CN110050754B

CN110050754B - Method and device for promoting breeding of mandarin ducks

Info

Publication number: CN110050754B
Application number: CN201910453299.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 周颖; 徐正强; 杨天春; 施千里; 金新华
Original assignee: SHANGHAI ZOO
Current assignee: SHANGHAI ZOO
Priority date: 2019-05-28
Filing date: 2019-05-28
Publication date: 2024-06-25
Anticipated expiration: 2039-05-28
Also published as: CN110050754A

Abstract

The invention provides a method and a device for promoting breeding of mandarin ducks. Aiming at the technical defect of very high difficulty in artificial breeding of mandarin ducks in the field, the inventor conducts intensive research on a plurality of factors including life habits, population, food and welfare of the mandarin ducks, and discloses a method and a device for promoting the breeding of the mandarin ducks. By optimizing the artificial feeding environment, the breeding of mandarin ducks is obviously promoted, and the sustainable development of the population is maintained.

Description

Method and device for promoting breeding of mandarin ducks

Technical Field

The invention belongs to the field of zoology, and more particularly relates to a method and a device for promoting breeding of mandarin ducks.

Background

Mandarin duck (Aix galeiculata) common name: official duck, english name: mandarin duck is small ducks of Amaranthaceae (Anatidae) of Amaranthales (Anseriformes), and is mainly distributed in eastern Asia, propagated in northeast China, and overwintered in south China. The living environment of mandarin ducks is selected from mountain streams, marshes, lakes, etc., and is also commonly found on the water surface of marshes and reed clusters surrounded by broadleaf forests. The nest is placed in a natural tree hole close to the water-side old tree, and spawning starts from the beginning of 5 months, and 7-12 spawns are produced in each nest. Due to the damage of the field environment, forest felling and hunting, the population number of field mandarin ducks is reduced year by year, and the wild mandarin ducks are classified as national class II protection animals in China.

Although mandarin ducks are shown in zoos nationwide, under artificial feeding conditions, the difficulty of artificial reproduction of mandarin ducks is very high, which may be related to factors such as the difficulty in catching mandarin ducks' life habits, susceptibility to irritation, low safety, high requirements on feeding food and feeding environment, and the like.

Therefore, there is a need in the art to research and develop devices that are suitable for the habit of mandarin ducks and that facilitate the reproduction of mandarin ducks.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a method and a device for promoting the reproduction of mandarin ducks.

In a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of promoting the reproduction of a mandarin duck, the method comprising:

(1) Providing a cage, wherein at least 1 side part of the cage comprises a net structure, and the bottom of the cage meets the condition that the average floor area of a single mandarin duck is 1.5-3.2 square meters; the cage comprises:

The shielding shed and the nest box are positioned on the side wall of the cage, and the shielding shed is positioned above the nest box; the distance between the bottom of the nest box and the bottom of the cage is 1.5-3.2 meters;

A pool located at the bottom of the cage and a feeding area, wherein the pool occupies 1/5 to 1/2, preferably 1/4 to 1/3 of the area of the bottom of the cage;

(2) And (3) breeding the mandarin duck in the cage of the step (1).

In another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a cage suitable for mandarin duck reproduction, the method comprising: manufacturing a cage so that at least 1 side part of the cage comprises a net structure, and the bottom of the cage meets the condition that the average floor area of a single mandarin duck is 1.5-3.2 square meters; and further provided with: the shielding shed and the nest box are positioned on the side wall of the cage, and the shielding shed is positioned above the nest box, and the distance between the bottom of the nest box and the bottom of the cage is 1.5-3.2 meters; and a pool and feeding area at the bottom of the cage, wherein the pool occupies 1/5 to 1/2 of the area of the bottom of the cage.

In a preferred embodiment, the cage comprises a bottom, a top and a side extending circumferentially between the bottom and the top, the side having a height of 3-7 meters, preferably 4-6 meters; preferably, the bottom is a solid structure, and the top is a net structure; preferably at least 1, preferably 2 to 3; the side portion includes: a solid structure connecting the bottom, and a mesh extending upwardly along the solid structure; more preferably, at least 1 side portion is of full solid construction; more preferably, the solid structure of the side portion is 60-120 cm high, more preferably 70-110 cm high, still more preferably 80-100 cm high; more preferably, the mesh has a mesh diameter of no more than 3 cm, such as 0.5 to 3 cm, more preferably 1 to 3 cm, such as 1.5,2 or 2.5 cm.

In another preferred embodiment, one side of the full solid structure is placed in the north portion of the cage while the cage is being placed and the mandarin duck is being raised.

In another preferred embodiment, the pool: the depth of water is 20-60 cm, preferably 30-50 cm; and/or a slow flow on the water surface; and/or adjacent to the feeding area, such as 30-50 cm apart.

In another preferred embodiment, the sink is a manual sink, including a removable sink such as, but not limited to, a water reservoir, sink, or the like.

In another preferred embodiment, the feeding area is 1 or more.

In another preferred embodiment, as said shelter: from the bottom to 2.5 to 5 meters, preferably 3 to 4.5 meters, more preferably 3 to 4 meters

In another preferred embodiment, the area of the shelter is 1/5 to 1/2, preferably 1/4 to 1/3, of the area of the bottom.

In another preferred embodiment, the number of hives is at least 1, preferably 2 to 40, such as 3,5,8, 10, 12, 15, 18, 25, 30, 35; preferably, when a plurality of nest boxes are arranged, the spacing between adjacent nest boxes is 0.4-2 meters, preferably 0.5-1.5 meters; more preferably 0.6 to 1 meter.

In another preferred embodiment, the bottom of the hive is 1.8 to 2.8 meters, more preferably 2 to 2.5 meters, from the bottom of the cage.

In another preferred embodiment, the device is provided with a mouth part facing outwards for the access of the mandarin duck and a gangway positioned outside the mouth part; the mouth is matched with the shape of the mandarin duck in size, and is preferably 16-24 cm in height and 15-22 cm in width; the springboard provides support for the mandarin ducks to stand, guard or enter the nest box.

In another preferred embodiment, the diving board is disposed at the lowest position of the mouth.

In another preferred embodiment, the springboard has an extension that extends outward of the nest box; preferably, the extension portion extends horizontally or at an inclination angle with respect to the horizontal plane.

In another preferred embodiment, the hive body is a wooden structure such as, but not limited to, three splints, seven splints, solid wood.

In another preferred embodiment, the side of the nest box facing outwards and comprising the mouth for the access of the mandarin ducks has a transverse width of 30-55 cm; preferably 30 to 50 cm, such as 35, 40, 45 cm.

In another preferred embodiment, (2) includes: during the non-reproductive phase, the mandarin duck is fed a diet comprising: 60g of green vegetables, 10g of apples, 40g of pellet feed, 40g of steamed corn bread and 10g of corns; wherein the individual components float within a range of ± 25%, preferably within a range of ± 20%, more preferably within a range of ± 15% (e.g., also within a range of ± 10% or within a range of ± 5%); and, during the reproductive phase, administering to the mandarin duck a diet comprising: 60g of green vegetables, 10g of apples, 40g of pellet feed, 40g of steamed corn bread, 10g of corn, 5g of cooked beef powder, 10g of cooked soybeans, 10g of cooked eggs and 20 g of malt; wherein the individual components float within a range of + -25%, preferably within a range of + -20%, more preferably within a range of + -15% (e.g., also within + -10% or within + -5%).

In another aspect of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for breeding and reproducing mandarin ducks, comprising: the cage comprises a net structure at least at 1 side part, and the bottom of the cage meets the condition that the average occupied area of a single mandarin duck is 1.5-3.2 square meters; the cage comprises: a shielding shed and a nest box which are positioned on the side wall of the cage, wherein the shielding shed is positioned above the nest box; the distance between the bottom of the nest box and the bottom of the cage is 1.5-3.2 meters; a pool at the bottom of the cage and a feeding area, wherein the pool occupies 1/5 to 1/2, preferably 1/4 to 1/3 of the area of the bottom of the cage.

In another preferred embodiment, the pond has a water depth of 20 to 60 cm, preferably 30 to 50 cm.

In another preferred embodiment, the pool water surface flows at a retarded rate.

In another preferred embodiment, the pond is adjacent the feeding area, such as 30-50 cm apart.

In another preferred embodiment, the shelter is 2.5 to 5 meters, preferably 3 to 4.5 meters, more preferably 3 to 4 meters, from the bottom.

In another preferred embodiment, the shelter area is 1/5 to 1/2, preferably 1/4 to 1/3, of the area of the bottom.

In another preferred embodiment, the number of said nest boxes is at least 1, preferably 2 to 40, such as 3,5,8, 10, 12, 15, 18, 25, 30, 35; preferably, when a plurality of nest boxes are arranged, the spacing between adjacent nest boxes is 0.4-2 meters, preferably 0.5-1.5 meters; more preferably 0.6 to 1 meter.

In another preferred embodiment, the nest box is provided with an outward-facing mouth for the access of the mandarin ducks, and a springboard positioned outside the mouth; the mouth is matched with the shape of the mandarin duck in size, and is preferably 16-24 cm in height and 15-22 cm in width; the springboard provides support for the mandarin ducks to stand, guard or enter the nest box.

In another aspect of the invention, there is provided a food for the breeding and reproduction of mandarin ducks comprising: food for non-reproductive phase: 60 parts of green vegetables, 10 parts of apples, 40 parts of pellet feed, 40 parts of steamed corn bread and 10 parts of corns; wherein the individual components float within a range of ± 25%, preferably within a range of ± 20%, more preferably within a range of ± 15% (e.g., also within a range of ± 10% or within a range of ± 5%); and foods for the reproductive phase: 60 parts of green vegetables, 10 parts of apples, 40 parts of pellet feed, 40 parts of steamed corn bread, 10 parts of corn, 5 parts of cooked beef powder, 10 parts of cooked soybeans, 10 parts of cooked eggs and 20 parts of malt; wherein the individual components float within a range of + -25%, preferably within a range of + -20%, more preferably within a range of + -15% (e.g., also within + -10% or within + -5%).

Other aspects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the disclosure herein.

Drawings

Fig. 1, schematic top view (perspective view) of the cage.

Fig. 2, a schematic side view (perspective view) of the cage.

Fig. 3, schematic view of a nest box.

The reference numerals are as described in table 1.

TABLE 1

Detailed Description

Aiming at the technical defect of very high difficulty in artificial breeding of mandarin ducks in the field, the inventor conducts intensive research on a plurality of factors including life habits, swarms, foods and emotions of the mandarin ducks, and discloses a method and a device for promoting the breeding of the mandarin ducks. By optimizing the artificial feeding environment, the breeding of mandarin ducks is obviously promoted, and the sustainability of the population is maintained.

As used herein, "promoting the reproduction of a mandarin duck" refers to promoting the production of one or more of the following behaviors in the mandarin duck: estrus, mating, spawning, and/or hatching; more preferably, the mandarin ducks are facilitated to have all of the above-described behaviors in time sequence.

As used herein, the term "hatchability" refers to the ratio of the number of eggs that hatch into a mandarin duck to the number of fertilized mandarin duck eggs.

As used herein, the term "individual reproduction rate" refers to the ratio of the number of individuals of a mandarin duck that successfully reproduce to the total number of mandarin duck populations.

As used herein, "parts by weight" or "parts by weight" are used interchangeably and may be any fixed weight expressed in milligrams, grams, or kilograms (e.g., 1mg, 1g, 2g, 5g, or 1kg, etc.). For example, a composition comprising 1 part by weight of component a and 9 parts by weight of component b may be a composition comprising 1 gram of component a+9 gram of component b, or 10 grams of component a+90 gram of component b, etc. In the composition, the percentage content of a certain component= (the sum of parts by weight of the component/parts by weight of all components) ×100%. Thus, in a composition consisting of 1 part by weight of component a and 9 parts by weight of component b, the content of component a is 10% and component b is 90%.

Cage house

The inventor observes many aspects such as wild habitat and propagation conditions of mandarin ducks for a long time, and after research and optimization, provides a method and a device for promoting the propagation of mandarin ducks, comprising: providing a cage with a specific design, wherein the average floor area of a single mandarin duck is 1.5-3.2 square meters, preferably 1.5-2.4 square meters; and, a suitable propagation environment is set in the cage. In general, the number of mandarin ducks raised in a single cage is between 2 and 40. Preferably 8 to 16.

In a preferred form of the invention, the bottom of the cage is provided as a solid structure, which may be formed, for example, of bricks, slates or boards, etc., which may be fixed to the ground or movable. The solid structure extends to the side wall of the cage, is 60-120 cm high, more preferably 70-110 cm high, still more preferably 80-100 cm high, can provide proper sense of security for the mandarin duck, and is beneficial to healthy growth and improvement of the reproduction rate. Meanwhile, the structure of the solid structure on the side wall can also prevent mice, cats, dogs and wild animals from entering, and can also prevent hatched small mandarin ducks from escaping.

In a preferred form of the invention, at least 1 side, preferably 2-3 sides of the cage include a solid structure connected to the bottom of the cage and a net (e.g., wire mesh) extending upwardly along the solid structure, the net having a mesh diameter of no greater than 3 cm, such as 0.5-3 cm, more preferably 1-3 cm, such as 1.5,2 or 2.5 cm, to prevent damage to the mandarin duck eggs by the entry of animals such as mice, cats, weapons, etc. into the cage (e.g., into the nest within the cage).

In a preferred form of the invention, at least 1, preferably 1, of the sides of the cage are provided as a fully solid structure. Preferably, one side of the solid structure is placed north when the cage is depressed, thereby shielding the mandarin duck from wind, rain, snow, dust, etc. Preferably, the solid structure of the face can suspend a nest box for the inhabitation of mandarin ducks.

A pool is arranged at the bottom of the cage, which can be fixed on the ground or movable. In a preferred form of the invention, the area of the pool is about 1/5 to 1/2, preferably 1/4 to 1/3, of the area of the bottom of the cage. In a preferred form of the invention, the water depth in the pool is 20 to 60 cm, preferably 30 to 50 cm, and the water is maintained at a slow flow. The pool is arranged as above to meet the propagation habit of the mandarin duck, so that the coupling behavior of the mandarin duck can be stimulated, and mating is completed. By combining the arrangement of the pool, the device provided by the aspects of the invention ensures the breeding success rate of the mandarin ducks in the breeding period, so that the individual breeding success rate is increased to more than 70% from the past zero.

In a preferred form of the invention, at least 1 feeding area, such as 1 to 3 feeding areas, may be provided at the bottom of the cage. For example, one feeding area may have the following characteristics or combinations thereof: the area close to the pool is 5-8 square meters, so that the mandarin duck can eat conveniently.

In a preferred form of the invention, the sides of the cage are provided with doors; more preferably, the door is a double door, and the door opening directions of the two doors are opposite, so that the mandarin duck can be prevented from escaping when feeding personnel enter and exit.

In the cage, a shielding shed is also arranged. The shelter is a mandarin duck shelter against wind, rain, snow, sand and the like. The shelter is arranged in the cage, and the distance between the shelter and the bottom is 2.5-5 meters, preferably 3-4.5 meters, more preferably 3-4 meters. The area of the shielding shed is 1/5-1/2, preferably 1/4-1/3, of the area of the bottom. The shelter has a roof (canopy roof) which can act as a creel.

Although the cage has a roof (mesh structure), the inventors have still provided a shelter. The shielding shed is designed to provide a stopping place for the mandarin ducks and a hiding place for the mandarin ducks when the mandarin ducks are frightened, so that stress response of the mandarin ducks is effectively reduced. When the mandarin duck breeds in the nest box, the shielding canopy of top has effectively reduced the interference of external factor, has increased its sense of security. The reduction of stress response of the mandarin duck significantly promotes their reproduction.

In the cage, a nest box is also arranged. One cage is provided with one or more nest boxes, and the nest boxes are used for breeding behaviors such as oestrus, mating, spawning, hatching and the like of the mandarin ducks and for behaviors such as hiding the mandarin ducks. The number of nest boxes is at least 1, preferably 2-40, according to the number of mandarin ducks living in the cage.

The nest box is provided with a top plate, a bottom plate and side plates. The side plates are configured to be the main face, side face and back face of the nest box. In a preferred form of the invention, the main face portion thereof has a relatively wider dimension than the side face portions and faces the majority of the space of the cage, while the rear face portion is opposite the main face portion.

In a preferred form of the invention, the bottom of the hive is 1.5 to 3.2 metres, preferably 1.8 to 2.8 metres, more preferably 2 to 2.5 metres, from the bottom of the cage. The proper height design of the nest box can provide proper safety for the mandarin ducks on one hand, and is beneficial to promoting the propagation of the mandarin ducks. On the other hand, the killing of weasel, mouse, cat and the like to the mandarin ducks is reduced. The transverse width of the main surface of the nest box is 30-55 cm; preferably 30 to 50 cm, such as 35, 40, 45 cm. The arrangement of the size effectively avoids that a plurality of mandarin ducks occupy the same nest box, thereby affecting hatching and brooding rate.

The nest box connects the sides of the cage and extends circumferentially along the sides (which may be solid side portions, rather than a net structure) such that the back of the nest box, which is not in and out of the mandarin duck, abuts the sides of the cage. In a preferred form of the invention, when a plurality of nest boxes are arranged, the spacing between adjacent nest boxes is 0.4 to 2 meters, preferably 0.5 to 1.5 meters; more preferably 0.6 to 1 meter. Such spacing can reduce the influence that the mandarin duck in a nest box receives the mandarin duck in other nest boxes (like adjacent nest boxes) to reduce the stress response of mandarin duck, and then effectively promote the propagation behavior of mandarin duck in the nest box.

The nest box is provided with an opening part for entering and exiting the nest box, and the inlet is arranged at a side plate of the nest box and has a continuous and smooth contour so as to prevent the sharp contour from damaging the mandarin ducks entering and exiting the nest box; more preferably, the mouth is provided at the main face of the nest box; more preferably, the mouth is arched, wherein the major axis of the arch is vertical and the minor axis of the arch is horizontal. The mouth is sized to fit the shape (e.g., body shape, body width, height, etc.) of the mandarin duck to facilitate access, and more preferably the mouth has a vertical height of 18-24 cm and a horizontal width of 16-22 cm. Too large a transverse width can cause multiple mandarin ducks to contend for nest seating, creating an unsafe sensation, and thus causing a certain drop in reproductive rate. The lowest point of the mouth can be located at the bottom of the nest box 10 cm, 20 cm or 30 cm higher than the bottom of the nest box.

In a preferred form of the invention, the nest box has a springboard positioned at the lowermost mouth to facilitate the mandarin duck standing, warning, or access to the nest box. The size of the nest box opening and the jump plate are matched with the shape (such as body shape, body width and height) of the mandarin duck so as to facilitate the access of the nest box, namely, on one hand, the size of the nest box opening and/or the jump plate is prevented from being smaller than the size matched with the mandarin duck, so that the mandarin duck cannot or is difficult to access the nest box, on the other hand, the size of the nest box opening and/or the jump plate is prevented from being far larger than the size matched with the mandarin duck, and the concealment characteristic of the mandarin duck in the breeding period is reduced. More preferably, the springboard is attached to the main face of the nest box. The utilization of the nest box is significantly improved by designing the nest box mouth and the springboard position as described above, and specifically, the utilization of the nest box mouth and the springboard position design is not provided to be 10%, and the utilization of the nest box mouth and the springboard position design is provided to be 90%.

The diving board is provided with an extension part extending towards the outside of the nest box, the extension part extends horizontally, or the extension part extends upwards relative to the horizontal plane and has an inclined angle, so that the double-colored nest falling onto the diving board can be supported more effectively, and the inclined angle ranges from 0 degree to 45 degrees; the extension has a length of 5-20 cm and a width of 3-15 cm, more preferably 12 cm and a width of 5 cm.

In a preferred form of the invention, the upper region within the nest box is provided with probes, thermometers, and/or hygrometers, etc. to facilitate the observation and study of the life habits of the mandarin ducks, particularly those associated with oestrus, mating, spawning, hatching, etc.; the top plate of the nest box has holes, which may be square, polygonal, circular, arched, etc., for the passage of signal and/or power wires associated with the probes, thermometers, and/or hygrometers, etc., into and out of the nest box.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the side of the nest box has a door for releasing mandarin ducks, taking bird eggs, taking young birds, taking out probes, power supply devices, cables, and the like.

In a preferred form of the invention, the hive body can be of wood construction such as, but not limited to, three splints, seven splints, solid wood, and the like.

Feeding food

The inventor also carefully analyzes the food formula of the mandarin duck, and adopts a feeding method of two stages of 'non-breeding stage' and 'breeding stage' so as to be beneficial to the growth and breeding of the mandarin duck.

The food for the non-reproductive phase comprises: 60 parts of green vegetables, 10 parts of apples, 40 parts of pellet feed, 40 parts of steamed corn bread and 10 parts of corns. According to the food consumption of a single mandarin duck in a single day, the method comprises the following steps: 60g of green vegetables, 10g of apples, 40g of pellet feed, 40g of steamed corn bread and 10g of corns. Wherein each component floats within a range of + -25%, preferably within a range of + -20%, more preferably within a range of + -15%; for example, it may be floating within.+ -. 10% or.+ -. 5%.

The food for the reproductive stage comprises: 60 parts of green vegetables, 10 parts of apples, 40 parts of pellet feed, 40 parts of steamed corn bread, 10 parts of corn, 5 parts of cooked beef powder, 10 parts of cooked soybeans, 10 parts of cooked eggs and 20 parts of malt. According to the food consumption of a single mandarin duck in a single day, the method comprises the following steps: 60g of green vegetables, 10g of apples, 40g of pellet feed, 40g of steamed corn, 10g of corn, 5g of cooked beef powder, 10g of cooked soybeans, 10g of cooked eggs and 20 g of malt. Wherein each component floats within a range of + -25%, preferably within a range of + -20%, more preferably within a range of + -15%; for example, it may be floating within.+ -. 10% or.+ -. 5%.

The food formula designed for the breeding period of the mandarin duck obviously promotes oestrus, mating, spawning and the like of the mandarin duck.

The beneficial effects of the invention are mainly as follows:

1. compared with the problem that the existing single artificial breeding environment causes higher artificial breeding difficulty of the mandarin ducks, the device provided by the aspects of the invention is simple and easy to implement, obviously promotes the mandarin ducks to breed, realizes the successful pairing breeding of the mandarin ducks bred in the Shanghai zoo, and continuously and successfully breeds. Wherein, under the condition that the related scheme of the invention is not implemented, the hatching rate is 30-50%, and under the condition that the related scheme of the invention is implemented, the hatching rate is improved to 90%.

2. Compared with the existing single food formula, the food formula provided by the aspects of the invention considers the reasonable collocation of nutrition, not only meets the nutrition requirement of the mandarin duck breeding, but also promotes the estrus, mating, spawning and the like of the mandarin duck under the condition of artificial feeding, and maintains the sustainability of the population. The repeated experiment results of the inventor show that the method is ideal in reproducibility and the mandarin duck keeps stable hatching rate.

The invention will be further illustrated with reference to specific examples. It is to be understood that these examples are illustrative of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. The experimental methods, in which specific conditions are not noted in the following examples, are generally conducted under conventional conditions or under conditions recommended by the manufacturer.

Example 1 rearing cage

1. Main body design

In this example, a rearing cage suitable for growth was produced for a manmade reared mandarin duck.

The inventor has observed for a long time that an important reason why mandarin ducks are difficult to reproduce is that they are easily stimulated, resulting in the generation of stress response. In order to reduce stress response of mandarin ducks to promote their reproduction, the present inventors set the cage in a quiet environment, which means that the maximum limit of environmental noise is 40dB (the maximum limit of environmental noise in five areas of city is clearly specified in the "urban noise standard of the people's republic of China". If, a sanatorium, an advanced villa, an advanced hotel, 50dB daytime, 40dB at night, an area mainly of living and religious authorities, 55dB daytime, 45dB at night, 60dB at daytime, 50dB at night, 65dB at daytime, 55dB at night, and 70dB at daytime, 55dB at night in road traffic trunk roads, inland waterways, railway main and secondary trunk areas in cities).

The cage 100 comprises a bottom 110, a top 120, and sides 130 extending circumferentially between the bottom and the top, the height of the sides being set to 5 meters.

The bottom of the cage is solid structure, not net-shaped or hole-shaped.

The sides of the cage have four sides including a grounded solid structure 140 attached to the bottom of the cage and a wire mesh 150 extending upwardly along the grounded solid structure, the mesh diameter of the mesh being no greater than 3 cm to prevent animals such as mice, cats, wealtheria from entering the cage (e.g., into a nest box within the cage) to damage the mandarin duck eggs. The height of the solid structure is 90 cm.

One side of the sides of the cage is arranged as a full solid structure between the bottom of the cage and the top of the cage, without mesh or holes. When the cage is placed, the solid structure is positioned on the north of the cage, so that the mandarin duck is shielded from wind, rain, snow, dust and the like. Further, the nest box 300 for the double-flavored perch is suspended from the side solid structure.

An artificial pool 170 is provided in a partial area of the bottom of the cage. The area of the pool is about 1/3 of the area of the bottom of the cage, the water depth in the pool is 40 cm, and the water keeps flowing slowly.

At the bottom 110 of the cage, 1 feeding area 180 is provided, near the pool, 6 square meters in area for feeding of the mandarin ducks.

In the cage, a shielding shed 200 is also arranged. The height of the shielding shed is 3 meters away from the bottom. The area of the shielding shed is 1/4 of the area of the bottom of the cage; the upper top surface of the shielding shed can be used as a stand.

The sides of the cage are provided with doors 160, which are double doors.

Example 2 design of hive

Also included within the cage 100 are a plurality of nest boxes 300 made of seven-plate material. Provides a rest place for the mandarin duck.

The nest box is disposed within the cage and has a top plate 310, a bottom plate 330 and side plates 320; the side plates are configured to have a main face 340 of the nest box, a side face 350 and a back face opposite the main face, wherein the main face has a wider dimension than the side face and faces a majority of the space of the cage, and the back face is opposite the main face.

The bottom of the nest box is 2.2 meters from the bottom 110 of the cage. The transverse width of the nest box is about 40 cm.

The nest box is connected to and extends circumferentially along the sides 130 of the cage such that the back of the nest box, which is not in and out of the mandarin duck, abuts the sides of the cage. The length extending along the circumferential direction is determined by the width of the nest boxes, the spacing between adjacent nest boxes and the number of the nest boxes, and the spacing between the adjacent nest boxes is 0.6-1 meter.

The nest box is provided with an opening part 360 for the access of the mandarin duck, and the opening part is arranged at the main surface part of the nest box and is arched. The height of the mouth in the vertical direction is 18 cm and the width in the horizontal direction is 16 cm. The lowest point of the opening is positioned at the bottom plate of the nest box and is 30cm higher than the bottom plate of the nest box.

The nest box has a diving board 370 positioned at the lowermost mouth to facilitate the mandarin duck standing, guard against, or access to the nest box, the diving board being coupled to the main face 340 of the nest box.

The springboard is provided with an extension part extending towards the outside of the nest box, the extension part extends horizontally, or the extension part extends upwards relative to the horizontal plane and has an inclination angle; the extension has a length of 16 cm and a width of 8 cm.

The upper area in the nest box is provided with a probe, a thermometer and a hygrometer.

The side face of the nest box is provided with a door which is used for paying out mandarin ducks, taking bird eggs, taking young birds, taking out probes, power supply equipment, cables and the like.

The inventor finds that the design of the mouth part and the springboard of the nest box accords with the concealment characteristic of the breeding period of the mandarin duck, and the utilization rate of the nest box is remarkably improved, specifically, the utilization rate of the position design of the mouth part and the springboard of the nest box is 10%, and the utilization rate of the position design of the mouth part and the springboard of the nest box is 90%.

Example 3 Mandarin duck food preparation

Two kinds of mandarin duck foods, namely conventional food and reproductive food, are provided. Based on the food consumption of a single mandarin duck for a single day, the food formulation comprises:

conventional food formulation: 60g of green vegetables, 10g of apples, 40g of pellet feed, 40g of steamed corn bread and 10g of corns.

The food formula in the breeding period comprises the following components: 60g of green vegetables, 10g of apples, 40g of pellet feed, 40g of steamed corn, 10g of corn, 5g of cooked beef powder, 10g of cooked soybeans, 10g of cooked eggs and 20g of malt.

At ordinary times, the floating up and down is within 10% according to the formula.

In the previous study, the inventor feeds in a single mode, namely, the traditional food formula is adopted for feeding in the breeding period or the non-breeding period, the brooding rate is 20-35%, and the individual breeding rate is 5%. Subsequently, the inventors utilized the feeding method of "non-reproductive stage" and "reproductive stage" two stages, with a brooding rate of 90% and an individual reproductive rate of 87%.

Example 4 optimal design of cage

The inventor has long-term feeding and found that it is necessary to provide living places and proper activity places with proper sizes for the mandarin ducks, and also to consider some characteristics in the aspects of mandarin ducks habit, particularly sense of safety. The inventor finds that the height of the nest box plays a very important role in the breeding of the mandarin ducks.

The mandarin ducks were bred using the cages and nest boxes prepared in examples 1 and 2 and the foods of example 3, and the mandarin ducks breeding conditions were observed under the conditions of different average floor areas and cage heights (i.e., different breeding densities) of the single mandarin ducks, as shown in Table 2.

TABLE 2 individual reproduction Rate of different cultivation conditions

According to Table 2 above, an average footprint of 1.5 to 3.2 square meters for a single mandarin duck can achieve an ideal individual reproduction rate, with 1.5 to 2.4 square meters being particularly desirable. The height of the nest box is preferably 1.5-3 m.

The inventor finds that nest boxes higher than 3 meters are mostly abandoned by mandarin ducks; most of the time, less than 1 meter, is discarded, probably because the mandarin duck is very sensitive to self-safety as well as to offspring safety.

Summary

In summary, according to the statistics of the multi-batch breeding of the present inventors, the hatching rate is 20 to 35% without implementing the related scheme of the present invention, and the hatching rate is improved to 90% with implementing the related scheme of the present invention.

According to statistics of the multi-batch breeding of the inventor, the individual breeding rate is 5-10% under the condition that the related scheme of the invention is not implemented, and the individual breeding rate is improved to 87% under the condition that the related scheme of the invention is implemented.

All documents mentioned in this disclosure are incorporated by reference in this disclosure as if each were individually incorporated by reference. Further, it will be appreciated that various changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art after reading the above teachings, and such equivalents are intended to fall within the scope of the application as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method of promoting the reproduction of a mandarin duck, the method comprising:

(1) Providing a cage (100) having at least 1 side portion (130) comprising a mesh structure and a bottom portion (110) satisfying an average floor area of 1.8 to 3.2 square meters for a single mandarin duck; the cage (100) comprises:

a shielding shed (200) and a nest box (300) positioned on the side wall of the cage (100), wherein the shielding shed (200) is positioned above the nest box (300); the distance between the bottom of the nest box and the bottom (110) of the cage is 1.8-2.8 meters; the nest box is provided with an outward-facing mouth part (360) for the access of the mandarin ducks, and a springboard (370) positioned outside the mouth part (360); the size of the opening (360) is matched with the shape of the mandarin duck; the springboard provides support for the mandarin ducks to stand, guard or enter the nest box;

a pool (170) and a feeding area (180) at the bottom (110) of the cage, wherein the pool occupies 1/5 to 1/2 of the area of the bottom of the cage;

(2) Raising and breeding mandarin ducks in the cage of the step (1); during the non-reproductive phase, the mandarin duck is fed a diet comprising: 60g of green vegetables, 10g of apples, 40g of pellet feed, 40g of steamed corn bread and 10g of corns; wherein each component floats within + -25%; during the reproductive phase, the mandarin ducks were fed a diet comprising the following formulas: 60g of green vegetables, 10g of apples, 40g of pellet feed, 40g of steamed corn bread, 10g of corn, 5 g of cooked beef powder, 10g of cooked soybeans, 10g of cooked eggs and 20 g of malt; wherein each component floats within + -25%.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the cage comprises a bottom (110), a top (120), and a side (130) extending circumferentially between the bottom and the top, the side (130) having a height of 3-7 meters; the bottom (110) is of a solid structure, and the top (120) is of a net structure.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least 1 side portion (130) comprises: -a solid structure connecting the bottom (110), and-a net extending up the solid structure; at least 1 side portion (130) is of full solid construction; the solid structure of the side part (130) is 60-120 cm high; the mesh diameter of the net is not more than 3 cm.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the pond has a water depth of 20 to 60 cm.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the pool water surface flows at a retarded rate.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the pond is adjacent to a feeding area.

7. The method according to claim 2, wherein the shelter (200) is 2.5-5 meters from the bottom (110).

8. The method according to claim 2, wherein the area of the shelter (200) is 1/5-1/2 of the area of the bottom (110).

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the number of nest boxes (300) is 2-40.

10. A method according to claim 9 wherein the spacing between adjacent hives is from 0.4 to 2 metres when the plurality of hives are arranged.

11. A method according to claim 9, wherein the bottom of the hive is 2 to 2.5 meters from the bottom (110) of the cage.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the bottom (110) of the cage (100) meets an average floor area of 1.8 to 2.4 square meters for a single mandarin duck.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein (2) during the non-reproductive phase, each component floats within ± 20%; during the propagation phase, the individual components float within ±20%.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein in (2), each component floats within ± 15% during non-reproductive periods; during the propagation phase, the individual components float within ±15%.