Duck can succumbed to disease. Prevention is necessary to prevent ducks from getting infectious diseases and the followings should be observed:
- Always keep the farm clean
- Give fresh quality feed without any moulds
- Supply fresh water. Water mixed with ‘anti-stress’ should be given to 1 to 3 days old ducklings
- Those duckling that signs of sickness should be isolated and treated or culled
- The housing sheds should be sprayed with disinfectants such as lysol or lindoress before the arrival of the new ducklings
- Notify the Veterinary Department if there are any signs of diseases
Daylight Requirement
Daylight is an important aspect in the management of layer duck. Daylight can be obtained from natural sunlight or additional light from electrical bulbs or kerosene lamps.
2 aspect why light intensity is important at night
- To brighten up the whole shed to avoid the ducklings from unnecessary fright against foreign objects or noise at night
- To speed up and increase egg production
Layer duck above 20 weeks require not less 16 hours of continuous light. In view of the fact that only 12 hours of daylight is available, it is suggested that an additional supply of another 3 – 4 hours of light must be obtained from lamps in the sheds
- Daylight intensity/electric bulbs of 250 watts/1000 square feet
- The distance between the floor and the electric lamp should be 7 feet
- If necessary the farmer can use a time switch for easy management