Feeding ducks chicken food

[tkdmommy]

I have (3) 8 week old ducks (saxony, khaki cambell & a cayuga). I'm in an area that has absolutely no suppliers of duck food, so up to right now I have been feeding then Natures Best organic starter grower which has 18% protein. I'm aware that they are at the age they need to be reduced to 16% & the only feed I find with that % is layer feed. I know layer feed had additional calcium so I'm wondering if this will be a problem

 

[ChrisWNY]

I've found that most feed available at TSC (especially chick starter/grower/finisher) is labeled as suitable for all poultry, chickens and ducks included. The Dumor brand carried at TSC has a chart on the back with recommendations of which types of feed to give to your ducks based on their age. I fed my Rouen's starter feed (20%) until they were about 8-10 weeks old with feathers coming in. When the feathers began appearing, I fed the ducks a grower/finisher which contains somewhat less protein % than starter/grower (I believe 16-17%). My young hens and ducks ate the same feed, and they all turned out extremely healthy.

Ducklings can also be fed treats at a young age...fresh, ground-up greens, peas (frozen, floating in water), mashed up hard boiled or scrambled egg, mashed up meats, and meal worms provide additional carbs/proteins as well as nutrients. Treats should only make up a small % of a duckling's diet. Since my ducks are free-ranging, they forage for insects, worms, and vegetation on their own, getting a fairly decent balanced diet, so feed simply supplements the ducks' foraging diet. Layer feed should only be fed to egg-laying females and not drakes since it contains extra calcium for egg production.

This article summarizes duck feeding fairly well:

https://www.forthebirdsdvm.com/pages/care-and-feeding-of-pet-ducks

 

[chickens really]

This is what I feed my Ducks...Others can argue or debate it but it works...

I feed 16% grower/finisher , cracked scratch grains, and 50/50 oat and barley crumble...Mixed...Plus free range and veggies...

It works for me...

 

[dotknott]

Mostly free range, with access to swamp and brook (lots of free range variety)

15% grower / finisher pellets 1x per day
Free choice calcium supplement (oyster shell or egg shell, depending on what I have.)

I start to move them from higher protein starter after they feather out, but it's something that I usually do over the course of a bag of food.

 

[chickens really]

Mostly free range, with access to swamp and brook (lots of free range variety)

15% grower / finisher pellets 1x per day
Free choice calcium supplement (oyster shell or egg shell, depending on what I have.)

I start to move them from higher protein starter after they feather out, but it's something that I usually do over the course of a bag of food.

Welcome back....

 

[dotknott]

Welcome back....

Thanks, I've been around. Reading mostly. It's been a busy summer.

 

[tkdmommy]

Thanks everyone. I think I'm going to agway. They seem to have a grower/finisher w/16% protein

 

[purslanegarden]

The main thing for the ducklings is not to use the medicated chick feed.

Then when the ducks get older/mature, they can even eat hen scratch, which should be common at many feed stores. However, if you can get them the protein % food that you need for them, that will still be better.

 

[tkdmommy]

The main thing for the ducklings is not to use the medicated chick feed.
Then when the ducks get older/mature, they can even eat hen scratch, which should be common at many feed stores.  However, if you can get them the protein % food that you need for them, that will still be better.

I was thinking along these same lines since many foods seem to have such varying degrees of %. A friend uses an all-flock pellet (her ducks are adults) that was recommended to her & hers has 20% protein!
I've never used medicated feed. I try to stay as organic & natural as possible but I recently switched my laying chickens to Southern States because it was getting too expensive for me to keep using organic feed.

 

[purslanegarden]

If you want to get even more interactive with your ducks and chickens, growing sprouts or something like wheat grass for them can help supplement what they eat also. You can also try fermented feed.

Some people who do one or both of these regularly say that they have reduced their feed costs since the birds also eat these other type of dishes on their menu.