Whole grains for duck feed - Fermented Feed

[MerryMeridional]

I want to be sure my runner ducks have proper nutrition. I know too much fat and too high protein can cause issues. Can those more knowledgeable than myself give some advice on feed? I have been doing fermented feed for the ducklings with their Pro Manna Duck starter crumble and they seem to love it. I would like to continue with FF.

I would like to do a mix of whole grains. I have cracked corn that I got on sale. The tractor supply has 50lb sacks of crimped oats, barley, wheat. They also have a "local mix" for wildbirds with 50% millet/25% cracked corn/25% black oil sunflower seed. If I did an equal mix of the corn/oats/barley/wheat, plus kitchen scraps such as ends of lettuce/celery/carrots/whatever else I'm cooking, plus foraging in the garden a few times a week, would that offer proper nutrition? Or too high in something? Would it be better to start with an all flock crumble and "thin it out" with whole grains? Am I on the right track here?

Advice and opinions, please! Thank you in advance.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Until your ducklings are at least 12 weeks old I just keep fermenting their duck starter once full grown then add all the things you mentioned. I am not sure about adding the veggies into you fermented feed I have always stuck to their feed and 6 way scratch which has the other grains you mentioned.

 

[MerryMeridional]

Until your ducklings are at least 12 weeks old I just keep fermenting their duck starter once full grown then add all the things you mentioned. I am not sure about adding the veggies into you fermented feed I have always stuck to their feed and 6 way scratch which has the other grains you mentioned.

Thanks for the timeline. I will continue the Pro Manna starter feed til they are 4 weeks old (is it up to the 4 week marker, or for 4 full weeks??) as per the bag.

The farm supply up the street has Purina Flock Raiser non-medicated. Would that be ok to use up to the 12 week marker, or would I need to supplement vitamins with that formula?

Do you use an all flock feed or something else?

For the veggie scraps, I meant more that I would chop it up and give it to them, probably float it in water.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Why are you going through all that work with fermented food? - I raised my Spring Ducklings with duckling starter crumbles and now they all get their meatbird-pellets and cracked corn.
If i have, they get (Iceberg) lettuce, kale, tomatoes or cucumbers for dinner.
Some handfuls of meal-worms as a morning snack, i enjoy my duck-time in the morning after letting them out.
They have a fenced-in area of grass (more mud now, therefore the veggie dinner) where they catch insects, dig holes and feed on fresh grass.
All ducks are active, look healthy and quack-a-lot. My runners from last year have started to lay eggs again.

 

[Miss Lydia]

You can start them on Purina Flock Raiser crumble at any age so when you run out of the duck starter put them on Flock Raiser. Purina FR has the appropriate amount of niacin water fowl need. When I used Flock Raiser for many years till I switched over to a NON GMO feed I started all my babies out on it and feed it all through their lives just put oyster shell out for layers. Makes it so much easier.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Fermented feed isn’t a lot of work and my birds love it.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Fermented feed isn’t a lot of work and my birds love it.

You have to put the grains into a container, add water, stir daily and feed only as much as your birds will eat for a meal. You can't leave the fermented grains out in a feeder so they can eat when an as much as they want.
Aside of that: I tried to ferment the scratch grain that the Runners don't like, when i offered them the fermented grains, they looked at me as if i just tried to poison them. They did not even tried to eat it.
I still have some of that stuff left, used it as bird feed for the wild birds over the winter. I may make another attempt with the new ducks.
Fodder was a great hit with all the ducks!

 

[chickens really]

Fermented feed isn’t a lot of work and my birds love it.

Oh you started fermented feed again? You were not before...

 

[chickens really]

You have to put the grains into a container, add water, stir daily and feed only as much as your birds will eat for a meal. You can't leave the fermented grains out in a feeder so they can eat when an as much as they want.
Aside of that: I tried to ferment the scratch grain that the Runners don't like, when i offered them the fermented grains, they looked at me as if i just tried to poison them. They did not even tried to eat it.
I still have some of that stuff left, used it as bird feed for the wild birds over the winter. I may make another attempt with the new ducks.
Fodder was a great hit with all the ducks!

Definitely not needed that's why feed comes dry...

 

[CountryFried]

You have to put the grains into a container, add water, stir daily and feed only as much as your birds will eat for a meal. You can't leave the fermented grains out in a feeder so they can eat when an as much as they want.
Aside of that: I tried to ferment the scratch grain that the Runners don't like, when i offered them the fermented grains, they looked at me as if i just tried to poison them. They did not even tried to eat it.
I still have some of that stuff left, used it as bird feed for the wild birds over the winter. I may make another attempt with the new ducks.
Fodder was a great hit with all the ducks!

So we leave the feed out fermenting, I'm trying to figure out why we can't leave it in their bowl fermenting. Not like they don't already have any germs in it all over them from the pen, water bowl, mud puddle, whatever. My babies scarf it down, and it takes me all of a minute a day to maintain it. Just part of morning chores.