Being engaged in breeding poultry, each owner must calculate the profitability of the content of certain species and breeds. While some people breed ducks and chickens in order to get eggs, others are more focused on getting meat. In this article, we will focus on the characteristics of breeding. indoutok - species, which belongs to the meat direction.
Indoout, brief description and features of the musk duck breed
Indo-outs (or, as they are also called, "musk ducks") give a relatively good yield of meat, and with proper feeding of birds in a short period of time, you can get a good increase. The meat of the spike is much more tender than that of the other ducks, and it also has less fat. It is because of this feature musk ducks are considered to be quite a promising species not only for breeding at home, but also for business.
Indo-ducks are quite original birds, the appearance of which differs significantly from their fellow tribesmen. They have a short neck, broad chest, powerful wings and short legs. Such birds are quite hardy, calm, unpretentious in food and almost immune to diseases. In addition, you will not need to create a special pond for their swimming.
The weight of musk drake is around 6 kg, while ducks only reach 3.5 kg. The mass yield of the birds of this breed is much higher than any other breed. Meat does not have a specific taste characteristic of each floating bird, but the most delicious part is brisket. Consume and indoutok eggs. They are large, coarse yolk and good protein.
In most cases, musk ducks are dark, white, black, chocolate, brown and blue birds, although there may be exceptions. For example, on the territory of European countries birds are often bred with other colors, which are currently not recognized as a standard.
Important! Pay attention to the birds with a uniform color, as there is a perception that a mixed color indicates the presence of impurities. True, even such options are normal.If you decide to start breeding ducks at home, then for novice farmers, information regarding the preparation and incubation of their eggs will be useful, which will be discussed further.
How to identify a duck ready to hatch
In most cases, the instinct to incubate eggs manifests itself in musk ducks when the host does not collect eggs for a long time. Therefore, if a couple of days in the nest will be 10-14 pieces, then it is quite possible that the duck will begin to hatch them. 
Important! When breeding Indo-ducks, close-breeding of individuals should not be allowed, as this may lead to mutations and pathologies. For the same reason it is necessary to periodically update the drakes.
At home, musk ducks are most reproductive at the onset of egg-laying, and the hatchability of ducklings from early eggs will be 90% or more. From the business point of view, such an egg is an ideal option, since selling a similar product can be more expensive than a regular one.
However, it is necessary to take into account the fact that for good fertilization of eggs for 3-5 ducks there should be one drake. Naturally, the level of fertility of eggs will also depend on the sexual activity of the drake, the peak of which falls in the period from April to June (when it is already warm outside, but not yet hot).
On average, in a year, indutouts carry from 80 to 110 eggs weighing about 70 g. And the laying of eggs occurs twice a year for several months: the first comes in early spring (from March to April), and the second in autumn. Of course, given this fact, it is no longer possible to sell spike eggs like laying hens, but for seasonal business they are quite suitable.
Did you know? Birds, known today as musk ducks, were domesticated by the ancient Aztecs. Later, this breed was brought to the territory of Europe, Africa, Australia, Asia and to our country.
How to choose and store eggs for incubation
If you have seriously decided to start breeding Indo-ducks, then it will be useful for you to know when the musk duck starts to rush. Usually, the process of laying eggs by females begins at the end of March - beginning of April, and a bird nests when a couple of dozen eggs are in the nest (10-12 are enough for some individuals).
The task of the owner includes daily egg tagging (the date is put right on the shell), because it’s very important so that the eggs do not pass over in the nest. Nestlings are better bred from eggs that have lain for 15-18 days, and thanks to the marks made, you can easily control this time.
Keep Collected eggs can be in the closet, folded in an upright position, but it is important that the temperature in the room did not exceed 15 ° C and did not fall below 8 ° C.
Besides, air humidity must also be within the normal range, for which a basin of water is placed in the closet (the recommended relative humidity of storage is within 70-75%).
To save the hatchability of eggs, they need crank 3-4 times a day. The longer the shelf life, the lower the incubation quality of the eggs, and therefore the hatchability will be lower.
Musk duck eggs have exceptional characteristics: hatchability of eggs that have lain for 10-15 days with turning at a temperature of 20 ° C will be higher than that of newly laid eggs.
When the female lays 15-20 eggs, you need to let her nestle for a few more days, and then you can lay a dozen more eggs from other ducks.
Important! In the process of incubation of their chicks, the duck should not see others, otherwise it will immediately forget about its own brood and will start to lead strangers.
Features hatching eggs
When they begin to carry eggs, we have already figured out, but the time of incubation is no less important. Chicks hatch on day 29-35 and the first half hour must be with the mother.
A little later you will be able to carry them into the house, which will help keep the little ones from the cold. They can spend these days in a box under the reflector lamp. It is also desirable to put a heating pad to them.
If the chicks are warm, they will cheerfully move around the box or sit without falling off in heaps. For greater comfort of ducklings at the bottom of the box should be a deep litter of straw or shavings. Sawdust can not be used because the chicks will peck them.
Musk duck eggs have a fairly dense shell that covers the shell and prevents it from dehydrating. However, at the same time, the exhaust gas removal rate and oxygen supply are falling, which hampers the development of the embryo.
A wild duck often leaves the nest to take water "baths," and when it returns, shakes off drops of water on the nest, thereby irrigating hatching eggs. Moreover, the expectant mother carefully twists their paws, facilitating the removal of the film and the opening of individual sections for gas exchange.
It is for this reason that the incubation of the indoutok at home should take place either on an inclination or in a horizontal position (thus the embryo will develop better). To prevent the eggs from falling out of the trays when turning, they are covered with a net, fixing it with a strong thread or braid.
If the duck itself is engaged in incubation of chicks, then your main work is completed at the stage of preparing a warm and comfortable place for it. In the course of further developments, you can not worry about the eggs, because spines - good hens, although for your own peace it is better to periodically check the situation.
Did you know? This type of duck got its name due to the specific "ability" to constantly release fat from fleshy growths on the head. For many people, the smell of this fat is reminiscent of musk. True, according to another version, such a name is a derivative of the word "muisk", which is the name of forgotten Indians living in Colombia.
Incubation of ducks
As we noted earlier, eggs that have lain for 15–18 days have the most advantageous hatchability. If you set them aside for laying in an incubator, then the room temperature should be within 15 ° C, and the previously mentioned bowl of water will work well for maintaining humidity.
Indo-egg eggs are laid in the most adjusted and heated incubator (you need to warm up within 4 hours). The time of laying eggs is chosen so that the brood falls in the morning.
As for the incubation regime for musk ducks, it has the following form: 
- on 1-7 day incubation rates wet thermometer must be within 29-30 ° C, dry - within 38 ° C, air humidity must not exceed 55-60%, but crank the eggs necessary at least 24 times a day;
- with 8 to 29 day bookmarks wet thermometer should show 26-27 ° C, dry - 37 ° Cat air humidity 40-45% and the frequency of turning 24 times a day;
- on 30-34 day wet thermometer should show 32 ° C, dry - 37 ° C, but air humidity must match 70-75%. It is noteworthy that at this stage it is not necessary to turn the eggs.
Important! When laying eggs vertically in an incubator, it holds up to 20% more than when placed horizontally. However, with horizontal laying ducklings will be displayed much better.
By and large, the storage and subsequent selection of unfertilized eggs is the same as in the case of other poultry, and the only difference is the duration of the incubation period itself - from 32 to 35 days (if you are interested in how many days the eggs themselves rather than a car, we said a little earlier that this process lasts from 29 to 35 days).The advantages and disadvantages of breeding Indo-stock
In breeding poultry there are always both advantages and disadvantages. In the case of musk ducks, the advantages of breeding this species include: unpretentiousness to feed, endurance, the possibility of a normal existence without reservoirs, living together with other types of ducks (do not fight and do not make noise). Among the minuses of keeping such a bird, experienced farmers single out the impossibility of its existence in dampness and cramping, as well as the duration of cultivation, which is especially noticeable in comparison with other breeds.
