Ducklings on Chick Starter??

[Horse Love Rio]

I am getting ducklings for the first time on April 3, and i was wondering if feeding them chick starter is OK?

 

[ChickenPrnces]

Chick starter is exactly what they eat! REGULAR CHICK STARTER!!!!!!!! NO MEDICATED!!!!!

 

[LilMissChz]

Curious... why no medicated?

Chick starter is exactly what they eat! REGULAR CHICK STARTER!!!!!!!! NO MEDICATED!!!!!

 

[ChickenPrnces]

The cocci prevention medication in it is apparently not tolerable by ducks!

 

[tweetysvoice]

Curious... why no medicated?

Also - ducks tend to gorge themselves and overeat, so it's harder to regulate the amount of medication that they are getting into their systems.

 

[Oregon Blues]

The medication used in chick starter nowadays is usually amprollium and that is absolutely fine for ducklings. Check the label to verify that it is the only medication in the feed and it will be perfectly safe for ducklings.

Also check protein levels. Once wing feathers start to come in you don't want to feed higher than 16% protein.

 

[Amiga]

Then there is the concern about niacin. From the number of stories and reports I have read here and elsewhere, some ducklings seem to suffer neurological damage that can be quite serious, if they do not get enough niacin. Chick starter has about a third of the optimal amount for ducklings. This seems to be easily remedied by giving 100 to 150 mg of niacin per gallon of water till they are about ten weeks old (recommendation from Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks, on niacin deficiency).

If for some reason niacin capsules are unavailable, bugs, slugs and worms are said to have niacin in their bodies, so supplementing with those would likely help a great deal.

. . . I remember bringing in slugs for my little ones . . . .

 

[ian4379]

i used to use medicated chick starter and the ducklings were fine. i had a particular line of ducks that developed limps and had to be put down, i was told this may have been due to lack of niacin. so for the next lot from the same parents i diluted a vitamin b(niacin) tablet in the water every second time and i didnt get any defects. i had other lines that were fine on the exact same feed though. i've since switched feed to a crushed grain mix from a local stockfeed supplier and havent had a problem. oh mine all free range as well so plenty of grass and bugs.