Webbed-feet production poultry and turkeys require feeders and drinkers that efficiently meet their needs.

In animal production systems, there is a sector dedicated to webbed-feet poultry. This group of birds includes ducks, geese, and swans. These animals have characteristics that make them unique and excellent egg and meat producers. In addition, they have feeding needs, so automatic feeders and drinkers have been developed with great advantages for them.

Likewise, turkey production in the world is another line of considerable importance within the poultry industry. Each year, about 46 million turkeys are produced, especially for Thanksgiving in the United States. For this reason, turkey farmers require efficient solutions for their production systems that respond to the needs of this group of poultry.

What characterizes webbed feet poultry?

Webbed feet production birds are called Anatidae, as they belong to the taxonomic family called Anatidae.

In this group of Anatidae, birds are the ducks, whose subfamily is Anatinae. In addition, there are the geese and swans of the subfamily Anserinae. This taxonomic classification groups all these birds together because of their body morphological features, including the feet. These birds are characterized by having a thin membrane located between the digits of the feet, which gives them the denomination of palmipeds.

Webbed feet or palmiped birds have this membrane because they inhabit aquatic environments and are swimmers par excellence. This membrane allows them to have more surface area on their feet to push through the water while swimming, generating better traction and thrust. In addition, the webbed feet of these birds allow them to walk in muddy environments without any problem.

In addition, webbed feet birds have a broad, narrow, shovel-shaped bill because their diet in the wild is based on plants, fish, and insects. Their feathers have a fatty layer that allows them to be impermeable to water, so they live in aquatic environments while their skin remains dry.

Webbed-feet poultry production

The genera used are mainly Anas sp. and Cairina sp. which are descended from domesticated ducks in Southeast Asia.

Webbed-feet ducks are characterized by high resistance, especially against diseases and the environmental conditions in which they are housed. These traits are in marked contrast to broilers and layers, as these groups are susceptible to certain diseases and hostile environmental conditions. For this reason, webbed-feet birds are less demanding in controlling conditions such as temperature, light, and humidity even in industrial systems.

According to 2020 figures, there were approximately 1.5 billion ducks in the world, of which 1 billion were in Asia. This 89% of the world’s duck population was concentrated in countries such as China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Indonesia. These Asian countries are the main producers of webbed-feet birds.

In the European continent, France is the main duck producer in this region and one of the global players. In 2020, France produced approximately 220 000 metric tons of duck meat. This accounted for about 40% of Europe’s total production during that year.

Webbed-feet poultry production is usually located in regions where rice crops are also grown. Both productions have been found to have a synergistic effect, as the birds consume insects and animals in the area that could affect the crops. In addition, the presence of these birds contributes to crop fertilization.

Webbed-feet poultry production is mainly based on ducks, which produce eggs for consumption and meat of high nutritional quality.

Efficient solutions for webbed-feet birds and turkeys

One of the efficient solutions needed by webbed-feet poultry and turkey producers is related to their feed and water consumption. Therefore, Giordano Poultry Plast (GPP) has developed an automatic line of feeders and drinkers focused on the needs of these groups of production birds. This equipment has been developed with the best and most resistant raw materials in Italy tested and designed to have efficient and long-lasting performance.

This automatic line of poultry feeders and drinkers allows to reduce human interaction with the animals and reduced human intervention during the rearing stages. In addition, this equipment developed by Giordano Poultry Plast is easy to assemble and operate, allows easy maintenance, and reduces labor time and production costs.

In this way, Giordano Poultry Plast (GPP) has created an automatic feeder for the production poultry called Polyfeeder. It has also designed an automatic drinker for these webbed-feet birds called Drinker T-Line.

POLYFEEDER: the automatic feeder for birds

The ideal automatic feeder for webbed-feet poultry and turkeys, developed by Giordano Poultry Plast, is the Polyfeeder. This equipment is mainly made of high-strength plastic, whose design is suitable for all ages and stages in webbed-feet poultry and turkeys.

In addition, this automatic feeder is composed of parts that are easy to disassemble and assemble, allowing for quick installation, cleaning, and various applications. Therefore, Polyfeeder can be used during the rearing and fattening phase in the production of webbed-feet poultry and turkeys.

This automatic feeder allows adjusting precise amounts of feed to be provided to the birds, thus reducing operating times and costs associated with labor and wasted feed. As a result, webbed-feet poultry and production turkeys are fed in a balanced, efficient, and adequate manner.

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DRINKER T-LINE: the GPP automatic drinker

The Drinker T-Line is the automatic drinker designed by Giordano Poultry Plast for webbed-feet poultry as well as for turkeys according to their needs.

This equipment is characterized by excellent functionality, optimum performance, and few parts for easy handling. One of these outstanding parts is the pendulum, which is connected to the nipple, which oscillates when the birds peck at it and is activated only at this moment. Thanks to this, the Drinker T-Line automatic drinker reduces water waste and minimizes litter moisture due to liquid splashing.

Conclusions

The production of webbed-feet poultry and turkeys are a protagonist in poultry farming worldwide. This first group of birds is characterized by having an interdigital membrane that allows them to swim very easily and quickly.

The webbed-feet poultry is mainly composed of ducks, together with geese and swans. In addition, it is recognized that almost 90% of the world’s production of webbed-footed birds is in Southeast Asia with about 1.5 billion birds each year. In Europe, France is the main producer of this group of birds.

Webbed-feet poultry is characterized by high resistance to diseases and adverse environmental conditions, making them an excellent choice due to this resistance compared to broilers. In addition, these birds produce high-quality eggs and meat of high palatability for consumers. On the other hand, turkeys are a major production group worldwide, especially during Thanksgiving in the United States where the industry generates millions of dollars each year.

Because of their leading role in the poultry industry, webbed-feet poultry and turkeys has needs according to their morphology and production systems. Therefore, Giordano Poultry Plast has developed automatic feeding systems that facilitate farm work and reduce costs.

Giordano Poultry Plast has created Polyfeeder, an automatic feeder especially designed for webbed-feet poultry and turkeys’ production. This equipment reduces labor time, associated costs, and feed waste. On the other hand, the Drinker T-line is an automatic drinker designed for webbed-feet poultry, which allows an accurate water supply to meet the birds’ needs. In this way, the Italian company has efficient solutions for poultry farmers.