Hi all,
I just read a post where someone asked what Scratch was and about using it for chickens. Well, that brought up the question for me for if it is ok for ducks?
When I first got Charlie, my baby Muscovey last year (and way before I found this website) I went to the feed store and asked what to feed him. They gave me unmedicated chick starter and said when he was bigger to feed him "Scratch" which is what I have done. He is now over a year old and has Angel Wing. He was also fed lots of veggies and spinach leaves, etc. but primarily scratch. Then in about October of last year, I adopted two more ducks, a young adult drake and an approx. 6 week old hen. The drake already had Angel Wing too, but not the hen. They, too, ate the Scratch primarily, and also veggies, lettuce, spinach leaves, grass, etc. Then the hen was big enough to fly and she free-ranged and got "most" of her food in the "wild". She did not end up with Angel wing.
Now, I have three new baby Muscovies approx. 1 week old. I have learned alot more now than what I used to know when raising Charlie. I bought them Game bird starter, unmedicated, online and have been feeding them that, with cut up veggies (mixed frozen veggies that I thaw and chop up in the food processor to make it small enough), as well as spinach leaves cut up real small. Their primary food is the game bird starter.
Ok, after all the background, I have a question. About 2 months ago, I bought four pekin/swedish duck mixes that were four months old. There are three hens. The guy I bought them from said to feed them Layena crumbles with the scratch so when they start laying eggs, the shells will be ok, etc. So, I went to the feedstore and got a 50lb bag of layena crumble type stuff. I mix it half and half with the scratch and feed that to ALL of them now, including the drakes (but NOT the new babies). They also still get vegetables, spinach leaves, fresh grass pulled for them every day, lettuce, kitchen scraps, etc. every day, along with the layena and scratch.
Is this ok to feed them? The four young pekin/swedish mixes that I got really grew FAST and got a good bit bigger and fatter in the two months I have had them. I think they look good, but I don't want them to get fat.
I just bought a new bag of scratch yesterday and still have layena and am continuing to mix it. Will this diet continue to be ok for ALL of them except the babies, who will stay on gamebird starter. WHen will the babies be old enough to switch to the big duck diet that I am feeding? Will the big ducks continue to be ok with this diet? Are they getting enough nutrition? The drakes don't like the layena crumbles much and tend to eat the scratch out of their dish and leave all the crumbles. The love the veggies and stuff though. They are penned separate from the four younger pekin/swedish mixes. The three pekin/swedish hens have not started laying yet, but I guess they probably will soon. They are approx. 6 months old now.
I want my birds to be as absolutely healthy as possible, and I don't want them fat. We live in Florida, so the temps here right now are in the 90 degree range. Yeah, yuck, I know. Humidity is terrible. The babies live in the house right now with A/C set at 83 degrees and they have a heating pad on their brooder to keep them warmer than the 83 degree house temp. as they are only a week old. They are eating really well and growing.
Thanks everyone!!
Kathy
I just read a post where someone asked what Scratch was and about using it for chickens. Well, that brought up the question for me for if it is ok for ducks?
When I first got Charlie, my baby Muscovey last year (and way before I found this website) I went to the feed store and asked what to feed him. They gave me unmedicated chick starter and said when he was bigger to feed him "Scratch" which is what I have done. He is now over a year old and has Angel Wing. He was also fed lots of veggies and spinach leaves, etc. but primarily scratch. Then in about October of last year, I adopted two more ducks, a young adult drake and an approx. 6 week old hen. The drake already had Angel Wing too, but not the hen. They, too, ate the Scratch primarily, and also veggies, lettuce, spinach leaves, grass, etc. Then the hen was big enough to fly and she free-ranged and got "most" of her food in the "wild". She did not end up with Angel wing.
Now, I have three new baby Muscovies approx. 1 week old. I have learned alot more now than what I used to know when raising Charlie. I bought them Game bird starter, unmedicated, online and have been feeding them that, with cut up veggies (mixed frozen veggies that I thaw and chop up in the food processor to make it small enough), as well as spinach leaves cut up real small. Their primary food is the game bird starter.
Ok, after all the background, I have a question. About 2 months ago, I bought four pekin/swedish duck mixes that were four months old. There are three hens. The guy I bought them from said to feed them Layena crumbles with the scratch so when they start laying eggs, the shells will be ok, etc. So, I went to the feedstore and got a 50lb bag of layena crumble type stuff. I mix it half and half with the scratch and feed that to ALL of them now, including the drakes (but NOT the new babies). They also still get vegetables, spinach leaves, fresh grass pulled for them every day, lettuce, kitchen scraps, etc. every day, along with the layena and scratch.
Is this ok to feed them? The four young pekin/swedish mixes that I got really grew FAST and got a good bit bigger and fatter in the two months I have had them. I think they look good, but I don't want them to get fat.
I just bought a new bag of scratch yesterday and still have layena and am continuing to mix it. Will this diet continue to be ok for ALL of them except the babies, who will stay on gamebird starter. WHen will the babies be old enough to switch to the big duck diet that I am feeding? Will the big ducks continue to be ok with this diet? Are they getting enough nutrition? The drakes don't like the layena crumbles much and tend to eat the scratch out of their dish and leave all the crumbles. The love the veggies and stuff though. They are penned separate from the four younger pekin/swedish mixes. The three pekin/swedish hens have not started laying yet, but I guess they probably will soon. They are approx. 6 months old now.
I want my birds to be as absolutely healthy as possible, and I don't want them fat. We live in Florida, so the temps here right now are in the 90 degree range. Yeah, yuck, I know. Humidity is terrible. The babies live in the house right now with A/C set at 83 degrees and they have a heating pad on their brooder to keep them warmer than the 83 degree house temp. as they are only a week old. They are eating really well and growing.
Thanks everyone!!
Kathy