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Author Topic: feeding Ducklings  (Read 5035 times)

Daisys Mum

  • Joined May 2009
  • Scottish Borders
feeding Ducklings
« on: September 30, 2012, 10:11:00 pm »
 
My Indian runners are now 2 weeks old and have been fed on duck crumb, this is really expensive at over £5 for a small bag which only lasts a few days. When can I change their feeding and what should I be giving them?
Anne

robbiegrant

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Cupar. North East Fife
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Re: feeding Ducklings
« Reply #1 on: October 01, 2012, 02:22:38 am »
Hi Daisys Mum.  :wave: Glad to hear your wee darlings are doing well. Our Runners are two weeks old too....  :excited: and we are feeding them on duck crumb. We bought a big bag ( 20kg ) of starter crumb for 12 quid and we have loads left. ( But we are feeding 3 and not 11! ) The small bags cost a bomb and the ducklings are so messy with it, quite a lot gets wasted. At some point we will switch to growers pellets ( not sure when tho...  :thinking: )

Anyway. We have started introducing other things into their diet. A porridge made of millet goes down a storm! Tonight dinner was finely chopped boiled potato and a little cheese that had gone hard finely grated onto a saucer. They scoffed it double quick!!! We have a new bin in the kitchen. ( With a snap top, this container might even find its way into the fridge  :thinking: ) it is for separating foodstuffs for oor wee darlings that would otherwise go into compost. Seems to me they will probably eat lots of different foodscraps. ( I would like to know what NOT to feed them in this regard )  Turning our food waste directly into ducks/eggs seems the way forward for us.

And dont they grow fast! Vasilly/Lucky is over 350grams already ( 15 days old ). He/She is gonna be a monster! Right now he's a very cute monster!!! First thing He/She did when introduced to the cat was walk right up to her ( fidgit ) and peck her in the face, the cat wont go near them now! poor old thing.

We have made them a run for out the back, and they have been gamboling around all day, happily nibbling daisys, grass and have even pulled up a juicy worm which they fought over. ) We are still bringing them in the hoose when the sun goes. I am dropping the temperature in the brooder more each day they pretty much at room temperature now. They are happily sleeping on a towel in the livingroom as i type. ( haven't moved off of it for hours ) It must be like their security blanket to as the brooder floor has had a towel down on the cosy end since the very start. I will put them to bed shortly.

toodlepip...  :wave:






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Sylvia

  • Joined Aug 2009
Re: feeding Ducklings
« Reply #2 on: October 01, 2012, 06:56:23 am »
If you have a surplus of eggs you can feed them hard boiled and chopped up, also chopped up groundsel, sow thistle etc. or a little bit of finely chopped grass, not too much though, maybe a teaspoonful each.
 

MAK

  • Joined Nov 2011
  • Middle ish of France
    • Cadeaux de La forge
Re: feeding Ducklings
« Reply #3 on: October 01, 2012, 07:27:26 pm »
Our two groups of ducklings would never eat the crumbs - they tucked in with the grown ups since about day 2 when they knew how to eat.  ;D I think the rabbits ate the duck crumb in the end - too expensive to chuck. Basically they eat what the adults eat and are great at catching insects. They love a ripe peach and they get a lettuce before am and pm feeds. They grow VERY quickly !
We won't even try duck crumb when the next lot arrive.
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robbiegrant

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Cupar. North East Fife
  • The Mighty Kroshka!
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Re: feeding Ducklings
« Reply #4 on: October 02, 2012, 04:25:27 pm »
Hello again DM  :wave:
On taking the advise contained in MAKS' post, we bought a big bag of duck and geese grower pellets today. The pellets are not too large for a young duck. Our Wee Yins battered into them quite happy just the same, ....and less mess... I'm sure they would have converted to them much earlier quite happily. Thanks for your post MAK.

Our policy of splitting our kitchen waste into a duck bucket with a lid kept in the frigde is working well. Finely chopped and given along side pellets and water. 

Non duck eating stuff ( coffee grounds n rotten stuff etc ) to the compost.

yay!
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goosepimple

  • Joined May 2010
  • nr Lauder, Scottish Borders
Re: feeding Ducklings
« Reply #5 on: October 02, 2012, 07:24:43 pm »
Hi DM, I feed our muscovies on brown bread squished up in milk and they LOVE it - even when they are older it's a firm favourite.  For cheapness I got a half ton of bruised barley from a local farmer - he bagged it for me in plastic bags.  Sure your farmer pal will let you have a bag to try it although my ducks have learned to eat it - I did mix it with milk to start with as it has to be soaked (half an hour does it, and in fact I have seen them eat it unsoaked, hens eat it too).  I mix things in like flaked maize, bits of bread, or just give them it straight.  They hoover it up.  It's the cheapest way I could find and they are eating it fine.
registered soay, castlemilk moorit  and north ronaldsay sheep, pygmy goats, steinbacher geese, muscovy ducks, various hens, lots of visiting mallards, a naughty border collie, a puss and a couple of guinea pigs

MAK

  • Joined Nov 2011
  • Middle ish of France
    • Cadeaux de La forge
Re: feeding Ducklings
« Reply #6 on: October 02, 2012, 08:41:49 pm »
Hi - I don't get the brown bread and bruised barley link. Do you make them bread with the barley? I think not.
How many duc klings do you have ,how many loaves of bread per day and how many pints of milk per day? This will help us under stand the daily costs.

I really want to reducefeeding costs so any tipe will be appreciated.

Cheers Martin

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northfifeduckling

  • Joined Jan 2009
  • Fife
    • North Fife Blog
Re: feeding Ducklings
« Reply #7 on: October 02, 2012, 10:12:15 pm »
I fed this year's duckling porridge cooked with milk and water until she was big enough for duckling growers pellets (couldn't get duck crumbs). Worked a treat (she's beautiful  :roflanim: ) but it is a bit more work than crumbs  :&> .

Daisys Mum

  • Joined May 2009
  • Scottish Borders
Re: feeding Ducklings
« Reply #8 on: October 03, 2012, 07:56:18 am »
 
Thanks for the replies all, ran out of crumb yesterday and cant get growers till thursday so they are on porridge, bread and anything else that I can find that was suggested . They are growing really fast and are great fun to watch. Will have to move them out the stable with the goats as they are now making such a mess and I don't think Petal and Gobo are needing to be covered in duck poo.
I got them a paddling pool yesterday so will have to rig up a way in and out of it, they love to splash in any available water.
Anne

MAK

  • Joined Nov 2011
  • Middle ish of France
    • Cadeaux de La forge
Re: feeding Ducklings
« Reply #9 on: October 03, 2012, 08:07:08 am »
Ducklings and water - beware that they need to get out of their water - put some bricks in so they can get out. We had 2 drown this year. One in a bucket of pond weed they were eating from. The smallest duckling climbed in and drowned in the bucket.
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goosepimple

  • Joined May 2010
  • nr Lauder, Scottish Borders
Re: feeding Ducklings
« Reply #10 on: October 03, 2012, 09:59:59 am »
Hi MAK, we just feed them brown bread squished in milk for the first few weeks as they love it and it gets them eating and growing (we don't let them out of their hen coups until they are big enough not to get through the chicken wire fencing) then onto bruised barley soaked, often with flaked maize soaked in it too.  They just get brown bread in it as a treat now and then.  I started off soaking the bruised barley in milk as they were used to the bread/milk thing when ducklings and wouldn't eat the bruised barley soaked in water, so did that for a couple of days and started watering down the milk (half n' half) until they eat it with water only. 
Ducks grown fast and eat loads when growing - a bit like puppies - they eat less when fully grown.


We used to feed all our ducks on mixed grain but have found they prefer all their food wet so they can hoover it up.
registered soay, castlemilk moorit  and north ronaldsay sheep, pygmy goats, steinbacher geese, muscovy ducks, various hens, lots of visiting mallards, a naughty border collie, a puss and a couple of guinea pigs

MAK

  • Joined Nov 2011
  • Middle ish of France
    • Cadeaux de La forge
Re: feeding Ducklings
« Reply #11 on: October 04, 2012, 09:49:46 pm »
Brown bread ? In France? Impossible :(
No seriousley - the milk and bread mix sounds a good starter. Thanks.
Our muscovies are eating us out of house and home. We have 16 and over the last week their pre-meal lettuce is eaten before it touches the ground.
Anyone fed them cooked potatoes with their grains? I am thinking it will fill them up and slow down the eating frenzy. 
 
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Gifts and crafts made by us.

robbiegrant

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Cupar. North East Fife
  • The Mighty Kroshka!
    • Exclusive Luxury Holiday Villa for Rent in Goa
Re: feeding Ducklings
« Reply #12 on: October 04, 2012, 09:55:20 pm »
we feed cooked  up tatties chopped up tiny. They ate them happily and finished the plate. Good carbs in tatties.
Cupar weather http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/hdfForecast?query=cupar
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Escape to paradise - http://www.vaastuvillagoa.com

It might look like I'm doing nothing, but at the cellular level I'm actually quite busy ;)

northfifeduckling

  • Joined Jan 2009
  • Fife
    • North Fife Blog
Re: feeding Ducklings
« Reply #13 on: October 04, 2012, 10:07:48 pm »
mine get cooked peelings - hens love them too, so ducks usually miss out  :&>

goosepimple

  • Joined May 2010
  • nr Lauder, Scottish Borders
Re: feeding Ducklings
« Reply #14 on: October 05, 2012, 01:48:48 pm »
Yes, Muscovies are like puppies - lots of food for the growth rate then it settles when they are fully grown - they grab it out of my hands when they're growing - the bigger ones I don't really see any more, just hanging out at the pond waiting for waitress service. ::)
registered soay, castlemilk moorit  and north ronaldsay sheep, pygmy goats, steinbacher geese, muscovy ducks, various hens, lots of visiting mallards, a naughty border collie, a puss and a couple of guinea pigs

 

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