Feeding a mixed flock cracked corn

[HollowOfWisps]

So my coop is about 6x10 (coop including the run) and then we put an 8x10 addition which is basically an open pen. I do keep them in the coop/pen. I haven’t let them free range yet as we have had a red tailed hawk nesting right above the coop for the past two years. I keep a kiddie pool that I fill daily for the ducks. And I make sure they get in there at least once a day to clean up. I am not sure where the eye thing came from with Pickles (my Pekin). Her legs didn’t develop quite right so she doesn’t move as fast as the other two ducks and she is definitely at a disadvantage when it comes to defending herself. I wonder if the infection just gave them a reason to pick on her?

It may have, but the amount of space your birds have is way too small for how many birds you have. The BARE minimum recommended amount of coop space per average sized bird is 4sq. Ft and for a run is 10 sq ft. If you were to combine your coop/run and consider it all coop in your calculations it would be 60sq ft. 60/17=3.5 sq ft per bird and if you consider your new addition which would be 80 sq ft the equivalent of a run 80/17= 4.7.... 3.5 sq ft of coop per bird and 4.7 sq ft per bird for a run is even under the absolute bare minimum recommendations for space. Not to mention pekins are almost double the size of average size duck breeds and require the extra space. This little of space will only lead to health problems, bullying and possible cannibalism.

For the eyes, Terramycin is awesome for treating eye irritations and infections. For her legs what you are describing is a niacin deficiency which is very common in pekins due to their large size and fast growth rates causing them to require more niacin then most duck breeds. I would highly recommend you purchase Durvet's B complex and administer orally via syringe or injected.

 

[Plchickens]

It may have, but the amount of space your birds have is way too small for how many birds you have. The BARE minimum recommended amount of coop space per average sized bird is 4sq. Ft and for a run is 10 sq ft. If you were to combine your coop/run and consider it all coop in your calculations it would be 60sq ft. 60/17=3.5 sq ft per bird and if you consider your new addition which would be 80 sq ft the equivalent of a run 80/17= 4.7.... 3.5 sq ft of coop per bird and 4.7 sq ft per bird for a run is even under the absolute bare minimum recommendations for space. Not to mention pekins are almost double the size of average size duck breeds and require the extra space. This little of space will only lead to health problems, bullying and possible cannibalism.

For the eyes, Terramycin is awesome for treating eye irritations and infections. For her legs what you are describing is a niacin deficiency which is very common in pekins due to their large size and fast growth rates causing them to require more niacin then most duck breeds. I would highly recommend you purchase Durvet's B complex and administer orally via syringe or injected.

That’s the antibiotic I used to treat her and it worked really well. Yes her leg deformity was from a niacin deficiency as a duckling. She was supplemented daily with brewers yeast after I figured I out what was going on. She is full grown now. Is it still necessary to supplement her as a full grown duck?
I think I am going to figure out way to get the ducks into their own space or own coop. That way everyone has a little more room.

 

[Aunt Angus]

It may have, but the amount of space your birds have is way too small for how many birds you have. The BARE minimum recommended amount of coop space per average sized bird is 4sq. Ft and for a run is 10 sq ft. If you were to combine your coop/run and consider it all coop in your calculations it would be 60sq ft. 60/17=3.5 sq ft per bird and if you consider your new addition which would be 80 sq ft the equivalent of a run 80/17= 4.7.... 3.5 sq ft of coop per bird and 4.7 sq ft per bird for a run is even under the absolute bare minimum recommendations for space. Not to mention pekins are almost double the size of average size duck breeds and require the extra space. This little of space will only lead to health problems, bullying and possible cannibalism.

For the eyes, Terramycin is awesome for treating eye irritations and infections. For her legs what you are describing is a niacin deficiency which is very common in pekins due to their large size and fast growth rates causing them to require more niacin then most duck breeds. I would highly recommend you purchase Durvet's B complex and administer orally via syringe or injected.

I didn't even catch that, and I read it twice. Maneuvering space does, indeed, affect behavior.

 

[Plchickens]

It may have, but the amount of space your birds have is way too small for how many birds you have. The BARE minimum recommended amount of coop space per average sized bird is 4sq. Ft and for a run is 10 sq ft. If you were to combine your coop/run and consider it all coop in your calculations it would be 60sq ft. 60/17=3.5 sq ft per bird and if you consider your new addition which would be 80 sq ft the equivalent of a run 80/17= 4.7.... 3.5 sq ft of coop per bird and 4.7 sq ft per bird for a run is even under the absolute bare minimum recommendations for space. Not to mention pekins are almost double the size of average size duck breeds and require the extra space. This little of space will only lead to health problems, bullying and possible cannibalism.

For the eyes, Terramycin is awesome for treating eye irritations and infections. For her legs what you are describing is a niacin deficiency which is very common in pekins due to their large size and fast growth rates causing them to require more niacin then most duck breeds. I would highly recommend you purchase Durvet's B complex and administer orally via syringe or injected.

Do you think free ranging them would also make a difference? I am not sure expanding the coop right now almost going into winter is an option but I will figure out how to separate my ducks. I don’t have a rooster which has always made me nervous with free ranging but I could give it try.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Do you think free ranging them would also make a difference? I am not sure expanding the coop right now almost going into winter is an option but I will figure out how to separate my ducks. I don’t have a rooster which has always made me nervous with free ranging but I could give it try.

It helps my flock! I understand your fears completely! Mine got supervised free range for years until I made a covered, electrified yard for them. I used heavy duty bird netting to cover it. Soooooo worth it!

 

[Aunt Angus]

And when I say supervised, I mean SUPERVISED. I followed them around like I was the rooster- haha! I wasn't gardening or lounging. I was GUARDING! Lol!

 

[annagoodspeed]

Thinking aggression can be tied to inadequate protein levels. Add fish meal or something else high protein to bring your feed up to 20% and see how it goes. This past year had two open wound head injuries from an over enthusiastic first year breeding rooster, and there were no problems from other flock members attacking them and making the injuries worse, the hens affected healed up. I feed a fermented peas wheat ration plus fish meal, and they are completely open range daytime, coop at night. I just don’t see much aggression.

 

[Lori-in-Californa]

It may be related to the corn, it may not. You said she has other duck friends, right? It's possible they need to just live in their own space.

I have four chickens, one drake and five ducks. They all free range all day in my backyard. Chickens put themselves to bed at night in a 3’x3’? two story coop. Ducks get herded into a small one story coop just before I go to bed. Everyone gets along. Ducks tend to stick together, chickens tend to range in pairs. Mostly they ignore each other. Not feeding any corn.

 

[chickencoop57]

I don't have a mixed flock, but I doubt the cracked corn has anything to do with their behavior. I also feed my chickens cracked corn, which I throw out into the run, in the evenings. I only let them eat the Lay pellets and crumbles early in the morn till about noon, then I shut it off. The rest of the day is scraps and the cracked corn in the evenings. If I didn't do that, they'd empty out the feeder in one day and I can't afford that. It works well and I get about 10 egg's a day, for now, because some of my younger incubator hen's haven't started laying, yet.

 

[629864]

I've heard that removing the bullies for a few days and then reintroducing them (rather than removing the one being bullied) forces them down the pecking order. So when they do come back in, they're too busy trying to get back in line to waste time on their old victim. That said, you might need to let your duck heal completely before putting him or her back out with everyone else.