The ULTIMATE list of DUCK Treats and Supplements...

[Kye0001]

Thanks for this list...as a Newie to ducks I've been struggling to get them a) in their pond and b) to eat anything (been fed in corn for 18 months in them old home).

Made a mix up tonight of carrots, peas, sweet corn, sprouts, mealworms and a handful of virnbsmdvtgry loved it thanks

 

[FaerieGlynne]

I would put an exclusion fence around that area in part because I would not want them to have contact with such a concentration of wild bird droppings.  Perhaps an extreme caution, but that would be my concern.  They are fairly resistant to disease, but ...

And people feed their ducks sprouted BOSS, so I don't know if it would be that big a problem.  And on the other hand, it's kinda oily.....gee.  Good question.

So it made for such stinky poops that I got a bamboo staff to herd them out of it. It is kind of fun to herd them around with the stick and funny how quickly they quit being scared of it. I only tap the ground around them I don't touch them. I'll have their fencing in next week so they won't have access to that area anymore. But other than smelly factor it didn't seem to do them any harm at least over the short term of a few days.

 

[Quackalackin]

TADPOLES!

A couple weeks ago I adopted six adult anconas and yesterday I picked up three adult khaki campbells. In my efforts to make them use to each other and myself, it's been treat feeding galore! My anconas have come to expect treats now when they see my ( still won't eat out of my hand though ) and love frozen peas and the worms I collect when I work on digging their pond. But today I wanted an extra special treat since the new ducks are on the other side of the fence... what to do...

We just so happen to have a neglected, tadpole overrun pool in our yard. So the idea came to collect some tadpoles! We gathered around 50 to start (there are a lot of tadpoles out there...) and put them in a 3x3 foot shallow pan with about an inch of water for the anconas and 10 or so in a dog dish for the khakis. The anconas were strangely nervous of the pan with water at first (they will come running at the sound of me filling anything with water usually!) but once they discovered the tadpoles, they were devoured in minutes! It was so fun to watch. The khakis never showed interest in the tadpoles, but I left the dish in their enclosure and I'll see later if they ate them or not.

The tadpoles were such a hit! I'll probably do this a couple more times until we clean the pool (and all those tadpoles inevitably die anyway... the ones that were laid in our creek can stay ) in a couple weeks. Then on cleaning day, I'll probably have so many tadpoles to collect I can share with the neighbors! Or freeze them? We've already got 30 or so in the house that we're watching develop that we'll release to the creek later

As with men, dogs, and just about any other animal... food is the way to the heart!

I also laid out 5 cement pavers in the ducks yard and every couple days I'll flip one and reveal tasty bugs, usually potato bugs and ants, but sometimes a fat worm or centepiede! The anconas love this and get really excited when I walk over towards one now. It amazes me how quickly they can clear the bugs!

 

[lcw6999]

Great info!!!

 

[MissMcBratty]

I have a question. My babies (2 geese and 1 duck) are all 5 weeks old now and they are my first duck/goose babies. I recently treated my duck for Angel wing (the beginning of this week) and my research revealed I was feeding a diet too high in protein (flock raiser 20%). I read that I could cut the crumble with oats to reduce the protein content. They also forage daily and may get some protein there too. My question is, you stated that oats, being a carb, should be fed in small amounts. Currently they are getting a 4:1 ratio of crumbles/oats. Should I alter this and if so, what should I cut their feed with? In addition to their feed and foraging, they also get peas everyday. Thanks!

 

[Amiga]

I have a question. My babies (2 geese and 1 duck) are all 5 weeks old now and they are my first duck/goose babies. I recently treated my duck for Angel wing (the beginning of this week) and my research revealed I was feeding a diet too high in protein (flock raiser 20%). I read that I could cut the crumble with oats to reduce the protein content. They also forage daily and may get some protein there too. My question is, you stated that oats, being a carb, should be fed in small amounts. Currently they are getting a 4:1 ratio of crumbles/oats. Should I alter this and if so, what should I cut their feed with? In addition to their feed and foraging, they also get peas everyday. Thanks!

I used rolled oats, about the same ratio, I think, and things worked out fine for my ducklings.

 

[Mellykins68]

Wow, thank you so much!!! I'm a new duck owner of four, so this is so helpful.

 

[dianaduck]

Love this list! Come here often to just make sure!

 

[Jacob Duckman]

Out of all the greens out there, my ducks seem to favor turnip greens BY FAR. They will not leave. Behind a single piece of leaf or stalk.i suggest *****

 

[sunflowersmiles]

wow what a great post!
My quackers are now ~4 weeks old. From the beginning I made a fine mush of cucumber, lettuce, kale, ground chia seeds and banana. They absolutely love to nibble it of my finger and it's also gone first when "appearing" next to their dry food.
I was a bit unsure in the beginning, but being a chef, I am also very much adventurous with good/clean food. Animals appreciate it as much as we do.