What extra supplements are needed for ducks?

[chickenluver10]

Hello all! I'm getting a couple of Pekin ducklings come April or so, and I already have a flock of 8 chickens. I will probably get them from the Mokena Big R, but I don't know when they'll get their chicks & ducklings in. I've heard ducks can eat chicken feed but need extra supplements and vitamins as well, and am not sure which ones to buy. I've surfed the net but not many sites have much info, so..... I plan on keeping my duckies with my chickens when they get big enough so I want them to be able to eat the same feed. Any input on the matter would be appreciated!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Ducklings need a good all purpose feed like Purina Flock Raiser it is formulated for all poultry so you can feed to your chickens also and this feed can be fed their entire life from hatch to old age. Also ducklings need more niacin than chicks so it would be a good idea to have some B3 on hand and add to their feed when you get them. It can be plain niacin [not time released or flush free] or Brewers yeast or Nutritional yeast. !25-150mgs per gal of water for plain niacin mixed well and given fresh daily or 1 Tab of Brewers yeast or Nutritional yeast per cup of feed. what ever you decide on use it till ducklings are at least 10 weeks old. [never feed layer to ducklings.]

http://metzerfarms.blogspot.com/2011/03/are-my-ducklings-leg-problems-due-to.html

 

[sylviethecochin]

I'm going to go with the crowd and link a great Metzer's site: http://www.metzerfarms.com/NutritionalRequirements.cfm. It's for ducks and geese and gives a nutritional breakdown of what you should be feeding for every stage of life.

Now if only I could find a similar one for chickens...

 

[chickenluver10]

Thanks, that site is helpful for measurements for nutrients! Can ducklings eat chick starter feed? (I'm assuming so since that's what they sell at the local feed store for ducks)

 

[sylviethecochin]

Yes, ducklings can eat chick starter feed, though as Miss Lydia pointed out, you should supplement some form of niacin.

 

[chickenluver10]

Okay
One last thing...I'm getting Pekin ducks. So, my question, for anybody who owns or has owned Pekins, is just how loud are they? Are they louder than chickens? I've heard they are constantly "chattering" which is kinda the volume of hens but occasionally burst out with loud quacking? I've looked at a bunch of websites and they all pretty much say different things. And this is kind of off-topic, but do you think it would work to get one guinea fowl chick (keet, whatever guinea babies are called)along with two ducks or would it go horribly wrong and the guinea would be picked on and injured? Just wondering.
Thanks for the help!

 

[Miss Lydia]

It would be a shame to get just one guinea they would be lonely also just like a duckling or chicken would be lonely if it was only one of it's kind. They really need to have a buddy of their species to be happy. Also duckling are so messy having the guinea keet in with them might not be such a good idea. They need dry bedding which isn't that easy to have when you have ducklings. It would be best to have 2 brooders or a large brooder you can separate into 2 separate ones but use 1 heat lamp. See what I am saying?

 

[chickenluver10]

Yes, I understand. I thought a guinea might be lonely and I know how messy ducks are. I wasn't sure if it would be like one RIR hen among 5 Buff Orps or what, or if by growing up together they may get along better. That may rule out getting guinea keets because their 100 sq. feet fenced in area may not be enough to comfortably hold 8 hens 2 ducks and 2 guinea fowl.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Also all female ducks have their moments when they are loud I have Buffs and Runners and out of those 2 my Buffs are the most vocal but it's not all the time. I don't mind because I don't have any close neighbors But it is def something to take into consideration if you do. My chicken hens can be pretty loud too when they all get started. lol

 

[stuka123]

My ducks are quite unless they see me because they think I have treats, which I usually do.