My Muscovy ducks are now 12 weeks and growing very well, I'm almost certain I have 3 ducks and a drake which is an ideal mix for my families needs. We had a little issue with our drake Francis, he developed a condition called droopy wing however with the help of some gaff tape we have helped him overcome this. Droopy wing is a condition that occurs in Muscovy ducks and geese, when the duckling often the drake grows too fast and struggles to hold his wings in place, letting them hang down. By taping them in position you can let him get strong enough to sort it out and caught early enough they usually do.
Even though these birds are pets I cannot get lost in the fact that they are here for meat production. I think though and where a lot of people struggle with this concept is that if you are going to eat something you really do want it to have the best possible life that it can. A happy healthy animal is a tasty one. From egg to the table poultry need a high quality of life after all you are what you eat.
Ducks are amazing creatures and a lot of people do not understand their dietary requirements. Even most animal produce stores will tell you all you need is generic poultry mix. To a point this is true if your duck has the opportunity to free range at will, however most suburban enthusiasts have limited space and need to restrict poultry otherwise they tend to run amok. Ducks also need large amounts of water to keep clean and to help digest food.
I have been researching various options for food production and am in the process of implementing a couple ideas in the hopes of being able to produce my own true organic duck meat. I will be sprouting wheat and barley grass as a green fodder crop, I experimented on a small scale a few weeks ago and the ducks really took to the green tops not such a big fan of the seeds and roots but green fodder is what I am looking for.
After doing a little more research I have come across a really amazing green fodder crop ideal for ducks and used in organic loop systems all around the world. Azolla or water fern is an Australian water plant very similar to duck weed. I have lotus growing in barrels in my backyard I so already have a significant culture of Azolla pinnata well established (I think this is the species).
Azolla is an attractive extremely fast growing surface plant that has nitrogen fixing properties and often used to help improve water quality in water treatment plants. Azolla as duck fodder
Although it can become an almost pest in water ways it is a highly nutritious green fodder and also ideal as a green manure for fertilising garden beds. It is used in organic rice and duck farms where ducks are incorporated with azolla to maintain pest control and provide natural fertiliser for rice crops. Organic duck and rice farming with Azolla
Azolla is capable of creating a thick blanket on the water surface stopping mosquitos from breeding and limiting blue green algae out breaks.
In a large container it is an ideal food source for back yard ducks, I top the vessels up with the water from the duck pen and this duck poo water is an ideal fertiliser for the Azolla so utilising the "old" water very well also. Azolla is used to purify stagnant bodies of water and so again another mutually beneficial outcome for a small holder.
Now all I have to do is source some organic poultry grain mix which ducks eat very little of if greens are provided daily and I will be able to produce organic meat at a sustainable cost environmentally and financially.
Some examples of people around the world using Azolla species as animal feed.
Azolla as cattle feed
Organic chicken farming with Azolla
How to culture Azolla
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