The red duck is an unpretentious bird to care for, although many poultry farmers mistakenly consider it demanding because of its appearance. About the features of the duck, the origin, nutrition and reproduction (at home and in the wild), as well as about the features of keeping and breeding - hereinafter.
Origin
The red duck was bred in Western Europe, but now it is rare there and only in the steppe regions. Initially, they lived in the desert regions of the African continent. A small population was seen in Central and Central Asia during bird migration. They flew and settled in the provinces of China, India and Taiwan.
The red duck came to Moscow relatively recently. At the beginning of the 20th century, several individuals were brought to the Moscow Zoo, where they quickly adapted and began to breed very actively.
After they stopped clipping their wings, several individuals escaped and went to explore the ponds of numerous parks. Thanks to their unpretentious disposition, they quickly took root in the urban environment, and now serve as a natural decoration of ponds and lakes.
Bird description
Ogary duck is a noticeable bird. Both female and male have a beautiful red-brown plumage. Among the characteristic features note:
- The head and neck area are lighter than the rest of the body - feathers are painted in ocher, but birds with a white-colored head are also found. Beak, paws and tail are black. Tail feathers can be cast in a beautiful dark green color. The lower part of the wings is almost white. This can be seen when the bird is in flight.
- In the mating season, the "female" does not change clothes. Her decoration at this time are only small white spots in the eye area. The male, on the contrary, is a real dandy. His reddish feathers become brighter, and a narrow bracelet of black feathers rings around his neck.
- Young growth from adult representatives differs only in the more dull color of feathers. With age, the plumage becomes more saturated and bright. In length, the bird reaches 70 cm, and with a wingspan reaches 100-135 cm.
- Birds are easily recognizable by their voice, which is not at all like quacking and is not typical for duck representatives. It resembles a goose gnaw - low, coarse, turning into a donkey roar. Females make sharper lingering sounds. They are more noisy. The drakes have rhythmic sounds.
Life expectancy of these beauties in nature is 6-7 years. In captivity, they live 2 times longer under favorable conditions and good care - up to 12 years.
Character and habits
Calling these cute ducks friendly is very difficult. They are uncivilized and quick-tempered, uncommunicative and cautious. Perhaps due to bad temper they do not form numerous flocks, such as mallards.
More often live in groups of several pairs. The maximum number of such a flock totals 8 individuals. And only in the autumn before flying to warm regions do they gather in numerous flocks of up to 40-60 birds.
They do not tolerate representatives of other species next to them. Males quite aggressively defend their territory not only from relatives, but also from other waterfowl.
Distribution and habitats
Ogary as a decorative poultry is found in almost all corners of the world. In nature, its range is not so wide.
He settles closer to the reservoirs - fresh, brackish and salty. It can be seen in crevices of rocks or hollows of trees. The bird population is unevenly distributed. In some countries it is numerous, in other regions it has to be included in the Red Book as an endangered species.
Ogary dwells:
- in the Asian part of the Eurasian continent - in its central part, as well as in China (in the southeastern and central provinces), Mongolia;
- in North Africa (Morocco and southern Algeria), Ethiopia;
- on the north coast of the Aegean Sea;
- on the west coast of the Black Sea in Bulgaria and Romania;
- duck is also found in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, and Turkey.
In Russia, it lives in almost all regions, giving preference to the southern regions - from the west of the Amur Territory to the west of the Caucasus region and the Krasnodar Territory. The northern border of the range runs along the southern border of the forests to the taiga.
Also found in Kazakhstan in the border areas with Russia, Ukraine, but here its population is so small that it is listed in the Red Book. A duck does not settle in the taiga, on sea coasts and in places with dense vegetation.
Nesting and winter range
During nesting, ducks travel to the steppes or deserts from the west of northeast China to Greece. In winter, the Asian population migrates towards the south. During this period, she is met on the Issyk-Kul Lake, the South Caspian Sea and in the southern part of Eurasia.
Ogars living in Turkey lead a sedentary lifestyle and travel a short distance in search of a better home for themselves.
Wild Food
Ogary is an omnivorous bird. In his diet there is both plant and animal food, which he finds on land and water. In spring, the main food is numerous seeds and young shoots. In the summer, after the appearance of the chicks, the duck sets off in search of food rich in protein. She catches insects near ponds, in the water - frogs, small fish, feasts on crustaceans and mollusks.
Since the end of summer, they have been searching for food on land. Often they can be seen in fields with crops or on the roads along which grain is transported. They usually eat in the evening and at night.
During the day, ogars prefer to relax near a pond or on the water. Therefore, walking in the park, you can often see a sleeping duck standing on one leg.
Breeding
Ogars reach puberty already in the second year of life and begin to build nests for breeding. The process of pairing, arranging a nest and breeding offspring have some nuances in fires.
Pairing
The red duck is a monogamous bird. She creates a couple for several years to come. However, if one of the partners dies, the other half creates a new family.
Young females and males begin to form a couple in the first days of nesting or are puzzled by this issue already in the winter. Interestingly, not the male chooses the female, but, on the contrary, the female chooses a true friend. At the same time, she is trying in every possible way to attract the attention of a male.
For this, the ducks form a round dance and, with shouts, begin to write out circles around the male, flirting with him. However, most often the male does not show any activity. He either stands on one leg and waits for the completion of all this "catavasia", or walks behind the female, dragging wings and dangling his head.
When the female made her choice, having found a worthy drake, they together rise to the sky, whirling in a wedding dance. The mating season lasts from mid-March to mid-May.
Nest
After mating, the future parents are engaged in arranging the nest. Under natural conditions, they can occupy badger or fox holes, build a nest in crevices of stones, wash out shores. It is usually located at an altitude of 10 meters or more from the surface of the earth.
1.5 months before laying the eggs, the female lays it with white fluff and a small amount of grass. In clutch there are 7-12 eggs. The shell is cream or white. The female lays one egg a day.
Hatching and breeding offspring
Only the female hatches offspring. She is constantly in the nest for 4 weeks. The male is the future father of a large family, constantly on guard. During this period, the drake is very aggressive. At the moment of danger, the female emits a hissing, similar to a snake, and the male throws himself into the attack, driving away the uninvited guest a considerable distance from the nest. At the same time, the size of the enemy does not bother him. Often, fires attack an adult.
Ducklings hatch almost simultaneously. In cities, you can sometimes see a picture of how little chicks jump out of the attic of a house. At the same time, one of the parents is at the bottom and encourages the chick with loud sounds. The second parent is at the top with a brood and monitors the jumping process.
It is not worth disturbing the movement of birds. Ducklings at this time weigh very little, and they, like fluffs, plan on the ground and land without any injuries. After hatching and drying out almost immediately, the family goes to a reservoir, sometimes overcoming a path of several kilometers.
At first, the brood relentlessly follows mom, spending most of the time on the water. They go to land only to sleep. Two parents take care of ducklings at once without any separation of duties.
After about 8 weeks, as soon as the young growth has learned to fly, they are released from parental care and enter an independent life.
The value of the red duck
In farms, in most cases, ducks are bred for decorative purposes. Some poultry farmers hold fires to get warm and light fluff and feathers. Due to the large size and rapid gain in live weight, they are referred to as meat breeds.
Duck meat is lean and tender, especially in the summer when they receive natural food.
Productivity
Females are leading in egg production compared to other species. The first eggs from them are received at the age of 6 months. In one year, one female lays up to 120 eggs. If they are grown for breeding, then a healthy and strong duckling will hatch from each egg.
With good nutrition at home, the weight of the male reaches 6 kg, the female - 4 kg.
Advantages and disadvantages
The breed has its own advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of fires include:
- good egg production;
- meat with good taste;
- strong maternal instinct;
- omnivorous;
- decorativeness;
- unpretentiousness in leaving.
However, they also have cons:
- noise, noisy;
- aggression during nesting;
- jealousy of the owner.
Care and maintenance of the Red Duck
Since the ogre does not like to be in a large "diverse" company, it is necessary to ensure that each pair has its own separate territory. Be sure to walk a small lawn and a pond should be available. However, they do not need large water surfaces. Otherwise, birds will not build nests and breed.
During winter frosts, they are kept in dry, enclosed spaces, but separately from other breeds, so that mixing does not occur and ducklings-hybrids are not obtained. In the end, all this leads to a complete breeding of the genus.
Ogars are distinguished by excellent immunity. With proper care, they are not susceptible to disease. They only vaccinate against viral hepatitis.
Home Improvement
In a winter house, a warm floor is made, for example, by laying a thick layer of litter - sawdust or straw. In it, the birds will bask in the winter cold and lay their eggs. The temperature in the room should be + 7 ° C and above.
In the summer they are kept in an aviary. The required area for one pair is 1.5-1.7 square meters. m. In it, they build a small house, so that under adverse weather conditions, they can take refuge in it. If there is no natural pond nearby, you will have to acquire an artificial pool.
The wings are clipped to two generations of red ducks.
Ogari unpretentious birds with strong immunity. The main care is:
- in a timely change of litter;
- maintaining cleanliness and dryness in the barn;
- in the increase in daylight in the winter using artificial lighting.
- in the constant availability of clean, fresh water in the drinking bowl. About the manufacture of drinking bowls for ducks is written here.
Feeding
When kept in captivity, ducks are fed 2 times a day - in the morning and in the evening. In the afternoon they are on pasture. They are fed with mixed feed, which is additionally enriched with minerals and vitamin complexes.
In winter, when the duck is constantly indoors, grain crops are necessarily added to the diet - wheat, corn, oats, bran and legumes. And also give fresh, chopped root vegetables - carrots, beets, potatoes and cabbage.
We recommend reading an article about feeding ducks at home.
Breeding
Breeding the red duck is a simple task. Just know a few basic rules.
Incubation or natural hatching?
Females have a good maternal instinct, so incubators do not use incubators to breed ducklings in private households. Moreover, after hatching, the parents, both the female and the male, constantly take care of the brood, protect it from enemies and teach the wisdom of life.
Care and maintenance of chicks
Parents easily cope with their duties and do not let the chicks out of sight 24 hours a day. Man's help in caring for babies is minimized.
It is necessary for them to moisten the floor with a wet burlap. It is laid on the floor, and straw with sawdust is poured on top.
Feeding chicks
Chicks are fed with special feed - starter, designed specifically for ducklings. To enrich themselves with vitamins, they are given finely ground greens of spinach, lettuce, duckweed, nettle, and protein food in the form of small insects and earthworms. Be sure to make sure that there is always fresh water in the drinkers of the kids.
Ducklings are fed immediately after they dry. In nature, babies react only to movement, so their main food at this time is flying and crawling insects.
Attract their attention to the feeder by tapping on it. If the duckling refuses food for several hours, it is force-fed from the pipette with a liquid mixture. It consists of boiled yolks and milk. Ducklings are fed 4-5 times a day. Be sure to add crushed chalk, shell rock and fine sand to the feed.
Red Book
Although the red duck population has many individuals and has the status “the state of the species does not cause concern,” in some Russian regions it is listed in the Red Book and hunting for it is prohibited. For example, in the northern regions, where this duck is a rare guest.
You can hunt for it in the southern regions of our country - Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, Astrakhan, Orenburg regions, as well as in Kalmykia. But, in the latter case, hunting can go sideways, since Buddhism is widespread in the republic. For Buddhists, a firebird is a sacred bird, so it is strictly forbidden to catch it, and even more so to hunt it.
Wishing to hunt for a wild red duck increases closer to the fall, when the birds are about to migrate. At this time, their meat becomes tasty due to the fact that a specific smell disappears.
However, it is impossible to attribute the decrease in the number of birds to hunters only. Shooting is not the only reason affecting population decline. There are a number of other factors, and they are mainly related to human activities.
For example, in the steppes, a duck likes to nest in minks of marmots. Recently, the population of these animals has greatly decreased. Therefore, there are no marmots, there are no burrows, birds have nowhere to nest, and as a result, the population of cinders is already decreasing. Therefore, many reserves seek to increase the number of red ducks by installing artificial nests or making burrows.
Cost
Poultry is acquired on farms that breed them. The cost of one individual varies greatly. At private poultry farmers an adult bird can be purchased at a price of 1,500 rubles. More often, prices are much higher - from 5,000 to 10,000 rubles.
Reviews about the breed Red duck
Few decide to breed a red duck, basically they keep it for beauty. Reviews about the breed - only positive.
Alexey, 53 years old, Rostov region. I started a fire, since there is a small pond near the house. It's a pity that I haven't found like-minded people in their cultivation. Ducks are unpretentious in care. I cut the wings so as not to fly to distant lands. They are aggressive only in the spring, when they are busy breeding offspring.
Marina, 36 years old, Volgograd region. I have two pairs of ogars. Lovely creatures, beautiful. Very good parents. I don’t even interfere in this process. Every year, a duck brings its chicks to the light of day and walks with them to the pond. No problem with them.
Potap, 45 years old, Moscow region. I hold red ducks for beauty. I initially did not have a pond on the site. Therefore, I kept wondering why my cinders do not think about offspring, I thought that the age was not yet the same. And then I read that the ducklings spend the whole day in the water. And it dawned on me. In the spring, he dug a pond for them, and after a year or so, the ducklings were frolicking in it. In general, a beautiful bird, but requires attention.
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You can rarely find a red duck or a fire in private farms, although breeding it does not require special skills or creating additional conditions. It is enough to know some features of the breed and the characteristic features of the behavior of a duck. With proper care, fires delight their owners not only with beauty, but also with productivity.