Feeding guineas, chickens and now ducks

[Mooshu17]

Hi all, I'm relatively new to the chicken scene my family started keeping chickens and guineas last July and based on all post I saw here early on in the process we've been feeding them Purina Flock Raiser, which seems to be working well as we have a mixed flock with a rooster, four laying hens and three guineas.

Tomorrow I'm going to get the 1st of possibly several ducklings that my daughter's teacher incubated and hatched (while updating them via Zoom ). I know nothing about ducks, though I've learned some today, and thought we would be okay just to continue feeding the Purina Flock Raiser to everyone until I did some reading and saw ducks that get too much protein develop something called angel wing, and now I'm worried that I won't be able to feed everybody the flock raiser which has 20% protein. Does anyone have any experience with this? Do y'all think we'd be okay to continue using the flock raiser feed (which I just bought a hundred pounds of) or should we look into a separate lower protein feed for the ducks? I think this duckling is about 10 days old and that until about 3 weeks it does need the higher protein feed, I just wonder if we can continue feeding it without causing it problems.

I know to provide more open water for cleaning and digestion, but if anyone has any duck tips I'm all ears!

Also all of our birds are free range cooped at night let out during the day. Once the duck / ducks is big enough to be with everyone else who will be free range as well.

The local feed store does carry a nutrena all flock feed 18% pellets (Purina is crumbles) should we switch to that? Can I mix pellets and crumbles?

Lots of questions I know Thanks in advance!

 

[R2elk]

Once they are adults, the ducks will do fine on either the Purina Flock Raiser or the Nutrena All Flock. It is personal preference whether a person feeds crumbles or pellets.

I prefer to feed pellets. I believe there is less wasted feed using pellets than crumbles.

The references to higher protein causing angel wing refer to much higher percentages of protein than 20% protein.

 

[Mooshu17]

Once they are adults, the ducks will do fine on either the Purina Flock Raiser or the Nutrena All Flock. It is personal preference whether a person feeds crumbles or pellets.

I prefer to feed pellets. I believe there is less wasted feed using pellets than crumbles.

The references to higher protein causing angel wing refer to much higher percentages of protein than 20% protein.

Thank you for replying! What do you recommend I feed them while they're babies? Something higher in protein? Lower? The teacher is supposed to be giving me some food, but I'm not sure what. I'll pick it up later this morning.

 

[R2elk]

Thank you for replying! What do you recommend I feed them while they're babies? Something higher in protein? Lower? The teacher is supposed to be giving me some food, but I'm not sure what. I'll pick it up later this morning.

I think that the Purina Flock Raiser should be fine for now. Perhaps @casportpony will add her opinion.

 

[Mooshu17]

Duckling is here, either Welsh harlequin x Cayuga or Roeun. (I moved it into a small chicken coop with hardware cloth after this photo and it will stay in a brooder under a light at night or when it can't be supervised).

 

[R2elk]

Duckling is here, either Welsh harlequin x Cayuga or Roeun. (I moved it into a small chicken coop with hardware cloth after this photo and it will stay in a brooder under a light at night or when it can't be supervised).

I hope this is not your only duck. It really needs a companion that speaks the same language.

 

[Mooshu17]

I hope this is not your only duck. It really needs a companion that speaks the same language.

The teacher just hatched this one but has several more in an incubator hatching in the next few days, so it'll be getting some friends soon.

 

[R2elk]

The teacher just hatched this one but has several more in an incubator hatching in the next few days, so it'll be getting some friends soon.

Good.