Feed management
Feed comprises of leftover grains, kitchen edible waste. Feeding is done two times – morning before they begin their scavenging and evening after they return home for night shelter. Some farmers also feed three times a day. Ducks are let loose for scavenging during the day and meet their protein source by feeding on insects and other natural food from nearby paddy fields.
They
feed on earthworms and other insects during rainy season. Since ducks are water
fowl, they must be given adequate access to water. In backyard farming no
specific formulated ration is required, hence cutting feed cost.
The layer ducks
required balanced diet feed containing sufficient amount of necessary vitamins
and minerals and should contain about 16% to 18% protein (variation depends on
duck breeds). Ducks with adequate nutritious food which is rich in all required
nutrients and will require about 130 grams of feed daily. The number of egg production and duration
of the egg production depends on the input feed. Legume grain feed works
very well. The quantity of feed supply depends on breed, bird age, and purpose
(egg layers or meat producers).