Help with my runner duck diet

[Briannvolcano]

Hello I am looking for some help with my 6 month old runner ducks. As far as I know I have three female ducks about 6 months old that are not laying yet . I am currently feed the girls the Mazuri Waterfowl Maintenance pellets with occasional meals worms. Should I be feeding or supplementing their diet with something else, or are they just off to a slow egg laying start. Any input would be appreciated, thanks.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Are you in the US? You may not see eggs till the days get longer. I have heard good things about Mazuri. I have 2 six month old Runner female an one 5 month old they aren’t laying yet either.

 

[Briannvolcano]

Yes I am in Northern California, thanks for the response I feel better about not seeing any eggs yet

 

[Miss Lydia]

My first group of Runners hatchd late April and were laying by 4.5 months this was in 2016 these are their kids. Being a bit slower about getting started. Let me know when you get that first egg.

 

[Briannvolcano]

Will do

 

[Miss Lydia]

Sorry I didn’t say this before now! And please share pictures

 

[Loopeend]

I do not not know your available natural recources for them or your type of earth.

Where I live the ground has so much nutrients in them; and they can find a lot of hard-shelled sluggs and other critters; I don't even feed them extra grit/shells for calcium. I do feed them mealworms in the winter because the ground in too frozen/lack of animal-protein.

What I have learned; waterfowl food does not work for runners. Runners are an exception on all other ducks. Because they are island ducks surounded with salt water; they adapted to way more animal-protein then all other waterfowl. Chicken-feed is often higher in protein (atleast when it added to it. that depends on your country; they often sell enriched chicken feed in less-wet climates). Chicken feed is not easy digested by ducks. I give them chick-feed; the grinded up version, for chickens. It's not enriched here; due to our climate. IF your runners due to your climate can't get all of their animals to eat out of your terrain; give them enriched chick feed; and keep giving the mealworms (or maggots, baby-mice, etc.) Waterfowl-feed is made for birds that mainly eat plants in the water. If you look up information about food for waterbirds (ducks); you get information for all other ducks. Information that their protein intake is lower then chickens.. But runners are the exception.

 

[Duckfarmer1]

Ok, my Muscovy ducks woof down frogs like nothing, but they will eat mice too? Dead ones? We are catching them like crazy right now in traps..should I give them to my ducks?

 

[Loopeend]

Ok, my Muscovy ducks woof down frogs like nothing, but they will eat mice too? Dead ones? We are catching them like crazy right now in traps..should I give them to my ducks?

I have no experience of muscovy ducks. Mucovy ducks are also really genetically unique ducks compared to the rest of the duck world due to their unique habit where they have adapted solely. I only know Indian runners wait around a mice-hole for hours; peck the parents dead on the head (don't eat it), and go dig in the holes for the baby-mice and gulp them down like it's tequilla-friday. But I can imagine muscovy ducks (due to lack of flight) have an more animal-based diet too then other ducks. They gulp down frogs; they might gulp down baby-mice too; but might not be so equipped for hunting on mice; since mice came with ships to south america; like Indian runners will not be equiped with hunting down frogs; since where they come from; tiny frogs are more rare. Allthough no snakes live here.. my Indian runners attack everything that looks like it; or try to eat it when it resembles a small one.. It's a matter of trying out; and what you can get.
I can't give them frogs here; all the species here are small and endagred. And I'm not sure what my Indian will do with them.. but mice; gulp gulp gulp.

I think the most important is; and that might count for muscovy's too; due to being more land-ducks (and the stories how they are focused on flies and animals), they really need more animal protein then ducks that eat plants in the water or graze; their body's are adjusted to that. For hundres and thousand of years; their body's changed to work on animal then plant. That's not easily changed within breeding with them from less then 200 years.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Ok, my Muscovy ducks woof down frogs like nothing, but they will eat mice too? Dead ones? We are catching them like crazy right now in traps..should I give them to my ducks?

Yes, ducks catch and eat mice: We cancelled our contract with the pest control company due to our White Layer ducks! When we moved here, the house had been vacant for almost a year and there were mice everywhere. We had traps set up helping a bit, then we got Runners who chased the mice and killed them but could not gobble them down. This spring we got White Layers and one of them, Blanca Duck, is a mousetrap on legs: She is large and relaxed, except for when she spots a mouse. Then she turns into a Kugelblitz and snatches even the fastest mice, shakes them to death and swallows them whole. - Unfortunately she does the same with lizards and snakes.
For your ducks, @Loopeend is correct, Runners need way more protein than other ducks, they need more food in general than the others (OK, except Blanca…), because they are much more active and have a higher metabolic rate. Try to feed them some dry cat-food, it has plenty of protein and my ducks love to eat it. How much? - You will smell if you feed them too much…
I feed about 540 grams to 24 ducks, that's 22 grams per duck per day - but i guess ¼ of it ends up in one particular duck - Blanca, who else…