As the temperature gradually drops, the cold winter has quietly arrived. For domestic ducks, how to ensure their health and safety during this season is an issue that every farmer needs to pay attention to. This article will combine relevant literature to give you a detailed introduction to how to provide warm measures for domestic ducks to ensure that they survive the cold winter.
First of all, we need to understand the physiological characteristics of ducks in cold environments. Ducks have a higher body temperature of around 418-42.4. Compared with humans, the body temperature is about 4-5 higher. This allows the ducks to maintain a high body temperature in cold environments. In addition, the duck's heart and vascular system are well developed, and there are a large number of red blood cells in the blood, and the red blood cells are very rich in heme. In addition, the affinity between heme and oxygen in the duck is weak, resulting in the extremely easy release of oxygen in the cell tissue, thereby promoting the strengthening of the duck's respiratory and circulatory system. Ducks breathe more than 20 times a minute and have a heart rate of 250 minutes (four times faster than a human heart rate). These physiological traits allow ducks to maintain a high level of metabolism in cold environments, thus withstanding the severe cold.
After understanding the physiological characteristics of ducks, we can provide warmth measures for domestic ducks from the following aspects:
1.Make sure the temperature of the duck house is right: The temperature of the duck house should be kept between 15-25 to maintain the comfort of the ducks. Heating equipment such as heaters, electric blankets, etc. can be used to raise the temperature of the duck house. At the same time, it is necessary to pay attention to maintaining the ventilation of the duck house to avoid air pollution affecting the health of the ducks.
2.Increase the number of calories in the feed: During the winter months, the ducks' metabolism will be accelerated, so they need to consume more calories to maintain their body temperature. High-calorie components such as oil and protein in the feed can be appropriately increased to improve the energy intake of ducks.
3.Provide adequate drinking water: During the winter months, ducks may drink less water due to cooler temperatures. But in order to maintain body temperature, ducks still need plenty of water. Therefore, it is important to ensure that there are adequate drinking water facilities in the duck house and to change the clean water regularly to prevent the ducks from getting sick due to lack of water.
4.Keep the flock moderately dense: A flock that is too dense can cause heat to dissipate heat too quickly, making the ducks feel cold. Therefore, it is important to keep the density of the duck flock moderate and avoid overcrowding.
5.Provide a warm habitat for ducks: Prepare some warm habitat for ducks in the duck house, such as haystacks, hay, etc., so that ducks can burrow into it to escape the cold when it is cold. This will not only keep the ducks warm, but it will also provide them with a safe and comfortable resting environment.
In short, by keeping warm as above, we can help our ducks survive the cold winter months and ensure their health and safety. At the same time, it is also necessary to pay close attention to the daily behavior and health of the ducks, and find and solve problems in time so that the ducks can thrive in a warm environment.