Is this a good enough feed for a baby duckling?

[Cocelean]

I'm incubating a duck egg right now, and if all goes well it should hatch tomorrow. The problem is, I wasn't able to find any duckling specific feed so I bought medication-free chick starter crumbs below. (Here's the link) Fancy Feeds Chick Crumb Complete Young Poultry feed, 5 kg https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00CG7A...abc_DZ4B7JBVBZZ8PQCBTQ4X?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Is this alright?

 

[fatty and friends]

i’m sorry but ducklings need to have duck food or they’ll have leg issues and won’t be able to walk. you also need to have atleast two ducks, having just one is just mean.

 

[Cocelean]

i’m sorry but ducklings need to have duck food or they’ll have leg issues and won’t be able to walk. you also need to have atleast two ducks, having just one is just mean.

I did hear ducklings can get a bit noisy and irritated when they don't have another duckling for company but the problem is I was incubating four eggs, but only two of them showed any signs of development and only one made it to this point - I was given the eggs by a farm I volunteer at because I've always wanted to hatch an egg myself. If the duckling seems to not get on well, is it fine to bring home another duckling - would they bond?

For the feed, I heard chick crumbs is fine as long as it's non-medicated? But you needed to add other things - though I'm not entirely sure of what exactly. I'm not able to get hold of any duckling feed so it's the best I can work with! I was reading through reviews and people had success raising ducklings on this feed - some added yeast to it, others didn't really mention anything additional.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

You can feed the chick crumb or even an all flock feed. Most all flocks are intended for those with mixed flocks including ducks.

As for supplementing, it's best to supplement all newly hatched ducklings with niacin. Usually if there aren't significant problems, nutritional yeast is recommended sprinkled on their feed at 1 Tbsp per cup. If the duck happens to grow and later on needs more niacin in their diet, for whatever reason, then its recommended to supplement with a super b complex. It has niacin plus other b vitamins beneficial ducks (as well as other animals).

I tagged someone in your other thread. Hoping for the best for your duckling. I also recommend finding another duck for your new duckling. Will it be a house duck if just a singleton?

 

[Cocelean]

Thank you so much! And I'll be sure to supplement him with yeast! While he's growing, he'll be in the house until he's much older - I'm hoping to reintegrate him with the other ducks at a friend's farm but that'll be much later because winters are a lot colder this year (might just be me though) - they've recently hatched some ducklings as well so I can take in another duckling at any point.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Sounds like a good plan. Though, if it were me, i know I'd get too attached and beg for another duckling as soon as this one hatched.

 

[Cocelean]

Sounds like a good plan. Though, if it were me, i know I'd get too attached and beg for another duckling as soon as this one hatched.

Same honestly! I know I'm in for a lot of heartbreak :'D! But I know I won't be able to give a fully grown duck the best environment since I only have a balcony - the good thing though is knowing that I'll still be able to visit them, but that is if the hatching process goes well! The duckling still hasn't made an internal pip yet, I'm considering making a hole to see inside though I don't know how big I should make it, or if it's safe to do so at this point

 

[ruthhope]

I did hear ducklings can get a bit noisy and irritated when they don't have another duckling for company but the problem is I was incubating four eggs, but only two of them showed any signs of development and only one made it to this point - I was given the eggs by a farm I volunteer at because I've always wanted to hatch an egg myself. If the duckling seems to not get on well, is it fine to bring home another duckling - would they bond?

For the feed, I heard chick crumbs is fine as long as it's non-medicated? But you needed to add other things - though I'm not entirely sure of what exactly. I'm not able to get hold of any duckling feed so it's the best I can work with! I was reading through reviews and people had success raising ducklings on this feed - some added yeast to it, others didn't really mention anything additional.

We fed my sons day old ducklings with starter crumbles as there was no duck food available at tractor supplies. The addition of niacin -- we use brewer's yeast -- to duck diets is important but otherwise chick starter crumbles are fine.

It's not just that ducklings are noisy when on their own, a single duckling will need a lot -- hours each day -- of human attention if it doesn't have ducky friends. I have a rescued muscovy that I resuscitated and it somehow survived. It did well for 24 hours with me hourly hand feeding. But when I left it in the brooder to feed and drink itself, it lay face down in the corner and didn't move eat it drink. I recognized a depressed lonely duck and brought it out to be with me -- on the desk between me and my laptop. I did get a mirror but that worked for only a short time before my 4 day old duckling realized that there wasn't a duck there and only used the mirror to see me when he had his back to me.

The duckling thrived with fulltime human attention but I could not commit to 12 - 15 years as inseperable best friend to a duck. So at 8 weeks I contacted a wildlife rehabbed and she had ducklings of around the same age as mine. I took in another muscovy and a crested pekin and after a little adjustment they became tres amigos.

I suggest that you inquire of your local wildlife rehabbed and your branch of the American Society for the prevention of cruelty to Animals,(ASPCA) to see if they have any potential friends for your duckling

Its easiest to integrate ducklings that are the same size and that changes daily initially. It is thus easiest to find duckling friends when the ducks are 4 - 8 weeks. They will accept other ducklings and are more equal in size if there are any pecking order tussles

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Have you read any of the articles here on BYC about assisting a hatch and when to assist?
@Cocelean

 

[Cocelean]

We fed my sons day old ducklings with starter crumbles as there was no duck food available at tractor supplies. The addition of niacin -- we use brewer's yeast -- to duck diets is important but otherwise chick starter crumbles are fine.

It's not just that ducklings are noisy when on their own, a single duckling will need a lot -- hours each day -- of human attention if it doesn't have ducky friends. I have a rescued muscovy that I resuscitated and it somehow survived. It did well for 24 hours with me hourly hand feeding. But when I left it in the brooder to feed and drink itself, it lay face down in the corner and didn't move eat it drink. I recognized a depressed lonely duck and brought it out to be with me -- on the desk between me and my laptop. I did get a mirror but that worked for only a short time before my 4 day old duckling realized that there wasn't a duck there and only used the mirror to see me when he had his back to me.

The duckling thrived with fulltime human attention but I could not commit to 12 - 15 years as inseperable best friend to a duck. So at 8 weeks I contacted a wildlife rehabbed and she had ducklings of around the same age as mine. I took in another muscovy and a crested pekin and after a little adjustment they became tres amigos.

I suggest that you inquire of your local wildlife rehabbed and your branch of the American Society for the prevention of cruelty to Animals,(ASPCA) to see if they have any potential friends for your duckling

Its easiest to integrate ducklings that are the same size and that changes daily initially. It is thus easiest to find duckling friends when the ducks are 4 - 8 weeks. They will accept other ducklings a d are more equal in size if there are any pecking order tusslesView attachment 2928004

Oh I didn't realise they would get depressed! There's someone in the house all day every day, and since it's holidays for me I'm also going to be here pretty much 24/7 for a month so the duckling would never be alone, but I'll definitely try getting a duckling closer in age! The only issue is there are only three rehab centers and they're a bit far from where I live so I don't know if I'll get any luck but I'll try calling around and see if the have a duckling available - if not, I'll see if my friend has a much more recent hatch. Would a couple of day's difference still be fine?

By the way your duckling is adorable!