26 May / June 2012
Are Your Ducks andGeese Overweight?by John Metzer
Waterfowl have a tendency to put onextra fat if given the opportunity. Areasonable amount of fat on a duckor goose in the wild is acceptable as ithelps insulate them in cold water. Itis also less dense than bone or muscleso they float easier in the water withextra fat. But just as with mostanimals, a little fat is good but toomuch fat is bad.
Some breeds of ducks and geese arenaturally lean, and some gain weightmore easily. For ducks, the Runnersrarely carry extra fat. Pekins are atthe opposite end of the spectrum and
can easily be too fat. Khaki Campbellsare closer to Runners in this regard butRouen, Buff, Blue Swedish and Cayugaare closer to a Pekin.
There is less variation in geese. Butof all geese, the Chinese are the leastlikely to gain extra weight but thelarger Embden and Toulouse are themost likely to be overweight. Otherbreeds are in between the lighterChinese and heavier Embden andToulouse.
What is the problem with excessweight? The bird's life is probablyshortened and may make it moreuncomfortable due to the extraweight they must carry. Rememberthat the legs and feet of waterfowl arenot terribly strong. Add an extra 20-30% in body weight and those feetand legs will develop problems soonerdue to the extra weight they arecarrying.
Farms that have breeding birds mustbe extra careful in controlling theweight in their breeder birds. Extraweight in a breeding duck or goosecan greatly reduce egg productionand fertility.
Our commercial Pekin ducks growextremely fast and can weigh 7.5pounds or more in seven weeks.However, the breeder birds thatproduce these fast growing birds mustbe kept on a diet starting at twoweeks of age. Due to this restrictedfeed, a female Pekin breeder shouldonly weigh about 7.5 pounds at 23
weeks of age. But due to thisreduced feed, she will live longerand lay more eggs with increasedfertility.
So if you do want to control yourbirds' weight, how do you do it?
1) Only feed them a certain amountonce a day.Pekin: 0.33 - 0.45 lbs per day perbird (The higher amount if they arein full egg production)Runners: 0.25 - 0.35/day/birdOther duck breeds: 0.3 - .040lbs/day/birdHeavy geese: 0.45 - 0.6 lbs/day/birdChinese: 0.35 - 0.5 lbs/day/birdOther goose breeds: 0.4 - 0.55lbs/day/bird
2) Only allow them access to theirfeed for a limited amount of timeeach dayPekin: 2 - 8 hours/day (8 hours isfor breeders in high egg production)Runners: No limit neededOther duck breeds: 3 - 12 hours/dayHeavy geese: 2 - 12 hours/dayChinese: No limit needed Other goose breeds: 4 - 24 hours/day
Birds that must forage for much oftheir feed are less likely to be obese.Some people use a less dense feed(fewer calories per pound of feed)but this usually does not control theweight in a duck or goose as theyhave the ability to simply eat more.
If you have ducks and geese simplyfor pleasure, it is not critical youcontrol their weight. But if you arekeeping them commercially, it iscritical to monitor their weight forincreased performance andimproved longevity.
An extremely overweight Embdengoose. Notice her abdomenbetween her legs.
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Our minimum order isonly two ducklings orgoslings so you neverhave to raise morebirds than you want.
• Waterfowl are hardier than chickens and practically disease free.
• Ducks can lay as many eggs as the best laying chickens.
• Geese love grass and will keep it mown for you.
• Duck eggs are becoming more popular with consumers, bakeries & restaurants.
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