Topic of the Week - Feeding Ducks

[sumi]

Picture by @Duckhill​

This week I would like to hear you all's thoughts and practices when it comes to feeding your duck flocks. Specifically:

- Feeding ducklings for optimal health and growth
- Feeding laying/non-laying duck hens
- Feeding mixed flocks (drakes, hens, ducklings)
- Feeding treats

Pic by @chickens really​

For a complete list of our Topic of the Week threads, see here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/topic-of-the-week-thread-archive

 

[Pyxis]

I feed my ducklings either Purina Flock Raiser or Purina Meatbird, both of which are made with ducklings in mind and will meet their nutritional needs. The extra nice thing about Flock Raiser is that you can continue to feed it to ducks for their whole lives with no need to change food when they are older.

Ducklings can also be fed a regular chick starter if you cannot find a flock raiser type feed or a waterfowl feed. You will just want to supplement additional niacin, since chick feed isn't made with the nutritional needs of ducklings in mind and doesn't have enough niacin for them. Brewer's Yeast is an easy to find supplement that you can add to the feed that will make up for the lack of niacin in the feed.

While ducklings have no need for medicated feed, you can feed it to them if that's all you can find or if that's what you already have. There is a myth that ducklings cannot eat medicated feed. While that used to be true, back when feed was medicated with 'sulfa' drugs, feeds are no longer medicated with sulfa drugs. Amprolium, which is what most feeds are now medicated with, is totally safe for ducklings to eat. So while medicated feed is not necessary, if that's all you can get, you can safely feed it to them. I verified this with my avian vet to be sure.

For all my older juveniles and adults, I feed Flock Raiser or a chick starter/grower, which is what I feed all my birds. Both of these feeds are 20% protein, and I find my birds do well on it. I offer oyster shell free choice on the side for any laying birds that need it. They will take what they need, and that way ducks that aren't laying and drakes aren't taking in more calcium than they need, which can cause problems for them.

For treats, I give them dried mealworms, live feeder fish in their pool, and they get whatever kitchen scraps I'm tossing out for the chickens too and they take what they want from that.

 

[onaharley]

As for the treats mine loves kale, watermelon, peas, apples and mealworms. Just remember its all in moderation, as I recently found out from the vet. Mr. Ted here is getting too much vitamin A, hence the reason why he looks yellow! I was feeding them Kale every morning but I now have to reduce it to only twice a week.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I use a 50/50 mix of layer and broiler so I don't over do with my boys and non layers. I use broiler from the manufacture Because it very much like the all flock I use to use but when I went to non GMO this is all they have. My ducklings/chicks/ goslings are all feed broiler. They get a treat daily of mealworms- whole corn and dog kibble and lots of greens that I find on sale at the grocery store.

@onaharley your 2 lil ones are so precious

 

[Ravynscroft]

I feed same as @Pyxis so no reason to type it all out, lol...

 

[lawson1986]

Mine also love love love frozen peas, zucchini, and watermelon. Those are their favs. Honestly my 2 khakis eat exactly the same thing as my chooks, which is layer feed as they are all laying gals...but I also give my ducks oatmeal with brewers yeast mixed in 3x a week. I also give them kitchen scraps, but routinely also just offer beautiful fresh greens, cabbage, apples, zucchini, squash, etc...because everytime I go grocery shopping for us, we also buy fresh produce for our severely spoiled birds. They are getting boss, corn, and mealworms daily here also (just a little) to help them stay warm since it's been under 20 degrees F. Grit and oyster shell is always available free choice as well.

 

[Betsy57]

Mine LOVE frozen peas (kept frozen when hot out, thawed in colder weather). They go nuts over them. I feed Purina Flock Raiser too with niacin supplement.

 

[Pyxis]

So sorry for your friends friends loss...

I do not want to start a long thread where everyone piles on, I merely had a question and further up someone already gave me advice and I am taking it into consideration.

Regards...

No worries, I think it's fine since this is a thread about feeding ducks and fermented feed is on topic and could be something someone was interested in, and they may read through here in the future for information. That wasn't directed to you, I was just sharing my opinion on it and saying why I personally don't do it. If you feel it's right for you and want to give it a try, go for it, everyone does what they think is best for their birds

 

[Miss Lydia]

It's such an enjoyable thing to do, I really like it in warm months sitting out watching them play in the pool and just enjoying life.

Stay warm and Happy New Year!!

 

[sylviethecochin]

I raise Swedish ducks on a budget.

Ducklings begin on flock raiser (18% Dumor) until they're well-feathered to take the cold (usually about six or seven weeks), then I supplement with free-ranging (our pond is infested with snails, which the ducks swallow whole; they actually get more protein after this begins.) Slowly wean off of feed at ten-fourteen weeks until only supplementing their diet with whole, not cracked, corn at about sixteen weeks. In November, begin moving them back onto a 17% feed mix (oats (11%)/game bird starter (24%)/corn (8%)) and free-feed only this while they're penned from December through mid-March, at which point I begin to wean them back onto free-range again, though exact schedule depends on the weather.

Additional nutrients (except for oyster shells) are provided only as medication.

Laying ducks seem to do well using snail shell and oyster shell for their calcium. Due to the very fishy taste of the eggs (snails!) non-hatching eggs are fed right back to the hens as a protein supplement.