Are there any supplements I should be feeding to ducks, and chickens?

[Weeg]

I have 2 separate flocks, one with 7 hens and a rooster, and another with 9 ducks, and 5 chickens. Right now, I am feeding the ducks Purina flock raiser, and the chickens, a mix of Purina flock raiser, and Scratch and Peck flock raiser. All the ducks are 2-3 years old, other then 3 of them who hatched just recently, by a broody, and are 3 months old. My chickens, are a variety of ages. Half of them are between 5 and 7 years, and the others are 3ish years old. I have mostly been thinking about brewers yeast for my ducks, and if I should be feeding it as a supplement. Would it help strengthen their feet for bumble foot? If I did feed brewers yeast, it just mixes into the food right? Are there any good supplements for chickens? I have been having a problem with them not eating oyster shell. Tried flaked, and then switched to pearled, still not eating it! So maybe a supplement for them with calcium, and some thing for the older birds. Thanks, and all advice appreciated! Avery

 

[HappyDuckie]

Mine get crushed egg shells. Also, the hens will eat it as their body needs it, so it may not be noticeable they are eating it, or they may not be eating it since they don't need it.

 

[BDutch]

I dont know about ducks. But for a mixed (rooster, age) group of chickens I would choose an all flock within a couple of weeks/a month. Because the flock raiser makes the laying hens too fat if they eat it for a long time and the older chicks/rooster/ chickens that don't lay shouldn’t eat the amount of Calcium that’s in layer feed for a longer period.
You can start mixing the flock raiser you have with a new bag of all flock from 12-16 weeks without any problems. 2% calcium is okay for all flock.

With all flock you should give oyster shells aside in a separate bowl. The crushed egg shells are good too.

 

[Weeg]

Awesome, I will look for the all flock when I go to the feed store next!

 

[Isaac 0]

The diet you're feeding them sounds OK. However, I don't see any correlation of brewers yeast preventing Bumblefoot, besides preventing a niacin deficiency, which due to the inactivity could lead to Bumblefoot.

Sadly, BY is not made equal, you will find brands with high niacin contents, other with very low niacin contents. So if you do choose to feed BY, check your brand, and ensure it contains adequate amounts of niacin. For your ducklings, I would add a niacin supplement to their feed, especially if they are heavyweight, but for the adults, you really don't need to if you're feeding Purina. For Adults of all breeds, their niacin needs are around 55mg per kg, which Purina meets, but for ducklings of heavyweight breeds, their niacin needs are around 70mg/kg, until they reach around ten weeks where their niacin requirements drop down 21% to 55mg/kg.

Regarding niacin supplements, you may read this,


"What's better Nutritional Yeast or Brewer's Yeast?

It won't be long until you come across literature stating Brewer's Yeast is a good niacin supplement, and it is, for the most part. I say "most part" because not all brewer yeast brands are made equal, I did some research and found several brewer's yeast brands that only contained 1.5mg of niacin per two tablespoons , and another that only contained around 10mg per two tablespoons . I think if you're going to use brewer's yeast, you should take a look at the label and look for the niacin content to ensure it's adequate enough, if it's not shown you should contact the company and ask.

I've started recommending nutritional yeast, and not brewers yeast, for several reasons, but here's a quick explanation of the difference between the two.

"Brewer's yeast is a by-product of the brewing beer. It's cultivated on malted barley, which adds some of the distinctive bitterness to brewer's yeast. Brewer's yeast can also be cultivated specifically for use as a supplement. This yeast is high in B-complex vitamins, protein, chromium, and selenium. A key nutritional difference between brewer's and nutritional yeast is brewer's yeast contains the trace mineral chromium but not vitamin B-12.

Nutritional yeast, on the other hand, is not a by-product, and it's usually grown on cane sugar or sugar beet molasses. Nutritional yeast has a mild, nutty flavor compared to brewer's yeast. This type of yeast is an excellent source of niacin, folic acid, zinc, thiamine, and selenium. It can also be fortified with vitamin B-12, an important nutrient for vegans who are more susceptible to B-12 deficiency."

Source- https://www.iherb.com/blog/the-diff...utm_source=skimlinks_phg&utm_medium=affiliate

So we now know a few things, nutritional yeast tends to taste better then brewers yeast, this is something important for ducks that don't like the taste of brewers yeast. In addition, Nutritional Yeast tends to favor B vitamins more than Brewer's yeast which favors trace elements instead. I looked into this claim, and looked at several nutritional yeast brands and all were quite high in niacin, having an average of 30mg of niacin per two tablespoons. Those two reasons are good enough for me to choose NY over BY."

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/niacin-deficiency-in-waterfowl.1367557/

 

[Weeg]

Sadly, BY is not made equal, you will find brands with high niacin contents, other with very low niacin contents. So if you do choose to feed BY, check your brand, and ensure it contains adequate amounts of niacin. For your ducklings, I would add a niacin supplement to their feed, especially if they are heavyweight, but for the adults, you really don't need to if you're feeding Purina. For Adults of all breeds, their niacin needs are around 55mg per kg, which Purina meets, but for ducklings of heavyweight breeds, their niacin needs are around 70mg/kg, until they reach around ten weeks where their niacin requirements drop down 21% to 55mg/kg.

Thank you! I have the ducklings with the flock, they may be older then 3 months, I will check. If I were to up there niacin, then how would I feed that? Since they are all eating the same feed? That is why I have them on Purina floc raiser right now rather then the adult food.

 

[Weeg]

You say my feed sounds OK, what do you mean by that? Are there other things I should be feeding? And If I decided to feed nutritional yeast, then how do I feed it? I am assuming not free choice, you mix it into the feed right?

 

[Isaac 0]

Thank you! I have the ducklings with the flock, they may be older then 3 months, I will check. If I were to up there niacin, then how would I feed that? Since they are all eating the same feed? That is why I have them on Purina floc raiser right now rather then the adult food.

Most people go two tablespoons over their daily feed, but since you have quite a few birds, you will be using a lot of yeast, so you could just dissolve one 500mg niacin tablet in 10 ten gallons of water every few days.

You say my feed sounds OK, what do you mean by that? Are there other things I should be feeding? And If I decided to feed nutritional yeast, then how do I feed it? I am assuming not free choice, you mix it into the feed right?

The feed you are feeding is OK, it's a good diet for them. They need nothing else then what I've mentioned.

 

[Weeg]

Most people go two tablespoons over their daily feed, but since you have quite a few birds, you will be using a lot of yeast, so you could just dissolve one 500mg niacin tablet in 10 ten gallons of water every few days.

And this is for all the birds not just the ducklings? Just checking! Thanks for the help! And I have a friend who is helping me get some softer much stuff in the run! He has a mill and a huge pile of wood chips that have been decomposing for a while, so we are gonna use that!

 

[Isaac 0]

And this is for all the birds not just the ducklings? Just checking! Thanks for the help! And I have a friend who is helping me get some softer much stuff in the run! He has a mill and a huge pile of wood chips that have been decomposing for a while, so we are gonna use that!

It's only really needed for the ducklings, but it won't hurt ducks. That's great!