Republic of the Philippines

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Regional Field Office

INCLUSIVE AGRIBUSINESS
PROGRAM

DUCK RAISING AND

PRODUCTION

Amazing Facts About Ducks

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  All ducks have highly waterproof feathers. A duck's feathers
are so waterproof that even when the duck dives
underwater, the downy underlayer of feathers right next to
the skin will stay completely dry.
 Ducks are omnivorous and will eat grass, aquatic plants,
insects, seeds, fruit, fish, crustaceans and other types of food.
 Ducklings younger than 10 days tend to swim and walk as a
group, always close to their mother, to avoid the attack of
predators.
 Most duck species are monogamous for a breeding season
but they do not often mate for life. Instead, they will seek out
new mates each year, choosing the healthiest, strongest, best
mate who can help them pass on their genes to a new
duckling generation.
 Ducks are outgoing, social animals who feel most at ease
when they're in a larger group of other ducks.
 Ducks are birds. Ducks are also called ‘waterfowl’ because
they are normally found in places where there is water like
ponds, streams, and rivers.
 Ducks can live up to 20 years, depending on the species and
if well cared for.
 The production of eggs is affected by daylight. When there is
more daylight, the ducks will lay more eggs. To prevent this
from happening, farmers use artificial lighting so that the
ducks have about 17 hours of light a day to produce eggs
efficiently.
 The eggs will hatch within 28 days normally, except for the
Muscovy duck which takes about 35 days to hatch. The
mother duck will keep her brood of ducklings together to
protect them from predators.
 Ducks have been domesticated as pets and farm animals for
more than 500 years, and all domestic ducks are descended
from either the mallard or the Muscovy duck. Mallards,
especially, are easy to crossbreed with other types of ducks,
and mallards often hybridize with all types of ducks at local
ponds.
Duck Production in The Philippines

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 Raising duck for commercial purposes is a lucrative livestock
industry in the Philippines, mainly because of its egg. A duck’s most
important product, its incubated egg, popularly known as balut, is a
Filipino favorite that has gained international notoriety. Balut is
peddled and sold daily all over the country and is famous for its
tasty flavor and nutritious value.

As a result, duck production is the second largest poultry

industry in the Philippines. According to the Philippine Statistics
Authority, duck egg production has slowed down in the first quarter
of 2018. At 10,652 metric tons, production declined by 2.41 percent
compared to the production in the same period in 2017.

In the Philippines, most of duck egg production (60% of total in

the country) comes from Central Luzon, Western Visayas and
Northern Mindanao, according to the PSA.

Advantages of ducks over chicken

Unsure if duck production is better than raising chicken? In this

context, consider the advantages of duck over chicken.

 Ducks are stronger than chickens; they require less

attention than chickens and are less likely to get sick than
chickens.
 Ducks are larger than chickens, so if they are raised for their
meat, there will be more to sell
 The eggs of the ducks are also larger than the chicken eggs.
 Ducks do not necessarily need complementary grains and
corn. Chickens usually need high-quality complementary
food.
 Ducks eat more plant material and insects than chickens.
Ducks also eat snails.

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 Types of ducks

Native ducks/itik

The native Pateros duck commonly called itik, is the most

popularly raised locally. Although smaller than imported breed of
ducks, they are good layers and non-sitters. This type of ducks
produces large eggs.

The itik is characterized with predominant colors black and

gray. Some are barred (bulek), while others are brown or have
white feathers mixed with black/green. Males have coarser heads
and heavier bodies than females. Males emit shrill high pitch
sounds. They have curly feathers on top of their tails.

Females emit low pitch quacking sounds. Their tails feathers lie
flat or close to the bodies. In all commercial ducks’ hatcheries,
determining the sex of duckling is done at the age of 2 to 3 days.

Image Source:
https://www.pinoynegosyo.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/itik-production-
1024x576.jpg

Khaki Campbell duck

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 Khaki Campbell (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus) ducks
were introduced in the turn of the century, and is a cross between
Mallard, Rouen and Runner ducks. Campbell ducks were introduced
in in 1898 and the Khaki variety three years later. This type of duck
has characteristic brown color, have extremely active habits, do well
in good range and show a little desire for swimming.

Campbells become mature at approximately 7 months.

Campbell ducks seldom hatch out others' young; however, in very
communal situations do hatch large broods together. Most brooding
instinct has been selectively bred against in exchange for prolific
egg laying ability in this breed. The ducks, when raised by hand, are
not usually defensive of their eggs or nests, making collection of
eggs very easy. Mechanical incubators or broody chickens are used
to hatch out Campbell ducklings when ducks are not present in the
process. Incubation takes approximately 23 to 28 days for a
Campbell duckling to hatch and eggs need to be inspected for
ducklings that have not emerged from their egg completely.

Image Source:

https://www.purelypoultry.com/bmz_cache/a/a85a5ff689ebf7da82b9e791b3935
0cd.image.330x330.jpg

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 Commercial Hybrid Duck

The world’s first hybrid egg-type duck was developed at

Cherry Valley farms, England. It has white plumage and lays its egg
at about 20 weeks of age.

The body weight at point of lay is about 1.5kg. On the

average this duck could lay 285 eggs up to 72 weeks of age with a
mean egg weight of 75 kg. This duck can be distinguished by their
pure white feathers. Their eggs are either white or greenish.

Image Source:

https://burea-uinsurance.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/hybrid-duck-
broilers.jpg

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 Indian Runner

This breed originated from the East Indies but its egg
production capability was developed in western Europe. this duck
assumes very erect normal postures which are almost straight neck.
The back is long, straight and narrow.

An adult weigh about 2.10kg while an adult duck weigh about

1.8 kg. The egg production characteristics of this breed resemble
that of the Khaki Campbell.

Image Source:

https://www.pinoynegosyo.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/indian-runner-
duck-1024x685.jpg

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 Muscovy duck / Pato

The Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) is a large duck native

to Mexico, Central, and South America. Muscovy duck is easily
identified by its carunculated face or red, knobby nodules along the
eyes and above the base of the bill. Muscovy is a heavy breed. It has
plump body and yellow skin. It has three varieties: the white, the
colored and the blue.

Unlike other breeds, Muscovy prefer to stay on land. They

are good forgers, so they require less care and can subsist on what
they can pick up in the field supplemented on with palay and corn.

Muscovy has low egg production but is more self-sustaining

than Pateros duck. It hatches her eggs in 33 to 35 days. The
objection to this breed is its tendency to fly far away from home and
get lost. It is therefore necessary to clip their flight feathers
regularly. Clip only those of one wing to remove the birds balance in
flying.

Image Source:
https://www.pinoynegosyo.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/muscovy-ducks-
1024x576.jpg

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 Pekin Duck

The Pekin duck is among the most popular breeds kept in

the United States, both in backyards and on homesteads across the
country. The docile and sometimes affectionate nature of Pekin
ducks has also earned them intense popularity to keep simply as a
farm pet along with chickens. Pekin ducks are a multi-purpose
breed, meaning they have traditionally been raised for egg and meat
production.

Pekin ducks are good layers, and duckling are ready for market at 2

to 3 months old.

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Image Source:
https://www.pinoynegosyo.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/pekin-duck-
1024x775.jpeg

Housing your ducks

Housing ducks is not too different from other poultry products

such as chicken, although it requires less attention (it is fairly
independent than chicken) and care (it is less likely afflicted with
diseases like chickens do).

 Build your duck housing in a quiet, cool place and near as

possible to stream or pond. Local materials like bamboo,
nipa and cogon are suitable for duck housing.

 Prepare each duck with atleast 3 to 4 square feet floor space.

Cover the floor with rice hull, corn cobs, peanut hulls or
similar materials to keep it dry and clean and help prevent
spread of pests and diseases. A house of 100 ducks
measures 4 x 4 meters high or high enough to let a man
stand inside.

 You may provide a swimming pond 10 ft wide and 20 ft long

for 50 birds. However, the pond is not necessary in duck
raising as they lay just as many eggs without it.

 House ducks are grouped according to size or age to

facilitate management and to avoid quarrels which is
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 common among ducks of different ages. Older ducks tend to
push out younger ones from feeding troughs.

 Separate duck houses from one another by bamboo fences

low enough to go over them from one pen to another. Fence
should extend down to the shallow edge of the water to
prevent ducks from straying away too far.

Selection and mating methods

 Select vigorous breeding stock. Select breeders when birds

are about 8 weeks old, and again at 4 to 5 months old before
they are placed in breeding pens.

 Eggs for hatching purposes should come from ducks not less
than 7 months old to ensure better fertility, hatchability and
livability of offspring.

 Drakes (male ducks) should have the same age as ducks or

even a month older. They should be raised separately from
ducks. They are put together only when ready for mating.

 One drake may be mated to 6 to 10 ducks. Heavier breeds

however should have a closer ratio of males to females than
light breeds.

 Pateros ducks start laying when they are 4 to 6 months old.

Muscovy and Pekin ducks start laying at 6 to 7 months old.
Hatching of eggs

 The period of incubation for duck eggs is 28 days, except

Muscovy which is 30-35 days. Breeds of ducks that have
high degree of laying are non-sitters and their eggs are hatch
through artificial incubation.

 The Muscovy is a natural mother. She hatches and breeds

her own duckling with none or little assistance from man.
Native or pateros duck is a non-sitter, so her eggs are
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 incubated under the native method of incubation called
balutan.

Feeding practices

 Feed duckling with wet starter mash for 8 weeks. Native

ducklings raised the native way are fed moistened boiled
rice for the first 33 weeks, 4 to 5 times a day. During the first
few days, give feed at night.

 Start giving water in drinking trough or drinking fountains

on the 2nd day. On the fifth day, add finely chopped small
shrimps to boiled rice. Increase their feed as duckling grows.

 At the age of one month, feed ducklings with tiny fresh

water snails and boiled unhulled rice or palay. Give only
enough feed to be consumed as they tend to spoil when left
long in the troughs.

 Mash feed for ducklings is composed of corn, soybean meal

fish meal dried whey rice bran with oyster shell and bone
meal with vitamin mineral supplements.

 Feed one day to six (6) weeks old ducklings with starter
mash with 21% crude protein for six (60) to four (4) month
old duckling with grower mash with 16% crude protein and
four (4) months old ducks and above with layer mash or
ratio with 16% crude protein.

 If mash feed is preferred give only enough to be consumed

quickly at one time to ten (10) to 15 minutes. Wet mash
tends to spoil when left long in hoppers. If feeds are given at
intervals, ducklings learn to eat more readily and their
appetites are developed to stuff themselves in between

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 drinks, digest food quickly and be ready to eat their fill for
the next feeding time.

Four to five feeding a day are sufficient for ducklings over 2

weeks old. Provide plenty of clean fresh water as ducks
drink after every mouthful of food.

Feeding practices

 Ducks are wasteful and messy eaters during feeding

sessions. Provide proper and adequate feeding hoopers to
prevent much waste of food.

 Fine gravel of grit is necessary to growing ducks to help

them grind their feed. After the 5th week give green feed
such as chopped leaves of kangkong camote ipil ipil and
legumes at least three (3) times a day 10grams of chopped
green leaves per duck per day.

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Image Source:
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7DltodRjx3k/maxresdefault.jpg

Maintaining health and prevention of diseases

Ducks are more resistant to diseases than chicken and other

fowls. Losses from various causes can be minimized through proper
management adequate appropriate feeding and housing strict
sanitary practices and effective prevention medication and
vaccination program.

However, even with all precautionary measures substantial

losses are incurred in duck farming operation due to various causes.
Duck diseases are those caused by pathogenic viruses’ bacteria

fungi and parasites while non-infectious types are due to chemical

poisons toxins inferior feed or ration and environmental factors.

Image Source:
https://image.slidesharecdn.com/majorseminar-180824103355/95/health-care-
management-in-ducks-5-638.jpg?cb=1535107170

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 Republic of the Philippines
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Regional Field Office

VISION
To be a leading Agribusiness Incubation Platform that drives Agri-
Innovations and science-based technologies for economic growth,
job generation and food security by 2023.

MISSION
To initiate sustainable innovations that will boost diverse Argo-
Industries for economic growth and well-being of small hold
farmers in the agriculture sector.

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