What NOT to feed ducks

[Wifezilla]

WY...no wonder you think veggies are expensive

Even in Colorado gardening can be...well...interesting. The best hope for you if you are doing a small plot is an elevated bed.

I get what you are saying about the alfalfa. I think VARIETY is going to be my best tool and best for the ducks.

 

[Wifezilla]

Space considerations. While I am not in town and in a county area, it still a suburban type neighborhood.

 

[nettie]

and another thought, corn, wheat, and fruit, and any other plants/grains are in a wild duck's diet. they eat them usually off people's farms, but these do grow in the wild (that's where we got them from)... wild ducks do eat carbs... they dont' eat processed carbs, like bread, which no one should be feeding any ducks at all.

Wifezilla... Ducks do not eat like people. they do not over eat or get fat from eating food like people do. (unless you feed them nothing but fatty, sugary, salty foods which will most likely kill a duck before making it over weight.)

I don't want to offend any one or upset anyone, but the main reason people become over weight is because they don't eat well. Humans over eat, choose the wrong foods, and don't eat enough of the foods that are good for them. Humans don't just eat to sustain themselves, they eat for fun, to cure boredom/anxiety all sorts of reasons. Ducks don't do any of this... they self regulate how much they eat and they even eat more of an available food if they need the vitamin from that food. they eat only to sustain their lives.

Domestic ducks do not live like their wild counterparts. they are expected to lay more eggs (since they are not setting and rainsing babies, they lay more eggs) which needs energy.

If you are dead set on not feeding your ducks a daily grain/carb of any sort (not even cracked corn) then you may not want to consider getting ducks. You want your animals to be healthy and produce you lovely eggs. if they are not healthy and don't have enough energy they won't lay well at all.

Geese are a very good idea for you. They are vegatarians and don't eat bugs/worms at all. they clip grass and weed. they keep the grass cut so you won't have to mow as often (which is a plus) they only eat the tips of the grass, not the whole plant (which is smart for geese, their food grows back!) They will need feed and grains in the winter when grass in under the snow.

If you don't want to feed your ducks grains, you may just have to say your being able to eat eggs is not more important than the health and wellbeing of the animals. (heck, eggs are high in cholesterol, lol.) I am allergic to chicken eggs, which is why i got ducks in the first place, so i could still have eggs. But i've fallen completely in love with my little guys (and i'm sure you will too) and would never do anything to harm them. i'd rather give up eggs completely than do anything that can/will harm my animals.

I personally can not endorse not feeding geese or ducks no grains/corn at all. I hope you understand and are not angry... I do not wish to upset anyone.

 

[nettie]

also remember people and cats are both /mammals... you cats are more like people, they can over eat if over fed and get fat... their health can (and should) be taken care of like a humans.

ducks don't... Ducks are birds... the way the think/feel/ act/ is completely unlike mammals... they can't be trained like a cat or dog, they don't want to please you, they hold huge grudges if they are wronged, they don't need any other duck to take care of itself (therefore have a LOT of self reliance/preservation)
Not to mention, they don't have they same anatomy. they have wings/hollow bones/ they even have only one hole in their bottoms for number 1,2, and eggs. their hearts beat faster, they give off more heat. (you said you were considering runners... they use a ton of energy because they RUN everywhere. and they can kinda fly.)
All of this is completely unlike our own bodies. they have different needs.

pet birds (like parrots) eat tons of fruit and vegatables and other carbs in the wild (usually jungle where it grows naturally). they need that food to survive.

Sugar is not a horrible bad thing. Sugar itself is natural. (the way we process it isn't). Sugar is a basic energy for many many organisms and can not be written off because some poeple have had very good luck eliminating it from their diets.

I applaud you in all your efforts to better yours and your pets life. IT takes a lot of patience/will power/ effort that many people do not posess. Ducks though hardy, are birds... fragile animals. I tell you all of this info becuase i want you to make good informed decisions about the future, before you get ducks and it's too late. They are suck wonderful creatures and none of us here at BYC want to hear illness/injury/health problems/ or unplanned death of any animal.

Again, if you find more research on the subject please do share with us all here. If you can not find any info on a no grain diet for ducks, please consider this might be because there is no such alternitive for ducks.

 

[Wifezilla]

Nettie, I do agree that domestic ducks will need more energy than a wild duck for egg production ( as someone else pointed out earlier..excellent point btw), but I am still not convinced it needs to be in the form of grains and starches. This is especially true if the ducks are free ranging during the day, are getting kitchen scraps in the form of lettuce, kale, and other greens, are getting worms and freeze dried bugs along with access to high protein alfalfa. I still need to do the math on the macronutrient content of these foods and will do that before I commit to anything.

I have already ruled out geese because of the size of my property.

As for grains ducks can find in the wild, that is limited and seasonal. Those grains are also never subjected to the vitamin destroying heat and high pressure of extruded commercial feeds since they are completely unprocessed. WIld ducks do not get grains every day with every feeding. The may very well need SOME additional carbohydrates, but I remain extremely skeptical that this needs to be the BASIS of their diet.

I have had birds before...tropical birds in fact. Not the same, I know, but I am not a total stranger to winged creatures. I have also done a lot of research in to the diet of different zoo animals. Are you aware that there has been a surge in heart disease cases in gorillas? They are also suffering from obesity and type 2 diabetes at an alarming rate. This is often blamed on a lack of exercise, but wild gorillas do not range far within a day so the difference is negligible, especially when compared to the newer high tech enclosures. What is a big difference is the food. Zoo gorillas are fed primate biscuits and fruit. The ingredients for primate biscuits is so similar to breakfast cereal is is scary. Wild gorillas do not eat a lot of high carbohydrate food in the wild. They eat shoots and leaves primarily and fruit only seasonally. The basis of their diet is greens high in cellulose content (which is why gorillas have such long intestines...to help them extract nutrients from their high cellulose food). They also eat a lot more insects, which are high in protein and, more importantly, fat. When zoos feed these creatures easily digestible carbohydrates like wheat, oats and soy, they get fat, get heart disease and die. One of the most common mistakes in feeding primates is a lack of fat. That is why, for a long time, many species did not reproduce in captivity. Their fat and protein requirements were way underestimated. Once this problem was corrected (usually by adding insects) the animals began successfully breeding.

In the examples I have given in this in my previous posts, we have different species, different natural diet, all having the same problems when feed a high carbohydrate diet based on grains and starches. Is it any wonder I suspect the recommendations of manufacturers that make the primate biscuits, the breakfast cereal and the bird feed that contain all those unhealthy carbohydrates?

When I do get my ducks (and I am planning on starting with adults), it will be very easy for me to judge if my feeding plan is successful or not. Just like the chicken owners, I will be able to see if they are laying eggs or not. I will also be able to judge their health by the condition of any eggs they lay. If there are any problems, it will only take me 15 minutes to go to the store and switch them to a traditional duck diet.

 

[Wifezilla]

One more things...when wild ducks lay their clutch, they lay in the Spring. Grains are not ripe in the Spring. What do they use for the additional energy they need for that time in their lives? It isn't corn, since that wont be ripe until September or October. If a duck is laying eggs every day, wouldn't it be logical to feed them every day what a wild duck chooses in Spring for the laying season?

 

[eggchel]

You can grow a pool or pond full of duckweed. It is a great source of protein.

Whole recleaned oats are a good choice for adding to their feed. Seasonally, if you prefer.

Runner ducks are excellent layers and proficient foragers.

You can also plant a garden for your ducks. Plant a variety and see what they like.

An important nutrient for ducks is niacin. If they dont have enough niacin, especially when growing or after molting, then they are likely to develop leg and wing problems.

Chel

 

[Wifezilla]

Looks like duckweed is easy to grow (in fact, hard NOT to grow as long as they get a little chelated iron). I have a few large buckets I could keep some going in during the Summer.

Thanks for the suggestion.

As for the garden, I have one on the side of the house (where the ducks wont be able to reach), and I also am part of a small "friends coop" garden. There will be plenty of greens available to them due to thinning, excess, etc...

 

[Sarree]

I chop up greens, and some cucumbers and put them in a big bowl of water, THEY LOVE THIS!

Sarree

 

[vfem]

Our 'pond' ducks wonder through everyone's yard and forgage greedily in everyone's garden. I know they are mainly looking for slugs, but do hang around grasses to see what they can get. They pretty much know what their body is needed and forgage well to find it!

I think the suggestion of having a garden they have access to is wonderful! Get a nice grouping of plants together they can forgage regularly.

Luckily we have a pond in our yard with a great overgrown area like a marsh and lots of woods. We get lots of wild ducks and geese here who prefer our pond to the 2 other ponds in our area. The others are surrounded by horse pasture and don't offer the same abundunce of plants.

It couldn't hurt to create them a nice retreat to mimic wild growning plants at all!