What to feed my duckling?

[KellyHM]

My first duckling just hatched and I am starting to wonder if he can pick up the crumbles off the floor like the chicks. It's not medicated b/c I know they're not suppose to have that, but I just wondered if he'll be able to pick it up ok.

 

[KellyHM]

Ok, now that the mania is over...can anyone help?

 

[Mesa]

Honestly I have no clue, just giving you a well deserved bump.

 

[xke4]

Good Morning
For the first few days, I use paper towels on the floor of the brooder. (Not newspaper as it is too slippery, leading to leg problems). And on the paper towel, you can sprinkle a bit of duck starter just to get them used to the concept that "crumbly brown stuff equals food". After they have caught on, I feed them from a shallow dish. Do not put too much in your dish at a time as it will lead to too much waste. They crap and dribble water in their food dish and you will have to clean it frequently. When I am raising skitterish ducklings like Wood Ducks and they won't settle down long enough to learn to eat, I cut up the softest parts of a leaf of leaf lettuce and add that as well as finely chopped mealworms. Their curiosity gets the best of them and sooner or later, they eat. As for the water, if you are concerned that they are not finding their water, first carefully dip their bills in it. If that doesn't work, you can try sprinkling a tiny bit of food in the water so they have something to investigate. Again, you will be cleaning this up frequently. Good Luck