When Do Ducks East Layer Feed
A slightly different focus today – ducks! More specifically, what should ducks eat, how you should feed them, what treats can you give them, and much more.
As a small child, I can remember going to the riverside with my Mum to feed the ducks. Those ducks used to make me laugh with their antics and the way they waddled!
We used to feed them old bread (a big no-no nowadays), but back then we didn't know any different and the ducks didn't seem to mind either.
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about what ducks eat, both in the wild and as pets.
What Ducks Eat In The Wild?
Wild ducks have a varied, omnivorous diet. While we think of them eating mainly weeds, waterside plants, and dabbling through the mud, you may be surprised to read some of the things they eat!
While dabbling in the lovely mud at the bottom of ponds and streams, they are looking for things like crawfish, small shrimps, beetle larvae even small frogs, fish, and newts.
They do eat a lot of plant-based materials (seeds, greens, weeds, water plants, and roots), grass, berries, and nuts (when in season).
Since their diet in the wild is unpredictable they have evolved to eat a wide variety of things to maintain health all year long.
Ducks are able to carry large fat reservoirs under that wonderful feather insulation which will see them through short snaps of bad weather.
They also reduce their exposure to the elements by finding sheltered spots to sit in and they have specialized blood flow to their legs and feet to prevent freezing.
Feeding Pet Ducks 101
Feeding ducks the right diet has a tremendous influence on how they grow and develop. Poor diet lacking in nutrition will most certainly have a detrimental effect on them.
There are very few feed manufacturers that put out feed specific for ducks. I was able to find one but it was very expensive.
Instead, you can use chicken feed if you need to.
Chicken feed, although similar does not provide all of the necessary nutrients for ducks, so you may have to improvise (more on this later).
To keep it simple we are going to tell you how here:
Ducklings
They will require 20-22% chick crumbles (non-medicated). You will need to add 1.5 tablespoons of brewers' yeast to each cup of feed.
The crumbles need to be made into a wet mash consistency since it is easy for ducklings to choke on dry crumbles.
Make sure your ducklings have access to water at least an hour before you feed them and make sure it's no deeper than ¼ inch.
You should supervise ducklings in water since they are not 'waterproof' until around 4 weeks old and can easily drown in a small amount of water.
Week 3
Now you should drop the protein content in the feed to 16-18%, continue to add the brewers' yeast.
Week 20
Here your ducks can now change over to pelleted chicken layer feed 16%. They will no longer require the brewers' yeast.
Something that ducks need a lot of is water. They need lots of water to drink; an adult duck can drink half a gallon each day.
They also like to wash their faces in the water and of course, paddling and swimming.
When you have ducks, you can never have enough water!
How Much To Feed Them
The amount that you should feed your ducks is not dissimilar to chickens. At the 0-4 week stage, they should be given free choice in order to eat what they want.
At 4-20 weeks they will consume roughly 0.25lb feed per day each and at 20+ weeks they will be eating around 0.3lb feed per day.
If your birds are allowed to free-range, they will gather much of their nutrition from the garden and surrounding area.
Whether or not you feed free choice, or twice a day, is up to you and what you think is best. Many folks feed twice a day but will also have some treats available in case the ducks want a snack.
Obviously, the amount your duck will eat varies with the size of the duck. Little Call ducks will eat considerably less than a Cayuga or Appleyard.
Basic Feed Requirements
In this section, we are going to go through all of the dietary stages of ducks and their requirements for growth and development.
0-2 Weeks
This is the time that ducklings require the highest protein content of their diet (20-22%). There are lots of growth going on in this stage.
3-8 Weeks
The protein content should be cut back to 16% now to encourage growth at a reasonable speed. The growth rate should also start to slow down a little at this time.
Some people keep them on an 18% protein feed to increase the rate of growth, but a high protein diet can cause wing and leg deformities along with kidney and liver problems.
9-20 Weeks
As incredible as it may seem, ducks have reached somewhere between 70-90% of their growth by week 9! The protein content of the feed should be around 15%.
Between 9-20 weeks, the growth rate slows. They replace their adolescent feathers with adult plumage and finally reach sexual maturity. Now is the time to separate the sexes if you want to.
Adult Ducks
Now the feeding of your ducks can get a bit confusing – we can divide the adults into 3 categories:
Maintenance diet:
This is for the seasons when the ducks are not laying, late Fall/winter. The protein requirement can drop to 12-14%.
Layer diet:
Those eggs certainly deplete a girl's protein! 16% protein will do, but you can use 18% for short spurts.
Drake and non-layer diet:
Drakes and non-laying hens require the standard 14% for maintenance.
Vitamins and Minerals
Ducks require the same vitamins and minerals that chicks do but in slightly different quantities.
Calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D are essential to the well-being of the duckling. Insufficient quantities can result in bone problems. This usually manifests as difficulty in walking (usually called rickets in severe cases).
Niacin deficiency in ducklings can be very common if you feed chick starter to your ducks.
Chick feed does not contain sufficient niacin for duck health, so you need to add some to the feed.
This is very easy to do; brewers' yeast powder can be added to either the feed or water daily. Insufficient niacin leads to neurological problems, shaking, bowed legs, seizures, and eventually death if not corrected.
Several changes in protein level may seem a bit finicky and not everyone sticks to the exact regimen, but if you want to raise healthy ducks, it is worth the time and effort.
Buying a large bag of 20% crumbles will see you through the various changes if you are prepared to 'doctor' the feed yourself.
As an example, you have 20% protein feed but want to give 15-16% protein feed. Use 3 cups of 20% feed and 1 cup of rolled oats to mix in and you have reduced your protein intake to around 15%!
What Treats Can I Feed Ducks?
Like most of our pets, ducks enjoy treats, but what do you feed them?
It's really not so different from chicken treats and like chicken treats the treat should have no more than 10% of their daily intake. Here is a list of some treats you can feed them:
- Cracked corn (huge favorite)
- Grains (wheat and barley)
- Uncooked oats
- Milo
- Black oil sunflower seeds (a huge favorite)
- Birdseed
- Chopped salad or greens
- Watercress
- Mealworms
- Fresh fruit (grapes halved, banana, apple (without seeds), peaches, blueberries, and blackberries)
- Veggies (chopped into small pieces, sweet corn is a favorite)
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Scrambled eggs
You should not feed them, raw potato, spinach, citrus, or avocado.
Frequently Asked Questions about Feeding Ducks
Can Ducks Eat Bread?
Ducks will eat stale bread, donuts, chips, crackers, and popcorn but these things are very low in nutrition and can actually be bad for them.
If you want to feed the ducks give them something healthy; birdseed, cracked corn, peas, veggie trimmings (cut into small pieces), or mealworms.
All will be appreciated and are much healthier for them!
What Do Wild Ducks Eat In Winter?
You may see them in areas where there is still running water or at the edges of ponds and wetlands where the ice is not quite so thick, they will be probing for anything under the ice.
If there is open water they will be 'fishing' for small fish or other snacks. Almost any green vegetation is eaten and any berries on the hedgerows.
What Is Angel Wing?
This is a problem caused by too much protein in the diet. It causes their feathers to stick out rather than lay flat. It can be severe enough to prevent them from flying.
What Do Ducks Eat Final Thoughts
Whilst it is difficult to buy feed specifically for ducks, with a little ingenuity you can modify your chicken feed to suit them.
It really isn't difficult to do and won't take up much time at all – in fact, you will soon be an expert at it!
Ducks are delightful creatures, sure to bring a smile to your face every day. They are also a tremendous benefit in the garden where they love nothing better than to chow down on slugs, snails, and bugs.
They will happily patrol the lawn (on pest control duties) looking for tasty snacks before retreating to the pond for some boisterous paddling and bathing time.
Do you keep ducks, if so what breeds? Let us know in the comments section below…
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Source: https://www.thehappychickencoop.com/what-do-ducks-eat/
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