The Klein Karoo Duck Farm enclosure in Barrydale in the Western Cape. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi
South Africa’s duck farming industry is comparatively small. Most duck farmers in the country have free-range operations, with the duck meat industry supplied by imports from Thailand, Hungary, China and Brazil. Freddie Cross, a duck farmer from Barrydale in the Western Cape, says starting a duck farming operation is “relatively cheap”.
When Cross and his partner, Nina Cronje, relocated to the Klein Karoo over a year ago, they were looking for a small-scale farming operation that was not too expensive and have a relatively low risk. While doing their research, they came across duck farming.
“Duck farming ticked all the boxes that we wanted and thought would be a success in this area.”
Cross, whose operation is called Klein Karoo Duck Farm, explains that ducks are very hardy animals and that they adjust well to most conditions. Like most duck farmers in the country, Cross farms with Pekin ducks. He highlights that these ducks are bigger, heavier and easier to farm with.
“They are a little bit heavier than the other ducks, so we don’t have a risk of them flying over the fences. They’re not very good flyers. They are [also] easily domesticated so their feeding habits are quickly learned. They will go into their own enclosure at night [ and their] egg-laying capabilities are very good. Of course, their meat is well liked in the restaurants.”
Cross provides the following advice for aspiring duck farmers:
Duck farming requires the establishment of a duck camp and various facilities. Cross recommends that aspiring duck farmers plan out exactly what their enclosure is going to look like before they even obtain their ducks. “Plan your facilities properly and prepare them before you actually get your day-old ducklings in, because it is challenging to be [building] with all these ducklings around.”
Access to sufficient land is essential to duck farming, says Cross. Ducks are outdoor creatures that need to roam. “You need a fair amount of open land. The ducks need to range and [they] need good exercise and good sunlight.”
Ducks are aquatic birds, and thus require constant access to water. “Water is very important. They love water, [and their] happiest times are probably in water. That’s why a dam is also necessary. I don’t think [you could use] your municipal water. Your bills would be way too high.”
Cross says that ducks drink a lot of water, so a high supply of fresh water is necessary. “We have to put in fresh water, drinking water, twice a day, sometimes three times a day, depending on weather conditions. They are continually drinking water. As they eat, they would then drink their water.”
Shade is very important to the farming of ducks. Cross says when they started their operation, they planted trees to give the ducks enough shade and fenced in the duck enclosure. “[We planted] kikuyu grass as well. They scratch around in the kikuyu grass. And they need shelter, [good] weather conditions, rain or wind and that type of thing. They need little boxes that they can shelter in.”
The mesh fencing the duck enclosure is surrounded by serves a very specific purpose, Cross explains. “I have all my ducks in enclosures, and have their whole free-range area fenced. A two-meter wire mesh fence keeps out a variety of predators that are attracted to ducks and of course, the duck eggs.”
One of the more expensive aspects of duck farming is the temperature control aspect. Ducklings require a high temperature after they are hatched.
“Your small facilities or cages that you have for the ducks has to be temperature controlled when you get them. The temperature is normally around about 37°C, which you then decrease weekly as they get older. So, after five weeks, the temperature would drop each [week] by five [degrees] per week until they are five weeks old. Then you put them out into the open enclosures.”
Since having ducklings in temperature-controlled cages can drive up electricity costs, Cross recommends that farmers get ducklings when it is warmer. “Get your ducklings in summer when your constant temperature is much better than in winter. They like to have hot weather.”
Meat production in South Africa is highly regulated. As with chicken farming, duck farmers need to have their meat slaughtered at an abattoir. Cross explains that abattoirs that process duck meat are few and far between. He says that processing the duck meat from your standard chicken meat has some key differences.
“There are very few abattoirs that actually slaughter your ducks. Your poultry abattoirs [that slaughter] your chickens don’t do ducks because duck plucking is a lot different to the chickens. It’s a lot harder. We’ve been challenged with that [issue] in this area where we are, but we can drive to the facilities that do slaughter, but then there’s that cost that comes into the equation, so make sure that you research on that.”
Another challenging aspect of duck farming is the hatching of eggs. “Part of the equipment [you may need] is an incubator, based on how many ducklings you have, how many females you have, and how many eggs you’re going to have. Success rates out of the incubator is probably about 70%, which means about 30% may not hatch.”
Cross says that, after 28 days, you can sell the chics at a day-old after they have hatched. And because there is a demand for duck eggs, the unhatched eggs can be sold.
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Born and bred in Cape Town, Nicole Ludolph is always telling a story. After a few years doing this and that, she decided that she might as well get paid for her stories. Nicole began her journalism career writing science articles for learner magazine Science Stars and interning at Getaway Magazine.
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