Evaluation of local duck production systems in Imo and Abia States of Nigeria

A study was conducted to evaluate local duck production systems in Imo and Abia States of Nigeria. Seventy-two (72) local duck farmers from both  States were purposefully selected using snowball sampling techniques and were interviewed using structured questionnaires. Data on farmers' socio-economic characteristics and production practices were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages  and charts. The results showed that there were more male duck farmers (88.89%), while the average age of duck farmers was 51.35years. Most (97.22%) of the duck farmers were literate, 58.33% of households had between 4 - 7 members, 73.61% of duck farmers were christians and a higher number (46.43%) raised pigs alongside of ducks. Most farmers (98.61%) kept only Muscovy ducks. The average flock size is about 6-9 ducks per household. Ducks were mainly kept for rituals and traditional medicine (56.78%). About 48.61% of farmers used personal money to finance duck farming, while 47.22% of farmers inherited their foundations stock. The age at sexual maturity for ducks was 7 to 9 months; clutch length was 11 to 15 days, while clutch size ranged from 16 to 20 eggs. Again, 94.44% of farmers practiced extensive system of duck keeping while 84.72% did not provide supplementary feeds to their ducks. Accidents are the leading cause of mortality in ducks, while the myths that surround ducks are the main obstacle to duck meat consumption. The results showed that duck farming is not popular in the study area and therefore, ducks are seen and kept as sacrificial birds. Thus, the potential of ducks for the production of meat and eggs is not fully exploited. These myths that have hindered the production of ducks could be dispelled through farmer trainings and enlightenment. Keywords: duck, myth, production, conservatio