How much duck feed?

[alexislarsen]

Hi all,

We have 4 11.5 week old silver appleyard ducks and I'm just looking for a little guidance on how much food to give them because they always seem so hungry when we give them dinner. I do know that all animals/pets act like they're starving when it's dinner time (see: my two cats ) Anyway, they free range/forage all day and at bedtime, ~8:30-9pm, we give them about 2-3 cups of Flockraiser. Sometimes they eat the whole tray and occasionally there is some in the morning when we go to let them out. We do need to cut back their protein, they're still at 20% feed but we're about to go to the store today to get more food so we'll look for a different option (recommendations welcome!). So I'm looking for a general quantity/timing of food. Is this enough or should we also give them pellets in the morning? They also get treats - kale, strawberry tops, lettuce, peas, mealworms, etc - on most days. Any tips would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Isaac 0]

You may find this helpful,

https://www.metzerfarms.com/DailyFeedWaterDucklings.cfm?affiliate=undef&CustID=25613113

I have, like many others, always let my ducks eat free-choice with no problems.

All Flock is Great!

 

[DuckyDonna]

I'd put out food that they can get to all day long. I do not put food or water in my duck's pens at night so I figure if they don't eat it during the day they don't want any more.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I agree with the above.
There is no reason to limit feed. Just put it out there. They won't overeat.

 

[TomCahalan]

2-3 cups per duck, or total? Your ducks might be starving. Isaac 0's link shows that ducks need more than half a pound of pelleted food per day, if they get no additional food.

Where are your ducks foraging, a big pond full of fish and frogs, or your lawn with a few bugs here and there? That makes a big difference in how much they can feed themselves vs relying on you.

Why do you think that you need to cut their protein? If your ducks are starving then they aren't getting enough protein.

You should weigh your ducks. I suspect that they will be underweight.