Haven't been giving my ducklings vitamins

[clucknpeck]

Hi everyone. I just got ducks a little while ago and some of you recommended I put vitamins In their water. I haven't done this yet because I have two chicks brooded with them and I didn't know if the chicks could have the vitamins. My ducklings are growing like crazy and seem to be very healthy. Alert, loud, and so curious. So I was just wondering if this is a necessity and if I should move the chicks out and give the ducklings vitamins in their water?

Also, I have been feeding the chicks and ducklings flock raiser and their bag will run out today but I have about 25lbs of non medicated chick starter that I have been feeding to my pullets in the coop. Can I give the ducklings this or should I go out and buy more flock raiser?

 

[Amiga]

The vitamins I give my ducks are poultry vitamins, so I would think that would be fine, even helpful, for the chicks.

The concern with feeding ducklings chick starter is that the former need much more niacin (3 times, I am told) than chicks. That's why extra niacin is advised for ducklings on chick starter. You can dissolve niacin into water (100 to 150 mg per gallon) for ducklings. Often, flock keepers separate the chick waterers from the duck waterers due to ducks' ability to murky up the water quickly. In that case, no worries about too much niacin for chicks.

On the other hand, niacin is water soluble, I believe, and chicks probably (please verify this) would not be harmed with some extra niacin. Oh, and bugs and fish have niacin in their bodies.