U.S. drought fallout . . . might it affect all of our ducks?

I haven't read all the posts ...but if you want to formulate your own diet, you need a lot of information. I have formulated diets for captive birds....I first start with my targeted ME, then protein %, then the targeted level of the limiting essential AA. Protien is only as good as the limiting AA. Ask yourself before you proceed: do I know the nutritional needs of ducks (good place to start would be NRC. 1994. Nutrient requirements of poultry); what are the nutrient content and assimilation effefiencies of all the feed sources; and how do they all fit together.

Clint

Zombified said:

Thanks Amiga, reading it now.

The closest place to get Scratch and Peck is three hours away, lol. And to ship is a little too expensive for us right now. Putting it on the back burner in the hopes that we're able to get more monies~

Amiga, do you know if that recipe is okay for ducks, as well?

Click to expand...

I feed Scratch and Peck, but live just outside Bellingham, WA where they are located. However, I see that Azure Standard is now selling S&P and they do go into Texas. You might check them out at http://www.azurestandard.com. This is like a buying club, where you place your order once/month and pick it up at a drop point near you. Some people charge a small charge ($3 to $5), but there is no other shipping charges. They also sell various bulk grains and lots (way too much for my taste) of manufactured organic and natural grocery, body care, supplements, etc.

Haha I just saw Azure Standard a bit ago. I need to call to see where my drop point is. Certain areas(such as Texas) are charged a fee for gas, but it's pretty small. If I remember correctly, the Scratch and Peck feed was something like $30+ for 40lbs, which is a great deal in my opinion, even with the additional gas cost and the possibility of the delivery person charging some monies.

EDIT;
Also, I noticed the mealworm convo. I used to breed/grow European Earthworms to sell to fisherman. They're not as big as Canadian Earthworms, but can be kept in low or high temps and are generally a VERY hardy worm. The Canadian Earthworm, however, die very quickly when the temps raise over... I think it was 70 degrees. And even in the fridge, they had to be used immediately or they'd die quickly.

However, I left for a bit, and my family didn't maintain the worms(like changing their soil) so they died. ): I've been seriously consodering doing it again, though, because it was so much fun!

I have sprinkled whole flax seeds into their feed. Then I thought it might make nutrients more available if I ground them up a bit.

Bumping this for other duck owners.

Also, I've read that Dumor doesn't contain enough niacin for ducklings, so it probably shouldn't be fed either way. Just based on anecdotal evidence, I would say there's a good reason to believe that's true, but I haven't done any calculations.

Hey, Amiga! I just started reading this thread after trying to get caught up on BYC after time off to care for grandkids.... I had just read Lou Hortons website and the distillery grains issue. Then I started reading this thread and checked my feed.It is Trinity, from Gunthersville like you mentioned about your 5 way scratch! My feed store carries these grains..... I have been mixing my own, more or less loosely following" Storeys Guide to Ducks"...sometimes changing.... But now that I heard about the feed issues, I wonder if that may play a part with my birds, last year ...I had some issues with a failure to thrive, angel wing in 3 different birds of 3 different breeds, not gaining weight: things I hadn't seen in the years before...
There is a "feed wheat' that is available and after some reading, particularly in uk , it is mentioned as a perfect feed for ducks.... It is mentioned as a base in Storeys guides.... i had been mixing Trinity's 16% layer with scratch, a bit of catfood or calf manna, and a Alphalfa/oat pellet for horses (that is what I feed my horses)...which also has a bit of wheat and other grains. All are around 11.00$ a bag 50 lb. I buy about 10 bags and mix it myself. They also get to go outside their day yards and bug hunt. In mild weather we have an abundant fly, bug, grasshopper suppliment as we have farms all around...(the poultry manure the farmers spread are full of flies)...but now I have concern about the layer....

mominoz, I have seen a couple of articles from Mother Earth News on feeding one's flock from one's own homestead. And there are some other sources for feed recommendations. Right now I am sticking with Blue Seal Organic Layer, they said they don't use aflatoxin-contaminated feed.

There are other reasons to think ahead about feed alternatives, like Carol Deppe writes in her book The Resilient Gardener writes about.

Sounds like you are putting good thought into your ducks' nutrition.

well, gee... My layer has "distilled grains" in it....and today I noticed 3 ducks with leg/walking issues , 2 drakes (Hookbills) in the Bad Boy pen and a black silkie who is laying....I had just added more wheat and cut back on layer , and ran out of calf manna, but was mixing the other feeds....While...researching ...so now detective work...
1) the 3 birds showing leg weakness do not have any free range.... my greens got killed off this year with the harsh winter, though I could start pulling some early green grass coming in...usually I have Kale
2) the wheat...was increased too quickly and is displacing something else...I got my book out..or maybe it being red wheat? I may try and contact someone about that.
3) it is late winter and lack of bugs, greens etc . that normally compensate....

I am going to look into adding the 5 way grain and calf manna again or maybe try a game bird or flight conditioner or flax...also an animal protein source, if I can find one around here...

Variety and some free range seem to be the ticket to my birds health....and we have won a few classes so generally they are in good feather.
I just seem to have had issues with my young stock this year,and lots of molting last summer...(seemed like an extra 2 molts)...
I could also add grower back in or starter to my feeds, but they only have crumbles and it is a sticky mess and I even watched a small duck choke to death in front of me once as she was eating...so I am not fond of it....

It's tough to get the right info. The feed dealers around here are clueless about ducks,and we don't have some of the recommended feedstuffs in the books, which seem to be written by people in more northern climates...
like the only time I asked about Mauri Waterfowl , they wanted 80$ a bag.....and grains and layer runs around 11.00 for 50 lb. Purina is 18.00....so mixing my own for a larger flock is important.There's a big difference between 125$ a month and say 800$ for Mauri Waterfowl.....