Duckling feed

[TheCookyChickenLady]

I have a couple 4 day old ducklings. There are currently on a duck crumble(the nature’s best duck crumbled) that has a good amount of niacin I think but it’s lower in protein than I would like (18% protein). I was looking to get a new feed on Chewy as that would work best for me, are there any feeds suitable for a young duckling on there? Flock Raiser is very popular but they don’t have that, is there anything similar? Also, I believe once they are a couple weeks old you lower protein, could I use my current feed then(the 18% one). Thanks!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Higher protein is said to be one reason they can develop angel wing. They don't need a higher protein ration. You also don't want them growing too fast as that can cause problems too.

 

[TheCookyChickenLady]

Higher protein is said to be one reason they can develop angel wing. They don't need a higher protein ration. You also don't want them growing too fast as that can cause problems too.

Thanks for your reply! That reassuring! I looked at some older posts and some were saying the natures best was too low in protein.

 

[TheCookyChickenLady]

One more question as you seem quite knowledgeable, should I supplement the feed with brewer of nutritional yeast? It is a duck feed so I assume it does have some amount of niacin but there isn’t niacin on the guaranteed analysis on the back. They don’t have any symptoms of niacin deficiency(ex. tripping or enlarged upper leg). I just want to do what’s best. If I should feed one of the yeasts how much? All the amount per cup or pound of feed that I found were for chick starter. Thanks a lot!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I personally never supplemented. If it says it's formulated for ducks or all species it should be fine. @Isaac 0 know duck feeding better than me. Hopefully he will add his opinion.

 

[Isaac 0]

Whether you need to supplement with B vitamins depends on the niacin content of the feed your using, and the breed is which your rasing. So, the bag you're feeding, just like most other feeds (unless your feeding Mazuri) is probably around 55mg of niacin per kilo of feed. That requirement will be sufficient for light-medium weight breeds, but with heavyweight breeds such as Pekins, you'll really want the niacin content around 70mg/ per kilo.

So to simplify what I said, if the ducks you have are lightweight/ or medium breeds like Indian Runners, Calls, or Buff's you should be ok without supplementation, but if you're raising Pekins, or Saxonys, it may be good to supplement.

Why supplement with the heavyweight breeds (?) the heavyweight breeds tend to be raised for meat, and have been bred to grow fast, and put on weight fast. This cause's an increase in their niacin requirement to keep up with their fast leg growth. Once they reach around eight-ten weeks their niacin requirement drops down to 55mg per kilo, so you can then stop supplementation.

In regards to which niacin supplement to use, there are several. I personally avoid Brewer's yeast because after doing some research I found several very common brands that contained little niacin. Nutritional Yeast on the other hand almost always has high niacin content, and tends to taste better than the BY too. The dosage for NY, is one/two tablespoons per cup of feed.

Another alternative, which might be better for larger flocks because NY supplementation can be costly, you can instead dissolve one 500mg plain niacin capsule in ten/twelve gallons of water, and offer that to them a few times a week, with another plain clean water source.

If you'd like more information pertaining to preventing niacin problems in waterfowl, what to feed, etc. You can read the link in my signature,

 

[TheCookyChickenLady]

Whether you need to supplement with B vitamins depends on the niacin content of the feed your using, and the breed is which your rasing. So, the bag you're feeding, just like most other feeds (unless your feeding Mazuri) is probably around 55mg of niacin per kilo of feed. That requirement will be sufficient for light-medium weight breeds, but with heavyweight breeds such as Pekins, you'll really want the niacin content around 70mg/ per kilo.

So to simplify what I said, if the ducks you have are lightweight/ or medium breeds like Indian Runners, Calls, or Buff's you should be ok without supplementation, but if you're raising Pekins, or Saxonys, it may be good to supplement.

Why supplement with the heavyweight breeds (?) the heavyweight breeds tend to be raised for meat, and have been bred to grow fast, and put on weight fast. This cause's an increase in their niacin requirement to keep up with their fast leg growth. Once they reach around eight-ten weeks their niacin requirement drops down to 55mg per kilo, so you can then stop supplementation.

In regards to which niacin supplement to use, there are several. I personally avoid Brewer's yeast because after doing some research I found several very common brands that contained little niacin. Nutritional Yeast on the other hand almost always has high niacin content, and tends to taste better than the BY too. The dosage for NY, is one/two tablespoons per cup of feed.

Another alternative, which might be better for larger flocks because NY supplementation can be costly, you can instead dissolve one 500mg plain niacin capsule in ten/twelve gallons of water, and offer that to them a few times a week, with another plain clean water source.

If you'd like more information pertaining to preventing niacin problems in waterfowl, what to feed, etc. You can read the link in my signature,

Thank for your response! I read the the link, it was very informative. The largest ducklings I have are Cayuga and Swedish, these are medium weight, do you recommend I supplement? If so, can I use a human grade nurtional yeast, I have a big bag of it for myself, it doesn’t have any add-ins or flavor like garlic? Also, what are your thoughts on my first post in this thread, do you think 18% protein is enough for 4 day old ducklings? Thanks!!

 

[TheCookyChickenLady]

Thank for your response! I read the the link, it was very informative. The largest ducklings I have are Cayuga and Swedish, these are medium weight, do you recommend I supplement? If so, can I use a human grade nurtional yeast, I have a big bag of it for myself, it doesn’t have any add-ins or flavor like garlic? Also, what are your thoughts on my first post in this thread, do you think 18% protein is enough for 4 day old ducklings? Thanks!!

I just checked my bag and it has 46 mgs of niacin in the 1/4 serving size. Is this suitable?

 

[Isaac 0]

Thank for your response! I read the the link, it was very informative. The largest ducklings I have are Cayuga and Swedish, these are medium weight, do you recommend I supplement? If so, can I use a human grade nurtional yeast, I have a big bag of it for myself, it doesn’t have any add-ins or flavor like garlic? Also, what are your thoughts on my first post in this thread, do you think 18% protein is enough for 4 day old ducklings? Thanks!!

I just checked my bag and it has 46 mgs of niacin in the 1/4 serving size. Is this suitable?View attachment 2383176

Human grade nutritional yeast is what we use, yes.

I haven't seen a Niacin content bag like that, but yes, that should be suitable. You can supplement them if you want, but the niacin content in the bag looks to be pretty high.

 

[Sca]

Higher protein is said to be one reason they can develop angel wing. They don't need a higher protein ration. You also don't want them growing too fast as that can cause problems too.

I'm dealing with a wild egyptian goose duckling that has angel wing. Beacuse it was a very late nest, close to migration time, I've been feeding them water fowl pellets that have 15% protein. Could I have contributed to it's angel wing? It's 8 siblings are fine so it might also have been caused by an accident but it would be good to know the correct percentage. Thanks