Duck Feed

[Zealo]

I've got 6 pekin duckling coming up in march which we're going to raise for meat.. and was wondering

What's the Best feeds for proper development, when to switch them, and what to feed for all different stages??

We're very limited in what type of feed we get here, its just typical feed for chicken.
I've got a feed list from the store that shows what do give them
Which says to just give them Meatbird crumbles from start to finish.

Which do you think would be better for good quality meat???

 

[PoultryBird12]

I've got 6 pekin duckling coming up in march which we're going to raise for meat.. and was wondering

What's the Best feeds for proper development, when to switch them, and what to feed for all different stages??

We're very limited in what type of feed we get here, its just typical feed for chicken.
I've got a feed list from the store that shows what do give them
Which says to just give them Meatbird crumbles from start to finish.

Which do you think would be better for good quality meat???

We don't raise ducks for meat, but the feed we use for our ducks comes from a store called Tractor Supply. We used it for our ducklings and grownups. I forgot the brand name, but that store has really good feed. Good value, good prices We've been getting their feed ever since we got ducks and chickens and our animals have turned out big and beefy. (We're not going to eat them, though) Good luck with your ducks!

 

[Kaessa]

I've got 6 pekin duckling coming up in march which we're going to raise for meat.. and was wondering

What's the Best feeds for proper development, when to switch them, and what to feed for all different stages??

We're very limited in what type of feed we get here, its just typical feed for chicken.
I've got a feed list from the store that shows what do give them
Which says to just give them Meatbird crumbles from start to finish.

Which do you think would be better for good quality meat???

You can get Purina Flock Raiser at Tractor Supply, which is a good all-around feed. Supplement this with brewer's yeast and you should be good. There are a lot of different options. This is what I'm planning on doing, and there is a potential for several of my birds to end up on the dinner plate at some point (though I am primarily raising for eggs).

 

[Zealo]

^^ Thank you
We get our feed from Farm & fleet because the price is lower.
Next time I got to Tractor supply I'll look to see if they have the feed.

Thank you again :3

 

[Zealo]

Went to Tractor supply... And the Flock Raiser is out of the question..Seeing as one bag of feed costs 16.59
Any other Ideas that might work???

 

[Miss Lydia]

Went to Tractor supply... And the Flock Raiser is out of the question..Seeing as one bag of feed costs 16.59
Any other Ideas that might work???

Meat bird crumbles would probably be okay to use but ducklings will need to be supplemented with either brewers yeast of niacin for strong legs. if niacin not the flush free just plain niacin or nutritional yeast or brewers yeast. Pekins grow super fast and they can become lame and most chicken feed doesn't have the Niacin [B3] that ducklings need. it's rec ducklings be given this supplement till 10 weeks of age So it will need to be given to almost butcher time if that's at 12 weeks old.

 

[Zealo]

Thank you :3

If nothing good came up by the time the duckling arrived, I was thinking about just going with what the sheet said.
But that will work nicely for me. Seeing a Meat bird feed and brewers yeast are pretty cheap here.

Thanks again!

 

[JoyAnna]

from Scratch & Peck:

Quote:
Previously, our recommendation for using our Naturally Free Starter for ducklings was to supplement additional niacin to reach the 27mg/lb recommended through maturity as too little niacin can cause serious leg deformities and can result in undersized birds.

Our poultry feeds with a Mill Date of 1/30/15 or later now contain the necessary 27mg/lb of niacin to support proper growth and development for ducks. Any additional amount of niacin that is not needed by the bird’s body will process through without issue.

Ducks eat (and drink!) more than chickens and have different development phases, requiring slightly adjusted feeding guidelines than our recommendations for chickens. From day 1 through week 4, our Naturally Free Starter is a great choice. You'll notice an increase in growth (and food consumption) at week four so protein should be decreased to the level of either the Soy Free or Naturally Free Grower. On average, ducks will begin laying eggs at around 20 weeks so you may switch them to one of our Soy Free or Naturally Free Layer feeds around 18-20 weeks of age. If raising broilers (meat ducks), feed your ducklings Grower from 4 weeks to finish at around 8 weeks.

**NEVER feed ducklings a medicated starter because they eat more than chicks and can potentially overdose from the medication.

Learn more about Scratch and Peck Feeds by visiting:
www.scratchandpeck.com

Now, if they only would pellet their wonderful feed! They said they want to avoid excessive processing, which I like very much, but the ducks waste too much when it isn't pelleted.