Advice needed..How do you get extra calcium in call ducks diet?

[addctd2plnts]

I have a trio and 2 pairs of new Call Ducks. They are laying but egg shells are so thin they are cracking. The problem is that they apparently have never been exposed to any diet except dry pellets. I tried scrambled eggs, thinking I could mix in calcium. Tried peas thinking I could coat them with calcium dust...nope. The only non pellet thing they will eat is Soldier Fly larva. It's dried, so not sure if I could spritz it with water and calcium. I even thought about buying crickets and dusting them with calcium, like we did for our Bearded Dragons. How would you get more calcium into them?

Also, if your eggs are good quality, what feed are you feeding?

TIA

 

[fatty and friends]

oyster shells on the side 24/7 is best because they can choose how much calcium they eat, a normal high quality duck feed is much better than any layer feed if you also have drakes

 

[Isaac 0]

Various calcium forms such as gluconate, or citrate can be used to increase the amount of calcium in the bird's diet. These forms will come in either powder, pill or liquid, so choose whichever one you think administration would be easiest with.
In my experience, the liquid form is practical and can be soaked into their favorite treats.
Whichever product you choose to use, please post back with information of the product so we can provide proper dosing information.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...z4nz59tXdHeg3TUjSJmW3ujtaGcM_eghoCIyYQAvD_BwE
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Equate-C...EgdEzTWqmgZkzAItZCxoC_Q0QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
In addition with the calcium supplementation, you should continue efforts of offering a pelleted diet in with their treats to slowly get them used to a formulated feed.

 

[addctd2plnts]

They won't eat treats, unless you count the black Soldier fly larvae, but I add that into their Mazuri feed. They eat the Mazuri feed. I originally had the Maintenance feed but have finally received the layer feed. I just added https://www.chewy.com/pisces-usa-coarse-aragonite-calcium/dp/232177 and started a supplement ( https://www.chewy.com/stride-animal-health-super-spur/dp/249867 ) because I think they were not on a good feed. It's obvious they never have had treats or fresh food. They won't touch fresh baby peas or scrambled eggs. I'm afraid to overdose on the supplement, since they are so small, so only mixing in a teaspoon/day.

If anyone has direct experience with Call Ducks and advice regarding the above, please post it. Also, I'm curious....I foster dogs that often have never had treats and won't take them, but they learn how to from my other dogs. Could the Call Ducks learn from juvenile Runners how to eat fresh foods?

 

[Miss Lydia]

@shawluvsbirds

 

[shawluvsbirds]

I feed mine nutrena naturewise all flock with oyster shell on the side. I don't typically have a problem with soft shells but mine eat the oyster shell like candy.

All my ducks are pretty hesitant to try anything new but they eventually cant resist checking it out if I just leave it.
Try using a rubber bowl or other familiar dish of some kind and throw a handful of pellets a handful of crickets that you know they like in there mixed with peas or whatever else you want them to try.
You can also try floating some dandelion greens or something like that in some water in the bowl. sometimes that will entice them to nibble it whatever is in the water.
Mine don't care for scrambled eggs very much. But break a raw egg in the run and they are fighting over it. They will eat the shell and all.