Ducks and medicated chick starter

[Katy]

I've been raising my call ducklings on Purina medicated Start & Grow for quite a few years and they've done great on it.

 

[sonew123]

me too-and Niacin is in very green veggies-broccolli for one- shred the long stems up and they love it-prevent angel wings too. My duck was getting it and I noticed it immedialty and fed him lots of greens for a few weeks with his normal food and youd never know he had it!

 

[Emmalion]

Quote:
Did you supplement the peas or greens into the ducks diet? Or add niacin to their water? I have babies hatching this weekend and have the medicated grower starter for my chicks and really didn't want to put the ducklings on it if I didn't have to. But I will find out tomorrow if I can find the game bird starter. If I can't can I just get regular chick starter and supplement?

Wow I am a nervous nelly about these babies. I wasn't so bad with my chicks they seems really easy to find things for.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Quote:
I sorry to all the med bashers, but I have to agree, when medicated for nothing more than coccidia, (ambuprolum) they can eat it and do just fine.
Trust me, I have raised more waterfowl than 90% of this forum combined and they all get medicated feed all the time as ducklings, and mine arent the domestics they are near 100 species of migratory and ornamental ducks and geese, the truly sensitive stuff. Some other meds yes can harm waterfowl, but it really has to be in an obviously extreme overdose for a long period of time. Simply feeding medicated chick starter to your young will not kill them. Back in the day, the chemicals used were much harsher and since they have started using new coccidiants, which are safe for all back yard fowls, period. Your duck isnt going to die from a coccidiant used in medicated feed.
Adding niacin is a plus as well, but again, I never once have go to all that, they get Purina Startena and do just fine....same as my bantams, peafowl, pheasants, everything here gets it.
Take it for what you will, (26 years of migratory duck breeding here, literally 1000's per year) if you dont want to use it, by all means dont, but then dont get upset when your ducks get coccidia either.
By the way, the dosage levels in the feed are just a preventative level to start with, very low, they'd have to eat a bag in a day to OD on it.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Quote:
The angel wing is usually for too high a protein feed, calcium and magnesium deficiencies, or too much carbs in the feed. By switching out the greens, you cut way back on the proteins... What happens there is the wings grow fast, the pin feathers are super heavy, with added protein, this is accelerated. The muscle and skeletal mass can be lower especially if the feed is low in calcium and magnesium. Then add on hi carbs, and you just have a duck developing faster than his skeletal structure can handle. The metacarpals in the wing are still somewhat soft at this time, so they quickly get deformed for all the added weight pulling them out of place.
Check those qualities in your feed to prevent that
protein 16% is perfect the 18-24% is over kill
calcium and mag should be fairly high for good skeletal development
carbohydrates should be as low as possible

 

[Emmalion]

Quote:
I sorry to all the med bashers, but I have to agree, when medicated for nothing more than coccidia, (ambuprolum) they can eat it and do just fine.
Trust me, I have raised more waterfowl than 90% of this forum combined and they all get medicated feed all the time as ducklings, and mine arent the domestics they are near 100 species of migratory and ornamental ducks and geese, the truly sensitive stuff. Some other meds yes can harm waterfowl, but it really has to be in an obviously extreme overdose for a long period of time. Simply feeding medicated chick starter to your young will not kill them. Back in the day, the chemicals used were much harsher and since they have started using new coccidiants, which are safe for all back yard fowls, period. Your duck isnt going to die from a coccidiant used in medicated feed.
Adding niacin is a plus as well, but again, I never once have go to all that, they get Purina Startena and do just fine....same as my bantams, peafowl, pheasants, everything here gets it.
Take it for what you will, (26 years of migratory duck breeding here, literally 1000's per year) if you dont want to use it, by all means dont, but then dont get upset when your ducks get coccidia either.
By the way, the dosage levels in the feed are just a preventative level to start with, very low, they'd have to eat a bag in a day to OD on it.

That is great to hear. Thank you I was reading all of this and got worried.

 

[BooBear]

I am thinking of adding ducks so this is good to know. I was worried about having to find new feed for them should I decide to get ducklings. I use the Purina brand for my chickens and have been very happy with this brand so far.

 

[savingdogs]

Purina makes both a medicated and non-medicated flock raiser that can be used for ducklings from the first weeks. I think they recommended two or three weeks only of the start n grow.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

That's correct, again due to the angel wing concern. The start and grow is a higher percentage ration, and should only be used to get them off and started, once they start to feather up, 3rd to 4th week, they need to be slowed down a bit, drop to the lower 14-16% feeds then, and you should have no issues then with wing curls

 

[newlyduckmom123]

Hello,

I am new with raising ducks with my boyfriend and we have three beautiful yellow ducklings. Two out of the three is doing very well but the smallest one that I called my "Angel" is not doing well. She is not walking and I believe she has a Niacin Deficiency. We bought pills last night of Niacin to dissolve into the water. We also bought medicated Niacin feed. Will this help or is this going to kill her?

Please let me know ASAP. I went over to my boyfriends house and saw the condition of her and it broke my heart. She is only a couple weeks old and it seems like shes getting weaker. After I fed her and gave her water separately from the other two, her energy perked up and started to do better. My boyfriend sent me this link on Skype last night https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/126465/my-sultan-chicks-has-straddle-leg do you think the bandaid idea will work? I am studying Mechanical Engineering and I am wondering if there is a way I can design something to help this poor little angel be better. I think the other ducklings are bullying her and is not letting her eat or drink.

Please help me.