When to switch off of starter/grower feed and what to switch to? Plus, feeding males and females tha

[Miss Lydia]

That's great. It seems like it keeps feeding nice and simple for a flock of mixed ages and sexes. I really appreciate all the info. Experience usually trumps textbook for me, and until now I've been going by textbook which has made things seem really complicated and introduced a lot of uncertainty.

My ducks also have free range access to whatever they can forage in their yard, so it sounds like everything is still good and they are getting what they need. I just need to supplement calcium when the time comes and consider adding oats, etc. Do you add oats and scratch to give variety, cut protein, save on costs or something else?

I like the oats because it keeps the protein down some and they are good for them. and the 7 way scratch because it has other grains in it to give them variety. I mix it 80/10/10 not an exact science but close enough for me.

 

[TracyLovesDucks]

Hi everyone. I've decided to start purchasing my feed from a reputable local source, but I'm not sure if their options are the best for my ducks. I was hoping someone with a lot of knowledge on duck diet could help me out. I am considering using either one of two feeds (in addition to mixing oats, etc. as you do Miss Lydia and probably brewer's yeast). I did a side by side comparison of the nutrition facts for Purena Flock Raiser and the nutrients are all in the same range, but I don't know what else to look for. Could someone have a look and let me know if there are any red flags or if one would be better than the other? Thank you in advance!

Chick grower:

• Crude Protein, min20 %
• Lysine, min1 %
• Methionine, min0.4 %
• Crude Fat, min3 %
• Crude Fiber, max5.5 %
• Calcium, min0.75 %
• Calcium, max1.25 %
• Phosphorus, min0.7 %
• Salt, min0.25 %
• Salt, max0.75 %
• Vitamin A, min6,400 IU/lb
• Vitamin D, min3,200 IU/lb
• Vitamin E, min20 IU/lb

INGREDIENTS​

Organic Ground Corn, Organic Wheat Midds, Organic Soybean Meal, Organic Canola Meal, Calcium Carbonate, Organic Ground Flaxseed, Dicalcium Phosphate, Salt, Choline Chloride, Organic Plant Protein Products, Manganous Oxide, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Selenium Yeast, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Oxide, Niacin Supplement, Copper Sulfate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Sodium Selenite, Vitamin A Acetate, Riboflavin Supplement, d-Biotin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Potassium Iodide, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, DL-Methionine, Dried Aspergillus niger Fermentation Product, Vitamin D Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement.


Broiler Finisher:

• Crude Protein, min18.5 %
• Lysine, min1.0 %
• Methionine, min0.4 %
• Crude Fat, min3.5 %
• Crude Fiber, max4.5 %
• Calcium, min0.5 %
• Calcium, max1.0 %
• Phosphorus, min0.7 %
• Salt, min0.25 %
• Salt, max0.75 %
• Vitamin A, min6,000 IU/lb
• Vitamin D, min3,000 IU/lb
• Vitamin E, min25 IU/lb

INGREDIENTS​

Organic Ground Corn, Organic Soybean Meal, Organic Ground Wheat, Organic Canola Meal, Dicalcium Phosphate, Organic Ground Flaxseed, Calcium Carbonate, Organic Soybean Oil, Salt, Organic Plant Protein Products, Choline Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Manganous Oxide, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Selenium Yeast, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Oxide, Niacin Supplement, Copper Sulfate, Organic Soybean Oil, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Sodium Selenite, Vitamin A Acetate, Riboflavin Supplement, d-Biotin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Potassium Iodide, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid,, Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, Dried Aspergillus niger Fermentation Product.

 

[TracyLovesDucks]

@Miss Lydia ,
I started fermenting my feed two days ago (it's organic grower crumble 20%). I'm trying to ferment oats separately, but something is quite off about the smell... it smells very bad, stinky... not sour and nice like the feed is beginning to smell. I won't end up using these oats unless the smell changes, but I wanted to know if you've had any experiences like this with your oats?

I am using whole oats, so they still have the hull on. And I didn't crack, crush, or grind them in any way. Could this be the problem? What kind of oats do you use?

 

[Miss Lydia]

@Miss Lydia ,
I started fermenting my feed two days ago (it's organic grower crumble 20%). I'm trying to ferment oats separately, but something is quite off about the smell... it smells very bad, stinky... not sour and nice like the feed is beginning to smell. I won't end up using these oats unless the smell changes, but I wanted to know if you've had any experiences like this with your oats?

I am using whole oats, so they still have the hull on. And I didn't crack, crush, or grind them in any way. Could this be the problem? What kind of oats do you use?

I use whole oats but I mix it into my feed and it softens it up quite a bit as it ferments. Never tried fermenting them separately. I don't do long fermenting process I use a bucket make up another one so basically just 1-2 days process here, Don't have the room to set up for longer.

 

[TracyLovesDucks]

Ok. Thanks for the info!