feed

so i will start ducklings out on chick starter unless i can find duckling starter. would i need to give them brewers yeast if on chick starter? i go from starter to grower feed, what comes next, layer? will i have to give ducklings grit and oyster shells or should i wait till they are older? what age do i switch from starter to grower, then to whatever comes next (i think its layer). will i need to give adult ducks niacin supplements?

sorry ihave a lot of questions justmaking sure i get all this right.

To start out, they should eat only starter. If it is chick starter instead of duck starter, it will need to be fortified with niacin. This can be either from brewer's yeast in their food or a vitamin supplement in their water. Also adding probiotics and electrolytes to their water is a good idea. Once they start eating things other than "feed", they will need access to grit. Their feed provides enough that they can eat it by itself, but when they are a little older you might give them romaine lettuce or peas as treats or when they start going outside where they can eat bugs and grass, they will need grit available to them; Of course grit is nothing more than small rocks and sand so depending on where you live, they might always have access to it anyway .

After 8 weeks, you should switch them to their primary feed. In the chicken world that is grower feed. I feed mine all-flock since I don't have duck/waterfowl feed available, I am guessing it is better for waterfowl than straight chicken food since ducks and geese are taken into account in its formulation.

Once they are laying, they will need a supply of calcium. The only difference between grower food and layer food is the calcium (and I believe a trace of manganese). The label shows it has a lower protein content, but typically it is only 2% lower and the feed has more than 2% calcium. So the rest of the feed is really just as high in protein as the grower food just some of it has been replaced with oyster shell. To me, the problem with layer food (at least for my flock) is:

1). Some ducks aren't laying yet.
2). I have 2 Drakes.

Ducks that aren't laying and get too much calcium can have other problems.

3). My ducks can free range so they eat grass and bugs and I really have no idea on an individual basis how much feed each duck eats. If one of my laying ducks eats mostly bugs and grass and very little feed, then it doesn't matter if the feed has calcium, the duck isn't eating it.

So for myself, I feed them all all-flock all the time. But they have a constant supply of oyster shell available to them. I see mostly the laying girls eat the oyster shell so I think it is auto regulating that way. (although I have one drake that ate a bunch of it through weeks 10-12 but I don't see that happening much anymore - maybe he needed it.)

Finally I am NO expert. I put this out as the best info I've got and it is hopefully better than nothing and may attract the attention of an expert if I have any flaws in my logic.

1. I would add some brewers yeast to their feed.
2. If you're giving them treats then I would add grit but you don't need to add in oyster shells yet.
3. Can you find an all purpose feed? I use Flock Raiser for all of my birds. I just give them access to oyster shells when they are laying.
4. I don't give my adult birds niacin supplements.

if you feed chick starter you do need to add brewers yeast to the feed to provide extra niacin or you could add niacin to their water. after they reach ten weeks of age you dont have to provide the extra niacin and they can be on plain chick starter or grower till they begin to lay. once they begin to lay you can switch them to regular chicken layer feed or you can keep feeding the chick starter or switch to a all flock/ flockraiser type feed and just provide a seperate dish of oyster shell

@ Kevin565:
You were so much more concise than I was Glad to see from someone with your experience I've got it mostly right .

Thank you guys so much.

Purina

Layena

Plus Omega-3 SunFresh

Recipe Poultry Feed


is this a good feed for adult ducks

Hello

yes that feed would be ok for adult ducks that are laying but not young non laying birds or drakes(to much calcium)

Hello, I have 3 pekin ducks 2 female and 1 male and I'm not sure what they should be eating. Right now they are eating pellets but One of my females laid her first egg today and I'm extremely confused on what I should be feeding them now. Iv read about getting later feed but then my male would develop problems. Please help!