Need a duck food to recommend to someone. I keep trying to hatch their eggs and they fail between day 14-25.

[SnackMeat]

At first I thought it was a humidity issue, and it likely was as I had some Cayuga eggs fail earlier that overlapped with this. But I've now had two duck eggs (blue swedish mixes) that failed at day 25 and day 14. The first one had the air bubble looking exactly how it should, according to online pictures (earlier ducklings from another person's Cayuga ducks failed and the air bubbles seemed to be the issue.)

But now, between these last two eggs (there were also a couple earlier failures with her eggs before when it was likely a humidity issue) I'm starting to suspect it's a parental nutrition issue.

I am seeing points about laying feed not being enough for hatching feed.

Any recommendations, or is it something that I can give her some smaller supplements to help versus a big bag of food?

Is it possible for ducks to lay eating chicken food, because now I'm wondering if the owner is doing that to save money. Eggshells seem nice and thick. Eggs taste good. They seem to prove fertile in the incubator quickly.


Also, if I do get her supplements or get her to change her duck food (or to even get duck food, if chicken food is the problem) how long do you think it would take before laid eggs could conceivably make it through the whole incubation period?

 

[Perris]

I am seeing points about laying feed not being enough for hatching feed.

Anyone planning to breed their birds should have them on a breed-specific breeder ration for at least a month (and ideally longer) before getting them mating and setting their eggs - for the males as well as the females. A bird on a maintenance ration may be missing some micronutrients that are essential for the egg or sperm to develop properly.

This is not necessary if the birds eat diverse real foods rather than commercial rations.

 

[SnackMeat]

Lol, I have seven more of her eggs in my incubator at different stages so this'll be interesting but at least I can expect that they won't make it. And I won't take any more of her eggs and will pass on that info, thanks!

 

[SnackMeat]

I read this and it's weird because one would think laying nutrition would be less than breeding nutrition:

Duck Breeder Pellets​

(For breeding ducks)
Protein: 16%
Oil: 4.50%
Fibre: 6.50%

Laying Ration for Ducks​

(From point of lay)
Protein: 17%
Oil: 3.5%
Fibre: 6.4%

https://www.chickens.allotment-garden.org/keeping-ducks/feeding-ducks-compound-rations/

 

[Perris]

it's weird because one would think laying nutrition would be less than breeding nutrition

it's not just about the macronutrients, it's about all the micronutrients that can be (and often are) left out of maintenance or layer ration for grown birds, but are needed to make brand new bodies. They don't need a lot of those micronutrients (the clue's in the name) but they do need that little a lot.

 

[SnackMeat]

Okay. I knew it was vitamins and minerals but I also thought it had to do with higher protein so I was thrown off. Thanks