duckling food question UPDATE

[deek248]

my local feed store only has this available :
http://www.lonestarfeed.com/pdffiles/1211.pdf
18% protein chick grower...yes it is un-medicated
should I order something better or just go with it for now.
he hatched 2/12/10 and is PIGGING out on it. Wife says we have a piglet with feathers!

WHO DAT?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
oh btw rabbits do NOT like ducks......don't ask lol ..........never knew bunnies could make such sounds

jealous lil Peter da rabbit


well the local feed store was able to get me a bag today of un medicated Purina Game Bird Startena from their Purina rep. Orig. they were going to get a bag off the regular delivery truck tomorrow afternoon. Even sold it to me less than the retail price $10 including tax for a 50# bag. Ya Don't see that kinda service from most vendors of any product/service these days. They have my business forever. This stuff is 30% protein! High octane stuff! Im wondering if it will burn in my diesel truck!

Again thanks for all yalls input

 

[goosedragon]

Well a starter would be better at least in theory. what you have there is a feed designed to produce nice tender fat fryers! I would start looking for a less rich food to switch them over to around 18 weeks old, note the warning about avoiding sudden changes in feed. mix the new feed in slowly giving more of the new feed and less of the old until you are on straight new feed. a layer ration for egg laying would be my choice.

 

[patyrdz]

I feed mine Non medicated game bird starter. The regular chick starter did not work well for me at all. I had duckling going around in circles and not growing well.

 

[bigdawg]

the chick starter i buy has amprolium in it and it says on the bag that its ok to feed to duckies. thats what i am going to feed in 10 days if any hatch

 

[ConchRepublic]

We just give ours Dumor chick starter, though we are trying to break away from that, just got to find something that isn't to expensive.

 

[Amiga]

Here are a couple of advices from Storey's Guide:

For maximum growth. . . diet that provides 20 to 22 percent protein up to 2 weeks of age, and 16 to 18 percent from 2 to 12 weeks

Young waterfowl require two or three times more niacin in their diet than chicks. When ducklings are raised in confinement on a ration that is deficient in niacin - such as commercial chick feeds - a niacin supplement should be added to their feed or water.

(niacin deficiency causes a number of health problems in ducklings)

Looking a little further, I see the range of niacin in feed recipes in the book are 31 to 51 mg/lb, and the link you provided (thanks, that was very helpful) shows 28.54 mg/lb. If I read that right, it does look like the feed is a little light on the niacin, for duckling needs.

You are being so conscientious!

 

[lovesduckies]

Quote:
i myself had an issue with chick food for ducks so i got game bird grower pellets. so i just have a fear of it.

and with my bunny and duckies, it's the other way around! my duckies hate my little baby bunny! lol

 

[smithzoo100]

I used to use game bird starter, but our feed store has been out often, so ended up with flock raiser the last few clutches of ducklings. It is non-medicated and I have had excellent results with it, but my birds are also allowed free range during the day once they are a little larger. As Amiga stated, food for baby chickens tends to not have enough Niacin for baby ducks, so I top dress with brewers yeast and stir it in a little on the top. That way it doesn't leave a crust when I add a little water (just enough to make a slightly dry doughy paste so that the ducklings don't choke) and so that they eat that part first hoping that they get a little more in them and not just lost in their water when they drink

They certainly can be little pigs, can't they!!

 

[holden]

Hi we have got a mixture of chickens, we think 3 roosters 4 pekin ducks all born around begining of october 09 15 indian runners 3 wild ducks and now 6 3 week old peking ducklings, we have feed all of them chick start than chook chow, and peekin lay pallets, all are growing and happy we also feed our chickens scraps and the ducks eat it to. Our little ducklings prefer the peek in lay pellets but we are mixing them now as the babies are now out with them all and boy they give the indian runners a run for there money when they try to push them away. we are new with all this but loving it they are all running around a large section and comunicate when they see us.

 

[deek248]

thanks for all the advise yall. Had the feed store order some game bird starter. Should be in tomorrow.
They did say that someone a few towns away uses the chick starter for all their ducks and have had no issues.