Vitamin source?

[WadeMD]

Does anyone use vitamins for their ducklings? If so, where do you get them from and what brands/products?

Metzer has a small bag for sale that makes over 100 gallons, so that would last a while, but I was curious if others have a good source.

Thanks,

 

[Amiga]

I can only speak of my plans, since the ducklings are to arrive in a month.

I bought a starter kit with vitamins and electrolytes, and gro-gel. These are supposed to help with post-transport stress and give the critters a nutritional boost, helping insure they have all the micronutrients (that's how I think of them) they need, including probiotics to help get their guts off to a good start.

I like the idea of nutritional support, especially after shipment. That is the one part of this project I like the least - could not find a place close by, so I am going with Meyer Hatchery. They are reputable, and closer to the east coast than Holderreads or McMurray.

 

[WadeMD]

I've been told that the shipments from Meyer (often/always?) originate from Metzer (or at least a CA address). Once yours arrives, I'd like to know if thats true or not for the future.

I ordered gro-gel in the box with the ducklings and went ahead and added a packet of their vitamins as well. 100 gallons worth should last a couple of weeks at least.


On another note, I created a cheap/safe/not too bad looking holding area for the ducklings until they are ~6-8 weeks old. And even after that, it can be moved around outside or used as a quarantine. I'll get and post pictures and a description tonight.

 

[Chipper]

I just got a package of Vitamins Plus,made by GQF, from Mt.Healthy Hatchery in Ohio.They were about the cheapest I could find and I think you can order a carton with 4 individual packages.

 

[WadeMD]

Awesome, thanks for the response. I'll go look them up.

Do you provide it to all ducks or just little ones getting off the ground?

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
You are going to find that bag that makes 100+ gallons of vitamin water to be a real P.i.t.A. since it doesn't give you a recipie to make just one gallon at a time. even then at one gallon at a time you end up throwing about half of it away because it grows bacteria in a brooder so fast with ducks that it stinks to high heaven after 4 hours! Do you have a good pet store around? If so check them for bird vitamins, check the pet department at walmart, I once found some there. Otherwise depend on your starter feed they have the correct vitamins mixed into the feed. Unless you have a good coke scale and are good at math and conversions, that 100+ gallon bag will drive you nuts! I am a chemist and used to take it to work to weigh out on the micro balance and it drove me nuts.

 

[WadeMD]

Quote:
You are going to find that bag that makes 100+ gallons of vitamin water to be a real P.i.t.A. since it doesn't give you a recipie to make just one gallon at a time. even then at one gallon at a time you end up throwing about half of it away because it grows bacteria in a brooder so fast with ducks that it stinks to high heaven after 4 hours! Do you have a good pet store around? If so check them for bird vitamins, check the pet department at walmart, I once found some there. Otherwise depend on your starter feed they have the correct vitamins mixed into the feed. Unless you have a good coke scale and are good at math and conversions, that 100+ gallon bag will drive you nuts! I am a chemist and used to take it to work to weigh out on the micro balance and it drove me nuts.

Do all bird vitamins contain enough niacin to make them worthwhile for ducks? I thought that was the primary concern with using generic starter feeds too?

I thought about taking the powder in and using the scale too... glad to know its probably not worth it. I hadn't thought about how tough it might be to keep it from growing bacteria either, thanks for the heads up!

The other option I am considering is to make 1-2 liters (if it will dissolve in that low a volume) and aliquot it out 10-20 ml in tubes and freeze them, then just drop the frozen chunk into the 1G waterer.

 

[keeperofthehearth]

I use Avia Charge 2000, which is a all natural nutritional supplement fm McMurray, and make 1gl a day dividing it up btwn my chooks and ducks. When I have ducklings I make sure they get more since they "slurp".

The ducks esp. love the stuff since it has seaweed and hydrolyzed fish proteins & oils in it. Though it suggests using more when mixing for the ducklings & chicks, I don't. I keep it at 1 to 1.5 tbs. per gallon.

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
You are going to find that bag that makes 100+ gallons of vitamin water to be a real P.i.t.A. since it doesn't give you a recipie to make just one gallon at a time. even then at one gallon at a time you end up throwing about half of it away because it grows bacteria in a brooder so fast with ducks that it stinks to high heaven after 4 hours! Do you have a good pet store around? If so check them for bird vitamins, check the pet department at walmart, I once found some there. Otherwise depend on your starter feed they have the correct vitamins mixed into the feed. Unless you have a good coke scale and are good at math and conversions, that 100+ gallon bag will drive you nuts! I am a chemist and used to take it to work to weigh out on the micro balance and it drove me nuts.

Do all bird vitamins contain enough niacin to make them worthwhile for ducks? I thought that was the primary concern with using generic starter feeds too?

I thought about taking the powder in and using the scale too... glad to know its probably not worth it. I hadn't thought about how tough it might be to keep it from growing bacteria either, thanks for the heads up!

The other option I am considering is to make 1-2 liters (if it will dissolve in that low a volume) and aliquot it out 10-20 ml in tubes and freeze them, then just drop the frozen chunk into the 1G waterer.

It has been a while but if I remember right the bag vitamins were formulated for chicks not duckings. I used to get "pure" niacin at the drug store and if I remember right one cap would work very well in what dosage Holderreads book recommended. At least with the caps the stuff is already broken down to a known weight and you just have to calculate how to dilute it.