CuddleNest
Songster
Hi! The Peeps in Europe suggested I pose my questions to the Duck experts! Sorry that this post is a bit long, but I'm new to keeping ducks (though we have a bunch of chickens), and I'm a bit concerned and hope my story one the past few weeks might help figure out what I might be doing wrong (or right?).
My questions are:
In contrast, we had our ducklings inside in a big flat tiled shower covered in newspaper in a cage (cat and dog are in the house) with a brooder, water, and Kue-Start (20% protein), which is a German pellet food we had leftover from just hatching chicks in April. I also tried to mix in oats but they weren't into it. Once the days were very warm, we started having the ducks outside during the day on straw in a cage so that they were somewhat protected from the other birds. They seemed lazy and I thought that maybe they wanted to have the freedom to roam around. So, we we put the chickens into their fenced in area, removed the cage, and let the ducks roam. However, despite some brief walking, they were just slow, always wanting to sick, and very un-chick-like (I know they are ducks, but they seemed really inactive). At some point, I got very concerned because they seemed completely out of energy, and their legs were bowing inward. From various posts here, I realized that I might need to give them more niacin. I started adding brewer's yeast (Bierhefe) to the pellets 4 days after the ducks arrived, wetting the pellets first to make the powder stick to them. They got the brewer's yeast/pellet mix, water, and all the bugs, grass, and whatever else they found outside to eat. I brought them in every night until this week since it is finally very warm out there at night and they have quite a bit of feathers now. When inside over the past few weeks, they always had access to water, and they always seemed to want a snack before bed. I was rather liberal with their food, I guess, and they always ate all of it. I never threw any away. Thinking that I might be overfeeding them (see below when I explain my neighbor's reaction to their size), this week I tried to reduce the pellet food to just twice a day, mornings and late afternoons. When I come with it, they scarf it down. In between I bring veggie snacks. They seem to particularly like small pieces of floating cabbage, lettuce, or cucumber. I saw them stealing the greens from my onion patch, eating grass, and snapping in some flies and worms (one they pulled out of its hole in the ground after it rained). Yesterday, they still scoffed at oats, even in oatmeal form. They are free ranging all over a rather large yard and playing in kiddie pools of water, napping during the day on straw under an Eglu Cube coop. BYC posters have recommended reducing protein over time for pet ducks, unless I've misunderstood. I'm not sure how to transfer the food over or which food is recommended that I could also get here (near Bonn in Germany). We go to local "hof" places or the Raiffeisen shop. I could ask them for special mixes if I know what ingredients and proportions to ask for.
I have uploaded some pictures to show their size (they are around 6 to 7 weeks in the pictures) and the darkening spots on their heads. My profile picture is a picture of one of the ducks a week younger or so. I also have videos but somehow couldn't get them to upload here. I didn't consider weighing the ducks when I first got them, so I cannot say how much heavier they have become. During a recent bath time, I noticed how big they got. My neighbor said that they are at least twice as large as her ducks right now who are the same age from the same farm; she appeared a bit shocked and commented that I might be "doing too much" with my ducks. Nonetheless, the ducks are currently very active, and the bowing legs issue is completely gone on one duck and almost gone on the other (maybe I caught it too late?). They rest a lot but appear perky and happy and seem to get along with the chicks and chickens who mingle with them a few hours a day (though, they also like the pellet food). They spent last night and the night before last in a modified Eglu Go coop with no complaints (but a bowl of water, just in case).
Am I doing something wrong? I worry that they got heavy or big so fast that it might have influenced their leg growth somehow. I just want healthy and happy ducks. Any feedback would be appreciated!
My questions are:
- Am I overfeeding my ducks? Are they likely to get much bigger?
- How would you recommend modifying the food as they become older? Do I keep using the bewer's yeast no matter what?
- Has anyone seen this kind of duckling/duck? Could they be mulards?
- Is it likely that they are two drakes? We have grown attached, so I cannot rehome them. No one wants to eat them either. But any advice if they are two drakes would be appreciated.
In contrast, we had our ducklings inside in a big flat tiled shower covered in newspaper in a cage (cat and dog are in the house) with a brooder, water, and Kue-Start (20% protein), which is a German pellet food we had leftover from just hatching chicks in April. I also tried to mix in oats but they weren't into it. Once the days were very warm, we started having the ducks outside during the day on straw in a cage so that they were somewhat protected from the other birds. They seemed lazy and I thought that maybe they wanted to have the freedom to roam around. So, we we put the chickens into their fenced in area, removed the cage, and let the ducks roam. However, despite some brief walking, they were just slow, always wanting to sick, and very un-chick-like (I know they are ducks, but they seemed really inactive). At some point, I got very concerned because they seemed completely out of energy, and their legs were bowing inward. From various posts here, I realized that I might need to give them more niacin. I started adding brewer's yeast (Bierhefe) to the pellets 4 days after the ducks arrived, wetting the pellets first to make the powder stick to them. They got the brewer's yeast/pellet mix, water, and all the bugs, grass, and whatever else they found outside to eat. I brought them in every night until this week since it is finally very warm out there at night and they have quite a bit of feathers now. When inside over the past few weeks, they always had access to water, and they always seemed to want a snack before bed. I was rather liberal with their food, I guess, and they always ate all of it. I never threw any away. Thinking that I might be overfeeding them (see below when I explain my neighbor's reaction to their size), this week I tried to reduce the pellet food to just twice a day, mornings and late afternoons. When I come with it, they scarf it down. In between I bring veggie snacks. They seem to particularly like small pieces of floating cabbage, lettuce, or cucumber. I saw them stealing the greens from my onion patch, eating grass, and snapping in some flies and worms (one they pulled out of its hole in the ground after it rained). Yesterday, they still scoffed at oats, even in oatmeal form. They are free ranging all over a rather large yard and playing in kiddie pools of water, napping during the day on straw under an Eglu Cube coop. BYC posters have recommended reducing protein over time for pet ducks, unless I've misunderstood. I'm not sure how to transfer the food over or which food is recommended that I could also get here (near Bonn in Germany). We go to local "hof" places or the Raiffeisen shop. I could ask them for special mixes if I know what ingredients and proportions to ask for.
I have uploaded some pictures to show their size (they are around 6 to 7 weeks in the pictures) and the darkening spots on their heads. My profile picture is a picture of one of the ducks a week younger or so. I also have videos but somehow couldn't get them to upload here. I didn't consider weighing the ducks when I first got them, so I cannot say how much heavier they have become. During a recent bath time, I noticed how big they got. My neighbor said that they are at least twice as large as her ducks right now who are the same age from the same farm; she appeared a bit shocked and commented that I might be "doing too much" with my ducks. Nonetheless, the ducks are currently very active, and the bowing legs issue is completely gone on one duck and almost gone on the other (maybe I caught it too late?). They rest a lot but appear perky and happy and seem to get along with the chicks and chickens who mingle with them a few hours a day (though, they also like the pellet food). They spent last night and the night before last in a modified Eglu Go coop with no complaints (but a bowl of water, just in case).
Am I doing something wrong? I worry that they got heavy or big so fast that it might have influenced their leg growth somehow. I just want healthy and happy ducks. Any feedback would be appreciated!