Flock raiser… causing maggots?!

[TwistedTayy]

So I have 4 jumbo pekins (4 weeks) that are outside full time and 2 goslings 3 weeks) and 15 WH (1.5 weeks) still inside. They have all been getting purina flock raiser from the same bag and it is dry and perfect with no problems.. for the inside peeps. Everyone gets a mix of flock raiser, nutritional yeast and grit (with additional free choice grit), the pekins are starting to get purina duck feed mixed in too (1c duck feed : 4c flock raiser mix).

last week I went to change out the feeder for the pekins and found a BUNCH of maggots around the feeder where they had spilled feed. This grossed me out so I moved them to a much bigger coop that we built for the WH until we could clean and treat their smaller coop.

Today I went to do the same thing but found the maggots INSIDE their feeder. So now I’m wondering if maybe the flock raiser is susceptible some how and I should change their feed? Or maybe it’s the nutritional yeast? I know that maggots come from flies but maybe those ingredients make the “perfect” environment?

In the meantime I took an unused seedling tray and dumped their food in.

does anyone have any suggestions? Or had this problem? Or feeder/food suggestions? I don’t want this issue to multiply as ducks/geese move out of the brooder. This is my first flock of waterfowl and the first flock at all on this farm. The pekins are more or less an experiment to see what works so I’m glad but also…

 

[shawluvsbirds]

So I have 4 jumbo pekins (4 weeks) that are outside full time and 2 goslings 3 weeks) and 15 WH (1.5 weeks) still inside. They have all been getting purina flock raiser from the same bag and it is dry and perfect with no problems.. for the inside peeps. Everyone gets a mix of flock raiser, nutritional yeast and grit (with additional free choice grit), the pekins are starting to get purina duck feed mixed in too (1c duck feed : 4c flock raiser mix).

last week I went to change out the feeder for the pekins and found a BUNCH of maggots around the feeder where they had spilled feed. This grossed me out so I moved them to a much bigger coop that we built for the WH until we could clean and treat their smaller coop.

Today I went to do the same thing but found the maggots INSIDE their feeder. So now I’m wondering if maybe the flock raiser is susceptible some how and I should change their feed? Or maybe it’s the nutritional yeast? I know that maggots come from flies but maybe those ingredients make the “perfect” environment?

In the meantime I took an unused seedling tray and dumped their food in.

does anyone have any suggestions? Or had this problem? Or feeder/food suggestions? I don’t want this issue to multiply as ducks/geese move out of the brooder. This is my first flock of waterfowl and the first flock at all on this farm. The pekins are more or less an experiment to see what works so I’m glad but also…

How close is their water source to the feeders?
I don't usually have a problem unless it gets real wet.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

It’s pretty close, and hot and humid and wet here (Georgia). Even if I moved the waterer away, they still need the water to manage the crumbles and it’ll still be humid.. maybe switching to the FR pellets would help?

Yeah, they need the water.
But it doesn't have to be real close. I do find crumbles to draw more flies than pellets.
I think less goes on the ground than crumbles.

 

[TwistedTayy]

I like nutrena naturewise all flock.
It's pelleted.
But since yours are only 4 weeks old idk. You may just need to deal with it a couple more weeks.

Just ordered 100lbs of mazzuri starter, that’s pellets and has higher niacin than purina so maybe stop adding the yeast.. we shall see if that works. I don’t want to continually dump unused feed every 8 hours because of maggots… not to mention the flies. Gonna spray permethrin tomorrow. It’s just not sustainable to do throughout the summer.

 

[cheezenkwackers]

I live in the hot, humid south as well. I only get maggots if wet crumbled food is allowed to stay in place. If you use a bowl instead of a feeder and let them clean it out between feedings problem solved. Btw, the maggots gross you out but are perfectly edible to the ducks. In fact, most of us buy them dead and dried as soldier worm larva or mealworms! I would not recommend spraying permethrin, google it with “mitochondria”. When my son was in 5th grade he developed chronic fatigue after our house was sprayed with it for bedbugs.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

Just checked and I can’t find purina fr pellets anywhere… does anyone know of starter pellets that I can get online? Flock raiser crumble was all I could find around here in stores but if that’s not gonna work I’ll happily order something that’s recommended. I just won’t need too much more starter for much longer lol. At least until next year!

I like nutrena naturewise all flock.
It's pelleted.
But since yours are only 4 weeks old idk. You may just need to deal with it a couple more weeks.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

Just ordered 100lbs of mazzuri starter, that’s pellets and has higher niacin than purina so maybe stop adding the yeast.. we shall see if that works. I don’t want to continually dump unused feed every 8 hours because of maggots… not to mention the flies. Gonna spray permethrin tomorrow. It’s just not sustainable to do throughout the summer.

Hopefully that'll work out!
I can't say I've ever found maggots on or around my feed.
But I do know when I have littles and crumbles it's messier and draws flies.

 

[TwistedTayy]

I live in the hot, humid south as well. I only get maggots if wet crumbled food is allowed to stay in place. If you use a bowl instead of a feeder and let them clean it out between feedings problem solved. Btw, the maggots gross you out but are perfectly edible to the ducks. In fact, most of us buy them dead and dried as soldier worm larva or mealworms! I would not recommend spraying permethrin, google it with “mitochondria”. When my son was in 5th grade he developed chronic fatigue after our house was sprayed with it for bedbugs.

I thought they would eat them but they didn’t in the last coop and then bam, war of the flies around the coop a few days later. maybe the pekins just aren’t as good foragers but as babies they would go nuts when I tossed them a water bug.

I agree with you on the permethrin but until the ducks are old enough to forage full time during the day and we also have a perimeter fence I’m resigned to use it. Mosquitoes are one thing but we’ve recently seen an increase in the tick and biting midge population in the last week. We just bought the house from an older couple who just weren’t able to keep up with cleaning so we also have a large water bug population in the house and I’m just sick of the creepy crawlers everywhere! I found some alien bug I’ve never seen before in the house last night and couldn’t identify it. (I’ll attach a picture in case anyone get can solve that low grade mystery) Needless to say, permethrin will never be what I use to maintain a bug free yard but just keep populations under control until the birds are old enough to do their share. And I’ll probably dilute it double. I commonly have to use permethrin at work because we have a terrible tick problem there. I actually will likely end up brooding guineas and taking them there. If I wasn’t worried about neighbors at my house, I’d have a flock of 50 guineas running around and happily put up with the noise!

 

[Beaglegal]

It’s pretty close, and hot and humid and wet here (Georgia). Even if I moved the waterer away, they still need the water to manage the crumbles and it’ll still be humid.. maybe switching to the FR pellets would help?

I keep my water and food pretty far apart, because here it will mold really quickly with any wetness. I make them walk a good bit between. They are just fine and it keeps my crumbles dry as a bone. They fill up their bills and waddle over to the water to wash it down. ALso keeps my water a little cleaner because they swallow most of it on the way over

 

[shawluvsbirds]

I will kiss your Cayuga.. anytime.