What is niacin and where do I get it?

[askem]

Hello! I'm reading as much as I can as in a few days I will be the proud owner of two baby Pekin ducks!

I actually adopted these little ducklings but they are still at the store receiving health treatment until I can pick them up, so I'm not sure what day I will get them.

They were being horribly picked on by the turkey and chicken babies in the same pen as them, so I informed a worker who didn't really seem to care. I then pulled the ducklings out and found the owner, who told me she would "take care of them." I asked if they would put the babies back with the other ones when they got better, and she said yes. Since I was already looking to adopt a duck from the ASPCA, I asked her if I could buy them at a reduced price since they were injured, but leave them there to get better. She agreed and so I bought two of them for the price of one.

I was doing some research and heard niacin can help for leg issues (these babies had huge blood blisters on their webs) and that Pekin's are prone to leg issues. So I'd like to prevent my babies from having any issues. What is niacin? Where can I buy it?

I also am looking at this duckling feed, because it has 20% protein. Is this a good feed? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XRZJTSX/

 

[Pyxis]

That feed should work, and it does look like niacin is added so that's good, but the price is high for a five pound bag of feed. You could go to a feed store and pick up either a 50 pound bag of flock raiser or a 40 pound bag of Naturewise Meatbird, both of which are made with waterfowl in mind, and spend $17 on it. So $12 for a five pound bag or $17 for a 50 pound bag; it's a no-brainer.

Even with a feed made for ducklings, which will have added niacin, it's not a bad idea to still supplement, especially since pekins in particular seem to have higher niacin requirements than other breeds. You could either pick up some Brewer's Yeast, which is a good source of niacin, and put one tablespoon of it on top of their feed each day for them to eat, or pick up a niacin supplement - you can find them in most health stores and in the vitamins section of pharmacies and Walmart. Just make sure you don't get the kind marked 'time release' or anything similar to that.

 

[askem]

Thanks for the information!

Does the MG of the Niacin matter, if I buy pure niacin rather than brewers yeast?

Thanks for the food suggestion! I will look into those. I was suggested to get Mazuri before which was a lot more expensive than that food and found that food which had similar content.

 

[Pyxis]

Thanks for the information!

Does the MG of the Niacin matter, if I buy pure niacin rather than brewers yeast?

Thanks for the food suggestion! I will look into those. I was suggested to get Mazuri before which was a lot more expensive than that food and found that food which had similar content.

Yep! You want to do about 100 mg of niacin per gallon of water. It's easiest to do that with gel caps. Make sure you get the kind that isn't time release and isn't flush-free.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Purina flock raiiser is a good feed and not as pricey as the one linked. As well, it has 55ppm of niacin which is adequate, but it is my understanding that Mazuri has 80ppm. So, with a pekin, I would error on the safe side and add more if you go with Purina.
That is what I use. The store where you are purchasing them from - is it a feed store Or farm supply store? If so, they should have feed as well. They might have niacin. You can look for a b complex at the pharmacy or at tractor supply if there is one nearby. It comes in liquid form at tsc.
As for the brewers yeast, you would add 1 Tbls per cup of feed if you go that route.
I am not sure of exact mg, but maybe @CayugaJana can expand on that.

 

[askem]

I just purchased brewers yeast from the store, it is 1000mg of brewers yeast. How much should I supplement the feed?

The feed I linked I already purchased to start, but I bought it off of Amazon. We do have a local Farm Supply store, but I've never been so I'm not sure what they have. The store I'm getting the ducklings from also had duck food but there wasn't any nutritional information on the food at all so I didn't want to risk feeding it and it not being healthy for them.

 

[CayugaJana]

Hello and welcome to BYC!!! I’m glad you spoke up and made sure the Pekins were properly taken care of. I can’t imagine what would have happened for them to get blood blisters on their feet.

Looks like I agree with everyone. I wouldn’t buy the feed in your link unless you are home bound and can’t get to the store. That is expensive. And they would go through that bag in about 3 days.

As long as it’s flush free, it doesn’t matter where you get the niacin at. I buy it in liquid (vitamin b complex for cattle) form at tractor supply because it goes a long way and it has several vitamins that are crucial for their development. I’m not sure how much the capsules or yeast are. I wouldn’t buy brewers yeast unless it has a lot of niacin. The capsules from Walmart have almost none. If they were mine, I would put 1 mL of the liquid in their water or treat per day. And I would give it to them everyday until they are around 10 weeks old.

 

[Pyxis]

I just purchased brewers yeast from the store, it is 1000mg of brewers yeast. How much should I supplement the feed?

The feed I linked I already purchased to start, but I bought it off of Amazon. We do have a local Farm Supply store, but I've never been so I'm not sure what they have. The store I'm getting the ducklings from also had duck food but there wasn't any nutritional information on the food at all so I didn't want to risk feeding it and it not being healthy for them.

You can add about 1/2 cup per 10 pounds of feed and mix it together, or @Amiga recommends just putting a tablespoon on top of their feed each day and they'll eat it that way.

 

[LittleWillowFarm]

I just read an article that peas have the niacin ducks need. I have no experience in ducks whatsoever. I love this blog and I find the info useful for my chickens. Hope this helps!
https://www.fresheggsdaily.com/2018/05/ducks-need-niacin-aka-ducks-love-peas.html

 

[casportpony]

100 grams of peas = 1.5 mg niacin