I'm so sorry for my asinine questions but alas, I have another one.

[AKnewbie]

Several days ago I posted about how my ducks don't seem to be eating as much. So far, they seem healthy, are pooping ok so I've decided to let that go a bit.
Lately however, I noticed that in the morning when I open up their coop to let them out, they sort of have turned their dry food (Flock Raiser crumble) into an oatmeal-y mush.
Is this typical of how ducks deal with their food?
They really haven't done this before. I suppose I should be thankful that at least they seem to be touching their food?

Also, their feeding setup is as follows:

They free-range for most of the day (or at least when someone is home). But of course with snow covered ground, there isn't much to forage anymore. They have Flock Raiser in their run so they can eat whenever they want, though they don't seem to eat it as much as the chickens. They have water available to them all day in gallon buckets.

Then at night when I lock them up, I give them fresh water along with a bowl of food.

 

[Lamar Estate]

They are eating the food more than before since there isn't as much food to forage.

When ducks eat their pellets/crumble, they must have water. They go back and forth between the water and pellets. This leads to water getting into their food bowls. The wet pellets soften and begin to look like mush.

Unless something else is happening, this mush is completely normal.

Here is Sebastian (Sebastopol gosling) with wet crumbles on his beak.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Several days ago I posted about how my ducks don't seem to be eating as much. So far, they seem healthy, are pooping ok so I've decided to let that go a bit.
Lately however, I noticed that in the morning when I open up their coop to let them out, they sort of have turned their dry food (Flock Raiser crumble) into an oatmeal-y mush.
Is this typical of how ducks deal with their food?
They really haven't done this before. I suppose I should be thankful that at least they seem to be touching their food?

Also, their feeding setup is as follows:

They free-range for most of the day (or at least when someone is home). But of course with snow covered ground, there isn't much to forage anymore. They have Flock Raiser in their run so they can eat whenever they want, though they don't seem to eat it as much as the chickens. They have water available to them all day in gallon buckets.

Then at night when I lock them up, I give them fresh water along with a bowl of food.

They love to make mush out of their feed, I stopped years ago putting their water close to the feed they have to walk across the yard to get water. Feed is just too expensive to waste. They haven't had any problems doing it this way either, and i never put food and water inside their house. unless still with mama.

 

[70%cocoa]

I keep my ducks' water at last 1.5 yards from the food - otherwise they make it wet. What they like to do is get a mouthful of food, then take a drink of water to wash it down, then another mouthful of food. When they take that second mouthful the water from their bill dribbles into the food. So, they are not making it wet and mushy on purpose, that's just the way they eat If you put a distance between the water and food it gives the water time to drain off/out of the bill while they are walking back from the water to the food for their next mouthful.

 

[AKnewbie]

Thank you for those explanations. That makes so much sense now.
Miss Lydia, do your ducks always go out to eat even in bad weather? Like today, it was windy and blustery, the ducks didn't go outside at all.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thank you for those explanations. That makes so much sense now.
Miss Lydia, do your ducks always go out to eat even in bad weather? Like today, it was windy and blustery, the ducks didn't go outside at all.

Yes they go out no matter what the weather is, their doors are open so they can go inside anytime they want to but even when frigid they stay out and hunker down out of the wind the best they can. If your ducks are young it may make a difference too. Mine are 5months up to 8yrs.

 

[Going Quackers]

They are eating the food more than before since there isn't as much food to forage.

When ducks eat their pellets/crumble, they must have water. They go back and forth between the water and pellets. This leads to water getting into their food bowls. The wet pellets soften and begin to look like mush.

Unless something else is happening, this mush is completely normal.

Here is Sebastian (Sebastopol gosling) with wet crumbles on his beak.

That picture is beyond cute!

 

[Going Quackers]

It's not unusual as others have said, but mine don't... yeah, despite there being 17 of them maybe it's because i do have the water positioned further away i honestly never gave it any thought before.. the water bowls especially since we have done nothing but rain for days are NASTY fully of mud but they don't care and of coarse we clean them often.

 

[Miss Lydia]

That picture is beyond cute!

X2 how precious

 

[AKnewbie]

I thought I'd update since the female just started laying.
Apparently I saw it all wrong and they've been doing it right as I got a fertilized egg when I opened up the egg this morning.