Food GOOD For Ducks?

[1234duck]

Now are you all talking about Food for them "Fancy Ducks" or Food for my "Normal Ducks"? <<< (Which are Rouens & Golden Cascades) Or does it even matter? Grrrrrr...

or Food for Ducklings? Okay, now I'm confused.

*My Ducks aren't Old Old but, They Are Adult Ducks. ~lol~ * PLEASE tell me what I Should Feed my "Normal, Adult, Ducks" for an EVERY DAY, Normal Feeding.>>>(?duck chow?? layena4 chickens?? flock raiser?? layer pellets?? duck grower??)<<<

EXTRAS for Ducks}}(1)little fish (2)corn/peas (3)chopped tomatoes/lettuce (4)millet seed (5)bugs/worms (6)floating catfish pellets Thanks, Julie

 

[destinduck]

I thought you might be 1234duck. But let me make it simple. First what are YOU able to get. Second every ADULT duck will do fine on CHICKEN layer pellets. I've been feeding mine chicken layer pellets for years and I sure as heck want them to do great with some as much as 5 hundred dollars a pair. Lots of people feed all kinds of food to ADULT ducks, no problem. You can go hattieguns,exoticduckluvrs.my and lots otherways on ADULT ducks. They all work. Now THAT being said its a war with alot of us on here with DUCKLINGS feed. Here is MY OPINION and the opinions of ALL the people I have ever bought ducks off of. We start our ducklings off with 18-20 % protien feed (which for me is Mazuri starter) When they start to get feathers I start cutting back on the protien to 16% by adding chicken layer pellets BECAUSE when their WING feathers start to emerge they can get ANGELWING. We have found this is caused by(too much protien at wing development stage)AND to a lesser extent nonetheless important, EXCERCISE. AGAIN this is MY and EVERY BREEDER IVE EVER DEALT WITHS opinion. Some people say carbs AND many other things cause it (this is where the rub is ) But when NEW people get into ducks or should I say ducklings I dont want them EVER to have to deal with ANGELWING as over many years of duck raising we have found this to be the problem. Fact,science, theory or whatever proven this is what our experience has taught us.

 

[Hattiegun]

Quote:
W/O means without medication and it is 16% protein. i shoulda tried to enlarge the tag more. I feed 20% crumbles to babies til 3-4 weeks and then lower the protein.
Niacin(vitamin B) is very important for ducks .Lack of it can cause leg problems in ducklings . Chick starter doesn't have the niacin that ducks need
Symptoms: Stunted growth, lameness, bowed legs, swollen joints.

Treatment: Ducklings exhibiting niacin deficiencies and be CURED by giving them 100-150 mg. niacin (crush tablet) per gallon until they are 8 - 10 weeks old.
If not treated they can have permanently stunted growth and/or crippled. you can find supplements in Wal-mart etc.

do u have a local coop/ grain elevator.. most of them carry alot of feeds. Or a specialty pet store for say dogs, cats, horses,chickens ducks. or a tractor supply store.
I know how confusing it is... I am still new and ALWAYS learning.

 

[destinduck]

Thanks Hattiegun. That's what the niacin is for. I plum forgot

 

[1234duck]

1st, Thank you destinduck for take n the time to explain and share this info. Interesting & very helpful. I want my ducks to be healthy & happy. I've noticed the ducks not "as" interested or excited for the chicken food as much like they use to.(just recently) It has little pellets with pieces of corn & other stuff/a mixture of things. Oyster? I think. Chickens love it best. The ducks are at the gate quacking away when they hear my voice talking to them, acting as if they were real hungry . When I put the food in the tray they only eat a little bit right then and they still had food in tray. They might be bored of that food. I give them a little snack almost everyday, corn ect... Now I will get more types of snacks and give them more often/everyday. I dont have ducklings yet not for 27 days. just put in incubator Wednesday the 12th @ 1:30 AM (11) eggs 7 more out in nest. Dont know if I should bring them in with the others to incubate? Or wait and see if she wants to hatch them. 2 diff ducks eggs in 1 nest. 1st duck done laying. 2nd duck has 10 eggs so far might be almost done laying. * I will write/save the feeding info for ducklings so I know what n how to feed when there born. Thanks again, Julie

 

[destinduck]

You're welcome Julie. Yes mine like the exspensive Mazuri better than the layer pellets.

Oh BTW "fancy" or "normal" they are the same " DUCKS" ALthough yes a few of the "fancy ducks do have to have special diets. Good luck with your ducks.... Shawn.

 

[1234duck]

Is juicy oranges, cut into small little bites/with the peel off of course good for ducks to eat? Also is popped popcorn or corn tortilla shells good for them to eat? Thanks, Julie

 

[desertdarlene]

Quote:
I'm no expert, but I hear that citrus isn't good for waterfowl because it gives them stomach problems. I could be wrong. I know the geese and ducks will eat it, but they pay for it later. Popcorn and tortilla shells are probably on the level of bread when it comes to food. It's not very nutritious and some brands carry a lot of salt, but a little bit once in a while won't hurt them.

 

[HottentotTeal]

Quote:
I bought a few sprays of millet at a feed store and i put a little bit in the water and they seem to like it. It really depends, but well over half floats on the water.