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Research Article

Comparison of the growth and body conformation of ducks reared in semi-intensive or intensive systems

Barbara Biesiada-Drzazga, Dorota Banaszewska, Eugeniusz Wencek

Department of Breeding Methods and Poultry Breeding, Siedlce University of Natural Sciences and Humanities, Bolesława Prusa 14, 08-110 Siedlce, Poland

The National Poultry Council – Chamber of Commerce Warszawa, Poland

1. Acta Sci. Pol. Zootechnica, 16(3), 2017, 43‒52
2. DOI: 10.21005/asp.2017.16.3.06

Abstract. The aim of the study was to compare the growth and body conformation of ducks raised in a semi-intensive and an intensive system. The material for the research was Pekin Star 53 H.Y. crossbred meat ducks of French origin. The ducks were reared for 8 weeks. The birds from group I were reared in an intensive system and the birds in group II in a semi-intensive system. At the completion of the rearing period, at 8 weeks of age, the mean body weight of the birds in group I, reared intensively, was 3480.3 g, while that of the group II birds, reared in the semi-intensive system, was 3000.2 g The results indicate had irrespective of sex, young ducklings, i.e. in the first 3 weeks, had the fastest growth rate. The massiveness index in the birds’ first week of life was on average 1.7% for males and females in both groups. In the eighth week it was 11.4% and 11.0% in groups I and II. In both study groups the males had higher or significantly higher massiveness indices on all weeks of live. It should be noted that females had a lower massiveness index than the males and a higher compactness index. The compactness index, defined as the percentage ratio of the chest circumference to the trunk length, continually decreased as the ducks grew older: it was on average 144.7% in group I and 142.6% in group II in the first week and 117.7% and 119.3% in the eighth week.

Keywords: ducks, growth rate, body measurements body indices