Searching for nutrition guidance Including amount of grit , daily calories, and supplements.

[bjarrell333]

Background Info: I have a muscovy That I rescued when he was A day old. I tried for 4 months to integrate him with other ducks. Every time I would step outside He'd latch onto my ankle in a tantrum and try To get in the car with me or come inside. He was petrified of the other ducks . I finally caved And let him stay inside with me and he has a diaper . he is the happiest most well behaved duck on Earth now. I work from home and He sits in an office chair beside me for work and plays with toys. He sleeps on a pillow at the foot of my bed. And he mates with a blanket 20x a day. He was going out alone for a few hours daily. However I'm in Florida and now that it's summer Most days it's to hot to get him to go out or to convince the outside ducks to go up . I KNOW DUCKS BELONG OUTSIDE. Problem is he doesn't doesn't seem to think hes a duck in any way shape or form.

His info : almost 1year old, muscovy
Nutrition questions::::I can't find anything for duck nutrition onlineBesides the calories and duck meat which just makes me really sad.

> I know they are supposed to have grit in their diet and he is not getting that. No clue what serving should be in his situation or type to get.
> He is definitely A little chunkier then he should be. Once or twice a week I try to make us fish. Besides that no human food Besides the occasional treat ( Which I always make sure is safe for ducks). Any specific nutrition content advice or product/brand refferals appreciated. Currently I just try to get around 16% protein.
> How many calories or ounces of food per day, For a healthy weight.
> He has A large container of clean water More than big enough for him to clean his nostrils with. No concerns there.Should anything be occasionally added to the water such as probiotics or electrolytes?
> Is there any other Supplements or nutrients he may need living inside?

I just want to make sure hes happy and healthy. I need guidance on nutrition Im not looking for opinions on having a duck indoors.

 

[Quatie]

So muscovy drakes are rather large ducks. They can be anywhere from 10 to up to 15 lbs. You can feel his keel bone to see if he is really overweight. Here is a guideline for that
https://gaiavets.com/gaia-toast-kopi-talk/check-your-birds-shape

If he is actually a bit chunky, he may need some more exercise. With him being an indoor duck, he may not get enough excise. Swimming in the tub may help. Usually I consider a duck needs about 0.4lbs of feed a day, but a big muscovy drake may need more. Some ducks do need to have their food intake restricted, and I usually see that with Pekin, since they tend to overeat.

Otherwise, I would make sure he has a quality food with naicin. Make sure there is nothing around that he could potentially eat and harm himself. Being indoors, that would be my biggest worry. Sometimes ducks just eat things without thinking.

For grit, just offer it on the side and he will know how much to eat. The grit people get for chickens works fine for ducks too.

 

[ruthhope]

Your story starts the same as mine. I rescued a 2 or 3 day old muscovy last year -- he had been found by someone else alone at night in a rain storm, at risk of being washed down a drain in NE Florida. He came to me and became tightly bonded with me. I had him on my desk between me and my computer for hours each day and in a box on a seat by my side [where he could see me] when he was not on my desk. He had ducky toys but he mainly dropped them on the floor for me to pick up again; and he was obsessed with trying to peck off the 4 microsoft squares from the bottom left of my keyboard. By 4 weeks old, he was following me round the house and when I went out, he went with me in the box on the front passenger seat of my van.

I could see that I might get into your situation with a permanent house duck -- and one that might live for 15 years. So at 7 weeks old I contacted our local wildlife rehabber. She took him in to introduce him to her rescues and decide which two he should come back to me with. He came back [he and the two others are the three amigos now] and sulked for a while after coming home because I had left him with the rehabber. But now he follows me around the garden, greets me at the gate when I come home and demands cuddles -- by biting my ankles, like yours demanded attention. He sleeps in the coop with the other ducks but sneaks into the house if he finds the door left cracked! He's a big fat cuddly lump.

Your nutrition questions: yours needs duck pellets: I use purina and offer my ducks 1 cup each in separate feeding bowls in the evening and 1 cup each in the morning in a communal bowl. My pekins probably eat more than their share of the daytime food and always eat all their evening/over night food. My two muscovy -- including the big fat cuddly lump -- do not eat all their evening ration and I don't think eat their share of the daytime food. But my ducks are free ranging during the day foraging for bugs and eating weeds. They are clearly well nourished. Mine do not need grit as they free range and eat dirt/sand. I have started giving them their daytime ration as ducky soup which they like.

I think you should offer your boy a cup of duck pellets once a day and leave out what he doesn't eat for him to go back to. As he is not outside forraging and running around/exercising, I would top his food up with only half a cup once a day. That should be 90% of his nutrition. Your treats should be only 10% of his nutrition. Buy grit from Tractor Supply: it comes in 5lb and 50 lb sacks -- the 5lb will last you a long time!!! Just have a dish of grit available all the time and he will self regulated his intake. If his feathers are in good condition and his eyes bright, he will likely be in good nutritional health.

You have your buddy for the next decade or more!!!