calcium in feed

[mo_fawaazz]

I have a khaki campbell flock of mostly females and a single drake for breeding. is it ok to feed them layer pellets (2.75%-3%ish calcium) even though the drake doesnt need the extra calcium? I don't know if my duck hens actively eat oyster or egg shells seperate from their feed.

if i keep seperate bowls for the girls and the guy I a m pretty sure they will each devour each others food.

edited: what do you do for your flocks?

 

[Anon112]

I'm no duck expert. But at least in chickens there are studies that the excess calcium is bad for males and causes organ issues long term.

I'd imagine that if you can feed an all-flock feed and put calcium on the side it will be much better for your drake's health.

 

[Papaye]

Hi.

is it ok to feed them layer pellets (2.75%-3%ish calcium) even though the drake doesnt need the extra calcium?

Do you mix the pellets with something else?

It is recommended to do so, BUT : do avoid - as much as possible - feeding corn to your ducks...!

In fact : what do you feed your ducks, EXACTLY?

Also : do they have an unlimited access to their food - including at night?

And : do they freerange during the days?
(Do they have access to grass? Insects...? ...Slugs?)

if i keep seperate bowls for the girls and the guy I a m pretty sure they will each devour each others food.

Oooooooooooh... they would, indeed!
Because, you know : "neighbours' food always tastes better", apparently...!

edited: what do you do for your flocks?

Well... several of my birds are sexually mature MALES : for the time being, I indeed own 2 roosters and 14 drakes...

...and these boys have access to layer pellets!


☼ • • • ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ • • • ☼

For the DUCKS, I put :
• into their feeders : a mix of duck/goose pellets and wheat;
• into individual feeders : Oyster Shell grit.

For the CHICKENS, I put :
• into their feeders : a mix of layer pellets and wheat;
• on the ground : Oyster Shell grit.

☼ • • • ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ • • • ☼


My ducks and my chickens are separated into different coops AND runs at night...
...but they do freerange together during the days - most of the year at least!

Thus :
- my ducks do have access and - in fact - eat my chickens' layer pellets;
- my chickens actually even run to eat my ducks' pellets as soon as I open their run's doors in the mornings...


☼ • • • ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ • • • ☼

I only keep my ducks and my chickens separated into different parks when :
• mating season hits;
• wind is too strong : in this specific case, I just prefer to keep my ducks close enough to their shelters in order to be able to enclose them quickly if needed (because the wind tend to swirl in my area, and I have already had ducks blown away above my fence because of that).

But otherwise : you can just assume my ducks and my chickens eat the same food, really...
Meaning : layer pellets + duck/goose pellets + wheat + Oyster Shell grit...
...+ grass + insects + disgustingly big slugs + extra, cooked eggs + apples + bananas + etc...

...And my boys are healthy, so I don't plan to change the way I feed them.

 

[Jenbirdee]

Hi.



Do you mix the pellets with something else?

It is recommended to do so, BUT : do avoid - as much as possible - feeding corn to your ducks...!

In fact : what do you feed your ducks, EXACTLY?

Also : do they have an unlimited access to their food - including at night?

And : do they freerange during the days?
(Do they have access to grass? Insects...? ...Slugs?)



Oooooooooooh... they would, indeed!
Because, you know : "neighbours' food always tastes better", apparently...!



Well... several of my birds are sexually mature MALES : for the time being, I indeed own 2 roosters and 14 drakes...

...and these boys have access to layer pellets!


☼ • • • ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ • • • ☼

For the DUCKS, I put :
• into their feeders : a mix of duck/goose pellets and wheat;
• into individual feeders : Oyster Shell grit.

For the CHICKENS, I put :
• into their feeders : a mix of layer pellets and wheat;
• on the ground : Oyster Shell grit.

☼ • • • ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ • • • ☼


My ducks and my chickens are separated into different coops AND runs at night...
...but they do freerange together during the days - most of the year at least!

Thus :
- my ducks do have access and - in fact - eat my chickens' layer pellets;
- my chickens actually even run to eat my ducks' pellets as soon as I open their run's doors in the mornings...


☼ • • • ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ • • • ☼

I only keep my ducks and my chickens separated into different parks when :
• mating season hits;
• wind is too strong : in this specific case, I just prefer to keep my ducks close enough to their shelters in order to be able to enclose them quickly if needed (because the wind tend to swirl in my area, and I have already had ducks blown away above my fence because of that).

But otherwise : you can just assume my ducks and my chickens eat the same food, really...
Meaning : layer pellets + duck/goose pellets + wheat + Oyster Shell grit...
...+ grass + insects + disgustingly big slugs + extra, cooked eggs + apples + bananas + etc...

...And my boys are healthy, so I don't plan to change the way I feed them.

Oh my goodness, Ducks blown away!!!!

 

[mo_fawaazz]

Hi.



Do you mix the pellets with something else?

It is recommended to do so, BUT : do avoid - as much as possible - feeding corn to your ducks...!

In fact : what do you feed your ducks, EXACTLY?

Also : do they have an unlimited access to their food - including at night?

And : do they freerange during the days?
(Do they have access to grass? Insects...? ...Slugs?)



Oooooooooooh... they would, indeed!
Because, you know : "neighbours' food always tastes better", apparently...!



Well... several of my birds are sexually mature MALES : for the time being, I indeed own 2 roosters and 14 drakes...

...and these boys have access to layer pellets!


☼ • • • ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ • • • ☼

For the DUCKS, I put :
• into their feeders : a mix of duck/goose pellets and wheat;
• into individual feeders : Oyster Shell grit.

For the CHICKENS, I put :
• into their feeders : a mix of layer pellets and wheat;
• on the ground : Oyster Shell grit.

☼ • • • ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ • • • ☼


My ducks and my chickens are separated into different coops AND runs at night...
...but they do freerange together during the days - most of the year at least!

Thus :
- my ducks do have access and - in fact - eat my chickens' layer pellets;
- my chickens actually even run to eat my ducks' pellets as soon as I open their run's doors in the mornings...


☼ • • • ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ • • • ☼

I only keep my ducks and my chickens separated into different parks when :
• mating season hits;
• wind is too strong : in this specific case, I just prefer to keep my ducks close enough to their shelters in order to be able to enclose them quickly if needed (because the wind tend to swirl in my area, and I have already had ducks blown away above my fence because of that).

But otherwise : you can just assume my ducks and my chickens eat the same food, really...
Meaning : layer pellets + duck/goose pellets + wheat + Oyster Shell grit...
...+ grass + insects + disgustingly big slugs + extra, cooked eggs + apples + bananas + etc...

...And my boys are healthy, so I don't plan to change the way I feed them.

Yeah my ducks freerange in the day and I feed them 16-17% duck pellets and an assortment of kitchen scraps (meat, rice, eggs, etc.) . the ducks always have feed overnight.

I think that it is a good solution to seperately keep crushed oyster shell or eggshell in a bowl, but I've never really seen any of my ducks eat it. I have a single drake who lives with the hens so whatever the hens eat, he eats as well.

do ducks eat the crushed oyster? I haven't seen mine eat crushed eggshell and the tray with the crushed eggshell doesn't really empty.

 

[Papaye]

Oh my goodness, Ducks blown away!!!!

Yes, blown away!

...Or wait... is my English actually correct here?

In any case, Indian Runners are particularly prone to be caried off by the wind...
...and I had one that had even learned to fly because of that, and was thus happy to fly over the fence during mating season if I separated him from his friends...!
(At the time, his son himself had then even learned to fly by copying him...!! Boy was a smart boy, huh...?)

Yeah my ducks freerange in the day and I feed them 16-17% duck pellets and an assortment of kitchen scraps (meat, rice, eggs, etc.) . the ducks always have feed overnight.

Soooooo...
...I would just :
• keep letting the ducks have access to their food at night;
• mix their pellets with wheat - 50/50 is a good ratio, but if you prefer, you can put about 65/70 % pellets for 30/45 % wheat too;
• be careful to not give them too much rice to eat, raw meat, or salt(ed food).

I have a single drake who lives with the hens so whatever the hens eat, he eats as well.

...Not a problem, don't worry...!!

do ducks eat the crushed oyster? I haven't seen mine eat crushed eggshell and the tray with the crushed eggshell doesn't really empty.

They do eat it, and they love it...!

If you don't see the tray with the crushed eggshells emptying, it could only mean two things :
1 • that your ducks do eat them, but you just don't notice it because you don't have enough ducks to empty the tray quickly enough;
2 • that they don't eat them, because they don't like the taste of crushed eggshells - and yes, it is possible : ducks are pretty capricious in my experience, and won't eat what they don't like OR are not used to be fed with...

For now, I would not insist, and would replace the crushed eggshells with Oyster Shell grit instead.

► I personally can see the Oyster Shell grit that I give to my ducks disappear from the feeders by the days... but I have A LOT of ducks, so it is only natural.

(Though when I had only 4 ducks, they didn't appear to actually eat a lot of it...!)

► For the record, I have noticed that duck hens start eating significantly more Oyster Shell grit not long before they lay their first egg.