Ducklings first food Help!

[bantymum]

Hi all, My ducklings are hatching out as I speak, I have chicken scratch mix out there, however is there another first food for the littlies that I should provide.
Did I read somewhere here that they cannot have chick starter?
ill put pics in when they come out.
How long do they stay under mum before she takes them for a walk?

 

[bantymum]

Ok I found the threads about chick starter being unsuitable, How about turkey starter, is that what you call game birds?Turkeys?.
We dont have Purina here .

 

[justusnak]

You know.....when my Muscovies hatched out....they were free range. Momma sat on them untill all hatched...and for about 2 days after. Then she got them up and about. She showed them how to forage..and find food. I did use a little cracked corn once in a while, just to teach them I was the bringer of feed. They all loved it...as young as 5 days old!! I know...most say..they need starter of some kind....but honestly...they did fine with just cracked corn, and momma's help! Good luck with them, I cant waite to see the pics! What breeds are they?

 

[GoodEgg]

I'm surely no expert, but is it mostly because of the medicated starter that chick starter isn't ok?

I think it's too low in protein too?

I never could find the right feed, and I ended up feeding mine mostly chick starter/grower (unmedicated) along with what treats they would take, which they ate better when they were babies than they do now.

Their favorite thing was for me to bring in bunches of weeds ... LOTS of weeds ... every day and fill the brooder with them, and they ate those a lot.

trish

 

[bantymum]

Thanks, Deb they are White bantam mallards(callducks)
I went and got some turkey starter, however, im not putting it out until someone tells me that it is safe.
Ive got lots of scratch mix for the chooks which I can ground up smaller, and ill buy a tin of corn! or use cracked corn!
So I gather that she will sit on them for a couple of days before she brings them out! cant wait to see, lots of eggs under her!

 

[justusnak]

Helen, I know when I went to the feed store, they guy there told me turkey starter would be good for them...but I just went with the cracked corn,and whatever momma duck supplemented in forageing. I cant waite to see them!

 

[Frozen Feathers]

Quote:
The medicated feed for chicks is not good for ducklings, they eat too much of the feed and therefore get too much medication. I was told to feed mine grower, chick grower and mine are fat and happy.

 

[bantymum]

Has anyone tried turkey starter???
Oh and she has 10 ducklings and still going!!!!she throws the empty shells out as they hatch, its getting crowded in there! they are yellow!

 

[Katy]

Bantymum...I raise call ducks and I always start them out on Purina Start and Grow that has amprolium in it. It's a preventative against coccidiosis....not really a medication, although they call the feed medicated. I wouldn't raise mine without it.

Katy

 

[GoodEgg]

Quote:
Thanks Angie, actually you made me realize that I made a mistake in my post. I changed in in case anyone looks this up later. I fed mine unmedicated chick starter/GROWER (I never did find chick starter either). When they were older, I found a duck/turkey/game bird starter/grower at another feed store, but mine didn't need it by then.

Bantymum, I didn't realize the mama duck was hatching them! How cool ... I hope you get to see them soon and you have lots of ducklings! I hope we can raise a batch next year (though first I have to figure out what I'd do with so many ducklings!).

I hope you can figure out about the food you bought. Maybe you can search online for duck starter/grower, and compare the ingredients and protein levels to the one you bought?

Good luck with them!

trish