Duckie Candy... Ideas???

[Tevyes Dad]

OK People... I am going to try to use you for a brain storming session...

Issue: Pond full of ducks and geese that everybody loves

- per tradition, lots of people feed them white bread.

Solution: Pitch putting up "candy" vending machines to park. I can supply them. My interest in making money is low here. I want to put up signs and provide an immediate solution.

Example: Please don't feed the ducks bread because {blah blah blah} Here are some good things you can feed them {blah blah blah} please feel free to bring these things on your own, the ducks will love it. However, if it suits your current convenience, you can get a handful of this stuff for a quarter.

So I figure most of the ducks will be in the water. All flock sinks like a rock and would just pollute the water if kids throw it at the ducks and it wouldn't be any fun. Right now the best vendible treat I can think of is Koi food. Fairly nutritious and it floats. But it is a bit fattier than all flock and it might spoil at higher temperatures. Dehydrated meal worms might be reasonable too not quite as nutritious, but less likely to spoil and definitely a crowd pleaser (the crowd being the ducks). They are pretty expensive, but I think I could get a decent handful (approx 1/4 oz) out for a quarter and make it work. I live in a fairly arid area so mold shouldn't be too much of a problem. Can anyone (maybe even someone who works at a zoo) think of something that would make a good supplement to duck and goose diets (it doesn't need to be perfect - being better than white bread should be pretty easy.)

Once I have a finished idea, I would pitch it to the fairgrounds where, after product and gas were paid for, I would split the money with them if their half went toward supporting the pond (which should be easy because they spend way more than I could ever bring in on the pond anyway.) I just want to put out the message without destroying a beloved pastime and a chance for children to bond with nature.

 

[harkey1995]

I read on here somewhere and tried it....when my duckies are swimming i throw in some "sugar free" cereal like corn flakes and cheerios.. I found some diet sugar free cheerios with dehydrated strawberries... needless to say They LOVE it lol.

Im not sure about if they can have the dehydrated strawberries so i would love to know if they can or not... but the good part is... It floats, and has a decent shelf life ?

 

[buff goose guy]

grains like that of bread and ceral are not good for ducks

 

[Orca5094]

Can you use Mazuri Waterfowl Pellets in the feeders? That would be best. It floats and is excellent nutrition for waterfowl. I used to be an Avian Keeper and took care of the largest waterfowl collection in the US before I moved here to Sweden. Anyway, we fed all of our waterfowl Mazuri Waterfowl Pellets, and had them in all the feeders around the zoo as well for the public to feed to the ducks.

 

[Tevyes Dad]

Can you use Mazuri Waterfowl Pellets in the feeders? That would be best. It floats and is excellent nutrition for waterfowl. I used to be an Avian Keeper and took care of the largest waterfowl collection in the US before I moved here to Sweden. Anyway, we fed all of our waterfowl Mazuri Waterfowl Pellets, and had them in all the feeders around the zoo as well for the public to feed to the ducks.

I will see if I can find them. We only have one feed store local and all flock is the closest I can get to duck food there but I will see if I can get it somehow...

Edit: I went to their website and they listed our feed store (maybe they have the reptile food) But if they deal with the company perhaps I can special order it

Edit again: Yup, they can get it. Source found. Unless someone comes up with better it is Mazuri Zoo qualified food

 

[Amykins]

grains like that of bread and ceral are not good for ducks

Whole-grain cereals are okay. So is cat food, believe it or not! They're both good treats, just not anything you want to base their diet off of. I'm with Orca on the mazuri idea since they float (how cool is that?) but it's also expensive.

 

[Tevyes Dad]

Whole-grain cereals are okay. So is cat food, believe it or not! They're both good treats, just not anything you want to base their diet off of. I'm with Orca on the mazuri idea since they float (how cool is that?) but it's also expensive.

So far I like the mazuri idea too. I just talked to Murdochs and they said they would be willing to get it in special order. I found it actually at a feed store in Colorado for around $51 / bag so I am pretty sure they would be able to get it to me for somewhere between $41 and $61 / bag. (Wow! my duckies eat for $17 / bag, but their food doesn't float). That shouldn't be too bad though, I tried some Koi food in the candy machine and it dispensed 5/8 oz on the largest portion (That is a pretty big handful a little kid would need two hands). Assuming the Mazuri would be about the same density as the Koi food, that could bring in @ 25 cents / 5/8 oz ---> $320 for a 50lb bag. (That still leaves me a lot of wiggle room if I'm off

.)

 

[Amykins]

So far I like the mazuri idea too. I just talked to Murdochs and they said they would be willing to get it in special order. I found it actually at a feed store in Colorado for around $51 / bag so I am pretty sure they would be able to get it to me for somewhere between $41 and $61 / bag. (Wow! my duckies eat for $17 / bag, but their food doesn't float). That shouldn't be too bad though, I tried some Koi food in the candy machine and it dispensed 5/8 oz on the largest portion (That is a pretty big handful a little kid would need two hands). Assuming the Mazuri would be about the same density as the Koi food, that could bring in @ 25 cents / 5/8 oz ---> $320 for a 50lb bag. (That still leaves me a lot of wiggle room if I'm off

.)

Great math! My only other question is, if the pond is on public land, are you sure you wouldn't need some sorta permit to sell stuff there? Even something as innocent and helpful as a duck food dispenser?

 

[Kalsti]

Gentila you are doing a wonderful thing! Thank you so much!!
I use waterfowl feed pellets that I get at the grange here. I do mix in a small amount of cracked corn. Also cat chow is what the veterinarians here are advising people to feed the birds at the lake-- as it also floats. Your dispensers sound great. There is a company called Vaulted Vending that will come apparently to wherever you are in the US and install heavy duty dispensers of feed--- then split the profits from the income of whatever comes in --- kids pay a quarter for a handful of pellets. They apparently don't charge for installation-- only splitting any proceeds that come in. I have not fully checked them out but we did advise our city council to consider this for our park.....I think they are online. Seems to me they are in Oklahoma or somewhere near there......
Thanks again!
K

 

[Tevyes Dad]

Great math! My only other question is, if the pond is on public land, are you sure you wouldn't need some sorta permit to sell stuff there? Even something as innocent and helpful as a duck food dispenser?

It is a weird privately held public trust blah, blah whatever. It isn't government, but it isn't exactly private. Anyway, they will know what is needed so it is just a matter of compliance once I get to that point. Right now I am going to try to put together my thoughts and the graphics for the machines. My idea is that I don't have to invest that much for a single machine (I already got it) so if I put together a working prototype, I can take it to the powers that be and they can either shoot me down outright, in which case I am done, or give me the provisions under which they would accept such a thing. I am thinking that they do nothing, they get half the profits, they get less bread thrown in the fence - I would think they might go for it. A business license here is a five minute form and $5, so that is no biggie. The fairgrounds might require more, but they will know what that is.