Ducks and medicated chick starter

[duckluck]

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Thanks! That is helpful...5% I should be able to figure out.

 

[savingdogs]

Forgive me if I'm slow on this, but does that mean you are mixing brewers yeast 5 percent with what as the other 95 percent?

 

[lovesduckies]

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AMEN!!! i had a duckling die from medicated chick starter because the feed store lied to me and told me it was unmedicated. i strongly urge people who ask for information NOT to feed their ducklings medicated chick food. i fed my ducklings Game Bird Starter by purina mills and i will live by it when i have more ducklings!!!!!!!!

 

[Dances with Ducks]

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Those are Holderreads home mix recipies which are mixing things like corn, soybean meal, alfalfa, and bone meal with the brewer's yeast. If you have a feed designed for chicks or turkeys you probably don't need to add as much as 5% brewer's yeast in because some amount of the nutrients are already supplied. The good thing about brewer's yeast is that, being food based, it is a relative safe source of nutrients, you don't need to worry much about overdosing. We aren't being super scientific here, adding SOME brewer's yeast is probably helpful and certainly can't hurt.

 

[Dances with Ducks]

BTW I second what lovesduckies brought up about the medicated feed. There has been a lot of debate because no one seems to have found any food lately with medication other that Allopurium (sp?), which is not so much as a medication as an innoculation I think. That is probably safe. Goosedragon will probably get on here and set me straight about all this. I wouldn't ever consider giving ducklings any food that contains ANY other medication you might see on a feed bag.

 

[savingdogs]

I see some people feeding game bird food, is that better?

I was thinking of using chick starter partly because I may have chicks here soon too.

I got the idea that ducks can just get too much of the medicine because they eat larger amounts and the dosage is calibrated for a chicken.

 

[SilverPhoenix]

I've raised chicks (including home-hatched seramas), ducklings, California quail, wild turkeys, and ring-necked pheasants all on Flock Raiser, and they've all thrived and grown into beautiful adults. Just a note to those with mixed flocks, or who want something simple!

I agree with everyone who wants this to be a sticky--it's important to help prevent deaths of ducklings!

 

[bigdawg]

i am feeding my ducklings chick starter medicated with amprolium. feed is made by tucker feed milling company. they are two weeks old and growing like weeds. all seven are getting huge. where do wild ducks get niacin, or breewers yeast anyway...........

 

[Dances with Ducks]

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Good question - you can get niacin in really fresh greens! The longer it sits in the fridge or the grocery store, the less there is. So wild ducks wait until the new spring greens pop up and the nutrients are at their peak to start their breeding season.

 

[duckluck]

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KV Health has a very pure brewer's yeast powder that I have been using. They have an online catalog.