100% agree with the duck starter from Mazuri. My success rate on difficult species including Hooded Mergansers and Ruddy Ducks went way up after I started using it and I quit losing almost any of the common species. Buy it then sprinkle it all in their water and they will start eating. Another trick that I use is that sometimes I will put one two week old wood duck or mandarin in with newly hatched birds and he/she teaches them to eat. Something about being the same species on such a nervous bird seems to help. The main thing is to figure out what works for you and then tweak it over the years. I dont really lose any wood ducks or mandarins anymore but when I first started out I used to lose whole clutches. Good luck!
I absolutely agree with the overcrowding, nothing will kill birds quicker than putting too many together. Also, don't overcrowd you breeder pen either. When I first started out I thought that I could have one of every species that existed, all in the same pen only to learn over the years that you are much better off working with only a few birds. I wish I could use the word successful when it comes to Ruddy Ducks but I only raised 19 out of about 35 hatched last year so I wouldn't call it successful. The main thing is that without the Mazuri waterfowl starter and the advice from a friend in Connecticut on cabbage and water, I used to lose them all and now I am raising them. Every year I learn a little more and I always try to listen when it comes to new ideas from people who have the experience when it comes to raising ducks. I also try to take those ideas along with mine and tune them into something that works for me. The main thing that I see missing from this website that was always present on GBWF.org were people who would listen to the guys/gals that knew what they were talking about. This website has very little of that and there are very experienced curators from some of the most respected facilities in the U.S. that have come and gone on this message board just because they could no longer deal with the stupidity of people with 1 pair of mandarins giving advice on raising Harlequins or Old squaw and then arguing with them over it as well. Didn't mean to get off subject but I wish people would approach this forum as a learning center and read a little more than they type. I often see someone with 3000 + posts giving just plain wrong advice because they cant stand to not comment even when they have no clue what they are talking about.
