Do my ducks need more fat?

[BladeDuck]

So I'm pretty sure this is not usually advised because of little bones and 'cousin' cannibolism.... But I roasted a chicken last week and let my ducks pick the carcass and slurp up all the drippings. They CLEANED that carcass, skin and drippings. I've never fed them meat before so I wasn't sure they'd even try it but when I came back a few hours later it was devoured. I don't plan on giving them carcasses again because I was pretty worried about the little bones when I realized just how much they liked it when I came back.

The reason for my question is because the next 2 days they were so much more enjoyable to be around! Instead of quacking at me at the top of their lungs everytime they saw me, they quacked more quietly and cute and they were quite calm. Don't read lethargic here; read alert-calm-social-less skittish. I don't think the positive change in behavior was due to protein because I have fed them higher protein feeds before (22%) and they were 'amped up' I thought on it. They get about 16-17% with their current feed.

It makes me think they need more fat - saturated animal/insect fat. Because what was left(prior to feeding it to the ducks) was mostly fat. And when I think about it more in terms of wild duck diets, it makes sense. Wild ducks eat vegetables and grubs (aka really fatty insects).

What do you think and what have you experienced? Does anyone raise mealworms or other insects as a major part of their diet? I've also considered the possibility its a salt need.

I have a Khaki Campbell, joined from the wild Mallard, and a Metzer layer hybrid.

 

[Amiga]

This is a good topic to open up. I am very interested. I have considered raising mealworms for my ducks. They get organic layer feed and the worms slugs and bugs they can find, as well as fresh vegetables and sometimes dry cat kibble.

 

[BladeDuck]

I can't seem to find much of anything where people raise insects for their poultry, and not just as a treat. I wouldn't even know where to start with weight of insects needed per duck per day. Mealworms seem pretty simple to raise though.

 

[Amiga]

I wonder if sources like Mother Earth News or Backwoods Home might have an article in their archives. Or a permaculture site.

 

[Speceider]

Okay, generally a duck with a mass of 1 kg (little over 2 pounds) will need about 110 kcal/day (estimated from the allometric equation for breeding nonpasserines (Kendeigh et al. 1977, a standard). Mealworm worms are 22.32% protein, 3.61% carbohydrates, 14.96% fat, 1.36% ash, 2.6 mg/g calcium, 2.27 mg/g phosphorous, and 2.74 kcal/g wet weight. Mass per worm varied from 83 to 180g/larvae (Jones et al. 1972, J. Zoo mAnim. Med. 3(4)34-41). That would men about 40g of mealworms per day would be necessary.

Clint