I've got week-old Anconas in the brooder house, with free-choice 18% protein chick starter available all the time. Per recommendations in Holderread's Raising Ducks, I'm feeding them chopped "dandelion greens . . . several times a day in a quantity that will be cleaned up in approximately 1 hour." Basically, twice a day I fill an egg carton with chopped greens sprinkled with a little chick grit, and it doesn't last 10 minutes. I get the impression they'd prefer to eat chopped dandelion greens 24/7 and might condescend to eat a nibble of chick starter now and then. Which by my calculations puts their protein requirements out of whack.
So how much chopped greenstuff do folks typically feed week-olds? They can't go outside and decide for themselves yet; we're getting one of those week-long 45-degree coastal rain-and-wind events that come along now and then in May to discourage excess human population along the Maine Coast, and the ducklings are still a few weeks shy of coping with that, judging from their feather development.
Thanks.
So how much chopped greenstuff do folks typically feed week-olds? They can't go outside and decide for themselves yet; we're getting one of those week-long 45-degree coastal rain-and-wind events that come along now and then in May to discourage excess human population along the Maine Coast, and the ducklings are still a few weeks shy of coping with that, judging from their feather development.
Thanks.
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