Vol. 9, Issue 4, Part M (2025)

Duck farming is an age-old traditional practice in Assam that has great potential of income generation at minimum investment. Scientific interventions directed towards improvement in duck rearing practices can play a pivotal role in making it a self-sustainable and lucrative venture. In this milieu, the present study was conducted under a Front-Line Demonstration (FLD) programme of KVK, Kokrajhar to evaluate different economic parameters associated with backyard rearing of White Pekin ducks in the district. The study was conducted for a period of two years starting from 2021-22 covering 8 villages from two sub-divisions of Kokrajhar district. A total of 29 beneficiaries having prior experience in duck farming were selected for the study. Each beneficiary was provided with 25 numbers of day-old White Pekin ducklings that were initially kept under artificial brooding for a period of 2 weeks. Subsequently, the ducklings were reared under semi-intensive system with supplementation of locally available feedstuff. They were offered optimal amount of feed that included a mixture of grains, crushed maize, boiled and broken rice, kitchen waste etc. supplemented with commercially available mineral mixture. The ducklings were provided with all necessary health care support besides vaccinating them against duck plague. The results of the study revealed that the average body weight of ducks at 0, 15, 30, 45, 60 and 90 days of age was 58.66±1.2, 174±1.45, 606.66±14.52, 940.33±17.03, 1326.66±8.81 and 1990.33±40.41grams respectively. The Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) could be estimated as 4.20±0.06 at 90 days whereas the mortality rate was recorded to be 4.5±0.26. The dressing percentage recorded was 67.87±0.43. The estimated benefit cost ratio was 3.0±0.26. The findings of the study clearly indicates that backyard rearing of White Pekin duck is a promising venture for the resource-poor farmers of the district and can contribute significantly towards their economic upliftment by enhancing their household income.