ROUEN duck → French, superior meat duck, 60-90 eggs (landrace types)

Question 13

what hybrid duck species are there?

Answer 13

Hybrids : only broilers!!

◦ Cherry valley: dual purpose, friendly

◦ Seddin vital hybrid: meat

◦ MAJOR***: DOMESTIC MUSCOVY duck: not from mallard duck:
* France, Italy, Taiwan
* Males 5-7 kg, hens can set three times a year
* Egg clutches 8-21 eggs

◦ Mallard x black ducks

◦ Eurasian wigeons x American wigeons

◦ Mallard x pintail

Question 14

what is special about the muscovy duck?

Answer 14

o Only domestic duck that’s not derived from mallard stock.
o Common interspecific hybrid is Muscovoy drakes x Pekin female ducks

Question 15

which duck is the best egg-laying breed?

Answer 15

Khaki Campbell: approx 300+ eggs