The Duck Thread

[NathanZee]

They are in my incubator and were cold when we got them. I candled them to see how far along they were, and theyre very fresh. Id say maybe two days. Or it's possible she didn't start sitting yet. I was a little bummed, cause now i have to wait the whole month. Oh well, im excited!

Cool! Have you incubated duck eggs before?

sorry for the mess. My ducklings decided to take a mud bath.

I have am question about my little guys legs. (Pic is above) I think he might be developing a niacin deficiency. Does it look like it? I don't really know what to look for

Haha, it doesn't look to dirty! Do you mean that one leg is a little crooked? If the foot is always like that, I would give them some brewers yeast for niacin, it can't hurt so you might as well.

 

[raemcwi]

I didn't keep them in water too long. I didn't see any internal or external pips but didn't want to risk them drowning in case I missed something. They did not sink or float too high. They seemed to float correctly, just didn't move.

 

[ToriHenning1234]

Seeing no movement is to be expected when they are this far along and taking up all of the egg.  Unless it's in the air cell of course.  Did you candle for internal pips?  Look for shadows in the air cells. 

Precious!  In addition to the new surroundings, they might be scared of the big bad shadow of the camera man, lol.

I will leave the answer to the experts here but is he walking normal?

he walks fine, but he does tend to sit often and I've also noticed he scoots around on his knees sometimes.

 

[ToriHenning1234]

Cool! Have you incubated duck eggs before?

Haha, it doesn't look to dirty! Do you mean that one leg is a little crooked? If the foot is always like that, I would give them some brewers yeast for niacin, it can't hurt so you might as well.

alright! Thank you. I will give it a try

 

[Ren2014]

he walks fine, but he does tend to sit often and I've also noticed he scoots around on his knees sometimes.

He should be on Niacin if not already. I've noticed that my bigger babies go through a spurt or something where they sit and walk squatted like.

 

[ToriHenning1234]

He should be on Niacin if not already.  I've noticed that my bigger babies go through a spurt or something where they sit and walk squatted like.

I have both both of both of my ducklings on dumor starter/grower feed.

 

[ToriHenning1234]

I have both both of both of my ducklings on dumor starter/grower feed.

I got it from TSC when I got my ducks

 

[iluvsedward]

They are in my incubator and were cold when we got them. I candled them to see how far along they were, and theyre very fresh. Id say maybe two days. Or it's possible she didn't start sitting yet. I was a little bummed, cause now i have to wait the whole month. Oh well, im excited!

Cool! Have you incubated duck eggs before?

Ive hatched lots of things from peacocks to quail but Yes, i have. I hatched call ducks that i had shipped to me. I don't remember how many eggs i had, maybe 15, and 3 survived, which i thought was pretty good considering they were shipped and they were calls. Also i candled again today and it looks like they're in very early stages of development, no spider veins yet but the little embryo spot looks more defined than yesterday

 

[Ren2014]

I got it from TSC when I got my ducks

That's what I feed but many folks here recommended supplementing with Niacin so I do give it in their water. You do have to be careful though because they can get Niacin toxicity.

Here's a post from @Duck_feeder on Niacin that is very helpful:

Niacin is a B vitamin. See the Wikipedia entry for how it is used biologically http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niacin

Brewer's yeast is the waste product of alcohol fermentation (usually beer) that is high in niacin (the yeast can produce niacin). It can also refer to the concentrated yeast before it is used for fermentation. Feed stores tend to carry the former, vitamin stores tend to carry the latter.

Research indicates that ducks are not as efficient at absorbing niacin and/or they require more than similar birds.

Niacin deficiency is believed to cause lameness in ducklings as well as other ailments in juvenile or adult ducks. I have not seen any formal research indicating that niacin deficiency later in life can cause lameness in ducks.

Niacin supplements are not always necessary. Whether or not it is needed depends on diet and genetics. Like people not all ducks eat the same foods and some are more prone to vitamin deficiency problems.

Ducks that eat nothing but pellets formulated for ducks are not likely to need extra niacin unless they have a genetic predisposition towards niacin deficiency. Ducks that eat duck pellets as well as other foods (fed to them or from free ranging), might need the extra niacin depending on what they eat.

Ducks that free range (part time or full time) are a crap shoot. If they can catch lots of small animals like insects, worms or fish then they are not likely to need extra niacin. If they end up eating vegetables that are low in niacin, they might need the extra niacin.

Ducks that eat almost exclusively corn almost definitely need the extra niacin. While corn does contain niacin it is in a form that is NOT bio-available.

As far as dosages, too much can cause "flushing" in humans. I have not been able to find any research on whether or not it ducks or other poultry can exhibit negative symptoms from high niacin dosages but it is very likely toxicity exists at very high dosages. Niacin is water soluble so it is very difficult to overdose on it without the aid of supplements.

Because niacin is water soluble, it needs to be provided on a regular basis (assuming supplements are even needed).

Dosage is very different depending on how you give it. If you mix it in with their food then you'd want to use a much lower dose than mixing it in their water. The 100 mg per 1 gallon of water is a much lower dose than 50 mg mixed into their food!


As it is with people, it's much better to eat a well balanced diet than it is to rely on supplements!

The approach I take with niacin for our ducks is:
1. Primary food is pellets (about 50% of the daily diet of our ducks)
2. Most of their dry foods other than duck pellets (about 10% of diet) are a good source of niacin (dried peas, cat food, parrot food)
3. We feed fresh foods everyday (about 40% of their diet) - most of which are a good source of niacin (peas, leafy veggies, sprouts)
4. We put dry brewer's yeast (the kind from feed stores) in the feed bowl that contains their pellets and other dry foods. It's a powder and most of it settles to the bottom of the bowl where they ignore it.

 

[Debs Flock]

Ducklings arrived today...


Buff baby


Cayuga on left has healthy leg. Girl on right has splayed leg.


Welshies...Walnut on left, Willow on right. (The only 2 with names so far.)