Duck feed temporary replacement? They won't eat otherwise

[mypoorducky]

Hello all.

My ducks have recently run out of feed, and while I would like to get them some soon, I don't feel I will be able to get them any within a few days. Is there any suitable temporary replacement I can feed them in the meantime?

I have tried feeding them white rice and some of my Chinese vegetables, however they refused to eat it. They would take a few bites when I put some in their beaks but wouldn't bother to eat any they dropped on the ground nor in the bowl I offered them. I tried giving them a few greens from the backyard, they chewed at it before but won't do it now. In desperation, I gave them a bit of garlic, and the wet bread my parents gave them. No bueno. I gave them a bit of mozzarella, and they did eat it at the very least, however I don't think any of this would be a suitable replacement for feed.

Is there any common household foods I could feed them that would temporarily meet their nutritional needs for a few days?

 

[mypoorducky]

I've also fed them some cooked egg yolk. They seemed to enjoy it, but I'm unfortunately low on eggs at the moment, and they even stole it out of each other's mouths.

 

[mypoorducky]

Just to add, they are about a month old from the looks of it and are just starting to grow their feathers.

 

[lost-duckling]

they can eat rolled oats or dried bread crumbs but i wouldnt do it for more than a day or so 3 at max

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Ducks are leery about new things including new foods. For example, mine love tomatoes but will ignore red tomatoes because they are used to getting yellow ones.
It's best to always have feed on hand. How long will your ducklings be without the proper feed?

 

[mypoorducky]

they can eat rolled oats or dried bread crumbs but i wouldnt do it for more than a day or so 3 at max

Thank you. I, unfortunately, do not have either at the moment.

 

[mypoorducky]

Ducks are leery about new things including new foods. For example, mine love tomatoes but will ignore red tomatoes because they are used to getting yellow ones.
It's best to always have feed on hand. How long will your ducklings be without the proper feed?

I can attest to that. My ducklings have been without feed for about 2 days now, and while my parents have promised to get them some more, I'm not sure exactly when. Could be later today, could be up to next week. I'm really worried about their nutritional intake, my parents advise me to just feed them small bits of bread but it's clearly not enough to meet their nutritional needs at this crucial point of development.

I have some cereal grains like buckwheat and split peas, but they're uncooked and I'm not sure my parents would appreciate me opening up their fresh packets. I also found some ramen, but again I'm unsure if I should give them any.

 

[NatJ]

Is there any common household foods I could feed them that would temporarily meet their nutritional needs for a few days?

The first thing they need is water-- I assume you still have that available.

Next most important is energy (calories). You can try any grains, bread, crackers, cereal, birdseed, etc. Fat can also be a source of calories, so things like butter or peanut butter on a bread crust are fine.

Third priority is protein. Eggs are good, fish or meat can be good, cooked beans can be good, cat food or dog food can be good, and so forth.

Fourth priority is vitamins & minerals. Your best bet here is to just offer a variety, including vegetables & fruits, depending on what you have. Lawn grass and dandelions are probably just as good as lettuce and cabbage, so look to see what you have both outdoors and indoors.

Also make sure they have grit (little rocks), so their gizzards can grind up whatever they eat.

In future, try to plan ahead to you do not run out of the proper food. They eat more as they grow bigger, so try to buy more well before you think it will be needed.

Normally, you do not want to feed them much fatty food, or salty food, and you want them to have a properly balanced diet. So my suggestions here are NOT meant for long-term use.

 

[mypoorducky]

The first thing they need is water-- I assume you still have that available.

Next most important is energy (calories). You can try any grains, bread, crackers, cereal, birdseed, etc. Fat can also be a source of calories, so things like butter or peanut butter on a bread crust are fine.

Third priority is protein. Eggs are good, fish or meat can be good, cooked beans can be good, cat food or dog food can be good, and so forth.

Fourth priority is vitamins & minerals. Your best bet here is to just offer a variety, including vegetables & fruits, depending on what you have. Lawn grass and dandelions are probably just as good as lettuce and cabbage, so look to see what you have both outdoors and indoors.

Also make sure they have grit (little rocks), so their gizzards can grind up whatever they eat.

In future, try to plan ahead to you do not run out of the proper food. They eat more as they grow bigger, so try to buy more well before you think it will be needed.

Normally, you do not want to feed them much fatty food, or salty food, and you want them to have a properly balanced diet. So my suggestions here are NOT meant for long-term use.

Thank you! I'm steaming some sort of grain mix right now: a small green grain I don't know the name of and some chick peas, with some added eggs for protein. I'll definitely get some extra feed for next time. My local pet store has some mealworms too, I might get them the next time I go there. As for grit, I'm not sure. There's definitely some tiny pebbles around in the backyard where they are, but they don't like to move out of the grass. There's a lot of grit in the driveway, though, so I may extract some from there.

 

[NatJ]

Thank you! I'm steaming some sort of grain mix right now: a small green grain I don't know the name of and some chick peas, with some added eggs for protein. I'll definitely get some extra feed for next time. My local pet store has some mealworms too, I might get them the next time I go there. As for grit, I'm not sure. There's definitely some tiny pebbles around in the backyard where they are, but they don't like to move out of the grass. There's a lot of grit in the driveway, though, so I may extract some from there.

They should be able to eat grains raw or cooked.

If they have access to small pebbles, they will probably eat them as needed, so you may not need to do anything about that.