Runner ducks - daily feeding amounts

[NingwoodHill]

As we can't have free-roaming runners at the moment, it means our six, 10 week old runners need to be fully fed.
Obviously they're growing ducks. They look healthy (fluffy down on their necks is just starting to clear) and are full of energy and I want to keep them that way. It's January and only 3-5 Deg C at the moment.

I'm feeding 50:50 growers pellets and feed wheat and adding a little grit to the washing up bowl water bowl regularly (which noticeably goes). I've been feeding 1 large cup wheat and 1 large cup of pellets each day.

The trough is clear at the end of the day, although sometimes there will still be a fair bit in there at lunchtime, still. I topped them up with another cup of wheat this afternoon, as the trough was clear and they really went at the extra food.

How much food, per head, in weight, should I be feeding, please? I've googled several things and not come up with anything very clear .

 

[NingwoodHill]

Many thanks, although I can hear ducks laughing at your suggestion they only need 4 cups of water per day.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'd have a munity on my hands if I only gave my Runners 4 cups of water per day and they have to have food all day. They do eat alot I think their metabolism is higher than other breeds. They eat alot more than my Muscovy.

 

[igorsMistress]

This is what I found. I always free feed and never let the food go empty

 

[igorsMistress]

Many thanks, although I can hear ducks laughing at your suggestion they only need 4 cups of water per day.

More than likely! I call the water bucket the beloved bucket...my ducks get really vocal when I take it out to dump and refill. It’s their precious!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Here’s Pearl trying to get to the bottom of things

 

[Aunt Angus]

This is all very helpful to me. I am getting ducks for the first time next month. I have a big chicken yard they will be sharing with my chickens (hence the name "chicken yard" haha!). once they're old enough, I was planning on keeping food 24/7 in the covered run because of the chickens, but not in the duck house. I do not want to overfeed.

 

[Miss Lydia]

This is Smudge trying to see what’s on the bottom

 

[Trisseh]

I haven’t had any issues with my runners overeating. They have 24/7 access to feed. The appleyards and the Muscovy mule tend to eat more than average, I had to put the mule on a restricted diet but no one else has had any issues with getting too chunky.
when I was feeding them as ducklings, they had access to food 24/7 as long as the feed wasn’t out where other critters could get at it. I think that would be the only reason I would bother with restricting access.

 

[Isaac 0]

I prefer to establish a more natural cycle and fill the feed bowl just enough to last them into the evening, so very little food is available during nighttime. The amount of concern In which you put into figuring out these decisions increases when birds are being confined in small spaces as the chance of overeating, and obesity increases.

Something seen, predominantly, with heavyweight breeds is health issues correlated with a high caloric intake with no exercise. Over time, fat can build up in the liver, causing hepatic lipidosis. Triglycerides can accumulate in the arterial wall, resulting in atherosclerosis. Understand these concerns when forming a diet for them.