Topic of the Week - Raising and Caring for Ducklings

[casportpony]

I have fed my Muscovy ducklings chick starter, but found they do much better with turkey starter.

 

[GldnValleyHens]

Maybe they were common ducklings and not muscovy ducklings?

Yes they were call ducks.

 

[Henrik Petersson]

Yes they were call ducks.

There you go, then.

I really want to stress that they are different species. They are NOT different breeds of the same species, in the manner that all chickens breeds are the same species, all dog breeds are the same species or all cat breeds are the same species. Breeds of the same species are pretty much the same except for in appearance. Different species are a whole different matter.

 

[casportpony]

There you go, then.

I really want to stress that they are different species. They are NOT different breeds of the same species, in the manner that all chickens breeds are the same species, all dog breeds are the same species or all cat breeds are the same species. Breeds of the same species are pretty much the same except for in appearance. Different species are a whole different matter.

Maybe the chick starter feeds in Sweden are formulated differently than the chick starter feeds in the US? I say this because I have fed mine nothing but the high protein feed and have not had any problems with angel wing.

 

[Henrik Petersson]

Maybe the chick starter feeds in Sweden are formulated differently than the chick starter feeds in the US? I say this because I have fed mine nothing but the high protein feed and have not had any problems with angel wing.

Yes, or maybe your muscovies simply don't have the angel wing gene. Some people in Sweden have also fed their scovie hatchlings tons of chick starter without issues. It seems they need a predisposition for angel wing in order to develop it.

So, the way I see it, you can take one of two routes: 1) feed them chick starter and cull all individuals with angel wing, and hopefully be rid of it within a few generations, or 2) don't feed them chick starter and never get angel wing.

I'm not saying one route is better than the other.

 

[casportpony]

Yes, or maybe your muscovies simply don't have the angel wing gene. Some people in Sweden have also fed their scovie hatchlings tons of chick starter without issues. It seems they need a predisposition for angel wing in order to develop it.

So, the way I see it, you can take one of two routes: 1) feed them chick starter and cull all individuals with angel wing, and hopefully be rid of it within a few generations, or 2) don't feed them chick starter and never get angel wing.

I'm not saying one route is better than the other.

I think there are many factors to consider when it comes to angel wing, genetics, vitamins, minerals, and protein. There is one vet book that suggests angel wing and perosis share the same etiology. I'll see if I can find that.

 

[Chickiemom25]

Remember that muscovy ducks and ducks are two different species, with very different growth rates, and therefore, very different nutritional needs as ducklings!

More to the point: duck ducklings (henceforth called "common ducklings") do well on chick starter feed for the first few weeks. I've seen it recommended on more than one occasion. Muscovy duck ducklings (henceforth called "muscovy ducklings") should not be fed chick starter feed for more than 1-2 weeks, if at all.

We fed our muscovy ducklings chick starter feed for three weeks. This caused their outer wing bones to grow too fast, causing the condition known as angel wing.

This is the horrible result:

View attachment 1248780

View attachment 1248782

View attachment 1248783

So what to do instead? Well, all our other batches (they've been five or so) have been eating basic chicken pellets instead, and they had zero instances of angel wing. I'm no statistician, but the correlation is overwhelming.

Ordinary chicken pellets does have one problem, though: They are a little bit too big for the ducklings' beaks the first week. So I recommend crushing them or soaking them the first week, or maybe give them chick starter feed (which is much finer) for one week.

I want to stress that feeding common ducklings is a whole different matter.

I feed the ducks in alarge rectangular container.. The chicken pellets always have residual powder/granuals left over that the ducklings can eat

 

[Henrik Petersson]

I think there are many factors to consider when it comes to angel wing, genetics, vitamins, minerals, and protein. There is one vet book that suggests angel wing and perosis share the same etiology. I'll see if I can find that.

Yes. I believe someone on this page suggested angel wing is caused by too little niacin in relation to other amino acids, and that was the problem with chick starter, not the protein content in itself.

 

[Michael P]

After raising chickens for decades, I started with Welsh Harlequins last March. The main differences between brooding chicks and ducklings I discovered:

1. Ducklings are incredibly messy with their water. I finally put their waterer in a big plant saucer filled with pea gravel to keep them from soaking the rest of the bedding. Next time I will seriously consider a wire-bottom brooder.

2. Ducklings grow incredibly fast! If you are used to chicks, double or triple the size of the brooder.

3. Ducklings do not need nearly as much heat as chicks.

I fed my ducklings Purina Flock Raiser crumbles (with treats and greens) until about a month before I expected them to start laying, then I switched to standard chicken laying pellets. While still on the Flock Raiser, I increased the amount of greens and other lower protein treats as they got older. They also became very active foragers, so the total protein in their diet decreased from the 20% in the Flock Raiser.

 

[GldnValleyHens]

I never knew they were two complete different species. So it's like Horses and Zebras, or like the two species of peacock, India and Java