species appropriate diet

[cayugaducklady]

My girls won't touch fish or crab. They love shrimp if I blend it for them.

They'll eat fresh alfalfa but it's a struggle to get them to eat alfalfa cubes or hay. I tried every possible wetness level of both. I might try adding in alfalfa pellets into their soaking ration.

Before our grass turned green they were loving chaffhaye but now that they have fresh greenery they won't even touch it.

 

[Quackalackin]

@k9alexarose: Thank you for that great information! Maybe I'll try it again and start with just a couple meals to get the hang of it. I wonder if I've seen your ads on Craigslist? I live in Oregon City and see an ad occasional that has a picture of two dogs similar to the one in your photo with an ad asking for freezer meat for dog food! If that is you, it's actually the thing recently that has inspired me to try this out again as you provided a simple idea to get cheaper meat. Right now I just cook up yummy stuff to ad to their food as I'm afraid of replacing their food entirely and losing important vitamins and minerals


As for the duck related natural foods, this is all great! And thank you @cayugaducklady for all that information! Wow, I'm may just play around with that spreadsheet and see what i learn from it. @chickens really, spill your wonderful information here! Do you feed only home mixed meals, or is the all natural diet something you buy and supplement? I've only had my ducks a few weeks and they've just gotten a layer food from a local mill near me, around $15 per 50 pounds I think? Do you find your home diets cost effective in relation to that? I fed my ducks tadpoles from our neglected swimming pool w finally cleaned and they loved that! I'll have to try goldfish

 

[cayugaducklady]

If you have access to Asian markets you'll find a wonderful variety if all sorts of organ meat and feet etc. it's well worth the effort if you have access to the raw materials.

I find I spend more on ingredients but they eat less and they definitely waste less. Homemade ration plus soaking or actual fermenting is probably the best combination for cost savings and feed efficiency

My eggs have never been better. They were awesome before but they are so so scrumptious now.

 

[chickens really]

@k9alexarose : Thank you for that great information! Maybe I'll try it again and start with just a couple meals to get the hang of it. I wonder if I've seen your ads on Craigslist? I live in Oregon City and see an ad occasional that has a picture of two dogs similar to the one in your photo with an ad asking for freezer meat for dog food! If that is you, it's actually the thing recently that has inspired me to try this out again as you provided a simple idea to get cheaper meat. Right now I just cook up yummy stuff to ad to their food as I'm afraid of replacing their food entirely and losing important vitamins and minerals


As for the duck related natural foods, this is all great! And thank you @cayugaducklady for all that information! Wow, I'm may just play around with that spreadsheet and see what i learn from it. @chickens really , spill your wonderful information here! Do you feed only home mixed meals, or is the all natural diet something you buy and supplement? I've only had my ducks a few weeks and they've just gotten a layer food from a local mill near me, around $15 per 50 pounds I think? Do you find your home diets cost effective in relation to that? I fed my ducks tadpoles from our neglected swimming pool w finally cleaned and they loved that! I'll have to try goldfish

I actually keep it simple as I was taught by an experienced old man.
My friend and I now raise Ducks together
As newly hatched Ducklings we feed them Sonny Boy Cereal, peas, apple, and forage grasses. Till 5 days old. Cooked .
After that I introduce everything.
Foraging is their main diet. Once a day in the morning they get grains, dried fruit.
Every afternoon is a different meal. Somedays its dry cat food with a veggie fruit salad.
Gold fish in the Kiddie pool. Lots of fun!
Mine love cooked macaroni with peas in a wet soupy mess.
Koi pellets
I buy Duck specific food only for the ones that like a mouth full..No ones really eats it.
Canned 5 bean medley rinsed and added to water for a soupy mess.
Lots of things I feed.

 

[k9alexarose]

@cayugaducklady @chickens really
Thank you guys sooo much for all the great info, I'll be utilizing it as much as possible

@Quackalackin
That's not my ad, but I'm glad you're feeling inspired! A great place to get started is http://preymodelraw.com/page/articl...get-started-feeding-a-prey-model-raw-diet-r19 as long as you follow the guidelines, their food will be nutritionally complete and it's soooo worth it

 

[chickens really]

@cayugaducklady @chickens really
Thank you guys sooo much for all the great info, I'll be utilizing it as much as possible

@Quackalackin
That's not my ad, but I'm glad you're feeling inspired! A great place to get started is http://preymodelraw.com/page/articl...get-started-feeding-a-prey-model-raw-diet-r19 as long as you follow the guidelines, their food will be nutritionally complete and it's soooo worth it

No problem at all. I only know what works for my Ducklings/Ducks too keep them happy and healthy.
Enjoy your feathered Pups...lol. I sure do.