New duck owner - Indian runner ducks

[dan26552]

Oh No this is not good so I should get rid of one male then? or get two more females? thing is because there black indian runner ducks I don't think getting another 2 more females nearby would be that easy
How long can they last together as they are?

Hi Dan thanks for your message. When you say 'locked up for a few weeks' do you mean in there house or in the paddock area where there house is?

Angela - I got told to feed them at night time only as they will return to there house when there hungry this way. When they go free range on 8 acres of land it might be a bit hard to hussle them back to there house if they can just have food when they want it ??

So food wise I should be giving them cracked corn, how much per duck would you say is a reasonable amount? when do ducks generally start laying?

Sorry if this is all obvious stuff to you all. Thank you for taking the time to reply too

Keep them in the enclosure. Ducks start laying in spring when the temp warms up.

 

[tom32s]

Thanks guys.
Is cracked corn just maize ? So you feed them cracked corn in the winter and when the warmer weather comes you give them layers pellets ?
How much per duck roughly should I be giving them ?
How soon can I leave the 2 males with the 2 females as I won't be able to get 2 more females straight away

 

[needlessjunk]

Thanks guys.
Is cracked corn just maize ? So you feed them cracked corn in the winter and when the warmer weather comes you give them layers pellets ?
How much per duck roughly should I be giving them ?
How soon can I leave the 2 males with the 2 females as I won't be able to get 2 more females straight away

Corn is maize and I don't feed any to mine. I'm in TX and it doesn't get too much below freezing so I don't worry about it. They should be on some sort to pellets all year and layer feed for the girls when they are laying if you go that route. Just watch your boys with the girls. If they start over breeding them and feathers are miss on the back of the girls heads then they will need to be separated. Plastic poultry fencing works great since they can see eachother but can't touch.

When I had 2 pekins they got about 1 cup of food twice a day. Now with my 6 ducks, who are much smaller, they eat about 3 cups daily.

 

[Amiga]

Maize is for treats or a little extra energy in cold weather. Some sources say no more than ten percent of the food should be maize (corn). Some folks concerned about GMOs don't like any corn in their feed. That's about what I know.

 

[tom32s]

Ok getting confused now so you don't feed them layers pellets until spring time and maize is a treat ? What do you feed them now ?

 

[dan26552]

Scratch feed

 

[needlessjunk]

There are many types of food. There is layer pellets, grower pellets (which I'm using right now), all flock feed and sometimes you can find actual duck food. They need some type of pellets and then when they start laying you can switch to layer, if you so choose. Scratch or cracked corn is a treat. If you live in a cold area it works great to raise their body tempreture overnight.

 

[poult]

Scratch feed

Birds shouldn't ever be fed just corn.I was feeding just scratch to my birds & I ended up with many nutritional problems.Since it's only 10% protein.

There are many types of food. There is layer pellets, grower pellets (which I'm using right now), all flock feed and sometimes you can find actual duck food. They need some type of pellets and then when they start laying you can switch to layer, if you so choose. Scratch or cracked corn is a treat. If you live in a cold area it works great to raise their body tempreture overnight.

Needlessjunk is right.I feed half game bird crumble which is 21% & half power scratch which is just 10% the scratch keeps them warm & they love it.I feed this to 2 ducks,2 geese & eight chickens I have never seen such great benefits from any feed I've used this protein level is a life savior & I even get two goose eggs a day & all my hens are laying!

 

[tom32s]

So what brands of food are people and links to websites? ideally UK based sites

 

[jduck1996]

Hey...I hope that yall dont mind me bumping my way in...im new to byc...and I bought some white pekin ducklings from TSC and I was wondering if it is ok to use newspaper as a bedding...I know that ducks are extrmely messy...but I usually change it twice a day...any help would be appreciated. ..thanks.