Red Maple Farms--
I understand you've never had a problem with niacin deficiency, and I think that's terrific. That doesn't mean it's never a problem.
Dave Holderread, whose waterfowl farm is one of the largest duck breeders in the world and who has been hatching and growing ducklings for several decades and who is the author of Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks, lists niacin as a leading cause of leg problems in ducks. He knows this from personal, hands-on experience with thousands of birds over several decades. No, it's not the only cause, but when you don't know what the cause is, it's always a great first step to try, and often it works.
Yes, the labelling on many feeds says they are suitable for ducks when they are not. That's marketing--most companies will say what sells their product if they can get away with it, and since it's hard to PROVE that the feed is inadequate for ducks, they get away with saying it's fine. And most ducks *will* be fine on chicken rations--nutritional deficiencies don't show symptoms in every duck. Humans too can have vitamin deficiencies for years or forever without ever actually showing symptoms. But in those people and ducks who do show the symptoms, it can be devastating.
In addition to the written experience of one of the world's top waterfowl experts, there is also the written experience of Cherie Langlois, author of "Tending a Small-Scale Flock for Pleasure and Profit," a publication of Hobby Farms, who likewise writes about leg problems caused by niacin deficiencies and the importance of providing ducklings with more niacin than chicken feeds provide. And if that's not enough, there is the experience of dozens (maybe hundreds) of duck breeders on these boards. I am not among the top experts by any means--I've only been raising ducks for three years, and selling them for one season. But I'll add my experience to the list and say that the one time I thought I would skip the bothersome step of adding niacin to the feed because I thought they would forage for enough insects and such to cover the deficiency, I *did* end up with some with trembling legs, and the legs improved within two days of improving their niacin intake. Furthermore, I had a call from someone recently who is raising some ducks from me on Flock Raiser, and one of his little ones was having leg problems. I recommended the niacin as a first step and the next day he called to say his duck had recovered.
It's great that you're having good luck feeding only chicken feed to your babies. I feed only chicken feed to my adult birds with good success, as do many others. But many people run into problems using only chicken feed for babies, unless they add extra niacin. Also, niacin deficiency doesn't immediately show up as bowed legs--that is what happens if it goes uncorrected. An early case will often show as trembling or weakness in the legs which, as you rightly point out, can be caused by many different things, but niacin is a good first step to take in trying to find the cause.
I don't mean to start a debate or to be ugly about this, but I think it's important to clarify because it would be a real shame if someone's ducks were to suffer lifelong lameness that could have been avoided if only they had taken the niacin recommendation seriously. No, niacin is NOT a cure-all. But it is a valid, important consideration when dealing with lameness in ducks.
