New Duck Mother Needs Guidance

[Mother-Hen-Michele]

I am in Canada and I have 2 Muscovy ducks (girls) both are laying. They are less than a year old, this is their first winter, and they are not enjoying it. now they refuse to get out of bed to go outside (hen-house is heated), the ground is around zero F at the moment outside. I bring them into the bathroom of the house for a wash every other day, and they have a big tub of water in the henhouse for eating and washing their heads. (I put a big ole-rock in the tub because they kept spilling it all out!)

They are also not eating the way I would like. I offer them lots of lettuces and chopped up fruit (which the chickens love), but they won't touch it. I even sprout things like wheat and the chickens adore it, but they won't touch it.

The only foods they fancy are:
-the Growth pellets Purina makes for Turkeys (the baby ducks I was told should eat turkey chick starter, so they just continued to eat what the turkey eats)
-chicken egg shells
-mealworms
-cracked corn in small quantities if I mix it into the pellets

they get very dependent on the mealworms and I often wish I had never started them on them, it is a food source at this point, not a treat. They get upset if there aren't any in their meals and get agitated when eating them.

they won't touch hen-food (I have tried several fancy house brands from all the local feed stores and the Purina Layena)

local shops don't sell the laying duck products from Purina and if one more clerk tells me to just give them hen-food I will scream. (they just go on hunger-strike if I offer it)

lately (in a bowl next to the pellets) I have given them a small 'soup' of very watery baby turkey powder, and I put tiny bits of veggies and the smallest bits of the cracked corn in it to encourage them getting a taste for veggies.

Help! how long can they go without going outside ? what can I do to get them to eat ?

oh, the reason I am so worried about their eating is not that they are thin, they are plenty chubbed up with winter feathers, but because when they don't like their food they eat their eggs, which can't be a good habit.

 

[Weeg]

I am in Canada and I have 2 Muscovy ducks (girls) both are laying. They are less than a year old, this is their first winter, and they are not enjoying it. now they refuse to get out of bed to go outside (hen-house is heated), the ground is around zero F at the moment outside. I bring them into the bathroom of the house for a wash every other day, and they have a big tub of water in the henhouse for eating and washing their heads. (I put a big ole-rock in the tub because they kept spilling it all out!)

they do not need uspplemtnal heat. They will not get the proper feathers and ability to survive the cold if it is heated. One night, your power goes out in a storm, suddenly they can't survive the cold anymore, you loose you whole flock. Take the heat out immediately, as long as they have all there feathers, they are still perfectly comfortable in 0 to negative temps.

 

[Weeg]

The only foods they fancy are:
-the Growth pellets Purina makes for Turkeys (the baby ducks I was told should eat turkey chick starter, so they just continued to eat what the turkey eats)
-chicken egg shells
-mealworms
-cracked corn in small quantities if I mix it into the pellets

Get them Purina flock raiser. They need a proper duck food, other foods won't have the proper vitamins needed for ducks, like niacin, and they will develop deficiencies. Make sure that you only feed mealworms as a treat which is 5% of there diet. Ducks are also picky. They don't always like certain greens the same way chickens do. All they really need is there duck food. They don't need cracked corn, but egg shells are great for calcium.

 

[Weeg]

they get very dependent on the mealworms and I often wish I had never started them on them, it is a food source at this point, not a treat. They get upset if there aren't any in their meals and get agitated when eating them.

they won't touch hen-food (I have tried several fancy house brands from all the local feed stores and the Purina Layena)

They need a duck food. Hen food has to much calcium, and that may eb why they aren't eating it. They know what isn't good for them. Stop feeding meal worms all together. Give them only a food that is labeled for ducks. Purina flock raiser is great. Overly feeding mealworms will make obese ducks and it isn't good for them.

 

[KaleIAm]

First of all, I only have mallard derived breeds. So if another member knows that this doesn't apply to muscovies please directly correct me.

My understanding is that lots of fruit isn't great for birds, though my vet told me a few bites daily is fine and even healthful.

My avian vet also told me to keep all treats, including mealworms to a minimum. If I were in your situation I would likely withdraw all mealworms. They might be like a little kid not eating dinner waiting for a dessert. Where dessert is mealworms.

My vet recommended that I feed my laying birds Mazuri waterfowl breeder. I have my local feed store order it for me. My ducks refused to eat it at first, because they were used to eating something else. I mixed it with the food they were used to and they ate around the Mazuri and ate the other food for weeks. Finally they started eating the Mazuri too and I faded out the original food. Now they love the Mazuri. I don't know what is available in Canada. I know some members get duck specific food shipped from chewy.

Some people keep their ducks inside the house for their entire lives by choice. Other people disagree with that choice. But as long as your ducks have grit it might not be a big deal that they prefer to be indoors. Why does it bother you?

 

[Weeg]

local shops don't sell the laying duck products from Purina and if one more clerk tells me to just give them hen-food I will scream. (they just go on hunger-strike if I offer it)

lately I have given them a small 'soup' of very watery baby turkey powder, and I put tiny bits of veggies and the smallest bits of the cracked corn in it to encourage them getting a taste for veggies.

Help! how long can the go without going outside ? what can I do to get them to eat ?

oh, the reason I am so worried about their eating is not that they are thin, they are plenty chubbed up with winter feathers, but because when they don't like their food they eat their eggs, which can't be a good habit.

I thin the Amazon sells Purina flock raiser or duck pellets, I will provide a link. Do you have a TSC near you? They will have Purina flock raiser. Take the heat away it does way more harm then good. They don't need the veggies. If they don't eat them, don't force it, they really need a stable duck food.
Purina duck pellets- https://www.amazon.com/Purina-Duck-...ds=purina+flock+raiser&qid=1611258222&sr=8-11

 

[SolarDuck]

If you want to get them something really good, the duck food that is generally considered the "best" is mazuri feed. If they are laying get the mazuri breeder it is available on chewy.com for 44 dollars per 50lb bag. Also about the supplemental heat, I personally live in Florida so I don't have to worry about it with my Muscovy, but I have heard that Muscovy are less tolerant to the cold than the mallard-derived breeds because of their caruncles.

 

[Weeg]

My vet recommended that I feed my laying birds Mazuri waterfowl breeder. I have my local feed store order it for me. My ducks refused to eat it at first, because they were used to eating something else. I mixed it with the food they were used to and they ate around the Mazuri and ate the other food for weeks. Finally they started eating the Mazuri too and I faded out the original food. Now they love the Mazuri. I don't know what is available in Canada. I know some members get duck specific food shipped from chewy.

Mazuri is really good as well! I feed Purina, so can't offer an opinion on Mazuri, but Chewy sells it, so which ever ships faster is what I would buy. They need a stable duck food ASAP. Thanks for the additional info @KaleIAm!

 

[Mother-Hen-Michele]

they are still perfectly comfortable in 0 to negative temps.

zero F ?

that seems awfully cold for them. They stand still and shiver well before that temperature.

 

[Weeg]

zero F ?

Yes. They will be fine as long as you have a think layer of straw or hay in the coop, (IMO that is the best bedding to keep them warm), and they have each other to huddle with, not supplemental heat is needed.