Size of Treats for Two-Week-Old Ducklings

[SeaSea47]

My two-week-old khaki campbells are eating nonstop! They eat their chick starter with nutritional yeast, but I've also been giving them a few treats in moderation, like watermelon, romaine lettuce, crushed meal worms, and squash. I cut the treats up into small small pieces (maybe 1/8 up to 1/4 of an inch), and I'm wonder if I'm overdoing it? I also read that sunflowers seeds were a good treat and I'm wondering if they are small enough for them to eat? (Shelled, of course.) I also thought about bringing them in a patch of grass/sod/weeds, but I was afraid they'd choke on the grass and weeds? Thanks!

 

[fatty and friends]

i always make sure food is smaller than their beak, and in/near water but they should be fine

 

[KaleIAm]

I would finely dice it for that age. I would also be careful not to overdo it in regards to quantity. You want them to be mostly eating their appropriately formulated food.

For my duckings I cut up grass and dandelion greens with scissors. I offered it to them in a little bowl of water and they loved it. I tried to give them only a few small bites each every day of something I wanted them to identify as food when they were adults.

Do your ducklings have access to grit?

 

[SeaSea47]

Thanks! They do have a dish of grit. Honestly, they’ve been going through more than a bag of their feed a week and eating snacks (about a handful chopped up) a couple time a day (I put it in their water), and they seem really healthy. I think they’re getting bored, but I just moved them to a larger brooder with some windows that will let them see outside.

 

[SeaSea47]

At least, they seem healthy to me. Here are a couple of pictures I took today after moving them to the new brooder.

 

[KaleIAm]

At least, they seem healthy to me. Here are a couple of pictures I took today after moving them to the new brooder.

Well they are sure cute!!

The problem, in my experience, is that we can't see signs nutritional deficiency issues until the deficiency is serious. This is why very small amounts of treats only are recommended by veterinarians.

Do you offer your ducklings swimming time, yet? By that age mine loved slightly warm water in the bath tub. I let them swim under supervision until they seemed less energetic, then dried them on a towel under a heat lamp until they were fluffy again. Maybe that will help with the boredom.

 

[SeaSea47]

No, I haven't taken them swimming yet. I had a hard enough time rounding them up to move them to the bigger brooder. We may try that tomorrow though. It's gonna get colder for a few days after tomorrow, so I'm a little hesitant to do too much. They do have a little dish in their brooder that they can wade in and they seem to love that. That's where I put their treats when I give them to them. I did take some of them outside a few days ago, when it was in the 80s, but they acted terrified, so that didn't last long. They are currently in my sunroom, which is all glass walls/windows, and I cut little windows (and added hardware cloth) to the brooder so they can look outside. They are enjoying that!

 

[3xhhheather]

My two-week-old khaki campbells are eating nonstop! They eat their chick starter with nutritional yeast, but I've also been giving them a few treats in moderation, like watermelon, romaine lettuce, crushed meal worms, and squash. I cut the treats up into small small pieces (maybe 1/8 up to 1/4 of an inch), and I'm wonder if I'm overdoing it? I also read that sunflowers seeds were a good treat and I'm wondering if they are small enough for them to eat? (Shelled, of course.) I also thought about bringing them in a patch of grass/sod/weeds, but I was afraid they'd choke on the grass and weeds? Thanks!

When they’re little I put treats in the blender to smoosh them up. They make a bit of a mess but eh they’re cute. At around 2-3 weeks is when I would dig up a small piece of the yard with clovers and such, put it in a dish in their brooder and watch them take naps on it

 

[SeaSea47]

Would it be okay if I brought them in a little patch of sod with clover and grass on it? I don’t want them to choke on the greens but I feel like they would be out foraging if their mother had hatched them. I did take some of them out for a few minutes one day and they are some grass with no problems.

 

[KaleIAm]

Would it be okay if I brought them in a little patch of sod with clover and grass on it? I don’t want them to choke on the greens but I feel like they would be out foraging if their mother had hatched them. I did take some of them out for a few minutes one day and they are some grass with no problems.

I feel like it could be safe to bring them in some sod- especially if the grass isn't super long or thick. I took my ducklings outside with me for about an hour on most warm sunny days starting at about 2 weeks. I don't know if that was the safest option, but it was enriching for all of us and nobody had issues.

I think we could be careful with the thinking that if it happens in the wild it is safe and good. Wild ducklings die all the time. I am also guilty of this thinking and have to remind myself of this.