Agricultural science project

[CaraghDolan]

I have an agricultural science project due next year in secondary school and I need to get started on. This is the title that I have to go by: 'Exploring nutrition and nutrients - the importance to Irish agriculture of their effective use and management'
I would like to do something on my project with ducks. What could I do. How could I measure the development in ducks other than the weight?

 

[nuthatched]

How are you planning on carrying this out with your ducks? Weight is a good guide, as a duck fed with a poor high carb food will weigh more than a duck fed with a more nutritious diet. I'm not sure how you would be able to use duck at all, actually.

 

[DukesDucks]

Can this project be done using research and not live ducks. Certainly on BYC there is lot of information about proper nutrition and the affects of poor nutrition on the health and growth of ducks. Otherwise, are you planning to feed the same breed of ducks different controlled diets. For a secondary school project, IMO, it doesn't seem right to purposely over or under feed ducks.

 

[ruthhope]

CaraghDolan​

I am assuming that you will do a literature review and collect secondary data to support your hypothesis.

Perhaps you will find commercial duck farm data from Ireland. I have found commercial duck farm data from elsewhere than Ireland when I was looking for growth charts for ducks. If you cannot find commercial duck farm data, you might identify a commercial duck farm and contact them about any data they collect and their willingness to share.

Weight and rate of weight gain is a good indicator of duck health BUT..... It has been alluded to by nuthatched above, there are challenges to using weight and weight gain to measure duck health. I assumed that my hand-raised muscovy duckling would get more nutrition than commercial barnyard ducklings. I monitored my duckling's growth daily and after 6 weeks came to the conclusion that my duckling was female as it was falling behind the growth curve of barnyard muscovy drakes. I was wrong. I have a muscovy drake and now he is an adult he is large. Then I thought back to what are the objectives of commercial farms -- not to grow healthy long lived, happy ducks! Commercial ducks are raised to reach optimum weight for slaughter for their meat as quickly as possible. So beware the indicator you use will need to be appropriate for commercial barnyard ducks as your project is concerned with the Irish economy.

You said "How could I measure the development in ducks other than the weight?" You might look for commercial farm data on percentage successful hatching of eggs; percentage survival of ducklings to 12 weeks. You would have to get data on the composition of the feed given to laying females and to the ducklings. You would also need to get data for one specific breed -- probably pekin or aylesbury in Ireland. However, it may be that all the commercial farmers use the same feeding regimen so any differences in hatching rates and survival to 12 weeks would not be nutrition related.

Good luck!! Its a complex project for school!