Muscovy Ducks, new addition to yard

[buddy#2]

I picked up 11 muscovy ducks and made a small temp. pen for them. A lean to, some food and a water trough big enough they get in it. I've raised chickens for 6 years now and found Homestead Layer feed to be great feed for the chickens. Does anyone use their duck feed. I was out of feed and could not get to the place that sells it so I stopped by Tractor Supply and got a bag of starter grower Dumor brand. I will not buy the Purina brand. I pay $15.00 for a 50lb bag of Homestead. The starter/grower was almost $17.00. Normaly I stop after work in my company van to pick up feed, store is an hour from house but 2 miles from my customer that I service.
What does everyone else feed them? Gave them some bread but they only ate a few pieces. They like the water and sit in it/drink it. I will be putting in a pond soon and letting them loose. Hopefully they will help with the mouse problem. I know my chickens helped while they where loose. Penned them up to keep out of garden, not that it helped. Deer have got most of it.
Any good feed ideas would be helpfull.

Been a long time since I was on this site. What happened to the live chat?

 

[jdywntr]

You don't say the age of the birds but as long as they are of laying age, any brand of layer will do. If they are still growing, you don't want to feed layer but a starter or starter/grower will work. If they are under 10 weeks, niacin should be added to their feed or water.

I've fed numerous things over the years, Purina, Nutrena, Dumor but now I feed a locally milled starter. It's the only thing that I can get that all ages can eat and my adult birds prefer it to pellets. I pay 12.75 for 50lbs.

I supplement with cooked extra eggs. I get far too many eggs than I need and the protein is great for them. Veggies or grains that I have around are always appreciated. I feed a little in the morning and a larger late afternoon feeding to encourage foraging.

While muscovy are great at being self sufficient, they still need night time protection, just like chickens. I had a few of my younger birds fly off for a little over a month, one never returned. My birds, ducks and chickens, range during the day but are locked up at night.

 

[Majd]

Hahahah that's funny... my lone FEMALE muscovy is too lazy and never tried to fly anywhere...and she have never layed any eggs... she's three years old now... and still the same.. loves to eat bath... and relax in the shade.... but I will still keep her... do you have any odea why didn't she lay.... and I'm very sure she's a she..... because my cousins had tow ducks a male and a female and HE was huge and had a big red flesh on the beak amd the female was exactly like mine... and the girls have different quacks than boys....