refuse to eat brewer's yeast

[HSerChickLady]

I have done peas a few times now, but only a cup at a time. They go nuts over them! I haven't been giving them too many snacks yet but i will start giving them more. Today was their first try at lettuce and they went nuts again. It was gone within seconds. Next time i get groceries i'll grab some more frozen veggies for them. I can feed the same mix to my chickens and chicks too.

 

[ChickenLover WI]

Yes as long as it is thawed! They will love it. Mine love veggies! It is a lot of fun to watch them eat running back and forth or stealing it out of ones mouth. Mine had sweet corn tonight they loved it then my 3 year old gave them her oatmeal cookies shaped as a bear paw by teddy grams makes that's new.

 

[jak2002003]

The advice i got on here and in the book Storey's Guide to Ducks was that they needed supplemental niacin to prevent deformities-brewer's yeast was the easiest way to do this. I am unable to aquire a true duck feed locally so am ammending chicken feed for them. The crumbles are what's left of their starter crumbles-i didn't want to throw them out. Now they're on grower pellets with just a few of the starter crumbles mixed in.

I don't have the option of free-ranging my ducks, not do they have a pond to feed in. That's why i've been so particular in meeting their needs.

The electrolytes are for dehydrated and stressed birds normally. But they are the only other form of duck safe niacin i am able to get my hands on besides the brewer's yeast i've been ordering for them.

Oh I see. Now I can understand. I think you could just mix in the yeast stuff with their pellets and add a little water. The yeast will start growing on the food.....like when I make my bread! I would not bother with the electrolytes. You can even just mix in the old food all at once with your bag of new food. Won't do any harm.

Have you got any pics of your ducklings. I would love to see them!

 

[Missy60]

I thought once they went on flock raiser it was ok to stop the niacin. So how old do they have to be, or do they just keep on taking it forever. I know I was given advice on niacin also, but for some reason I don't give it to my adult duck. Well I also used brewers yeast not actually niacin, and I just sprinkled a little on top. Wow do they need that much it seems like you are giving them a lot, but I'm new to the whole niacin thing.

Maybe an alternative is to get the niacin in pill form and you wouldn't have to use so much. On the Metzer website it say one 500 mill pill has enough for 50 ducks. Just my thought on the whole thing I was using brewers yeast as a preventative measure mine thankfully haven't showed any signs of a problem.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I thought once they went on flock raiser it was ok to stop the niacin. So how old do they have to be, or do they just keep on taking it forever. I know I was given advice on niacin also, but for some reason I don't give it to my adult duck. Well I also used brewers yeast not actually niacin, and I just sprinkled a little on top. Wow do they need that much it seems like you are giving them a lot, but I'm new to the whole niacin thing.
Maybe an alternative is to get the niacin in pill form and you wouldn't have to use so much. On the Metzer website it say one 500 mill pill has enough for 50 ducks. Just my thought on the whole thing I was using brewers yeast as a preventative measure mine thankfully haven't showed any signs of a problem.

If your ducks are foraging daily then I don't think it would be necessary to continue BY or niacin, only ducks that don't have the option of foraging would have problems i would think. They only time i have ever given BY was last year when we had a duckling in our home for 3 months because his mama rejected him and i was worried he wasn't getting the niacin he needed since he wasn't out on the ground all day like most ducklings that are raised by their mamas. Other ducklings born and raised by their mamas here never had any problems. Or ducklings allowed to be on pasture or forage probably wouldn't need any extra either. Just my 2 cents.