My daughter is freaking out! Little Igor duckie died

[Evolvingspirit]

I have 3 pekins and 3 chickens 3 weeks old under heat lamp in garage. My kids were waiting for me to get food and they had no food for 2 days. Did little Igor die from starvation? The other birds were fine.

I just got 20 percent protein organic food, but I understand that may be too high. Does not have niacin. Can I put human niacin supplement in water?

I will get in the future PEKINS to raise some meat. Have 5 west coast harlequin ducks (1 male) and two large pekin males for pets now

.Do I need to house pekins for meat separately when I get them in the future, so they get high protein food and feed separately in their own house? Seems like more building and hassle. URGGH! Lol
So much to know. Just been at this for a couple of months

Thanks for your help
Stewart

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I have 3 pekins and 3 chickens 3 weeks old under heat lamp in garage. My kids were waiting for me to get food and they had no food for 2 days. Did little Igor die from starvation? The other birds were fine.

I just got 20 percent protein organic food, but I understand that may be too high. Does not have niacin. Can I put human niacin supplement in water?

I will get in the future PEKINS to raise some meat. Have 5 west coast harlequin ducks (1 male) and two large pekin males for pets now

.Do I need to house pekins for meat separately when I get them in the future, so they get high protein food and feed separately in their own house? Seems like more building and hassle. URGGH! Lol
So much to know. Just been at this for a couple of months

Thanks for your help
Stewart

High protein feeds are (along with high carb feeds) associated with increased incidence of "angel wing" in ducks and other waterfowl, yes - but in this case "high" is 28%, 30% protein feeds like you might use for turkeys. I feed all my Pekic ducks 24% protein feed for their first 6+ weeks of life to help them bulk up fast - since the drakes are intended for the table - and then 20% protein feed thereafter. No incidence of angel wing yet.

Many commercial feeds - Purina All Flock, Nutrena Flock Raiser for instance, have increased niacin specifically for raising water fowl as part of your flock.

Yes, you can provide them a niacin suppliment such as we humans use, though an @Eggcessive @Overo Mare or @Wyorp Rock could provide the dosage, I'd have to sit down and calculate it and might make an error. Nutritional Yeast is a common source of Niacin as a supplimnent for our birds as well. Brewer's Yeast can also be used sometimes - you just need to look on the label to determine the niacin content of the product and do your own calculations. You are looking for at least 12.5mg Niacin per duck per day. Of the two, Brewer's Yeast usually has more niacin per volume, and is cheaper as well.

Sadly, the amount of niacin in chicken feed usually isn't listed on the guaranteed nutritional breakdown, even though it appears on the ingredients list. Somewhere beteen 2.5mg and 5mg per "chicken serving" (about 1/4 pound) seems to be the anticipated/assumed range. That said, its really hard to OD poultry on niacin - perfectly safe to suppliment your ducks with 12.5 mg niacin each, each day and prtend the chicken feed has none. They will simply excrete the excess - and that level isn't dangerous to your chickens either - even if they all eat from the same dish or feeder.

 

[Boppo]

RE managing your daughter freaking out... regardless of age, my experience with grieving children, is to get a smoothish rock, and some paints. Let her paint a memorial to Igor Duck, and pour all her feelings out that way. It has worked for me with a number of lost, dead, injured pets over the course of decades. Works for sad grown ups, too. Best wishes with the remaining birds!

 

[DrFyl]

Raising animals is great life experience for all of us, especially as children. We learn responsibility, common sense, empathy, biology, anatomy, veterinary skills, nutrition, animal management, and learn that death is inevitable and follows no rules. I always tell those who grieve that tears are seeds of love when they are shed over the loss of a loved one, whether person or animal, and seeds of love grow more love, always meant to be shared and to take us forward.
Boppo's rock-painting activity is a great idea.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I have 3 pekins and 3 chickens 3 weeks old under heat lamp in garage. My kids were waiting for me to get food and they had no food for 2 days. Did little Igor die from starvation? The other birds were fine.

I just got 20 percent protein organic food, but I understand that may be too high. Does not have niacin. Can I put human niacin supplement in water?

I will get in the future PEKINS to raise some meat. Have 5 west coast harlequin ducks (1 male) and two large pekin males for pets now

.Do I need to house pekins for meat separately when I get them in the future, so they get high protein food and feed separately in their own house? Seems like more building and hassle. URGGH! Lol
So much to know. Just been at this for a couple of months

Thanks for your help
Stewart

I'm sorry for your loss.

I'm don't have Ducks, nor do I really know what their nutritional needs are. @Miss Lydia and @WVduckchick may be able to give you some pointers on their care.

For more information about Niacin needs in Ducks and Waterfowl, @Isaac 0 has an excellent article to help guide you.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/niacin-deficiency-in-waterfowl.75862/

 

[Evolvingspirit]

I'm sorry for your loss.

I'm don't have Ducks, nor do I really know what their nutritional needs are. @Miss Lydia and @WVduckchick may be able to give you some pointers on their care.

For more information about Niacin needs in Ducks and Waterfowl, @Isaac 0 has an excellent article to help guide you.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/niacin-deficiency-in-waterfowl.75862/

Thank you so much for your help

 

[Evolvingspirit]

High protein feeds are (along with high carb feeds) associated with increased incidence of "angel wing" in ducks and other waterfowl, yes - but in this case "high" is 28%, 30% protein feeds like you might use for turkeys. I feed all my Pekic ducks 24% protein feed for their first 6+ weeks of life to help them bulk up fast - since the drakes are intended for the table - and then 20% protein feed thereafter. No incidence of angel wing yet.

Many commercial feeds - Purina All Flock, Nutrena Flock Raiser for instance, have increased niacin specifically for raising water fowl as part of your flock.

Yes, you can provide them a niacin suppliment such as we humans use, though an @Eggcessive @Overo Mare or @Wyorp Rock could provide the dosage, I'd have to sit down and calculate it and might make an error. Nutritional Yeast is a common source of Niacin as a supplimnent for our birds as well. Brewer's Yeast can also be used sometimes - you just need to look on the label to determine the niacin content of the product and do your own calculations. You are looking for at least 12.5mg Niacin per duck per day. Of the two, Brewer's Yeast usually has more niacin per volume, and is cheaper as well.

Sadly, the amount of niacin in chicken feed usually isn't listed on the guaranteed nutritional breakdown, even though it appears on the ingredients list. Somewhere beteen 2.5mg and 5mg per "chicken serving" (about 1/4 pound) seems to be the anticipated/assumed range. That said, its really hard to OD poultry on niacin - perfectly safe to suppliment your ducks with 12.5 mg niacin each, each day and prtend the chicken feed has none. They will simply excrete the excess - and that level isn't dangerous to your chickens either - even if they all eat from the same dish or feeder.

Thank you so so much for the education. Very much appreciated!

RE managing your daughter freaking out... regardless of age, my experience with grieving children, is to get a smoothish rock, and some paints. Let her paint a memorial to Igor Duck, and pour all her feelings out that way. It has worked for me with a number of lost, dead, injured pets over the course of decades. Works for sad grown ups, too. Best wishes with the remaining birds!

Thank you!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I'm sorry for your loss.

I'm don't have Ducks, nor do I really know what their nutritional needs are. @Miss Lydia and @WVduckchick may be able to give you some pointers on their care.

For more information about Niacin needs in Ducks and Waterfowl, @Isaac 0 has an excellent article to help guide you.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/niacin-deficiency-in-waterfowl.75862/

Though you didn't know the answer, you knew where to find the answer. THANK YOU. Much appreciated. I'll try to keep those other Posters in mind in the future.

/edit also, I've added the link to my "library" on Nutrition for chicks and ducks - better info on niacin needs (of Pekins, particularly) than I had previously.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Why did they not have food for 2 days? I would say that could have contributed to his death.
I'm sorry for your loss.