New duck owner

[Ducky2]

I am a new Peking, Cayuga owner. I bought my ducks about 1 1/2 weeks ago from TSC. The 3 Peking were kinda big already,
But still had yellow down on them with slight white tips on the tails. The Cayuga ducks were only a couple days old. Basically they don’t know much to give advice on care at TSC, so I have read and read online and feel very confused and fearful on the best way to care for my babies. I was first told medicated chick starter, then no to give them unmedicated bc of organ damage. So which is it ? And I was giving them 1.0 ml of B-complex for xtra niacin. They all look pretty good, but one looks really skinny behind the wings and like it’s wings are too small, but big hips and walking kinda funny. It sits a good bit too. Please someone help me to give these duckies a great start. Also I’ve been giving them some green pea’s and a few berries.

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi and welcome to BYC. I hope that the duck peeps can help you out.

 

[Gray Farms]

Pekin not Peking.

As far as feed you'll find half that say medicated and half that say non-medicated. I've raised ducks a geese for decades on the same medicated feed the chicks get with no ill effect.

 

[MagpieDucks]

I honestly don’t find medicated feed necessary. Ducks are much more resistant to disease than chickens are.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Congratulations on your ducks! I see that you tagged @Miss Lydia.

If you haven't already reviewed the resources at the Learning Center, you'll find them very helpful in raising your ducklings.

While there is debate about whether medicated feed (with coccidiostat) is safe for ducks, I don't use it and have not had any ducklings develop coccidiosis.

Could you post pics of the duckling you're concerned about? It would be helpful to see what's going on.

 

[Ducky2]

Congratulations on your ducks! I see that you tagged @Miss Lydia.

If you haven't already reviewed the resources at the Learning Center, you'll find them very helpful in raising your ducklings.

While there is debate about whether medicated feed (with coccidiostat) is safe for ducks, I don't use it and have not had any ducklings develop coccidiosis.

Could you post pics of the duckling you're concerned about? It would be helpful to see what's going on.

Ok so here are a few pics, I tried to highlight the duck I’m concerned about with red marker. The other ducks are in some of the pics to so you can see what I’m talking about. I hope there are enough that you can hopefully tell me what may be wrong and what to do.

 

[Ducky2]

Hi and welcome to BYC. I hope that the duck peeps can help you out.

Thank you!

 

[Jpat]

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Ok so here are a few pics, I tried to highlight the duck I’m concerned about with red marker. The other ducks are in some of the pics to so you can see what I’m talking about. I hope there are enough that you can hopefully tell me what may be wrong and what to do.

That doesnt look good but its hard to tell

is the area hot or warmer then the rest of it?
is it a soft or hard lump?
What does that ducklings poop look like compared to everyone elses?

@casportpony and @Miss Lydia will hopefully keep an eye out here

Of course more pictures the better

 

[Timothy Menezes]

While there are medicated feeds that have proven safe for ducks, there are others that have not. I prefer to not even worry about it and feed non medicated so there's no risk of it bothering them. John Metzer has a very good article on the subject posted on his website. I would encourage you to peruse all his articles as they are gold mine of information to those interested in raising waterfowl properly.

Most people don't recommend using chick starter for duckling as its lacking the extra vitamins / minerals that they need. Niacin (vitamin B3) is the most essential but I'm told there are others as well. If you can only find chick starter in your area then its highly recommended to use a good vitamin / mineral supplement, or at least to supplement Niacin.

This is the best one I have found, it is also recommended and sold by Metzer Farms in their feed/supplement section. https://www.qcsupply.com/549992-bvs-starter-pak.html

Purina Flock Raiser is what the majority of us have found best suits raising ducklings, but there are others as well. Once your ducklings get bigger you can switch to pellets if you like. Purina flock raiser is available in a pellet form, but for some reason its hard to find. Only one feed store within driving distance of me sells both the pelleted and crumble forms.

Supplementing Niacin is generally not needed with Flock Raiser, however it is never a bad idea as you can't overdose it if your giving it at the suggested amounts. This is especially true for Pekins, as they are the fastest growing duck and therefore need the most nutrients to support their fast growth.

Nutrena All Flock which is about the same thing except its only available as a pellet, and Nutrena does not recommend feeding it until your birds are at least 8 weeks old. I have wondered if this means there isn't enough Niacin in it for the ducks fast growth stage (which is the first 8 weeks of their life) or if they are simply concerned about the size of the pellet as it is a very large pellet.

I hope this answers your questions about the proper feeding of ducklings. If not, continue to ask and we will do our best to answer you.

I highly encourage you to buy and read Stories guide to raising ducks, by Dave Holderead (hope I spelled his name right). Dave and John Metzer are the best sources of information I have ever found and I believe them to be the two most knowledgeable people on the subject in the world.

 

[Timothy Menezes]

I quickly went back to your original post to make sure I answered your questions. For the oddly shaped leg, I am hoping that proper feed and nutrition will help his body to regain its proper form. TSC most likely fed ordinary chick starter with no supplements which caused the deformation. Ducklings (especially Pekins) without sufficient levels of Niacin will develop leg deformities. Hopefully you caught it in time and your bird will be fine.

The other less likely possibility is that its a birth defect and there isn't anything I know of to fix it. If it doesn't show signs of improvement soon I would take it to a vet. I believe Metzer's website has a list of vets that will treat waterfowl.

Good luck with your ducklings!