Breeding Indo Ducks - Start with Three

The Indian duck is native to South America and can still be found there, roaming wild in the jungles, and is the only duck not descended from the mallard. Their original name was "Musco ducks" because they eat so many mosquitoes.

One of the distinctive visual features of Muscovy ducks is the large red warty growths on the head. They appear when the duck reaches maturity at about 5-6 months of age. Males have more of them, but females only have a red mask around their eyes. In terms of weight, male Indian ducks can reach a weight of up to 6 kg 800 g, and females, since they are smaller, up to 4 kg.

Indian ducks are beautiful birds with a wealth of colors. Feather colors can range from black to brown, grey, white or brown, often more than one color on a single bird. 

The big advantage of Indo-ducks is their independence and quiet behavior. They don't quack, they just make a hissing sound, mainly when they talk to each other, but it's not a loud noise. 

Muscovy ducks eat chicken feed, bugs, flies, mosquitoes, greens and kitchen scraps, bread and pasta, and fish. If you have free range, you get good savings on feed. And, of course, it will be funny to watch indo-ducks hunting for flies and mosquitoes - they skillfully catch flying annoying insects in the air, and eat larvae in a pond or puddles. 

If you have purchased ducklings, and they grow very quickly, then they need food rich in protein. A good choice is a non-medicated chick starter feed with a protein content of 20-22%. Feed him free choice.

After the first three weeks, Indian ducks can easily switch to adult food - laying hen food with a protein content of 16% is suitable - feed by choice and feed with corn, herbs, kitchen scraps, weeds, old bread, fish, old cheese and so on .Provide your ducks with water - they love to swim and drink a lot. 

Muscovy ducks need shelter for the winter, and in the warm season they will prefer to spend time in open space, because they are not afraid of rain and are happy to walk in light rain, and in winter they can even swim in the snow. Nest boxes can be made from large plastic boxes or wooden blocks. 

With the exception of those moments when the Indian duck protects the chicks, these are very friendly birds that easily learn and get along with other animals. However, due to their slowness, Indian ducks can become easy prey for predators, especially ducklings. Drakes are capable of fending for themselves and also getting into fights with other males, so leave one drake for four females. 

Indo-ducks begin to mate and lay eggs at approximately 7 months. The female chooses a site for her nest and continues to return to the same nest. If you have several females, they will each have their own nest.

They mainly build nests on the ground, in the territory they protect, where it is better to place empty containers or wooden pallets with hay or straw in advance. Indian ducks lay from 6 to 12 or even 17 eggs in one nest for incubation. The incubation process takes 35 days. These days, the duck does not always stay in the nest, unlike brood hens, but goes out to eat, drink or swim. 

Brood hens do not leave the nest, so chicken eggs must maintain a certain constant temperature in order to hatch. But this is not the case with Indian ducks, so don’t touch the eggs or interfere – everything will be fine. Muscovy ducks do not lay eggs all year round - they start in the spring, when the weather gets warmer, and stop with the autumn cooling. Approximately two or three nests are produced per season. If there are 10-15 eggs in each nest, then the population increases rapidly. Indo-ducks take excellent care of the ducklings, and they follow their mother everywhere. The ducklings grow very quickly and after about four to six weeks they no longer need their mother. The Indian will take a short break and then begin to mate and lay eggs for the next nest. In general, an Indian duck can lay 80-120 eggs per year. The eggs are nutritious, large, with a creamy white and very strong shell; the yolk occupies the largest part of the egg. 

Regarding the passion for flying, Indian ducks can fly, although the heavy males fly low, and the ducks can go to the neighbors over the fence or land on the roof. If you don't want the birds to fly, you can clip one of their wings just like you do with chickens. 

Muscovy ducks are an excellent source of meat, given their fertility and care of the chicks, in 3-4 months you can get a duck for meat. Turkey meat is dark and lean, good for health. 

Thus, breeding Indian ducks at home is a profitable and easy task!