We nurture nature

Most often, poultry breeds that are considered improved and high productive, i.e. those that lay more eggs, have more meat, etc., have one disadvantage. They are not broody. They never sit on their eggs (incubate) or raise their young ones.

Take for example, Black Australorp (Mikolongwe) or Kuroiler chickens. These are good meat and egg birds but can’t brood. This is the same with Khaki and Pekin ducks. Nice breeds of ducks – more eggs; more meat but they do not brood. Where a male is provided, their eggs will be fertile since they mate just like any other bird but the hybrid genetics in them take away some part of nature.

Multiplying these types of breeds can be tricky if you do not have an artificial incubator. You have more eggs with no means of hatching them. Are you in this fix? Do not despair. Try natural incubation with a hen. A hen that is broody (local chicken) can sit on exotic duck eggs as well as eggs of these other hybrid chickens and hatch them so long they are fertile. Upon hatching, she will raise the chicks!

In the case of chicken-to-chicken, there should not be any problem but in chicken-to-duck, the hen is likely to start staying away from the ducklings after a month or so when she starts noticing her differences with them.

For ducks, you can withdraw the ducklings at four weeks and put them in an artificial brooder. For chicks, you can let them stay with it until it is naturally time to wean them off or withdraw them at two weeks into a brooder as well. This will encourage the hen to stay laying again in a few weeks.

The trick is notice the time the hen is going to get broody. Please, note that this must be a hen which has also been laying and by the time it starts sitting on its own eggs, you simply remove hers and replace with the others. I advise not to remove all of hers, otherwise she will abandon all the eggs. Mix them up.

If you mix chicken and duck eggs, remember that the chicken’s will hatch first followed by the duck’s four or five days later. When the chicks hatch, take them away after two days. The hen will continue sitting on the duck eggs for more days to satisfy their incubation period which is 28 to 30.

Here, we have our hen which incubated Khaki Campbell and Pekin eggs, and is now raising the ducklings.

Nature is fascinating. Isn’t it?

On Malawian Local Ducks and Exotic Breeds

Do you know what we normally call ‘local ducks’ here in Malawi are closely related, if not the same as the highly-priced Muscovy ducks? I have studied most of their traits and find them to be similar. So to describe the local duck and its benefits, I will use the Muscovy.

Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) is a large duck native to Mexico, Central, and South America and Africa according to an entry on World's Poultry Science Journal.

They are some of the largest ducks on planet Earth. The males can grow up to 76 cm long and weigh up to 7 kilos. Females are usually smaller, growing up to 3.5 kg.

The bird is predominantly black and white, with the back feathers being iridescent and glossy in males, while the females are drabber. Both sexes have pink or red wattles around the bill, those of the male being larger and more brightly colored.

The one I recently slaughtered weighed 3 kg dressed weight!

Under scavenging, backyard farming conditions, the ducks can lay between 60 and 80 eggs each per year, and about 100 and 125 eggs per bird per year with an egg weight of about 72g under improved management conditions.

Fact

Partly due to the larger yolk, duck eggs are significantly higher in both fat and cholesterol than chicken eggs. But they're also higher in protein and have a higher concentration of omega-3 fatty acids, making them a favorite of paleo dieters, who seek high-fat foods. - https://modernfarmer.com.

Duck meat has a much stronger flavor than both chicken and turkey. The nearest comparison would be the darker parts of other poultry, but duck is still more flavorful, says nutritionadvance.com. As is the case with many foods, the higher fat content positively contributes to the overall taste profile.

Do you like baking? Try duck eggs, instead of chicken egg and you’ll love them forever.

Pricing

Despite these attributes, most farmers in Malawi, especially in rural areas, sell their ducks at low prices, ranging from K2000 (US 2.6) to K3500 (US 4.7). In urban set ups, the prices go up to K5000 (US 6.6) and K7000 (US 9.3) for fully-grown meat fowls. This is very low compared to the K10, 000 and K20, 000 for foreign breeds such as Pekin and Khaki.

Now, with all these benefits, why should local ducks fetch low prices? It is high time we appreciated what a delicacy and money spinner the ‘native Muscovy’ is.