Vitamin questions for ducklings

[evergrowing]

How much B-Vitamins do you give and in what form?

Does the brewers yeast have B-Vitamins, or just the niacin?

Also do the ducks need niacin and b-vitamins after 8 weeks old?

My ducklings are being shipped, but you think I'd be okay without the vitamins?

 

[Amiga]

Hi! I know you did not send just questions, but I chose Q & A as notes for what you wrote, arabianequine, and my response. Good questions, by the way, and I can see you really care about animals

Q So the 1 min instant oatmeal oats or the longer cooking stuff it is in the cereal section?
A I find it in the cereal section - the longer cooking stuff - old fashioned, rolled oats. Not instant.

Q Do I have to grind it up?
A with a e week old, probably not. Just watch closely for 5 or 10 minutes when you first give it to them.

Q What I have for food for poultry on hand is (all purpose poultry feed) which is 17% protein and comes in a 50 lb. bag....I feed my turkeys and chickens that are older....I also make sure the girls have oyster shell....and they have enclosed runs....so I am thinking their grit should be ok?
A If it is not medicated, that is good, but check the niacin levels and add niacin to meet the ducklings' needs . I use chick grit for my ducklings (they don't get outside much yet due to weather). Oyster shell is needed if the regular feed doesn't contain enough calcium, however, too much calcium too soon is not healthy for ducklings. They need extra for laying.

Q But I think since the duck is inside I need some grit for it right?
A Yes, I use chick grit.

Q I also have either scratch or cracked corn for these guys that I will give as a treat sometimes I mix with there feed 50/50. I also give them alfalfa a lot the turkeys just love the alfalfa.
A I am not sure about alfalfa for ducklings . . . something in my memory rings out a caution, but I am not sure about the details . . . perhaps someone else can clear that up

Q I have one chick that hatched last friday so far so I also have some chick starter on hand which is 20%. This is what I have been giving the duck.
A Watch out about medication (some say certain medications are okay, I don't know, I just avoided that because I have alternatives). Watch the niacin. 20% is a little high for a three week old duckling, so cutting the protein with oatmeal seems to me would be a little healthier for the duckling.

 

[Amiga]

evergrowing,

I am able to buy feed that is a balanced ration, and I decided to get the vitamins and gro-gel because I want to give these ducklings the best start I can, considering all the various illnesses they could get.

Also, I raised a few Pekins and mallards many years ago without much awareness of nutrition, no supplements, and they turned out just fine.

Do the best you can with what you know.

Wifezilla has had some good posts on nutrition, as have Nettie and Duck_feeder. I am sure others have, too. Try a search of the forum.

 

[evergrowing]

Amiga (and everone else that replied)

Thank you! I've got the basics I think. There is so much info out there, who knew there could be this much to raising ducks. I am just a worrier.

I do appreciate all the knowledge here. Thanks again.

 

[arabianequine]

Quote:
Thank you! I will get some rolled oats today and add 1 part oats and 5 parts 20% protein chick starter? I also have the all purpose poultry which is 17 % protein do I need oats with this or is this too low in protein right now?

 

[Amiga]

I think, since you are starting with 20% (I started with 26%) you just need half a cup of oats for 5 cups (1 cup of oats for 10 cups) of feed to get to 18%. Here are my thoughts on how I got these numbers.

You want 18% for now. That is a difference of 2%. 2 is ten percent of 20. So you want to replace ten percent (one tenth, or one to ten) of the protein-heavy feed with the oatmeal. One in ten is the same as a half in five. I would mix up my feed 5 to 10 cups at a time ahead of time, so it was easy to do the arithmetic

Since I started with 26%, I rounded down to 25% so I could do the arithmetic

without too much brain strain. I wanted to lose five percent of the protein. Five is to twenty-five as one is to five (did that make any sense????) So I added one cup of oatmeal to five cups of feed.

Once I ran out of oatmeal, and realized that the little critters would manage just fine for a feeding with the higher protein - they had some salad, too, which drops their daily average protein a tiny bit. Just overall I want to keep the protein, the niacin, and so forth near optimum levels.

As far as protein goes, the all-purpose feed is so close I would not be concerned. Do check the niacin levels though. Because their bodies are producing incredible numbers of new cells of every type, their nutritional balance is going to be different for that size-up phase from hatch to about 6 weeks than the sexual maturation phase, from the (for the females) egg-laying phase. I just try to remember that bones, muscle and feathers need slightly different materials to build than internal organs and eggs.

 

[arabianequine]

Thank you again so much for all the helpful information!

 

[arabianequine]

Quote:
I went to look at this again so I can mix some more food for the duck. I noticed you said at the beginning of this post (you just need half a cup of oats for 5 cups (1 cup of oats for 10 cups) of feed to get to 18%.) then later after explaining you math at the end of you math you say (So I added one cup of oatmeal to five cups of feed.) Well can't remember what I did last time but this time I did 1/2 cup oats and 2 1/2 cups 20% feed.

Can you let me know which is correct so I get the right percentage please?

Thank you!

 

[Amiga]

Sometimes I need to remember to quit when I'm ahead

If you start with 20% and want 18%, add half a cup of oats to 5 cups of feed.

You are being very conscientious, it is quite encouraging. It is tough to be very very accurate with some of these measurements, but a little oatmeal seems to be good for them, as well as some salad from time to time.

Enjoy those ducklings!