This type of poultry is distinguished by a good, calm character, resistance to diseases and not picky food. Along with this, she quickly gains weight and has a pronounced maternal instinct. But for successful breeding of the breed, owners must know how many eggs can be placed under each indo-duck in order to get the maximum number of chicks.
How many eggs can you put under an indo-duck?
Egg laying in birds of this breed begins when they reach six months of age.The total number of eggs that a hen produces in one cycle is 60-85. Moreover, when their number in the nest reaches 12-15 pieces, the Indian duck is able to hatch them herself. These birds are naturally excellent brood hens; they have a pronounced maternal instinct. If all the requirements are met by the bird's owners, indo-ducks have a consistently high percentage of offspring - up to 90-94%.
From the beginning of the laying and after the brood itself, the musk duck carefully takes care of the offspring, requiring virtually no additional human intervention. The exception is the process of feeding and maintaining good living conditions. The number of eggs that can be placed under an indo-duck directly depends on the size of the bird itself.
It is logical that the larger the size of the female, the more chicks she will be able to hatch. Under no circumstances should eggs be allowed to fall out or peek out from under the hen sitting on them. Otherwise, they will not have enough maternal warmth, and some of the offspring may not be born. Also, owners should remember that during the spring or autumn period, an Indian duck can produce offspring 2-3 times, and she can hatch no more than 25 chicks at a time.
How to do it?
The masonry that the owners plan to place under the bird should not be stored for more than 18 days. During the resting period, the eggs should be in an upright position, with the sharp tip facing upward. Once a day they are turned 90 degrees along the vertical axis, and this is done quite carefully and carefully. The room temperature should not exceed +14 C degrees. It is important to remember that the shell is covered with a protective film - the cuticle, which protects the embryos from sudden drying out.
This shell is destroyed by the action of liquid, so you cannot wash the clutch from which you plan to hatch. Owners also need to carefully monitor the sanitary condition of the nests on which the ducks will sit. Weak embryos are susceptible to various infections, so excessive contamination of the clutch by the hen should not be allowed. Microbes contained in droppings can quickly dissolve organic protein and make eggs unsuitable for hatching.
To do this, dummies are placed in its nest. Then, when the bird gets used to them, they are imperceptibly replaced with real, already fertilized eggs when the duck leaves the nest. It is important to remember that it is advisable not to change the place where the bird was previously sitting to a new one. For her, everything should be familiar and familiar. On average, to hatch ducklings, owners place 15-20 eggs under this breed of bird.
Can it lay the eggs of other birds?
Thanks to their developed maternal instinct and calm, balanced character, Indian ducks are excellent brood hens. These qualities are used by experienced owners, using birds to breed offspring from eggs of ducks of other breeds, chickens and even turkeys.
But you should approach this issue carefully and remember that Indian ducks can roll someone else’s clutch out of their nest.
Chicken
You need to carefully and carefully place chicken eggs under the duck. Owners must consider several important factors before lining:
- The brooding period for chickens is shorter than for turkey ducks and is usually 20-24 days, while for musk ducks it is 32-36 days. Therefore, it is necessary to check the presence of born offspring in order to save them in time. Otherwise, the chickens may die from lack of oxygen or the hen, upon discovering strangers, will simply peck them;
- The body temperature of chickens is three degrees lower than that of Indian ducks. This may well have a negative effect on the embryos; they may be inhibited in development or simply die.
Turkey eggs
Birds of this breed cope with hatching turkey eggs without any problems. They have a similar incubation period, so you should not be afraid that the hen will leave the nest ahead of time. It is recommended to place up to 15 pieces under the musky duck and turn them over periodically.
Goose
When laying goose eggs, you need to turn them over every day - the duckling will not be able to do this on her own. After 10 days, dead embryos begin to be discarded, and after 2 weeks, the eggs begin to be sprayed with warm water, this will help the chicks break through the dense shell.
