** Niacin! **

[ksmith]

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It was so hard to find the brewers yeast! We ended up in a health food store, and it was definstely expensive! But i will start giving them bugs and grass, while in the brooder.

 

[Hollywood Chickens]

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Try Amazon, or Luckyvitamins.com $20 a bottle is ridiculous I paid $4 for 100 capsules. I pay $11 for Lewis Labs Brewers yeast from Supplementwarehouse.com the shipping takes a while but you can save a lot on a lot of items.

 

[dumb_cluck]

Just buy game bird starter, it already contains all the niacin they need AND it's only $12 for a 50 pound bag!

 

[ksmith]

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I think I will be smarter like you and do this next time

 

[FenDruadin]

Some people get by without adding niacin, but many end up here asking why their birds have shaky legs. If they catch it in time, they can fix it by adding the niacin, but if they wait too long it causes permanent damage. I say, just add the niacin and be sure your birds are healthy. You have several choices:

* Brewer's yeast (and yes, nutritional yeast is similar and probably just as good, but it hasn't been tested as thoroughly) added to the feed, a few tablespoons at a time.
* Game bird feed mixed 50/50 with the chick starter. It contains higher niacin, but also higher protein. Mixing the two lowers the protein to acceptable levels while raising the niacin to good levels. This is how I raise my ducklings, successful every time (couple hundred babies raised this way). It's easiest for me, but other methods may be easier for you depending on your circumstances.
* Pharmacy gel caps of niacin, should be cheap if you buy the store brand, but it's harder and harder to find it without the "flush-free" additives or the "time release" capsules. I've used time release just fine and not had any troubles, but only for a few batches, so I can't vouch for it 100%. Mix the powder from a 100 mg capsule in one gallon of water. Make this the ducks' only source of water.
* Feed a waterfowl-formulated feed such as Purina Flock Raiser (not ALL Purina starter formulas are adequate, ONLY this one), or Mazuri waterfowl starter (not widely available). Most starter feeds are labeled for ducks as well as chicks--that does NOT mean they have adequate niacin. I learned this the hard way, following bad advice I was given, and ended up with a bunch of shaky-legged birds in one batch. Luckily, adding extra niacin to their diet corrected the problem quickly.

Good luck with your babies. I don't blame your mom for not wanting to spend $20 per meal on your birds, lol! There really are cheaper ways to do it.

Enjoy them.

 

[tdgill]

I bought the 100 mg tablets of niacin (regular not flush free or time release) for less than $5 at my grocery store....

 

[azhenhouse]

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I completely agree with this post

 

[chickbird]

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there is a man in our area that raises hundreds of ducks and he says medicated chick feed, no need for extra niacin, says after they are grown he buys day old bread a nd gives to them and chickens and other animals.

 

[tdgill]

there is a man in our area that raises hundreds of ducks and he says medicated chick feed, no need for extra niacin, says after they are grown he buys day old bread a nd gives to them and chickens and other animals.

and then he eats them. :-o​

 

[chickbird]

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and then he eats them. :-o

no he does not eat his chickens or ducks, sells alot of them so his reputation is dependent upon the quality of his ducks/chickens.