giving ducklings niacin supplements??

[tactilecontact]

(continued from previous) Would feeding mashed peas or bananas work, since they're both good sources of niacin?

 

[mischievouslady]

This is my first post. I am a new mom of 14 Indian runners. They are now 7 weeks old.. They had a very ruff time getting to me. They was mailed out on a Tuesday and I didn't get them till Friday. The mail sent them to the wrong state. The place I got them told me to expect them all to be dead but all 15 plus the buffer(the extra one you get) but as you can tell I lost 2 but I have been very lucky. Pour baby's. Anyway everything has been good. I think I has a runt. She (i think) is a beutiful pencil. My question is how much nicticon and browser yeast do they get a day. My runt her name is little foot. Has one shaky leg . The left one and one of the whites just started shaking.
They have water 24/7. Feed 99% of the time. No feed when they go to bed. They have a pen that is over 2,000 square feet. The coop is a big dog kennel. With heavy duty tarps on top and three side to keep them safe. They get locked up every night. They was on chick starter till just now. I got them 16% complete egg ration. It's a chicken pellet food. 16% protein. I got niacin and the brewers yeast today. Had to drive a hour to a GNC to get it. No feed store from home to there Batesville carry duck feed. Can anyone tell me how much the need during a DAY? Please.

 

[Amiga]

I posted on the Brewers Yeast or Niacin For Duckling thread....

 

[mischievouslady]

I posted on the Brewers Yeast or Niacin For Duckling thread....

thank you

 

[mischievouslady]

what cause drooping of the flight feathers? Him and one other are doing this. Brewers yeast and niacin now for 4 days. The other one is a runt. She is the smallest of my 14.

 

[mischievouslady]

Should I wrap the wings up for a few days?

 

[Got Outta Dodge]

This is a bit.late but i have raised 2 flocks of kahki cambells and at about 3 weeks they were stepling on their own feet so i added brewera teast to their feed and it straightened right out.

 

[sktlmt]

I do not have brewers yeast but I do have Nutritional yeast flakes. Can I use them?
BY has 10 mg Niacin per 2 TB and NYF has 56 mg niacin per 2 TB.

 

[Gypsy52]

I got a poor baby, 6 wks im.hoping to help.. her legs are really bent. I just got her yesterday. I started warm water swims and stretch PT.. cant hurt. Im just wondering if i should start Niacin too?.. or is it yoo late

 

[RainForestBird]

All I have is the flush-free niacin and I have a month old duckling that is pigeon toed and shaky on its legs. I have put it in with the Younger ducklings to keep it warm as they tend to get all muddy and wet outside in their run with the pool. I have been feeding chick starter, the medicated kind because I don't want to have problems with pasty butt and I have pullets. Sometimes I mix it with gamebird and poultry feed that has no corn or soy. I don't want to give all the ducklings higher niacin if I don't have to. But I don't want to separate the poor pigeon toed little duckling from the others. It has been cold at nights so I always bring the ducklings inside where it can get cold but not freezing. The younger ducklings stay inside the warm house in the laundry room.

Everyone's experience is different, but if you're having leg problems niacin is an excellent first step in treatment--even if it doesn't solve the problem, it won't hurt, and higher niacin in general supports good leg health in ducklings (but not too high--you can overdose--details below). I do not mean to criticize those who do fine without niacin, but I will say that I have also raised hundreds of ducklings and on the one occasion when I decided not to bother with the extra niacin, the birds developed leg problems which were quickly corrected by adding back the correct amount of niacin. And it is not just me. The most-respected waterfowl expert in the nation, Dave Holderread, also recommends higher niacin for ducklings.

You have several options for accomplishing this:

1. Mix the chick feed 50/50 with game bird starter. The game bird starter contains high levels of niacin, but also levels of protein that are too high. By mixing the two, you balance it just about right for waterfowl. This is what I do because it is simple and effective.

2. Add brewer's yeast to the feed. This is also simple, IF you can find brewer's yeast (try health food stores or beer making supply if your town has one). Just sprinkle it on top of their food. You can't overdose on brewer's yeast.

3. Add niacin directly to their water. Buy niacin at the pharmacy, try to get the NON-flush-free, and also NON-time-release (this gets harder and harder to find). You need it in gel caps because you're going to break the gel cap into the water and dissolve the contents in the water. Don't worry if it doesn't all dissolve--I've found it's quite effective even if there are still bits of it settling on the bottom. The dosage is about 100 mg per gallon of water. It doesn't have to be precise, but don't overdo it.

4. Feed them Purina Flock Raiser. I have had mixed results with this among people I've talked to, but it is recommended by Dave Holderread and he is rarely wrong, so it's definitely a potentially viable option. If you end up with niacin deficiency anyway, you can always add in extra by one of the other means.

Niacin deficiency, when caught early, is easily corrected by adding the correct amount of niacin. Of course, if you're raising lots of birds, it's way easier just to prevent it to begin with, plus birds thrive best when provided the proper nutrients, even if a deficiency isn't clearly visible. If niacin deficiency symptoms are allowed to persist without correction, they can develop into permanent debilities.

Good luck with your babies. It's quite possible her ankle problem is NOT caused by niacin deficiency (in fact, niacin deficiency usually causes a generalized weakness and shakiness in the legs rather than location-specific distress), but the proper quantities of niacin will help develop leg strength which may aid in her healing.

I hope she does great for you.