The American Kayuga duck attracts attention with its original appearance and excellent characteristics for breeding in agriculture. Representatives of this breed are unpretentious in food, give tasty meat and eggs. Due to the unusual coloring, the duck has become the main attraction of many farms.
Duck Cayuga
Kayuga ducks unpretentious in food
The duck Kayuga has a well-developed maternal instinct
Origin history
This unique breed is named after Lake Cayuga, located in New York State. In this region, birds were first bred in 1809. American breeders crossed blacks with domestic ducks. Due to the original color, this breed has long been called coral. It was patented only in 1874, like the duck Kayuga.
For many years, selection within the Black Kayug breed continued. The main goal of such experiments is to increase the indicator of meat productivity and egg yield, correcting the appearance, identifying new variations in shades of feathers.
Features and habitat
This meat and egg breed is well known in Russian agriculture. Ducks are acquired for breeding and performing a decorative function. Walking around the compound, the birds attract attention with feathers shimmering in the light, a magnificent posture and an important gait.
Ducks live in the house, have constant access to water and fresh air. The habitat is kept clean, otherwise the bird dies from the attack of small parasites. Kayuga love to swim a lot, so an artificial pond is installed on the territory of the habitat or a part of the natural (from the wild) is enclosed.
Appearance and physique
Kayuga is difficult to confuse with other breeds of ducks. Beautiful dark feathers shimmer in the sun in various shades. The bird has a massive physique, thick plumage, powerful feathers that fit snugly to the body and perform a protective function.
The body is oblong, the head against the background of the body is miniature, disproportionate. Beak - black, eyes - crystal, dark brown. The duck has a well-developed chest, strong and stable limbs. The tail is erect, of medium size, changes position during movement.
A high forehead turns into a beak, the color of which depends on the gender of Kayug. In males, it is greenish or olive; females - black, dark blue. The neck is shortened, bent, smoothly passes into the shoulders with a visible tubercle.
The weight of adult males reaches 4-5 kg, females - more than 3 kg. Ducks are fattened and killed at the age of 2 months, otherwise the onset of molting complicates and makes impossible the process of plucking the carcass.
Color
Traditionally, the Kayuga duck is black in color, which extends to the body, beak and limbs. In bright light, feathers acquire a metallic sheen of green or blue. The bird literally shines in the sun, it seems even more magnificent.
The predominance of colors depends on the gender of the duck. For example, males in the light become pale blue, while females acquire a deep green hue. Unusual ebb is often concentrated in the upper part of the body, already in a blurry form it descends to its paws.
Productivity and application of the breed
Kayug ducks have delicious meat with minimal fat content. On sale, it is not very popular due to its ugliness. After plucking, ugly stumps remain on the carcass, which are difficult to remove even with repeated processing.
Among lovers of everything unusual, meat is an exquisite delicacy and a dietary dish. To get a carcass worthy of sale, the duck is fattened for 2 months before slaughter.
Egg production
Ducks carry 100-150 eggs per year. Each weighing 80-100 g. Eggs are larger than chicken, at first they have a dark shell, but already in the second ten they become whitish, with a pronounced olive shade.
Kayuga eggs are hard to find on sale. Unless one breeder sells to another in order to further breed the breed. In other cases, the eggs are used inside the breeder's family as a food ingredient or for breeding young animals.
Kayuga duck character and lifestyle
Ducks themselves are phlegmatic, quack infrequently, behave calmly and majestically. They walk slowly, do not endure haste. They have good stress resistance, rarely scared with sharp sounds and the approach of other animals.
Kayuga duck is brave and hardy, tolerates cold, has stable immunity, rarely gets sick.
The bird quickly adapts to new weather conditions, and such changes do not adversely affect productivity indicators. Birds like to graze on a flowering lawn, with rich feeding they quickly gain weight.
In the heat, they often swim and dive, and after water procedures they prefer to bask in the sun. Daily walks are only good for birds; they do not like to be locked up.
Breed content
Ducks need care, good nutrition and a clean house. These birds are independent, so they can safely be on a free range. They can be left unattended and have no doubt that not a single individual will be lost or crippled.
Since Kayugi have strong immunity, they easily tolerate even severe illnesses, rarely get sick. With a calm temperament, the birds are not at all timid; it is difficult to bring them out of equilibrium. So with the content of the breed there are no problems.
House requirements
Kayuga ducks live in houses in the winter, but regularly go for a walk. In the summer they spend less time indoors, more often in the fresh air.
Basic requirements for the house:
- The room should be bright, spacious.
- Be sure to have windows for light, fresh air.
- Nests on the side walls of the room.
- The optimal size of the nest is 40x50 cm.
- The entrance to the nest is protected by a threshold of 8 cm so that the eggs do not fall and do not break.
- In hot weather, an acceptable temperature is 17-19 degrees, in winter - at least 5 degrees.
- Litter made of straw, peat, sedge 30 cm thick are formed on the floor.
- In summer, the room is lit by the sun, in winter - by artificial lighting.
- It is advisable to install infrared lamps for additional heating.
- Each bird needs a drinker, control of fresh water.
- Mandatory presence of feeders from the boards, containers for mineral additives.
An aviary is installed around the house, or a spacious lawn is enclosed. Additionally, a canopy is installed that protects the birds from the heat and rainy weather. The house, like the aviary, must be cleaned daily, otherwise parasites appear.
Walking area and access to water
Ducks need not only fresh air, but also daily walks. In winter, make sure that the air temperature will allow for walks.
If the Kayugi graze on the lawn, fence it so that other animals do not attack the birds and scare them.
In summer, the territory should be a canopy from sunlight and rain, an artificial pond. For example, fill a small basin or old bathtub with water. Ducks like to swim and dive, but in winter it is better to temporarily abandon water procedures.
Kayuga duck food
When feeding ducks, the basis of the diet is cereal-rich carbohydrates, which increase the energy supply of the bird. Choose a grain that is well digested. Additionally, include corn, oats, legumes, and barley in the menu.
To normalize the metabolism, processed foods are needed in the diet. For example, cake is necessary for laying hens, as a source of phosphorus and potassium. Bran make up for fiber deficiency. Dry meal becomes an additional source of carbohydrates. In the daily menu of processed products should be no more than 5-10% of the total diet.
Vegetables and succulent feed, harvested since the summer, help to quickly solve the problem of seasonal vitamin deficiency. Alfalfa and clover, root crops (pumpkin and beets up to 20% of the total diet) are especially useful. Such food components are given to ducks in pre-ground form.
Minerals contribute to better absorption of food, normalize digestion. The main source of minerals are shell, bone meal, chalk, gravel, salt. Such components can be given at the same time, the main thing is to strictly observe daily dosages.
10-15 days before slaughter, the Kayugs are assigned reinforced rations to the ducks.
Summer ration
In the summer, the Kayuga duck grazes on its own. She needs a canopy not far from the artificial reservoir in order to hide in time from the rain and the scorching rays of the sun. At this time, the bird eats worms, insects, grass, is actively gaining weight.
In the summer, the breeder manages to save well on purchased feed and get a weighty carcass after slaughter. The main thing is to monitor the nutrition of the duck, to eliminate the presence on the lawn of poisonous plants, harmful parasites, foreign objects.
Fill drinkers with clean water and daily monitor this moment. In the summer, the duck can drink up to 1 liter of water. Therefore, update the drinkers 2 times a day. If algae or mold has appeared on the walls of the drinking bowl, disinfect them, otherwise the bird may die.
Winter diet
In winter, breeders feed Kayug twice a day - in the morning and in the evening. The first meal includes wet blenders and fortified silage, the second - grain feeds that are heavier for digestion. Necessarily the presence of 500 ml of pure water in the bowl.
In the summer, ducks gain weight faster, so breeders increase their daily ration. The resulting fat layer saves the bird from severe cold and systematic freezing. In winter, building up the mass is much more difficult.
How do they tolerate cold?
Kayugi are well adapted to frost. At an air temperature of +5 degrees, they feel great in the house, the main thing is that the room is regularly ventilated. In winter, birds can also be walked. Clear the lawn of snow and branches so that the duck does not hurt.
From freezing paws, cover the path with straw or hay. Reduce your walking time to 30-40 minutes twice a day, depending on weather conditions. With proper nutrition, the immunity of Kayuga in the winter does not decrease, the risk of morbidity is minimal.
Reproduction and longevity
For breeding, buy young animals only from certified breeders upon the provision of relevant documentation. Otherwise, there is a likelihood of buying mestizos, whose price is an order of magnitude lower than purebred representatives of the breed.
Kayug breeding rules:
- The herd should have 7 ducks and 1 drake.
- Avoid mating close relatives, otherwise over time the offspring completely degenerates.
- Ducks have a well-developed maternal instinct, so the chicks do not need additional control from the breeder.
Kayugi teach cubs to swim and get food in the water. If some of the chicks were born earlier, they are immediately removed. Otherwise, the duck will stop hatching the remaining eggs and rushes to raise already born chicks. The cayuga hatches eggs for 1 month, up to 15 chicks hatch in the litter.
In the wild, ducks live 10-30 years. When breeding, they are killed at the age of 2 months after high-quality fattening.
Egg incubation
The incubation period varies from 26 to 28 days, very rarely - up to 35 days. Valuable recommendations for breeders who have bought an incubator:
- If the female incubates up to 15 ducklings, then with the help of an incubator this indicator is an order of magnitude higher.
- For incubation, eggs with a light green hue are used, which indicates the maturity of the laying hen.
- For an incubator eggs of a layer of 14-18 days are selected.
- After the appearance of ducklings, the young growth sits down on a laying hen, which is taken for their feeding.
Basic rules when using an incubator:
- In the first day, do not turn the eggs over, warm them on one side at temperatures up to 38 degrees.
- Over the next weeks, turn the eggs daily from side to side several times.
- Every day, open the incubator lid for 10 minutes, than provide dry cooling, natural ventilation.
- Warm eggs for 26 days at a temperature of 37.5 degrees. On day 27, reduce it to 37 degrees and expect the appearance of chicks in the light.
- Transfer the hatched ducklings to the brooder, where they fall under the care of a laying hen.
Ducklings Care and Feeding
At the birth of the chicks, monitor the cleanliness and order of the house. The immunity of babies is not yet fully formed, so the activity of parasites can destroy them. Eliminate the effects of drafts, this is especially important in the first 4 weeks of life of young animals.
The first month, ducklings do not distinguish food, peck everything that comes under their feet. Make sure that there are no foreign objects or poisonous plants in the house. Increase drinker volumes as chicks drink a lot. Prepare shallow containers in advance where ducklings will learn to swim.
Pay attention to the diet of young animals. The main goal of the breeder is to establish digestion, enrich the body of chicks with valuable vitamins and minerals. Calcium is especially important for growth.
Features of the daily diet:
- crushed boiled protein, fresh herbs;
- kefir, yogurt, cottage cheese, other dairy products;
- eggshell crushed into flour;
- small grains, compound feed (from a weekly age).
Diseases
Like the other inhabitants of the compound, the Kayuga duck can get sick. Predisposing factors are the lack of vitamins, the activity of parasites against the background of violation of the rules for keeping birds, nutrition errors.
The most common diseases:
- Avitaminosis. Vitamin deficiency, especially dangerous for ducklings.
- Salmonellosis. The disease progresses in childhood, the infection penetrates the digestive organs with food.
- Viral hepatitis. At risk are ducklings who are not yet 20 days old from birth.
- Goiter disease. Among the provoking factors - poor-quality feed of ducklings and adult birds.
- Coccytosis At risk - ducks up to 2 months. Characteristic symptoms are loose stool with blood impurities, the cause of the disease is the activity of parasites.
- Aspergillosis Fungal disease, which is accompanied by secretion of mucus from the nose. Even a person can become infected.
The last 2 diseases are fatal, especially dangerous for the rest of the birds and the breeder himself. Infected birds are not suitable for human consumption; their carcasses are burned.
Kayuga ducks rarely get sick, have stable immunity. But at the first symptoms of the disease, the breeder must respond in a timely manner, consult a veterinarian, and protect other farm animals.
Advantages and disadvantages of the Kayuga duck
These ducks are famous for their original color and magnificent appearance, tranquility and fertility. When choosing representatives of the Kayuga breed for breeding, breeders take into account such significant advantages of the breed:
- stress resistance;
- independence in behavior;
- strong immunity;
- frost resistance;
- unpretentiousness in food;
- well-developed maternal instinct;
- high meat and egg productivity;
- high percentage of survival of young animals;
- delicious, dietary meat.
Each breed of poultry has its own shortcomings, and Kayuga ducks are no exception. It:
- low meat value;
- low body weight;
- bad instinct of incubation;
- black stumps after plucking;
- eggs are not for sale.
Reviews
Victor, 42 years old, farmer, Arkhangelsk region. I’ve been divorcing Kayug for over 10 years and have not regretted my choice at all. The bird is smart, smart, inspires with its calmness and pacification.The meat has a specific taste, soft and tender. The eggs are delicious too. If you take the duck not for mass breeding, but for yourself, then this is a great option. At the farmstead, such a beauty is hard to miss.
Eugene, 47 years old, agriculture, Krasnodar Territory. I like Kayugi because they rarely get sick and give healthy young animals. I bought a purebred bird for breeding. The meat is dietary, very tasty. The eggs are used. They are larger in size, have a different shell color, but tasty and healthy. Ducks are unpretentious in food, and in the summer they travel independently through the courtyard in search of food. I only control the water.
Maxim, 36 years old, programmer, Stakhanov. I live in a private house, I keep for pleasure up to 10 Kayug. Clever and smart ducks, responsible laying hens. They behave with restraint - they rarely quack. They regularly give eggs, for families, not for sale. Recently, one was slaughtered, the meat is tasty, soft, without a specific flavor. But most of all I like the coloring of birds. In the sun, it seems that the duck shimmers in different colors and from a new angle looks different. The main thing is that there should be a pond for them.
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Kayug is a very fascinating and unpretentious occupation. Representatives of this breed do not cause problems for the breeder, they are independent, prolific and give delicious dietary meat.