Help with feeding...

[RM44]

My ducks are almost 2 months old now. I've been painstakingly feeding them by putting chick starter crumbles in a bowl, adding a little water (because they eat so fast they choke on the dry crumbles), standing there waiting for them to finish and then taking up and rinsing out the food bowl, then rinsing and refilling the water bowl. I can only do this about 2 times a day. They do get to stay outside in a duck run with pond most of the day, so they have plenty of access to the pond water.

I would love to offer them something all day long since they are so small, but they are such messy eaters. They need to drink water along with their food, and then they get water in the food bowl, and food in the water bowl and leave a big sludgey, stinky mess.

Can I feed them something other than chick starter crumbles (like pellets of some kind?) and how does everyone keep the food dry, or should I just let it stay moist and not worry about it getting sour throughout the day?

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

Feed them at the edge of the pond & keep the water bowl feed free.

 

[katharinad]

They may be such gulpers because they don't have their feed available at all times. I have two bowls for them on a plastic tray. One for water and one for feed. They make a mess all the time, but that is just how it is. They like to mix their feed with water and dabble it down. I clean up twice per day. The key is to learn to put just enough food into the bowl to keep them going until cleanup.
Katharina