Feeding different poultry?

[KelsiNS]

Last year we started some ducklings. Lost several due to a niacin deficiency in my feed. Added niacin and changed them to purina flock raiser from dumor chick starter. Everyone thrived on that.

I'll be getting goslings and turkey poults in june and was wondering if there are special minerals/vitamins or a specific protein requirement (I know ducks and goslings don't need high protein as long/as much as my chicks)

Since i'll be hatching my own chicks and brooding turkeys, goslings, ducklings, and chicks at the same time, I just want a "grocery list" of who needs what.

Now I know
Dumor Chick starter for chicks/ducklings (with added niacin, and taper ducklings off at 1 week to flock raiser little by little)
Purina FLock raiser for ducklings.

Goslings and turkeys-use chick starter, flock raiser? Ive heard turkeys do well on gamebird feed, but we cant buy that very often around here.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I'd just use Flock Raiser for everyone from day one. That's the whole "point" of the feed is that you can feed a mixed (species, age, gender and production state) flock one feed.

 

[Chris09]

You could feed Flock Raise but Buckeye Big 4 would be better.
Also if you want you can feed them a good Game Bird feed, that's what I use and never had a problem.

If your going to be breeding your fowl that you might want to think about a good Breeder Feed.
It have the Vitamin, Minerals, etc. that breeding stock needs for good production and hatch.

 

[KelsiNS]

the flock raiser was absolutely worthless for my chickens-the growth rate of chicks was terrible and the eggs I got were weak and watery-most of my yolks were broken before I cracked the egg. flock raiser will never be fed to my laying birds or chickens again.

 

[Chris09]

the flock raiser was absolutely worthless for my chickens-the growth rate of chicks was terrible and the eggs I got were weak and watery-most of my yolks were broken before I cracked the egg. flock raiser will never be fed to my laying birds or chickens again.

Was you offering oyster shells?
If your feeding flock raiser or any other "all flock" type feed you have to offer a calcium supplement to laying hens do to the low calcium amount in the all flock feed.

 

[KelsiNS]

Yep, I always feed oyster grit. it wasn't the shell that was weak though, it was the egg itself. The yolks were really pale and easily broken and the whites were watery.I put them back on Dumor and within a week the problem fixed itself. Now, once my ducks started laying they got switched to Dumor as well and now that they're adults I haven't had any issues; it was just when they were young that I needed the flock raiser

 

[CrazyTalk]

KelsinS,

you have to be very careful with ducklings and food - Dumor has two chick formulas and only one has niacin in it. I don't have a bag in front of me at the moment, so I'm not sure which is which. If you look at the chart on the back it'll tell you which one is to be used for ducklings.


I believe ducklings are supposed to get the Starter/Grower and not the Starter, but I'm not 100% sure. Check the bags. Purina might have something similar.


The issues you're having with eggs sound like storage issues to me (or indirect results of poor shell quality - lower quality shells cause eggs to go bad faster). I doubt they were being caused by the flock raiser.


Goslings are pretty easy to feed, and unless you're feeding them really high protien, will be okay on most foods. Just get them out on grass as fast as you can.