am I overfeeding?

[sayyadina]

I have 15 ducklings (runners & welsh harlequins) and 2 geese (african & toulouse) that are 2.5 months old. They've been getting 6 cups of feed twice a day, but they haven't been cleaning everything up during their last 2 feedings. I have just started putting them out in a larger pasture during the day, so maybe they're full from foraging. However, they also didn't clean up their morning feeding, after they were locked up over night. Other than not eating all their feed, they're all acting pretty normal.

Is this normal? Should I cut back what I'm offering, or could they be sick?

 

[katharinad]

I've been cutting back since mine started to free range. I fill their bowls in the morning and in the evening, always rinsing out the bowl and filling with fresh food. I don't like to throw out food so I've reduced the feed. I keep an eye on the bowls to see how it goes. It helps to use a cup to measure how much you put out. That way you will know if something is going on. I will have to increase it back in winter when they don't find all the free food out there.