How long for niacin?

[Miss Lydia]

Being they are a heavy breed it’s most likely a good thing they were given extra, now we need some pic of them.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

When I took a look at the list of ingredients online again, it said niacin right in it. So, any way you look at it, my ducks are gonna have healthy legs.

All feeds will have niacin in them... most chicken starter feeds are around 35mg/kg where as ducks need 55mg/kg... you covered it with your brewers yeast.. but were you not, you *may* have had issues already.

You did good though... Just noting that because an ingredient is listed you still need to know the concentration... IF it's important, like this.

 

[Brahmb]

I won’t say no to pictures!

I’ll try to give a perspective as to their size, but I have no scale to weigh them accurately. They are just shy of 9 weeks old.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Sure are pretty. Look very healthy too.

Why did you choose Rouens, I just always wonder why a certain breed catches our eye.

 

[Brahmb]

Sure are pretty. Look very healthy too.

Why did you choose Rouens, I just always wonder why a certain breed catches our eye.

I LOVED their look as a duckling. The black and yellow? Also, the fact they were going to end up looking like mallards. Though I would have taken anything that TSC had that day - it was the last week they were selling ducklings and they had 3 of them. They certainly are healthy as far as I can tell. They can outrun me and outmaneuver my Border Collie. I was looking for a challenging duck for her to herd, as well as a hardy one (I live in the heart of the Adirondack mountains in northern NY). Rouen seemed to fit the bill. Plus, there eggs will be a bonus. I don’t need eggs every of day every week, but any I get will be bonus!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Sounds like you hit the jack pot with them.

 

[Brahmb]

Sounds like you hit the jack pot with them.

Yep. Beginners’ luck. First farm animal of any kind I’ve owned. I’m loving them!

 

[SkyeT]

When we first got our ducks at about 6 weeks of age, we fed them starter, but also supplemented with grapes, which are good sources of niacin, and romaine lettuce. They ate grapes constantly! Every meal, every snack time. They talked constantly while eating them to. Then one day, at about... 4 months old, they stopped eating them, totally. It was the weirdest thing. They would literally spit them out of their months at my feet and look at me like I was an alien. A friend of mine said ducks are much like children. They will eat what their bodies require and then when they get what they need, they move on. Once a month I will take grapes out to them and they will eat 3 or 4 halves and then insist on their tomatoes. I assumed that when their desire and excitement for grapes waned it meant that they really didn't need the constant niacin anymore.

 

[Brahmb]

My ducks are actually picky eaters. Here’s a list of what I’ve tried for snacks and how successful they were:

Minnows - gulped down
Shrimp - gulped down
Peas - gulped down but now just meh, I guess I’ll eat them.
Corn - same as peas
Banana - wouldn’t touch
Apple - wouldn’t touch
Sweet peppers - nibbled one or two pieces
Kale - I guess I’ll eat it
Cracked corn - nibbled at
5 grain scratch seed - meh, not interested

I’ve tried the Quack Snacks, too and only one duck of the three will eat a couple of them.

 

[SkyeT]

Same here! All these snacks that everyone raves about my ducks turn up their bills to.

The only snacks they will eat are minnows/goldfish, grape tomatoes (they won't eat regular tomatoes cut up ), romaine, green leaf, watermelon.

Now, they do love the wild bird mix that has lots of millet, cracked corn, sunflower, etc seeds. But I don't consider those treats, since it is mixed in with their feed.

I do mix in this all-purpose animal vitamin supplement in their feed once a week, that has a broad spectrum recommended by some local farmers with poultry. It's vanilla flavored, and the ducks seem to really like it. Ducks are weird creatures. Odd, but so wonderful.