You can also try to cook some vitamin-rice, remember the calcium-rice recipe, just switch the Calcium-Glucconate against your vitamin cocktail…We have a concentrated cocktail of vitamins and minerals in which niacin is strongly featured, so I'm adding that to all the water basins after the ducks are done with the morning bath and again in the afternoon when the water cycle repeats.
We're hopefully also receiving some inactivated brewer's yeast tomorrow which should be great as a source of B vitamins and of protein. Let's just hope the taste is acceptable.
It could be a geometrical problemI mean, at the too-many-ducks farm where she grew up, it's all on the hillside and the ducks keep going up- and downhill. Whereas we're 100% in the plains.
The ducks will eat all of the rice, but they won't drink all the water…
Just make sure that Junior eats enough of the rice.
I am a bit concerned about Junior from your decision: I have lost a six weeks old duck(ling) who just ate and drank less and less and finally died in a colder night (12° in August here). There is a condition called »failure to thrive« which requires additional attention and motivation give to the affected duck. Additional encouragement to eat and drink.
Btw, dry cat-food is a good supply of protein for "starving" ducks. - And it is not as expensive as other treats.