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

[TracyLovesDucks]

Hello everyone,

My indian runner ducklings are just about... well... not ducklings anymore. They are going on 9 weeks and have been doing great on Nutrena chick starter grower crumbles (18% protein) since they were born. (Supplemented with brewers yeast when they got shaky legs.)

Now that they will soon be 10 weeks old, I have questions about what to feed them and when. I've done a little research but haven't found any specific answers. So my questions are:

1. When should I take them off the starter grower crumbles?
2. What type of feed should I switch them to?
3. And how do I account for the different dietary needs of males and females when they are living together (without over calcium-izing the males but making sure the females get enough)?

Thanks!

 

[Firekin1]

Here for ducks if you follow the feed, you feed duck/geese grower pellets and scratch on a 50/50 basis after 6 weeks, if they're breeding birds you feed the grower pellets and oystershell on a free choice basis, either or regardless of sex...and then of course all the goodies they find outside..lol

 

[Miss Lydia]

Hello everyone,

My indian runner ducklings are just about... well... not ducklings anymore. They are going on 9 weeks and have been doing great on Nutrena chick starter grower crumbles (18% protein) since they were born. (Supplemented with brewers yeast when they got shaky legs.)

Now that they will soon be 10 weeks old, I have questions about what to feed them and when. I've done a little research but haven't found any specific answers. So my questions are:

1. When should I take them off the starter grower crumbles?
2. What type of feed should I switch them to?
3. And how do I account for the different dietary needs of males and females when they are living together (without over calcium-izing the males but making sure the females get enough)?

Thanks!

Since I have quite a few drakes roosters and 1 gander[which is enough] lol I use Purina Flock Raiser it's an all flock feed, and just put out oyster shell for all my layers. That way I don't have to worry about over calcium-izing my boys.

 

[Firekin1]

Since I have quite a few drakes roosters and 1 gander[which is enough] lol I use Purina Flock Raiser it's an all flock feed, and just put out oyster shell for all my layers. That way I don't have to worry about over calcium-izing my boys.

Now see, I SERIOUSlY wish we had that option here, an all flock feed would be much easier...lol

 

[Miss Lydia]

Now see, I SERIOUSlY wish we had that option here, an all flock feed would be much easier...lol

And I can't get Water fowl feed here. But having all my flock running together I couldn't use it anyway.

 

[TracyLovesDucks]

Since I have quite a few drakes roosters and 1 gander[which is enough] lol I use Purina Flock Raiser it's an all flock feed, and just put out oyster shell for all my layers. That way I don't have to worry about over calcium-izing my boys.

Great, thanks for the details Miss Lydia. At what age do you get them on Purina Flock Raiser?

 

[TracyLovesDucks]

Since I have quite a few drakes roosters and 1 gander[which is enough] lol I use Purina Flock Raiser it's an all flock feed, and just put out oyster shell for all my layers. That way I don't have to worry about over calcium-izing my boys.

It looks like Purina Flock Raiser is 20% protein. Is this considered high for adult birds?

 

[Mashallaharabia]

We have two Pekins and 16 Muscovies, three of the Muscovies being young drakes we will kill for the table or sell. We feed the whole flock ( they are all together, both sexes and all ages) Dumor pelleted duck chow, oyster shell, and grit, "chick grit" if we have small ducklings. In addition they get old salad greens and all the insects, snails, slugs, mice, worms, insects, grass, weeds, and whatever else they can forage for themselves. The drakes can choose to eat oyster shell or not. The mother ducks do all the work incubating and raising the ducklings, we don't need to feed the ducklings separately or touch them at all until fully fledged and in need of clipping their wings. They're truly low care birds; other than feeding them and making sure they have water ( and a pool or two if it's above freezing) all they need from us is protection from predators by being shut in the duckhouse at night.

 

[Miss Lydia]

It looks like Purina Flock Raiser is 20% protein. Is this considered high for adult birds?

I start them as hatchlings Tracy, the crumbles. and haven't ever had any problem with mine eating FR with the protein that high and I have 2 ducks that will be 10 in July and 1 just turned 10 yrs this month. They are out foraging every day so they are cutting the protein all by themselves. I also add whole oats and 7way scratch grains to my FR I use in my fermented feed I feed my flock. For ducklings and chicks though I use just the FR crumbles till 4 weeks old then introduce them to the whole oats and 7 way mixed in.

 

[TracyLovesDucks]

I start them as hatchlings Tracy, the crumbles. and haven't ever had any problem with mine eating FR with the protein that high and I have 2 ducks that will be 10 in July and 1 just turned 10 yrs this month. They are out foraging every day so they are cutting the protein all by themselves. I also add whole oats and 7way scratch grains to my FR I use in my fermented feed I feed my flock. For ducklings and chicks though I use just the FR crumbles till 4 weeks old then introduce them to the whole oats and 7 way mixed in.

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?