Duck farm takes flight with free-range Pekins

Within the poultry market in South Africa, the individual consumer demand for duck meat and eggs has yet to compete with its feathered competition. However, up-and-coming producers are now finding their feet to satisfy niche markets nationwide wanting free-range ducks. Amoré Mannsberger spoke to Henning Naudé about how innovative practices helped her build her duck farm from the ground up, and how she manages to overcome a lack of commercial hormone-free feed.

- Henning Naudé

Following her resignation from her job in 2024, Amoré Mannsberger decided to take on a new challenge. Her husband, Ulf, purchased 60 Pekin ducks in December 2024 for her to begin breeding a small flock.

Once the pullets started to lay their first eggs, she decided to invest in an incubator and hatcher, deciding to fully commit to duck farming as her next venture. She and Ulf established Netmooiniks duck farm in early 2025, located near Lindequesdrif in North West.

Mannsberger says she quickly fell in love with the idea of starting her own operation after seeing her first ducks thrive.

"I believe farming was something I was always going to return to. My husband farmed citrus and watermelon in the past, so I have always been surrounded by the lifestyle," she says.

Since then, Mannsberger’s operation has grown rapidly and she now maintains a fully fledged production cycle. Netmooiniks is a 7ha plot of land that is divided into seven breeding pens with housing to provide pasture for each group at various growing phases. Four of the camps are slightly larger for the grower and finisher ducks, while the remaining three are smaller and designed for newborn ducklings.

Her flock now stands at 2 118 Pekin ducks in total, bred specifically for their meat; 246 are hens, and 25 are drakes, with the remainder being ducklings, growers, and pullets. She keeps an additional 10 drakes separate for new hens that are bought in for expansion through breeding. She keeps her male-to-female ratio to roughly one male to 10 females to prevent overcrowding and stress in the pens.

Pekins are commonly chosen for meat production as they have steady growth rates, good feed conversion, and docile behaviour. Mannsberger maintains a feed conversion rate of 2,82:1.

PRODUCTION CYCLE