What do you feed your ducks?

[Canadian Wind]

Then there is this https://rumble.com/v27n1is-100000-chickens-died-in-an-egg-farm-fire-yesterday-in-connecticut.html. Not a coincidence so many of these are being burned to the ground. I hate factory farms and to read how many birds these places have and how they are kept is heartbreaking. But they sure don't deserve to be burned alive. And there goes egg reduction.

That is horrible!

 

[picklestheduck]

Oh I forgot to add mine normally get a very small amount of scraps each day like vegetables ends and usually an egg shell or two. But I don’t technically know how much the ducks even get cuz they have to fight the chicken brigade if they want any

 

[Canadian Wind]

Oh I forgot to add mine normally get a very small amount of scraps each day like vegetables ends and usually an egg shell or two. But I don’t technically know how much the ducks even get cuz they have to fight the chicken brigade if they want any

My chickens have to fight the ducks to get food!

 

[HollowOfWisps]

I feed Kalmbach's 20% Flock Maker Crumbles for ducklings, chicks, adult chickens and adult ducks. For treats they get salmon and peas about once a month right now. They range from around 7am to 4-5pm (I adjust based on daylight hours). Then they have Scratch and Peck brand oyster shells always available. I have almost 3 dozen eggs on the counter collected from the chickens this past week and the ducks have been giving me 1-2 eggs a week.

 

[tessandherducks]

I feed brambles duck pellets with mealworms and some strawberries.
I think the feed I use is only in the UK?

 

[indianaducks]

My comment on one of the chicken threads: (with regards to comparing feed tags from years ago to current feed tags in case formulations changed and the same feed decreased in quality)

"There's also just the fact that not all feed/brands are created equally or the same quality. I hate to bring up dog food as an example but its the same thing. Some are higher quality than others. Find a food your birds do well on and feed that. And if you feed the cheapest stuff you can find, when other factors change (such as winter, less daylight, colder weather, molting, etc) you might see a change in egg laying. I'd say its not rocket science, but it is apparently LOL. I say this with feed labels piled up on my desk next to my coffee this morning because I'm a data nerd and already do this sort of research for my dogs. Why not do it for my birds too.? I typically feed a variety, because yes some of the "cheaper" stuff is more affordable but I do think my birds do better on better food. But... not tinfoil hat stuff."

 

[laboroflove]

What should the protein in duck feed be? I always thought 20% but when talking to a local mill today they said someone who shows ducks and geese made a waterfowl recipe that they now make and sell. She said it works great for her birds. They said it is only 14-16% (I can’t remember which since we talked about so many). I would like to switch to a cheaper feed since I’m no longer working but I don’t want to skimp out of what my ducks need. Would chick starter be ok with yeast added to it for the niacin?

Does anyone have any homemade duck feed recipes they’d like to share?

 

[Miss Lydia]

What should the protein in duck feed be? I always thought 20% but when talking to a local mill today they said someone who shows ducks and geese made a waterfowl recipe that they now make and sell. She said it works great for her birds. They said it is only 14-16% (I can’t remember which since we talked about so many). I would like to switch to a cheaper feed since I’m no longer working but I don’t want to skimp out of what my ducks need. Would chick starter be ok with yeast added to it for the niacin?

Does anyone have any homemade duck feed recipes they’d like to share?

@DuckyDonna

 

[BelovedBirds]

What should the protein in duck feed be? I always thought 20% but when talking to a local mill today they said someone who shows ducks and geese made a waterfowl recipe that they now make and sell. She said it works great for her birds. They said it is only 14-16% (I can’t remember which since we talked about so many). I would like to switch to a cheaper feed since I’m no longer working but I don’t want to skimp out of what my ducks need. Would chick starter be ok with yeast added to it for the niacin?

Does anyone have any homemade duck feed recipes they’d like to share?

I don't know any recipes, but from my research the ideal amount is 16-20%. Bear in mind, laying females could benefit from a slightly higher protein. For boys, perhaps a lower amount would be okay, but I have girls so I use 19% protein

If they aren't getting enough, you'll usually see signs they're craving it, such as feather eating

 

[DuckMom2022]

Watching all the feed crazy-ness unfolding in the chicken world made me curious. What do you fellow duck peeps feed?

I currently feed Purina Duck pellets.

I use Kalumbach layer crumbles. Also dried meal worms. The seem to be doing well with that.