What do you feed your ducks?

[DuckTapePalace]

I've just started using my own feed because basically, I don't trust what Purina has been doing. They changed their duck pellets last August and I've noticed a reduction in egg production although it could be because my girls are getting older.

I don't trust a whole lot of anything anymore so I decided to make my own food using a chicken food calculator I found online. I just got my order from Azure Standard and am extremely happy with making my own. Plus the ducks love it and it's not very much more than the Purina duck pellets and has to be much better for them. They eat it up like crazy.

Here is the link to the calculator which is an excel spreadsheet: https://www.gardenbetty.com/garden-...culator-for-determining-your-protein-content/

I use a mac so I imported it to mac "numbers" app which is easy to do. I couldn't find a lot of the stuff listed on it but I found more than enough. The percentages of protein and fat will change depending on where you get your food from and you have to enter the amounts in as a formula. After I figured out how to use this I just deleted the stuff that I'll never buy or use so my sheet is down to about 17 items. For ducks, you need to have a protein of at least 16% so you mix and match until you get there. Once you get everything weighed and have the correct protein and fat % on your sheet there is nothing more to do but plug in your volume amounts and the sheet does the rest for you so you'll know where you stand with protein. I've got fish meal and raw peanuts on order and I guess when Halloween comes around I'll be gathering up pumpkin seeds. This is what my sheet looks like right now:View attachment 3424453

Thank you for the calculator. Is there a good book or resource to help understand the non-protein ratios and needs? Our ducks forage a lot during the summer (though they did raid the garden this winter, going after my mint like nobody’s business). Curly Dock and wild Amaranth are their favorites along with Blue Borage (it grew huge and heavy and they loved it). We’ve also considered farming fish and snails since their escapes to the creek. They seem uninterested in millet but might be if it was growing.

 

[DuckyDonna]

Thank you for the calculator. Is there a good book or resource to help understand the non-protein ratios and needs? Our ducks forage a lot during the summer (though they did raid the garden this winter, going after my mint like nobody’s business). Curly Dock and wild Amaranth are their favorites along with Blue Borage (it grew huge and heavy and they loved it). We’ve also considered farming fish and snails since their escapes to the creek. They seem uninterested in millet but might be if it was growing.

No, I haven't looked for any other information. I've been using this for quite awhile now and am very happy with it, as are the ducks.