Feeding muscovies

[chickmamawannabe]

Can muscovies eat poultry layer pellets if they are allowed to free range every day, or should they have waterfowl feed? How long should they be on a starter ration? Do they even need supplemental feed in the spring and summer, or will they live off what they find. I'm talking 2 muscovies on about 1/4 acre.

 

[Birch Run Farm]

I think it would depend on what is available in your climate for free ranging food stuffs. I am betting Cottage Rose will have some great info too.

Right now where I am at it is full blown winter, lots of snow, lots of bitter cold and winters are very long here. I feed a higher protein feed to all of my birds anyway, I have a bin of turkey pellets or game bird as well as 'breeder pellets' made by Blue Seal which are a bit higher in protein than a regular layer ration. I give a small amount of corn as a treat. There is always calcium and granite grit in a dish.

I also put evergreen boughs in the coops and give a lot of food scraps and grease all winter. I always have great looking birds, both ducks and chickens. I never scrimp on protein but monitor the carbohydrates (I think too much in carbs will make them fat) and do as much as possible to get green stuff to them during the winter.

You might have more green grazing around your area than I do so you'll need to customize your feeding program for your area.

I have found the birds don't pig out on high pro feed, which does cost more, once they are used to having it available all the time. My feeders are never empty. I have seen others who only put out what they think their birds need and the poor things fight and are ravenous all the time. Mentally screwed up and clearly no savings in feed.

Naturally they eat a lot less store bought food when they can forage.

So my muscovies get the same choices that the chickens get.

 

[chickmamawannabe]

OK, that answers most of my questions. What about starter/grower feed? Is 4 weeks enough, or should it be made available for longer?

 

[Birch Run Farm]

I think longer than that.