Factors Affecting Egg Production in Ducks
2025-03-28
Breed
Breed is a prerequisite for high yield. The level of egg production, the length of the laying cycle, the strength of egg laying persistence, and the size of the eggs are all closely related to the breed. If a superior breed is chosen for breeding, egg production can be increased several times, or even doubled, and economic benefits will also increase accordingly. How to choose a high-yielding breed suitable for local breeding based on one's own breeding conditions and management techniques is a key factor in the success or failure of breeding.
Nutritional Factors
After entering the laying period, the demand for nutrients by laying ducks is higher than at any previous stage. In addition to the nutrients necessary to maintain life activities, a large amount of various nutrients necessary for egg production is also needed. Nutrients such as energy, protein, and calcium must be adequately supplied. Otherwise, egg production will be affected.
To achieve sustained high yields, in addition to breed being an innate factor, whether the nutrients in the diet are comprehensive and balanced, and whether the quantity can meet the needs, this is a necessary condition for maintaining high and stable yields.
Environmental Factors
Environmental factors are complex, and the factors that most affect egg production are light and temperature.
① Light: For laying ducks, the length of the lighting time is also closely related to egg production. The main function of light is to promote the maturation and ovulation of follicles. Therefore, during the breeding period, controlling the lighting time is to prevent young ducks from maturing too early; when they are about to enter the laying period, the lighting time should be gradually increased, and the lighting intensity should be increased to promote ovarian development, achieve timely laying, and after entering the peak laying period, the lighting system (lighting time and intensity) should be stabilized to maintain continuous high yield. The light intensity during the laying period should be 5-8 lux. If the height of the bulb is 2 meters from the ground, generally 1.3-1.5 watts per square meter of duck house is calculated, and a 25w bulb is installed in a duck house of about 18 square meters. In actual use, bulbs above 60w are usually not used because large bulbs have uneven light distribution and consume more electricity. Fluorescent lamps are greatly affected by temperature and are generally not used. The bulb must be covered to ensure that the light shines on the duck, not the ceiling. There is a lot of dust in the duck house, so the bulbs should be wiped frequently to keep them clean to avoid dust affecting the brightness.
The effect of lighting generally takes 7-10 days to show, so during the laying period, the number of lighting hours or the intensity of lighting should not be suddenly increased because the immediate effect is not achieved. Generally, the amount of each increase should not exceed 1 hour, and after the increase, it should be stable for 5-7 days.
The principle of lighting during the laying period is: it is only advisable to gradually extend it until it reaches 16-17 hours of light per day and night. It should not be turned on and off suddenly, or early and late, and the light intensity should not be strong and weak at times, only gradually stronger, otherwise, the physiological functions of the laying ducks will be disturbed, affecting egg production.
A reasonable lighting system can enable young ducks to lay eggs in a timely manner and increase egg production in laying ducks; an unreasonable lighting system will cause the sexual maturity of young ducks to be advanced or delayed, causing laying ducks to reduce or stop laying eggs, or even cause molting.
② Temperature: The most suitable temperature for laying ducks is 13-20℃, at which time both egg production and feed utilization rate are at their best. Therefore, conditions should be created as much as possible, and winter windproof and heat preservation work should be done well to provide an ideal laying environment temperature to obtain the highest egg production.
Health Factors
High production is impossible without a healthy body. Therefore, in the stage of breeding young ducks, the prevention of major infectious diseases should be done well. After entering the laying period, good environmental sanitation and breeding management should be carried out to increase disease resistance and minimize the occurrence of diseases in order to maintain high and stable production.
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