What R U Feeding Your Pekins? Update!

[Sugar Sand Farm]

Hi we have two pekin females I raised them from ducklings we give them layer crumbles and I cut up collards and roamine lettuce for them twice daily they also get frozen corn and they love frozen peas. I make a salad up twice a day as they need the niacin. We recently adopted four more magpies they do not each the greens well but when I toos them on the ground they seem to eat better. They all love scratch as well. Dont give them iceberg lettuce as it has no nutritution. Mine girls do not like alot of veggies but love the lettuce and collards.

 

[GwenFarms]

I have here out of the run and just walking around the yard with the kids right now. I've seen her eat a bite of grass and nibble at something around the side of the house (bugs, or spiders maybe ?). I would think she would be running around pulling at all of the tall grasses that are coming in, but shes not.

I don't have any other ducks right now. I think I'm going to have a friend pick up a drake to go with her at the auction Saturday night. One reason why the woman was rehoming her is because her other duck died. I had been planning on getting a few ducks, so she thought I'd be a good fit. She said there was no eating problems when the duck was at her home, even after the first ducks death.

I'll try more fresh greens when I put her back in the pen.

Does anyone know how long she can go without eating?

 

[Stormhorse23]

Maybe it is the difference in texture. Chick feed is almost like powder. Layer feed is pelleted. (most of the time)

 

[sara]

I would suggest you stick with one kind of feed, switching day by day is very hard on an animals system. You could try penning her up with the feed so that you can see what she is actually eating. My ducks are pigs, they forage around a lot but they will gobble up any feed put in front of them. Maybe she is getting food somewhere else on your property?

 

[GwenFarms]

I haven't been switching back and forth food. The first day I gave her pellets on the assumption that a two year old would be eating those. When she didn't eat them I then emailed her previous owner to find out what she had been feeding. She told me that she had always fed her starter and had recently been giving her corn. This is when I gave her the crumbles. I've also been offering some veggies each day. She is penned up with food and water. She does drink. I take her out for a bit each day when the kids, or I are with her. She has been out most of the day today because I have seen her eat some grass when she is out and I'm hoping that will give her some nutrition. This is the only food that she has had in nearly a week.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I will definetly try more variety with her veggies. If anyone can suggest anything else, please let me know. I have raised muscovies in the past and I'm assuming this duck should eat similiarly. She is definetly not! I'm still very concerned about her.

Thanks!

 

[banter]

I give the ducks and geese COOKED brown rice, chard, romaine and other leafy greens, oatmeal, cornbread and whole wheat bread. They Love the brown rice. This in addition to corn and pells and ranging.

 

[GwenFarms]

She finally ate something. After seeing how much more relaxed she looked out of the coop. I decided to bring her food out and it worked. She dove right in. She must have a problem with the confinement in the coop. I'm still going to have to keep her in there at night for now, but I'll let her free range during the day. Her pen around the little pond will be finished this weekend. I'm sure she'll be as happy in there as she is free ranging. I will let her free range some then too. Turns out she follows me everywhere I go. The kids and I took the long walk to the mailbox, heard something behind us, turned around and it was Petunia! She followed along like one of the dogs.

Hopefully she will be okay now.

 

[banter]

Yippee! Happy for you both!

 

[sara]

That's wonderful news!

 

[kurby]

Boy that is great news!! maybe she is adjusted now and happy.
K