Status of Indigenous duck and duck production system of India - a review

Duck genotypes in India are generally grown in extensive conditions by small breeders. The purpose of breeding is to obtain meat and eggs to contribute a small amount to the family budget. These duck genotypes are known for their adaptability to the environment and their resistance to diseases. As per livestock census 2019, the duck population of India is 33.51 million constituting 4.0% of the total poultry population. Ducks are most abundant in Eastern (64.5%), North Eastern (16.02%), and Southern (12.60%) states of India. In most of the places, poultry farmers prefer rearing indigenous ducks under scavenging system. The flock sizes of ducks ranged from 2 to 9 ducks among different households in the surveyed locations. Plumage color and beak color are not defined in indigenous ducks. There is inter-individual variation in morphological and yield traits. The average first laying age in indigenous ducks ranges from 145 to 223 days and 17.0-38.5% owners do not supply any additional feed to their ducks. The mortality rate among chicks was observed to be higher at younger ages. The average annual egg productions per indigenous duck are very poor. However, most of the duck farmers earned a good amount of subsidiary income from duck rearing. Hence, selective breeding as a genetic tool could be utilized to improve the productivity of indigenous ducks.