The first mention of the cultivation of mulardov dates back to 1960 in France. Mulard is a hybrid of meat direction, obtained as a result of crossing musk duck (Indoot) drakes and Peking breed ducks.
The hybrid was created to improve the qualities of parent breeds in order to obtain a new improved individual. Mulardov can not be found in the wild, they do not reproduce on their own and are grown only at home on the initiative of man.
Table of contents
Breed Description
Millardes are big birds of white color with a black spot on the headIt is thanks to this line that the hybrid can be easily distinguished from other ducks. Adult individuals are larger than their parents (Peking and musk duck). Torso dense, knocked down, well-folded, elongated with tightly fitting wings. Head medium sized, bright, elongated beak, dark eyes, elongated neck. Short legs yellow tail small.
Mulardy do not give offspringtherefore, these ducks are not used for breeding. Sometimes the drakes are sexually active, and the ducks carry eggs, but due to the fact that they, not fertilized offspring, cannot be obtained, this fact has been proven by many studies and experiments. Hybrids are valued for their excellent, non-fat (fat percentage is only 3%), meat, like indooout, without a peculiar smell, and fatty large liver, used to prepare an exquisite meat dish of foie gras. Compared with the Peking ducks, the mollards are calm, not so noisy and neat.
Conditions of detention and care
Mularda suitable for industrial and domestic content. In industrial conditions The hybrid is grown in special poultry houses, equipped with all the necessary mechanisms and technologies. For meat fattening, ducks are mainly used, and drakes are used to produce a liver. At the enterprises the floor and cellular maintenance of a bird is applied.
Growing in homestead farms Mularda does not differ from the content of ducks of other breeds and crosses. In the summer, it is economically advantageous to keep a bird on the runs, equipped with special feeders and drinkers. At night, the ducks are driven into the barn and closed. Mularards are rarely left for the winter, as they are not suitable for breeding, and during the season you can get a duck ready for slaughter from the duckling. Due to this method of cultivation there is no need for capital and well-insulated buildings. For proper mulard content a rather simple room with good floors and without holes through which rats and other predators can penetrate. There should be no drafts in the shed. On the south side of the house, there is a manhole, the hole above the floor should be 5-8 cm and tightly closed with a door.The house should be built on the basis of the number of ducks per 1 square meter. m 3 heads. On the run the bird should feel free, therefore 1 square meter is allocated for 1 head. m square. For feeding, special feeders are used with a length of 110 and a width of 23 cm for an adult bird, and for young stock 100х14.5. cm. A partition is made on top of the feeders so that the birds do not scatter the food. For water, it is better to use nipple drinkers.
House temperature should be 16-18 ° C, at a humidity of 60-70%. As a floor covering used bedding of sawdust, shavings or straw. The house should be cleaned and ventilated regularly.
Characteristics of adults: the weight of drakes and ducks
Mulard weight - 4-7 kg. The difference in weight between the drakes and ducks is only 500 g. In 3 months the bird gains 4 kg. With long-term cultivation, the mass reaches 7 kg, almost as the weight of a goose. Mass of liver Millard 500-550 Feed consumption per day 340 g
You can cross different breeds to get mollards. Musk ducks are crossed with Peking ducks, Rouen, orgpingtons and ale. Owing to such crossings, ducklings turn out different colors and shades.
Feeding and breeding
Since the mulardy unable to bear offspringthen musk and peking ducks are used to obtain ducklings. To obtain the mulard create a family of 1 musky drake and 4-6 Peking ducks. The best age for mating is 7-10 months. Ducks start lay eggsand in 180-210 days. About 15-20 eggs are placed under the hen.
Despite the fact that the breed is distinguished by unpretentiousness and precociousness, it is necessary to take into account certain conditions when breeding. When the ducklings begin to be born, it is prepared for them. habitat. Depending on the number of chicks, it can be a box or an entire room. A bed of straw or hay is laid on the floor. Under natural conditions, ducklings receive heat from their mothers, and in artificial ones, additional sources are installed. AT first days of life the house needs to be provided with heat, temperature indoors 28-30ºС, after a few days it is reduced to 23 ºС. Lighting plays an important role in the early days and helps the ducklings to adapt to external conditions.The first few days of coverage should be around the clock. After the kids grow a little, the lighting is reduced to 15-17 hours a day.
On the first day after birth the ducklings cannot eat on their own, they are used to feed them. special setssold in veterinary pharmacies. The mulardi themselves begin to eat for 2-3 days. After the ducklings hatched and dried, they are soldered weak solution of potassium permanganate. The first feed is a hard-boiled and finely chopped egg. From the 10th day, well crushed grain is added to the ration. From 10 days of age Mulardov fed 2 times a day. From 2 weeks it is necessary to give duckweed. An important element in feeding ducklings is meat and bone meal and bran. For normalization of calcium in the body, crushed shells are added to the diet. Ducklings needed feed and mineral mixtures: chalk, limestone and shell. To improve the digestive processes ducks give gravel. Ducklings should always have clean water. If possible, as an additive, it is allowed to give cottage cheese in the amount of 1 gram per head.
Diet of ducklings must contain up to 20% protein, for 1 kg of feed there are 2800 kcal of energy. After 3 weeks the feeding scheme is chosen: intensive, extensive and semi intensive.
Intensive technology represents feeding pellets, which must contain at least 17% protein. Semi intensive technology is based on feeding with granulated, wet and bulk feed. With the extensive method, coarse feed and grain are fed using food additives. From 5-6 weeks the birds are released on pasture. Slaughter is carried out in 3-4 months, when the mulardy reach the optimum body weight.
Fattening mulars on foie gras
Fattening drakes to obtain a fatty liver consists of 3 stages. In the first 3 weeks of life, chicks are fed in the usual way. Then the bird is transplanted into narrow and small cages so that it cannot move much. For the next 4 weeks, the ducklings are fed food with a high content of starch and protein, which contributes to the very rapid growth of the bird.From 8-10 weeks of life begins the phase of forced feeding. Food is pushed down the throat with the help of a screw with a pipe, in this way a bird receives 1.8 kg of grain per day. Forced fattening Lasts 12-21 days.
Duck diseases when growing
Mularda are very strong and disease resistant hybrids. They tolerate cold and temperature drops. With a well-balanced diet, the bird grows quickly and does not suffer from avitaminosis. But, despite their good adaptation conditions, the mulard are still subject to certain diseases, which are described below.
Aspergillosis
The bird becomes infected with this saw inhalation disease, which contains a fungus that is diluted in moldy straw and old fodder. In 50% of cases, death occurs. Symptoms: lethargy, poor appetite, vomiting, rapid breathing, nasal discharge and paralysis of the legs and wings appear in the final stages. For the treatment of aspergillosis, a not very concentrated solution of copper sulphate is added to water, and nystatin is used as feed.
Plucking feathers
One of the acute problems of the mulard is pecking feathers. The disease is caused by significant lack of protein in the body or adverse conditions of detention. In a small, dirty and poorly ventilated room, bird feathers quickly become dirty, which causes ducks to be cleaned much more often. In order to prevent biting, it is necessary to balance the rations on all macro and microelements and adhere to sanitary and hygienic standards in the poultry house.
Cloacite
This disease is caused by a lack of vitamins. A mucous membrane appears on the cloaca of a duck, and pus may occur at a progressive stage. For treatment, first of all, they clear the cloaca, smear the mucous membrane with iodine solution and apply zinc ointment. If the disease is detected at the first stage, the duck will not suffer and your household will not be harmed.
The advantages and disadvantages of the breed
Merits
Cleanliness. The hybrid is distinguished by its cleanliness and well-groomed appearance, thanks to this property their down is widely used in industry.
Calm temper. In contrast to the Peking ducks, the mulardy are not loud, they behave calmly and do not annoy the breeders with constant noise.
Precocity. Mulardy very quickly gain weight with standard feeding, like other ducks, and already in 3-4 months come for slaughter.
High meat characteristics. For meat fattening, females are mainly used. The meat of the mulard is almost non-greasy, because in the process of growth the bird accumulates only muscle mass. The meat has no peculiar smell, soft and tasty.
Foie gras. It is the liver of the mulard is used to prepare a delicious dish of foie gras. For foie gras, only drakes are used; during the fattening period, the liver reaches 500-550 g.
Unpretentiousness. Mularda do not require special care, their maintenance is much cheaper than ordinary ducks. Hybrids adapt well to cold and hot climates.
disadvantages
You can not get offspring. Since mulards are hybrids, young animals cannot be obtained from them, therefore for breeding it is necessary to cross the Muscovy and Peking ducks each time.
Poor tolerate dampness. This is an uncritical disadvantage, but still it is better to keep the mulard in dry pens,for the prevention of various diseases.
Reviews of domestic breed ducks and videos
Breed Millardov at home much easierthan the usual duck. You can buy eggs and lay in the incubator or immediately purchase ducklings. For the season is easy full duck growswhich can be cut in the fall. There is a lot of meat and it is practically non-greasy, it is better to cut in 4 months, there is no sense to hold more, and the duck will be tough. The feed mulard consumes no more than a Peking duck, but grows much faster and the carcass is larger. No need to build capital sheds for the winter: I bought ducklings in the spring, and in the autumn I even killed them. The big plus is the same weight of ducks and drakes, not that in other breeds the male is big, but there is nothing to see in the female. Mulard is ideal for home cultivation: fast, cheap and tasty.
Moulard is probably best duck hybrid. Everyone knows their meat qualities and quick weight gain in a short time. These ducks are very unpretentious and calmly behave in the yard. Ducks by weight do not differ from drakes. This hybrid is used to produce a large foie gras liver.They do not divorce themselves, but this is a small problem, you can always buy chicks or eggs for incubation. And if there is an opportunity and time, then families in the subsidiary farms are created from Peking musk ducks and with their help every year you can get mulard offspring. Mularda - This is a great option for those who want to receive in a short time. high-quality and lean meat.