Feeding baby ducks???

[m2wandc]

I just asked a similar question...the pet shop where my kids conned me into two baby ducklings said the chick starter I had in the brooder (with my baby chicks of the same age) would be fine...but it's medicated...the ducks ate some of it this afternoon...then i read online NOT GOOD COULD KILL...and I took it out, put in adult chicken lay mash for now, but will need to get something soon...all pet shops/feed stores are closed on Sunday around here...any suggestions to get the baby chicks and baby ducks covered until Monday mid-day???

 

[bwoof]

I wish I could answer the last question - hopefully someone who knows more than I do will! I have a related question about feeding the ducks - we have been putting their food in one of those feeders that has a mason jar at the top. it has been going down, so they are eating it. But they seem much more interested in just rooting around in their brooder and nibbling on their litter so I took some of their food out of the feeder and put it on the ground, then I put some in their water dish and they are going CRAZY! it seems they had not discovered that for themselves. should i keep using the feeder or do they need to have the food out on the ground to eat it?

 

[aduckstolemyheart]

Medicated food used to be a big concern for ducks, as it contained an antibiotic that was harmful and fatal for them. However, most all feeds now contain Ampro, which another poster already mentioned. I chose to use gamebird for my ducks, just because it has the extra Niacin they need, and I try not to medicate unless they need it. You can check your bag, and if all it has is ampro in it, you should be fine to feed it to them. If you'd like to get a diff bag of feed, that's great, but I am sure the Ampro will be fine for them in the meantime.

 

[jenny_kap]

i use the same medicated food for my ducks and for my chickens too. my ducks are 2 weeks old now and they are one pound and half big. so, they are doing great. the food contain coccidiostatic and it has 21% protein.

 

[kyrose]

someone posted that flock raiser has the extra niacin they need and i feed that to my adult birds so i already have some,thats what ill feed them.two hatched lastnight,1 from the wrong end of the egg.lol i just gave them water and they love it...

 

[tia]

As for the water dish - take a butter or sour creme tub and cut the top just enough for them to get their head in and get a drink. You might want to put a few marbles in the tub to weigh it down. You need to make sure they can't get into their water dish as they could drown.

 

[m2wandc]

Does anyone know about KRUSE medicated chick starter??? Does that one carry the killer ingredient??? I tried looking it up online and all I can find is pricing and protein information...nothing about medication. (and I threw the 'ingredient' tag in the trash before I realized I might need it...and since Hubby has taken the trash out to the final collection bin.)

 

[FenDruadin]

Purina Flock Raiser will work just fine. It is one of the feeds suggested by Dave Holderread, the leading waterfowl expert in the US. For just a few days, any old chick starter would work fine, but they will eventually need more niacin, which Flock Raiser provides.

Medicated feed is unlikely to kill them that quickly, but as a general rule I avoid medications except when needed to treat illness, because I believe our bodies build up resistances to medication when we pump them into our body on a regular basis, and also because I believe our immune systems are strengthened by being allowed to get a work out (instead of constantly being supported by medication). So I would skip the medicated feed in favor of the Flock Raiser on those grounds alone.

But if you've already given them some, don't panic. It's probably not a big deal. Just switch them over and enjoy.

 

[m2wandc]

I was looking up KRUSE...and coming up empty handed...apparently it's O.H. Kruse...so if anyone wants that info...here ya go.
http://www.ohkruse.com/poultry-gamebird.html

and it is the safe medicated food....as for the other brands I don't know...