Silkie raised muscovys

[Tofu the chicken]

So pretty soon (about a month max probably) I plan on getting muscovy eggs and having my silkies hatch them sorry if this is wrong forum but the muscovies will be used as meat birds, I think I know all I need to know about the silkies hatchibg the eggs (open to any tips though), but I'll be letting the silkies raise them and I was wondering what to do for food?, should the muscovies be on meat bird feed, and can the silkie eat that for duration of raising them? Thanks for any help

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Why would you let a hen raise meat birda? Seems like they would get bigger faster and be safer if you raised them

 

[HannahKline14]

You can most definitely let the silkie raise the ducklings as long as she thinks it's hers. Food wise it won't hurt her but I do believe meat bird feed is higher in protein you could put layer pellets higher up so the ducklings can't get them and see if she just eats those. But I do think she will be fine.

 

[Parront]

So pretty soon (about a month max probably) I plan on getting muscovy eggs and having my silkies hatch them sorry if this is wrong forum but the muscovies will be used as meat birds, I think I know all I need to know about the silkies hatchibg the eggs (open to any tips though), but I'll be letting the silkies raise them and I was wondering what to do for food?, should the muscovies be on meat bird feed, and can the silkie eat that for duration of raising them? Thanks for any help

Mom can eat the chick starter, and give her some oyster shells in a separate dish on the side so she can have calcium if she needs it. She will like the chick starter, I doubt she would eat any of her layer pellets, but you could put some of them in a higher dish like the previous poster suggests. Ducks need a starter with enough niacin in it, you might take a look at that topic in the duck section. That sounds like a great, easy way to start a few ducks!

 

[Tofu the chicken]

Why would you let a hen raise meat birda? Seems like they would get bigger faster and be safer if you raised them

Because getting eggs for me is cheaper than getting ducklings and I don't have an incubator and my silkies are always broody want to let them hatch some eggs

 

[Ridgerunner]

That hen is not laying eggs while she is broody and raising those ducklings. She does not need extra calcium until she starts laying eggs.

 

[Parront]

That hen is not laying eggs while she is broody and raising those ducklings. She does not need extra calcium until she starts laying eggs.

Maybe. If she does not need it she will not eat it.

 

[Tofu the chicken]

Mom can eat the chick starter, and give her some oyster shells in a separate dish on the side so she can have calcium if she needs it. She will like the chick starter, I doubt she would eat any of her layer pellets, but you could put some of them in a higher dish like the previous poster suggests. Ducks need a starter with enough niacin in it, you might take a look at that topic in the duck section. That sounds like a great, easy way to start a few ducks!

Thanks but, So should the ducks be on starter or meat bird feed? That's my main confusion, good to know the silkie can eat the food tho (also I have a good understanding of niacin supplements since Im raising geese, and to my understanding ducks need slightly less than geese but more than chickens)

@Ridgerunner I didn't even think about that, I'll wait to give calcium supplements until she's laying again, thanks

 

[Parront]

Thanks but, So should the ducks be on starter or meat bird feed? That's my main confusion, good to know the silkie can eat the food tho (also I have a good understanding of niacin supplements since Im raising geese, and to my understanding ducks need slightly less than geese but more than chickens)

@Ridgerunner I didn't even think about that, I'll wait to give calcium supplements until she's laying again, thanks

Starter for the first 4 weeks. The ducks need less protein in the grow/finish feed. Not having raised muskovies, I would refer you to the duck forum for those details. I believe that a game bird starter would be ok, too. I raised pekin ducks in my yard on regular chick starter years ago, as long as they can forage with Silkie Mom, I think you would be fine. Good grass with lots of water, and some snails go a long way towards having happy ducks of any breed! I never did feed any special meat bird feed to my pekins, just chick starter and let them forage. This was in the 80's when things were a lot less scientific.Nobody but me in my rural neighborhood had birds.