New ducks not eating

[dainironfoot]

Hi guys, I just got two pair of White Face Whistling ducks from Mallard Lane and they don't seem to be interested in eating yet. They have been in the pen for about 36 hours now. I have Game bird pellets and layer crumbles in separate feeder dishes for them. Does it usually take a few days for ducks to settle in after shipping? They seem to be happy, constantly preening and swimming and splashing. They are not really exploring their pen yet, just staying close to the water. The food is only about three feet from the waters edge. Am I just worrying over nothing here? Thanx a bunch,

-Tony

 

[3BirdGirlz]

I don't have your kind of ducks, but my shipped call ducks did the same thing. They liked the water, but wouldn't touch the food. I mixed their food in with a bit of water the 2nd day in a pan and I think that helped. The 3rd day they chowed down. Good luck with you new ducks! Would love to see pictures

 

[JJRS]

What was the breeder feeding? If the type of feed was changed it will take the birds longer to eat. Consider offering grain mixed into the layer and pellets, and see what happens. In my experience most everything started eating the same day they arrived. If the birds are behaving like you said I would not worry.

 

[dainironfoot]

Great advice guys! It seemed to work! So I moved their food right up to the edge of the water(an inch away) and mixed scratch grains in with the layer crumbles, moistened it and they started eating! They eat a lot slower than I expected. They seem to grab one grain and mush it up in the pond and grab another. I also bought a ginormous bag of floating gamefish food and they love it. I threw a small handful out and they swim around and chew on each piece. Very relieved, but one more question: How long can I leave the moistened food out without it going bad? Probably change it daily? Thanx a bunch!

-Tony