A descriptive study of the health of ducklings on smallholdings, Hatia Island, Bangladesh

Small-scale duck production represents an important component of sustainable livelihood strategies for poor rural communities in Bangladesh. However, high mortality rates reduce the contribution that this system makes to the well-being of these communities. A descriptive study was conducted on 14 households with ducklings (1 to 5 batches) on Hatia Island, Bangladesh, between October 2002 and September 2003. Each was assigned ducklings to rear for a period of 8 wk. The overall objective of the study was to identify factors that limit bird health under a model program. The overall mortality rate of ducks was 26.2% (26.7% in batch 1, 34.0% in batch 2, 29.2% in batch 3, 7.8% in batch 4, and 5.0% in batch 5). Three logistic regression models were performed on the mortality of ducks from the first batch in all 14 households for selected factors [model 1 before the duck plague vaccination (DPV), model 2 after at least the first DPV, and model 3 after 2 DPV]. All 3 models demonstrated that the odds of duck mortality were 1.6 to 2.7 times greater in ducks that had no access to the standard number of lamps to maintain the necessary temperature during the brooding period (P</it> < 0.004). The odds of duck mortality were 1.5 times higher for ducks that received the DPV between 31 and 45 d than for those that received the DPV between 21 and 30 d (P</it> < 0.004; model 2). The odds of duck mortality were also 1.8 times higher for ducks that received the second dose of DPV between 49 and 57 d of age than for those that were vaccinated between 45 and 48 d of age (P</it> < 0.002; model 3). The average BW gain was better for ducks from the second to fifth batch (589.0 to 633.5 g) than for ducks from the first batch (393.02 g; P</it> < 0.001). We conclude that a successful stress management strategy during the first week and proper timing of the DPV could reduce the duck mortality rate and increase the productivity of household ducks on Hatia Island.