Duckling feed help

[TwinMama2x]

I have a flock of rouens that hatched six ducklings yesterday. The hen rejected one of the ducklings who was a late hatcher. She attacked it multiple times. We removed him from her and have him inside a brooder in the house. He's 24 hours post-hatching now. I went to get some feed for him and the other ducklings but there is no feed available for him and will take at least a week to get some delivered here. I know he needs to eat so gave him some dry oatmeal. He seems fine with it but I wonder if there is something better I can give him until his feed arrives? We are very very rural and our options are extremely limited. The closest major city is 300 miles away.

 

[Amiga]

Good question!

Here are some of the food suggestions I have seen here and from other sources (they need chick sized grit - or clean coarse sand to be able to properly digest this food):

hard boiled eggs, mashed up fine
cat kibble (I use it as a feed supplement for adults - but you could moisten it and use it as part of the feed)
canned sardines (no salt added)
oatmeal (as you're already doing - I chopped mine up finely at first)
mashed peas (the fresh-frozen, no salt kind)
sprouted wheat, buckwheat - chopped
cooked squash

There is a sticky with duck treats listed that will also probably be helpful.

Since you're in the northern hemisphere where it's warm, some tiny slugs might be yummy. I wouldn't give him anything big that might choke him. I've read that some duckies will in fact choke themselves gorging on treats.

 

[TwinMama2x]

Thank you!

Frederick (as the kids have dubbed him) is doing great! I did put a feeder of oatmeal and a feeder of cat food in with the hen and the other 5 ducklings along with plenty of water. Frederick seems to really like the oatmeal. My husband smashed a fly and he gobbled it right up! We don't have any slugs here...too dry for them. But I do have some canned cat food and we have an endless supply of other bugs here for him to eat.

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[Amiga]

Good! The bugs contain some niacin, and ducklings need three times more niacin than chicks, I am told.

So making sure he gets some of that in his diet should help.