Feeding chicks and ducklings

[joshram]

I’m going to get some chicks and Muscovy ducklings and I’m not sure on what to feed them. Should I feed them both chick starter and then switch over to all flock feed?

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Yep, you sure can. Use unmedicated chick feed. Add nutritional yeast for the ducklings at least for the first 6 months. The nutritional yeast won't hurt the chicks either, but the ducklings definitely need extra while growing. I've fed all flock to ducklings throughout their lives. They do well. I've also raised chicks hatched here on all flock. Again, I've had no issues.

 

[hmarg06]

I feed my flock all flock pellets. When my scovies are newly hatched to about a week old I use my nutri bullet to make my own crumbles out of them. By about a week they can eat the pellets just fine. I've never had any issues doing this with them, and all have been healthy!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

All Flock crumbles for all the birds is perfectly acceptable. Ducks need extra niacin, which may or may not be present in chick starter. Sadly, US labels don't have to disclose niacin levels, so even if you see it on the ingredients list, there's no way to know if its at chicken levels, or the much higher duck levels. Nutritional Yeast is a common, off the shelf, way of supplimenting Niacin levels.

BYC posters have previously reached out to both Purina and Nutrena regarding Niacin levels in their All Flock/Flock Raiser products, and the numbers offered by those companies were acceptable for ducks at that time. I can't speak to any other feed, or if Purina and/or Nutrena have subsequently reduced niacin levels. Its doubtful, but I just don't know.

Niacin overdose levels are MUCH higher than duck levels - so no concerns with chickens eating "duck feed" levels.