Indo-ducks - "Indian birds", which were brought from South America, first to Europe, and from there to Russia. Unlike duck and chicken, the Indo-duck (it is also called "mute" and "musk duck") turned out to be a quiet and unpretentious bird. Its meat, in comparison with duck, is low-fat, almost delicious, eggs are no less tasty.
Indoor incubation at home
For the sake of breeding birds, a natural method and incubation of indoor dogs are used. The latter method is used at home as often as the first. Incubation of the indochka sometimes remains the only means of hatching, because the females are not always ready to hatch them.
Selection for incubation
For any method of breeding Indo-Ducks, it is important to conduct a rigorous selection of eggs before laying begins.
Where to put inappropriate specimens is up to the poultry breeder, and those who have passed the selection need to ensure the proper level of storage before being placed in the incubator.
- Indoor eggs in size and weight are slightly larger than chicken eggs, on average weigh 70 g.
- They are oval, slightly pointed. Their color is white, but not snow-white, but with a shade reminiscent of baked milk.
- The shell should be smooth and clean. If it is more than 50% contaminated, such products are not suitable for incubation. Some poultry houses carefully clean the shells with sandpaper and then place them in the incubator. The rest of the poultry houses believe that this should not be done, since the chicks are born weak as a result.
- It is recommended to select eggs that are similar in weight and shape.
- Products must be intact. Excretion of indigenous chickens from deformed eggs both in the incubator and in a natural way is impossible.
Indo-ducks are nervous mothers, so it would be right to wait until they go out for a walk, and only then collect eggs. If birds are frightened off, they can get scared and stop rushing.
Preparing for incubation
"Caution is never too much": it is recommended to illuminate the eggs with an ovoscope before placing the eggs in the incubator. The check will have to be repeated several times in the future, since the fetus can stop development at any time. Mold can also grow under the shell.
Once harvested, eggs can be stored for 1-2 weeks. Incubating Indo-Ducks is considered a challenge, but keeping the eggs for a while before placing them in the incubator increases the chances of a brood of ducklings.
It is desirable to store selected specimens in a dark room. So that nothing happens to the eggs, the air temperature should be within 8-12 ° C, and the humidity should be 80%. The eggs are placed in trays in a horizontal position, in the same form in which they will be laid in the incubation device. Drying of the yolk can be prevented by turning the eggs every day. In such conditions, storage can be continued for up to 10 days. Warming up to 37 ° C for at least 4 hours a day will help win a few more days.
What is needed for successful incubation
All the secrets to successful incubation at home are in the right regimen. In the video, you can see the process of work in detail, and for clarity, it is desirable that the mode table is always at hand.
What is required for the incubation of Indo-dogs at home to be as successful as possible?
- Air temperature. It is necessary to monitor it every day and gradually lower it.
- Humidity. Many home incubation houses often do not follow the thermometer and simply pour the required amount of moisture into the container. It is important to fill in water from time to time to prevent drying out.
- Coup. Hatching instructions always include 180 ° egg flipping. This is a necessary procedure and should be done 2 times a day. In some devices, flipping occurs automatically, sometimes more than twice a day.
- Cooling. Some devices have this feature built in. Cooling promotes the gas exchange process, otherwise the chick inside the egg will suffocate.
Incubation process from A to Z
Hatching occurs 34-35 days after laying the eggs has been completed. How many chicks will be born depends on how strictly the incubation mode was performed. Before the incubation begins, the device must be warmed up, this takes time: about 4 hours. Putting in a cold appliance is not a good solution, given that you have to be very careful with the eggs.
Usually the incubation period starts at lunchtime. The eggs are placed in the device in a horizontal position, after which the mode is set, in which the table helps. You can also watch the video for details.
For a period of 1 to 15 days, you need to set the maximum temperature level. The temperature should be up to 37.8 - 38 ° C. Twice a day, a flip should be done to help the chicks stay in the center of the eggs. From 16 days the period of gradual decrease in air temperature begins, and in the period from 16 to 30 days it is necessary to begin to cool the eggs by spraying. Biting starts from day 31.
The egg incubation table is shown below:
Term | Temperature | Air humidity | The number of coups |
Week 1 | 37.8 - 38 ° C | up to 60% | 2 times |
8-29 days | 37.5 ° C | up to 45% | 2 times |
30-34 days | 37 ° C | up to 75% | — |
The peeling period covers 31-34 days. Incubation breeding will be more successful if the eggs are exposed periodically. The deformed ones and those in which the embryo froze can burst right in the device, so they must be removed immediately so that nothing happens to other eggs.
When the chicks hatch, in no case should you interfere and "help" them. Only after the withdrawal has taken place can the babies be transferred to another place.
Chicks in the early days of life
Of the hatched chicks, some will be strong and will quickly stand on their feet, and some will be weak and painful. The first days of life for strong and weak ducklings will differ. All babies are placed in a warm box immediately after birth, where they could warm up a little and recover. During this period, selection also takes place: healthy and strong chicks may be useful for breeding in the future.
# Breeding indocks in an incubator.
Incubation of the Muscovy Duck (Indo-duck) in the Cinderella incubator
Musk duck incubation
Incubation of duck eggs (nuances)
Indo-ducks in an incubator do not differ in their behavior and physical condition from ducklings that are naturally hatched. If Indo-female hens live in the yard, the chicks hatched "in the device" can be given to their care.
When it is cold outside, it is better to place the babies that you managed to take out in a special box covered with straw and take them into the house. Recommended air temperature is 32-35 ° C.
In the early days, the chicks are fed boiled eggs. Newborns do not yet know how to eat on their own, but they have a grasping instinct, so they do this with eggs: they are crushed into crumbs and sprinkled with the resulting mixture of chicks. Already on their third birthday, babies can eat on their own.
Chicks grow quickly, but how many of them survive depends on the care taken.