Muscovy ducklings

[HollowOfWisps]

My question is how come wild ducks do just fine without chick starter they eat pretty much the same as my duckling how come it's different?

Was this duckling from the wild?

 

[Rummy]

No I'm just asking why is it different for captive ducklings to need all this stuff but when it comes to wild ducklings they make it until adult hood without this chick starter

 

[HollowOfWisps]

No I'm just asking why is it different for captive ducklings to need all this stuff but when it comes to wild ducklings they make it until adult hood without this chick starter

Because domestic ducks have been bred for years to suit our needs and because of this require a different nutritional profile. Not to mention the forage and food you are feeding like oats, cilantro, lettuce etc. are not something ducks in the wild would come across. Minnows yes and other small fish, but with tuna you have to be careful of the salt and the mercury content. Ducks if anything in the wild eat more of a variety of bugs, small amphibians, reptiles and rodents.

 

[Rummy]

tuna is a fish and has tons of niacine and they can eat it how come wild Muscovies in Florida can raise batches of babies without chick starter
amire eats mostly bugs and veggies some tuna and some oats

 

[HollowOfWisps]

tuna is a fish and has tons of niacine and they can eat it how come wild Muscovies in Florida can raise batches of babies without chick starter
amire eats mostly bugs and veggies some tuna and some oats

Tuna is high in mercury, does not contain enough niacin for ducklings, can have added salt if canned and typically not a fish wild ducks would be eating unless they are tuna minnows. Every type of fish has a different nutrient profile. Your duckling from your pictures has at the very least a niacin deficiency so your current diet you are feeding is not working.

 

[Rummy]

 

[HollowOfWisps]

View attachment 3430725

View attachment 3430725

That is a blog post with no references listed to back up their claims.

 

[Rummy]

Would brewers yeast be good?

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Would brewers yeast be good?

Brewers yeast is a good addition to a ducklings diet. Due to her feet being curled under you will most likely need something with more niacin than what brewers yeast offers. I would also pick up some Durvets B complex fed at 1ml a day or you can use a human grade niacin capsules (not flush free). To treat a deficiency you have to give well over the regular recommended dose of a vitamin for a period of time so the body can essentially fill the depletion and regulate that vitamin on its own.

 

[Rummy]

What product do you recommend for the human grade capsules?