Brewer’s grain question

[KaleIAm]

Well I went for it! The white layer has a saggy breast, do you think it indicates a health issue? She’s supposedly only 9 mos. old. Super vigorous though.

Wish me luck!View attachment 2531731

They are super cute! Congratulations!

My ducks often have a saggy looking breast after they eat. It is their crop full of food. Ducks tend to scarf a bunch of food at once, it goes into their crop and then more slowly empties into their stomach. You should see it look empty in the morning before you feed them. If not it can indicate a problem.

 

[Pollo Blanco]

Well I went for it! The white layer has a saggy breast, do you think it indicates a health issue? She’s supposedly only 9 mos. old. Super vigorous though.

Wish me luck!View attachment 2531731

You're going to be fine.
I'd take fermented barley over a dry sack of who knows what labeled duck food. Duck food does have grit in it, so if my birds didn't have access to the outdoors, I would be sure to supply grit along with the fermented barley.
The closer to nature, the better the nutrition. Not just birds, but dogs, people and all living creatures. It wasn't until I was feeding my tropical fish live mosquito larvae that I had a successful breeding program.

 

[Isaac 0]

You're going to be fine.
I'd take fermented barley over a dry sack of who knows what labeled duck food. Duck food

Unlike fermented barley, labeled duck feed is specifically formulated to meet the nutritional requirements ducks need.

 

[Pollo Blanco]

Unlike fermented barley, labeled duck feed is specifically formulated to meet the nutritional requirements ducks need.

So I guess wild ducks are at s huge disadvantage?

People make giant assumptions about nutrition, which is why obesity and other degenerative diseases run rampant.

Considering only 10% of Americans are considered healthy eaters, a full 90% don't really understand proper nutrition for themselves, let alone their pets. Most rely on myths, advertising and illusion.

Yes, I would eat fermented barley for breakfast before I ate any commercial breakfast cereal that was labeled as 'human food'.

But while we're on the topic, what does a #40 bag of malted barley cost, do you know?

 

[Isaac 0]

So I guess wild ducks are at s huge disadvantage?

People make giant assumptions about nutrition, which is why obesity and other degenerative diseases run rampant.

Considering only 10% of Americans are considered healthy eaters, a full 90% don't really understand proper nutrition for themselves, let alone their pets. Most rely on myths, advertising and illusion.

Yes, I would eat fermented barley for breakfast before I ate any commercial breakfast cereal that was labeled as 'human food'.

But while we're on the topic, what does a #40 bag of malted barley cost, do you know?

Wild dabbling ducks eat a variety of foods, mostly plant/seed matter, but also animal matter. Unlike a good portion of domesticated ducks, any excess caloric intake is burned off in foraging, and flying for food and resources. It is hard to compare speaking from a nutritional standpoint between wild ducks, and domesticated ducks, due to the long period of domestication that has occurred, creating breeds like Pekins, that require much more of certain vitamins.

In respect to the food portion of the duck's diet, here is a list of the most common foods they eat in the wild. This portion is taken from "American Wildlife & Plants A Guide to Wildlife Food Habits"

• Wild rice
• Pondweed
• Smartweed
• Wild celery
• Wild Millet
• Naiad
• Cutgrass
• Oak
• Bur-reed
• Coontail
• Arrowhead
• Bulrush
• Duckweed
• Watershield
• Buttonbush
• Widegongrass
• Muskgrass
• Spikerush
• Chufa
• Baldcypress
• Sorghum
• Horned- Pondweed
• Corn
• Sedge
• Alga
• Watermilfoil
• Oats
• Marestail
• Cow lily
• Dragonflies
• Aquatic Beetles
• among others

Good success has been seen feeding the various feeds formulated for ducks currently on the market, so I choose to keep recommending them until a better alternative is described. I believe promoting natural foraging so some of the foods such as the ones stated above, can be implemented as part of the duck's diet is a good start to promoting a more natural diet.

 

[Ratchnick]

Spent grains are pretty awesome duck food. I'm not saying that's all you should feed them but when i brew beer the ducks get the grain. Interesring to note the spent grain for beer production has not actualy been fermented. The sugar is washed out leaving a pretty high protein end product that's much more digestable then normal barley. Its likely lacking some vitamins ect but i wouldnt think twice about using it as a sole ration if they free ranged all day.

Malted barly is about $50 to $70 for a 50lb bag at my brew shop depending on what you get. For comparison a sack of feed barley is about $16.

 

[Pollo Blanco]

Wild dabbling ducks eat a variety of foods, mostly plant/seed matter, but also animal matter.

Yes, which is why a fermented food is much more natural than a dry food that can exist in a warehouse for months and not spoil.

Exact same argument as dry dog food.

Can you find one dried food on a warehouse shelf that you could eat exclusively and be heathy?

If dried duck food is perfect nutrition, then brand doesn't matter either. How could it?

 

[Pollo Blanco]

Spent grains are pretty awesome duck food. I'm not saying that's all you should feed them but when i brew beer the ducks get the grain. Interesring to note the spent grain for beer production has not actualy been fermented. The sugar is washed out leaving a pretty high protein end product that's much more digestable then normal barley. Its likely lacking some vitamins ect but i wouldnt think twice about using it as a sole ration if they free ranged all day.

Malted barly is about $50 to $70 for a 50lb bag at my brew shop depending on what you get. For comparison a sack of feed barley is about $16.

Interesting information, thanks.

I currently get oats for my ducks but I may check into barley next time I am at the feed store.

Had enough snow on the ground lately that I had to rely on pellets for a couple days. The ducks were getting tired of it and literally eating the moss off of the tree trunks to get something fresh and natural.

 

[Isaac 0]

Yes, which is why a fermented food is much more natural than a dry food that can exist in a warehouse for months and not spoil.

Instead of speaking in a conjecture-type manner, feed solely fermented barley for a while as a sole diet, preferably to ducks during growing age, and let us know how it works out for you. Speculative nutritional reccomendations without any proof to support its nutritional stability may not be the best idea. We will agree to disagree.

 

[Ratchnick]

Instead of speaking in a conjecture-type manner, feed solely fermented barley for a while as a sole diet, preferably to ducks during growing age, and let us know how it works out for you. Speculative nutritional reccomendations without any proof to support its nutritional stability may not be the best idea. We will agree to disagree.

I'm raising some broilers this year i will report back how it goes. I will of course keep half on pellets as a control.