Help! Call Ducks Due!

[Lacrystol]

What could go wrong? That was my second hatch. The first was 5 ducklings and this was 2 with one dead. What can I do? And I'm giving him a duck starter and he can lift his head and he's running around.

Well if you got 5 the first round, and this one is 1 out of 16, something is off. In the first round how many eggs did you start off with?

 

[Lacrystol]

Are you sure the parents had adequate nutrition? That can have a dramatic effect on the ducklings.

I think the parents are fine..

 

[Lacrystol]

They get fed everyday a mixture of things. Chicken laying feed. Peas, corn they forage in my garden.

if your talking about crack Corn it should not be fed daily. It should be only giving as a treat, I give mine cracked corn but only once a week.

 

[Lacrystol]

Chicken laying feed isn't the ideal thing for laying ducks since ducks and chickens have different nutritional requirements. Despite that, I've read comments from people on here who do it and say they have no problems, so I can't say that contributed to the problems you had. I would still switch to appropriate duck feed if you can afford it.

GUILTY, I have giving mine Chicken layer, it all depends on the Calcium count and Protein count. Ducks need a higher protein count then chickens and they can't have more then 4% calcium count..

 

[Lacrystol]

I get told all the time that quality 'poultry' feed is good. I cant get duck specific food, mine get coprice lucky layer pellet, free range scratch as well as free range forage and scraps. Sometimes my girls need a bit of a boost in a vitamin supp, but if I cant get my lucky layer and have to buy another brand, my eggs disappear!

Pellets? LOL mine REFUSE to eat PELLETS, I don't know if its because I have bantams and call ducks which are a smaller breed but they do not like me if I bring home pellets. So crumbles only for them

 

[JadeComputerGal]

GUILTY, I have giving mine Chicken layer, it all depends on the Calcium count and Protein count. Ducks need a higher protein count then chickens and they can't have more then 4% calcium count..

It's not about a guilty or innocent. You have to remember I'm not allowed to have chickens, so I'm not in the position many of you are in. I also hear that many people can't get anything that's even labled duck feed even if they have only ducks. I'm very blessed that my feed store carries my maintenance feed, but I have to special order my breeder feed. They take 3-4 weeks to get that in, so I have to be on top of how much I have, and I've run out before and had to give them a feed I don't usually use. We all have circumstances. I felt awful for the guy who got chastised in one thread over a 4 day water supply. Sheesh. We all work with what we have. That was very depressing for me.

 

[JadeComputerGal]

if your talking about crack Corn it should not be fed daily. It should be only giving as a treat, I give mine cracked corn but only once a week.

Ditto, to any kind of corn. It's great in the cold weather, especially if you're in a region where winters are very cold, because it helps them generate the heat and energy they need. Actual corn should never be part of the routine feed outside that. Duck feed typically has some amount of corn in it already, and I imagine chicken feed does as well. Our ducks get no supplemental corn in wam weather other than an occasional ear of corn to peck on.

 

[JadeComputerGal]

Pellets? LOL mine REFUSE to eat PELLETS, I don't know if its because I have bantams and call ducks which are a smaller breed but they do not like me if I bring home pellets. So crumbles only for them

I think you've cursed me because the last five babies I have left this season are mostly refusing to eat their pellets unless we put them in water. These are the only ducks/ducklings I've ever had that didn't immediately take to the pellets. I basically have to just let them pick out the crumbles and leave them with the pellets they've left while they scream at me.

 

[JadeComputerGal]

I get told all the time that quality 'poultry' feed is good. I cant get duck specific food, mine get coprice lucky layer pellet, free range scratch as well as free range forage and scraps. Sometimes my girls need a bit of a boost in a vitamin supp, but if I cant get my lucky layer and have to buy another brand, my eggs disappear!

Kleo, that wasn't meant to be demeaning to people who don't feed what I feed. I think at least most of us who post here do what we have with what's available, what our other circumstances are like other poulty, and what we can afford. That's one reason I almost never mentiion exactly what I feed mine. Feed is important, but it's not a panacea. I've heard from people who are the best caretakers and feed only chicken feed or all breed feeds, and their ducks do fine. I feed only expensive duck feed, and I had four deformed ducks this year.

 

[Kleonaptra]

Pellets?  LOL mine REFUSE to eat PELLETS, I don't know if its because I have bantams and call ducks which are a smaller breed but they do not like me if I bring home pellets.  So crumbles only for them

The lucky layer is a very small pellet that all mine love, its almost a crumble. Most other brands are bigger and they don't refuse, but they do complain! They especially love the scratch mix, any kind, and are getting cranky cos I'm running out and cant get more til next weekend