How do you bulk up for winter?

[NuggetTheChicken]

My ducks used to love bird seed, they would go crazy over it. Don't know if it would help in the winter.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Black oil sunflower seeds would give bulk.

 

[NatJ]

It's getting cold and I want to make sure my sweet ones have enough meat on their bones to stay warm. They have free access to food and between the 6 of them they typically eat between 8and 10 cups of layer feed. Are there other foods or treats that are safe and healthy that will help them bulk up a bit? I'm a bit concerned about my little Black Swedish, Darla, who's always been a little runty and had a crooked spine. View attachment 2000074

If they continue to have free access to food and water, they will probably be fine. Yes, too skinny would be a problem--but too fat is also bad for them.

A wild bird that needs to forage for food will want to get fat in fall, because it will then lose weight in winter when food is hard to find. Your ducks will not be short of food in the winter, so they do not have the same need of fat in the fall.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I don't provide anything extra in the winter. Just straw and a shelter in a covered run from wind. Heated house to sleep in.

Well in the Alberta Winter even ducks need a heater!
In December 2009 I had a project in Red Deer, boy was it cold there! -40 over night!
When i picked up my rental car in Calgary, there was a cable dangling from the engine room, walked back in and told them that somebody must have forgotten a power tool in the car… Big laugh and i was instructed to plug-the car in over night because it would freeze solid otherwise. I couldn't survive there!

 

[Miss Lydia]

I spoil my ducks they get their main feed plus other types of things 6 way scratch, dry dog kibble, chopped romaine, cabbage , and mealworms . Variety is the spice of life! I believe it was Daffy Duck who said that.

 

[DuckyDonna]

My ducks were going crazy for cracked corn - first… After a month or so the would poop on it. What you can try is to soak the corn in water for a couple of hours, that's how mine eat it. - They eat it, in defiance of death, like Socrates drank the hemlock. And they look at me like - i can't describe that look…
Another good thing to feed during winter is fodder. @gtaus wrote an excellent article about his fodder tower that he snuck into their guest bathroom in futile attempt to hide it from his wife…

• @gtaus fodder tower article
• The super funny thread how he hid that thing in the bathroom (and finally got busted)
• My media album with tons of pictures of my fodder production

I can only recommend to grow fodder! It saved me a ton of money, that i otherwise had spent on red-cabbage, it is not much work(10 minutes/day) and the ducks go nuts for the fresh greens.

I read all about that yesterday and have a desire to do it too. I just don't know where I'd put it where it's warm enough.

 

[DuckyDonna]

I have a runt duck, Little Lou, as most people know. I was told to give him kitten food..32%protein in it typically..it has really helped..and I give it to the other guys too..they all love it!! I also give them BOSS..they love that too...I give them a lot of people food too...veggies..squash, bananas, peas, grapes, mealworms—-they are pricey...as for the veggies..it doesn’t need to be always the new stuff...I give them a lot that we don’t eat, that would’ve gone to compost. They love banana peels. You might want to try some of those things...get creative with the veggies..I don’t mean make a platter..but if you see weird veggies on sale..try it out...we found ours love all sorts of stuff!! Good luck! But as for meat on their bones..they need protein..so the kittens food would be my #1 choice.

I thought I read somewhere that banana peels were bad. I could be wrong. I would love to be able to give mine that but they've been going to compost!

 

[Duckfarmer1]

I thought I read somewhere that banana peels were bad. I could be wrong. I would love to be able to give mine that but they've been going to compost!

I know they noises up to them if they’ve got any chemicals on them, but these don’t, we have a grocer that our friend.

 

[Ratchnick]

Black oil sunflower seeds would give bulk.

In the hull or not?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Mine eat them in the hull and have for years. I don't just give them Black oil sunflower seeds they are mixed in the 6 way scratch. But they also clean up under the wild bird feeders.