Recipes for homemade duck food

[Kmoreau]

I have decided to try and make my own duck food. I make food for my dogs, so why not. I have been looking on the internet and not piling up to much. I really don't want it to be chalked full of fillers, I am looking for something really nutritionally beneficial to the ducks. Both of my ducks are pekins, and getting a little chunky from their current feed. My drake is about 6 months and my female 4-5 months. My ducks free range all day, and get feeder fish about once a week. I was thinking about purée and mix of different fruits and veggies, with some corn meal, and eggs, also adding some vitamins and minerals supplements I have, and a little grit. Also I would add some yogurt for good probiotics and calcium. Then making like little frozen pieces I could defrost for feed. Does this sound right, or am I missing something essential? Any suggestions or ideas would be helpful.

 

[dumb_cluck]

From what I was able to find, you need to be a chemist to get the ingredients just right.

For example:
INGREDIENTS:
Corn Meal, Soybean Meal, Poultry By Product Meal, Wheat Middlings, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Dried Whey Product, Animal Fat stabilized with BHA (a preservative), Limestone, Monocalcium Phosphate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Salt, Yeast Culture, Dried Streptococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Extract, Dried Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Extract, Brewers Dried Yeast, and Dried Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Fermentation Solubles, Zinc Methionine, DL-Methionine, Ethoxyquin, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Choline Chloride, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, D-Pantothenic Acid, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Vitamin K Supplement, Magnesium Oxide, Manganous Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Cobalt Carbonate, and Sodium Selenite.

and :
Ingredients
Grain Products, Plant Protein Products, Processed Grain By‐Products, Pork Meat and Bone Meal, Forage
Products, Dicalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Salt, Vitamin A Supplement,
Vitamin D‐3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B‐12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement,
Niacin Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Folic Acid, d‐Biotin,
Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Manganous Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper
Sulfate, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Sodium Selenite, Manganese Proteinate, Dried Lactobacillus
Acidophilus Fermentation Products and DL‐Methionine.

 

[Kmoreau]

What are you reading that from? It seems to be like off the back of a purina bag? Alot of those ingredients seem chemically synthesized, or by products which is what I am trying to get away from. My ducks are pets not meat, not breeders, so they shouldn't need alot of those chemicals and fillers, which like I had said are makIng them fat. I want real food in their feed not chemicals and by products ( btw by products are all the crap you dont want to eat) in the wild this stuff is not necessary in their diet.

 

[featherfinder]

I working on the same for my ducks. I have found a couple of different things so far that have worked according to other forums. All my notes are at home though and i am at work right now so will post them later.

 

[Amiga]

If you can take a look at Carol Deppe's book Resilient Gardener, she writes a bit about feeding her ducks.

I don't have the book at hand right this moment, but I recall squash being part of their diet, at least in the winter. I have just started reading that section.

 

[jdywntr]

I think the biggest thing you need to ensure is that they are getting all of the important nutrients. I know that I have read on here that people feed their chickens just scratch or just corn and they survive.
If they are able to free range they will get alot of bugs etc that will help.

If you are concerned about fillers, you could go organic. I am thinking about this. There is a co-op about 1.5 hours south of me of people that order together from an organic feed distributer.

 

[Kmoreau]

Yea I think with the free ranging and the vitamins, they should be getting everything else needed in their diet. I was wanting to make it at home because it would be so much cheaper for me. I am planning on adding squash, sweet potato, corn, peas, broccoli, tomatoes, cantaloupe, corn meal, oatmeal, yogurt, and wheat flour. Plus any extra goodies I find.

Thanks for y'alls help

 

[Oregon Blues]

All those "chemical" names are the vitamins and minerals.

If you mix your own grain, you will need to add a vitamin mineral supplement and then you will have the same "chemical" names in your home made food.

All of the home grown veggies are really good for them, but not a complete diet.

I get my feed from a local mill that uses whole grain, plus the vit/mineral. There are no mill ends or hulls or spent anything. So if you look around, you might be able to find something where you like the ingredients.

Don't forget to add calcium, phosphorus, vit D if anyone in your flock is laying.

 

[Speceider]

Okay, you want to mix your own feed. What are the nutritional requirement of ducks? What is the base Kcal of your
diet? Do you have any info on the ME, amino acid content, and essential fatty acids in the diet?

Clint

 

[andreacroyle]

I have decided to try and make my own duck food. I make food for my dogs, so why not. I have been looking on the internet and not piling up to much. I really don't want it to be chalked full of fillers, I am looking for something really nutritionally beneficial to the ducks. Both of my ducks are pekins, and getting a little chunky from their current feed. My drake is about 6 months and my female 4-5 months. My ducks free range all day, and get feeder fish about once a week. I was thinking about purée and mix of different fruits and veggies, with some corn meal, and eggs, also adding some vitamins and minerals supplements I have, and a little grit. Also I would add some yogurt for good probiotics and calcium. Then making like little frozen pieces I could defrost for feed. Does this sound right, or am I missing something essential? Any suggestions or ideas would be helpful.

Hello, I am on a search for this same thing and wondering if your homemade diet worked for you and your ducks? What is it that you ended up using?