Feed!!!!!

[Big Dreamer]

Well, it was my money and i still have a lot of "extra money" and i only buy feed like every 2 months because it lasts that long, so the Extra money isn't actually extra money its just that my dad let me spend my money so i could feed my animals properly, Ive been able to get the right feed, but 1 i cant find it because the feed store never has the rite stuff and 2 my parents don't want me spending all my money. So i think i deserve the privilege to own my animals, because i have done so much research on them and sometimes i cant find the rite stuff, and i take care of them like no one knows, i have to get up extra early before school, to let the ducks out feed them water them and clean their droppings, and then get back from school at 5 and then feed them again and water them again after im tired from school, and then do homework and then bed and then i have to spend my own money on materials for coops, and feed, with no income, no allowance, even though i do chores. so i do a lot and that might not seem a lot for you, but when your only 13 and you want to have ducks, but you still want to have a normal teenage life its really hard, but i still do it because i love my ducks so much and i would give up anything in the world for them to be happy and safe. and in my last post, i SPECIFICALLY said no comments just info, politely. so it would have been fine with just the first part of your post pascopol, and you didn't need to include the rudeness. Also i just wanted to thank duckyfromoz for not being and ignorant child about the things i need help with and that i really appreciate the advice.

I don't know if you can delete topics, but i just want to say i want to leave all of this behind us and move on, and leave the rudeness behind to, Im here for getting help, maybe giving help or advice, and making friends, not fights!

 

[vicki2x2]

Yes, sounds like you did good. Twenty percent is a little high, so adding the corn to cut it down should work just fine. Good job!

 

[racepondUSA]

well you keep doin wat you are doing man and dont let other people get to you and also with your ducks i feed mine layer and a mixed type feed with plenty of grains protein but not too much and stuff my uncle makes for me they also free range during the day wen they want just make sure you do your job and they should be great good luck and to everyone else quit being rude if he wants help the last you can do ishelp this kid out

 

[tomingreeneco]

A little tip. Ducks are messy and waste a lot of food. If you can get pellets (16% protein) they will last longer then crumbles. GOOD LUCK.

 

[Senna95]

Little Dreamer, Dude or Dudette, you sound like you have a bone to pick. Don't take things so personally. No one knew of your financial situation, or your age. Nor does that matter. The fact is that ducks need more then just cracked corn, and without a balanced diet they ARE malnurished.

Also, concider that you're LUCKY that your parents let you have ducks. You make it sound like a chore. I only WISH my parents would have let me have animals when I was your age. Now I've overcompensated (I think): I've got about 300 birds between my chickens, ducks, geese, quail, and pheasants, and LOVING IT! No complaints about the work.

Good luck with your ducks. They're fun (and yes, a lot of work), but you'll love having them.

 

[Amiga]

Big Dreamer,

The mallard feed sounds much better. Lowering the protein a bit seems fine, too. I aim to keep protein for my laying ducks at around 18% - it varies because they eat some bugs, some are not as good at finding and getting them, they get peas for snacks, and so forth, but I aim for 18%.

If you can get some oats, those are good also for lowering protein, and have some fiber in them. They do not have as many calories as corn, but oats (not instant) are what I have used because they were recommended in Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks. If your library has that, you might want to check it out.

How much cracked corn are you putting in? Like, one cup corn to four cups pellets? That would be about 15% to 16%. Half and half would be too much corn, too little protein, it seems to me (it would put the protein at 10%).

Something else good for ducks is greens. Mine like weeds, like chickweed, dandelion, and crabgrass. As long as no one has sprayed herbicides or pesticides on them, those are good for the ducks. Lettuce trimmings that are not gooey or moldy are good, too.

 

[Big Dreamer]

Well what i did to be more specific is i got the Mallard pellets that are 20% and i got that in a 50lb bag and then got 5 pounds cracked corn, so i thought it would only lower it a but, and my ducks actually dont waste any food, or from what i can see, they just eat what spilled of the ground and then wait for evening to get more, and they have a pen thats over 300 sqft and they have torn up the grass, its still there and alive, but they eat all the new parts that grow, and there are lots of bugs in florida, so they get that too, mine LOVE lettuce, and frozen peas, they like broccli, but not as much, and then every once and a while i let the gate open and they get to go and eat some of the weeds in the backyard, and i dont have a big yard because 1 im on a canal, so tat limits me and 2 i have a pool so that took more than half the yard, but they still get around!!

Oh and Senna95 i might have made it seem like a chore, but i also said that i do all the hard work because i love my ducks and would give anything in the world to have them happy and safe!! Oh and thanks to most of you for the advice!!

 

[pascopol]

Quote:
Hey kid, you need to learn some respect for people on this board before you call anybody "rude" keep in mind that it is you who is abusing ducks by feeding them incomplete diet by your own acknowledgment and addmition, you said in your original post quote: "but ive only been giving them cracked corn, and i know thats a no no" unquote.

I am and will always speak up for proper treatment and nutrition of animals, and I do not care if you are irresponsible or arrogant adult or spoiled kid.

 

[Big Dreamer]

Well for one, i already posted that i didn't want any comments just some help with trying to fix my problem, and 2 Ive only been giving them cracked corn because my parents wouldn't let me get what was needed and then when i educated them on why i need the stuff they let me get it, and trust me im not spoiled and like in other posts i knew they weren't getting enough protein, but you could be a little nicer with it like some people, and not just say your ducks are malnourished, they are gonna die, i knew that and thats why i needed help, not criticism. Also I wouldn't be calling me a spoiled kid, or childish, because look at yourself, picking on a kid that just didn't know what to do, and i thought i said that i wanted to say all is done and that we should leave it behind ourselves, and yet you still re-open the wound and dig in further. Oh and I know what respect is and how AND when to give it, sometimes when you don't give respect you don't get it back!

 

[Senna95]

Please don't post any comments if you don't want any posted in return. Young or old, we all look the same in "type".