flock raiser or chick feed????

[Hennyhandler]

I have done a lot of searching on here and have read Storeys Guide to Raising Ducks. I have been swayed in different directions many times. Should I feed my two ducklings that I am going to get soon flock raiser and switch my chickens I have over to it OR should I feed the ducklings chick starter with added niacin and then move them up to the chicken layer feed as they get older so the ducks and chickens are all on the same thing?

Also, do the duckings need niacin all the time like or every other day... or only when they are ducklings because that is the only time I have heard it mentioned.

 

[tomzr2]

I have 16 ducklings that are 3 weeks old. I started them out on flock raiser. Keep reading to many negative things about the medications in chick feed. Could poison ducks. As far as feeding flock raiser to chickens, I believe your egg production would drop. But if you aren't concerned about eggs it should be fine.

 

[Hennyhandler]

Maybe I won't go for the flock raiser. I'm leaning more towards the chick feed. I'll just get the non medicated kind since I have also heard of a lot of bad things about the medicated kind. I didn't give this to my chickens when they were chicks so I think I'll stick without it.

 

[Friend2Fowl]

I've fed flock raiser to my chickens for a long time, it doesn't effect the egg laying at all. If anything, it would make them lay more, since it does have higher protein. Just be sure to give them some oyster shells in addition to the flock raiser, and they should be fine. I would definitely start the ducklings on flock raiser, but you need to give them extra niacin. This can be found in brewer's yeast, either powder or pill. You'd would have to crush the pills though, and just sprinkle it on their feed.

 

[Tala]

Quote:
Egg production will NOT drop on Purina Flock Raiser.
I've got pullets on the ground that are laying daily, and I have raised them completely on Flock Raiser. Just offer oyster shell free choice for the layers, since the feed doesn't supply any extra calcium.

 

[tomzr2]

Never knew that about flock raiser and egg production thanks for sharing. Have talked to several duck raisers and you don't have to add naicinthough. Plenty of it in flock raiser for ducklings.

 

[FenDruadin]

I just got my email from Holderread about my upcoming ducklings. It included a care sheet, which I read because of course Holderread is one of the nation's top duck experts. He recommends Purina flock raiser as a complete feed for ducklings. That's all I need to know!

 

[Hennyhandler]

Thanks ya'll. So in your experience flock raiser doesn't decrease egg prodution in eggs? And flock raiser is really the best besides duck food that you can give them? iamcuriositycat in that info sheet niacin was NEVER mentioned, meaning on flock rasier it isn't needed?
You give ducklings the flock raiser too all the way up to growing into ducks?
There isn't a starter and grower that needs to be given like in chickens?

Sorry for all the questions but I want to make sure I am planning on doing the best possible things for my new ducklings when I get them.

 

[FenDruadin]

I don't know about decreasing egg production--I haven't tried it. I actually *don't* use flock raiser, although I may this year since Holderread recommends it. I've always just given chick starter, and then supplemented their feed with niacin. Here are the Holderread recommendations, word for word:

"Supply the birds with fresh feed that has been formulated specifically for young poultry. In the order of preference, we recommend starting hatchlings on one of these feeds: duck starter or broiler starter (we highly recommend Purina's Flock Raiser ration when a duck/goose starter is unavailable). By themselves, chick starter is low in niacin, and turkey and gamebird starters are excessively high in protein (forcing young waterfowl to grow too fast). However, using a mix of 1 part chick starter and 1 part turkey of gamebird starter normally makes a good ration for baby waterfowl. Use only fresh feed and NEVER give laying rations to young waterfowl. In our experience, so-called "all purpose" or "triple duty" feeds normally are unsatisfactory if used as the sole ration for waterfowl during the first 8 weeks. We highly recommend the additional information on feeding and nutrition covered in Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks, The Book of Geese and Wing Disorders in Waterfowl."

He recommends supplemental niacin only if you're giving straight chick starter (that recommendation is in his book, not in the above quoted text, of course)--otherwise, it looks like the other feeds he recommends have sufficiently high amounts.

Anyway--I still have chick starter & niacin left from last year, so I'll probably finish it out, then I'm going to see if I can get my hands on Flock Raiser.

I don't mix the ducklings with my laying flock, so I don't have to worry about that aspect. If you have ducklings in with adults, you can make a "creep feeder" to prevent the adults accessing the duckling feed. If you're feeding the adults pellets, the ducklings won't be able to eat it because of its size.

Good luck!

 

[Hennyhandler]

Flock raiser sounds like it is better and simpler for them. No adding this and that and half of this with this. I figure I am buying laying ration for my chickens and even if I was going to put the ducklings on chick food I would still be buying two bags of feed so i might as well buy two bags of completely different feed. Laying ration and flockraiser. This way i won't even have to give added niacin either.

Is this a majority of what you plan to do?