Sell Me On A Duck Breed

[shawluvsbirds]

ive always had mixed breeds and they all love each other
if you are getting a male then you want to avoid having a HUGE male and tiny hen because they get on top of each other to mate and it gets rough

Females like to play hop on top too. . even when you have drakes. . so again. I would say mostly to consider getting ones that will be around the same size wouldn't you?

 

[shawluvsbirds]

Another question. Would it be better to stick with 4 ducks of only ONE breed or will I be okay getting FOUR different breeds?

Also. .if your getting ducklings. Your Probably not going to know what the gender is until around 4 to 6 weeks. So. . something else to think about. Have a plan for when your 4 hens you purchased end up being 1 duck and 4 drakes

 

[Jpat]

Females like to play hop on top too. . even when you have drakes. . so again. I would say mostly to consider getting ones that will be around the same size wouldn't you?

Yeah your apsalutely right, ive never had females mate each other i forget most folks do

 

[Jpat]

Also. .if your getting ducklings. Your Probably not going to know what the gender is until around 4 to 6 weeks. So. . something else to think about. Have a plan for when your 4 hens you purchased end up being 1 duck and 4 drakes

i hatched 3 saxony and got 3 males

 

[shawluvsbirds]

Purinia flock raiser should be fine from the beginning and going forward.
Yes, I know the protein level is a bit higher than what's typically recommend for adult ducks. But around here there aren't too many good choices without sacrificing other nutrients. The feed I use is 20% no issues that I know of from feed.

The purinia brand should have enough niacin for ducklings. But you may as well plan on buying some to supplement just in case one happens to need a little more.
@Jpat your handy with those niacin pics. Whip them out lol.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

Yeah your apsalutely right, ive never had females mate each other i forget most folks do

Oh .. I have videos to prove it. my girls are sometimes worse than the boys!

 

[Jpat]

Heres the three forms! The best is the red and yellow bottle then the nutritional yeast.

The nutritional yeast is great for a mature flock as a maintainer

 

[shawluvsbirds]

Heres the three forms! The best is the red and yellow bottle then the nutritional yeast. View attachment 2035200View attachment 2035201View attachment 2035202

That would've taken me an hour to find.

 

[Mimi13]

lots of folks feed ducks flock raiser

As with any laying hen they should have oyster shell (When they start laying)

Duck Starter Crumbles are what folks start ducklings out on for 5-6 weeks, it costs the same as regular feed here

Lots of people add niacin in the form of B complex that you get at the feed store. i do it too

Oyster shell
Duck Starter Crumbles - will purchase
Niacin - add to the duck formulated feed?
If so, do I add it dissolved in their water or crushed in with their feed?

I’m sorry for the igno questions, but I’ve got to do it right...the first time.

Thank you bunches @Jpat. Oh, and it’s been nice meeting you. I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure of conversing with you before.

 

[Jpat]

That would've taken me an hour to find.

Hahaha i have a BYC photo album for this stuff