Castlemaid
Songster
Raising ducklings for the first time. I've acquired 3 balls of fluff. They are in a brooder in the house at the moment (we've been having a COLD WET summer!). They are a week old, and I've had them for a week. Nobody told me these are crazed eating machines, holy cow! They've pretty much doubled in size since I got them!
So I have a book on raising ducks, and it is so detailed and definite on what Muskovy ducklings need, you pretty much have to have your own feed mill and chemical lab to meet all the book's requirements. I'm thinking it can't be that hard, and many people have done just fine with the basics.
For now, they are on 22% premium chick starter crumble, which the feed store said that as per the manufacturer is suitable for ducklings. I've also been giving them a handful or two of greens from the yard and garden per day. My readings and research say that too much protein and too much calcium is harmful to growing ducklings and to switch them off the chick/waterfowl starter after two weeks. Will switching them to 16% layer pellets (which I have) be okay? Or is that too high in calcium for the ducklings. Can I keep them on the grower crumbles for longer than two weeks?
Also, please send good vibes in hoping they all turn out to be females, as I already have a drake, and really don't want to start Muskovy WW1 in my back yard, LOL.
So I have a book on raising ducks, and it is so detailed and definite on what Muskovy ducklings need, you pretty much have to have your own feed mill and chemical lab to meet all the book's requirements. I'm thinking it can't be that hard, and many people have done just fine with the basics.
For now, they are on 22% premium chick starter crumble, which the feed store said that as per the manufacturer is suitable for ducklings. I've also been giving them a handful or two of greens from the yard and garden per day. My readings and research say that too much protein and too much calcium is harmful to growing ducklings and to switch them off the chick/waterfowl starter after two weeks. Will switching them to 16% layer pellets (which I have) be okay? Or is that too high in calcium for the ducklings. Can I keep them on the grower crumbles for longer than two weeks?
Also, please send good vibes in hoping they all turn out to be females, as I already have a drake, and really don't want to start Muskovy WW1 in my back yard, LOL.