[poppy]

Hello all,

I wonder if anyone could give me the run down on what you feed your ducks. I have 3 khaki campbells who are about 8 months old. I am new to keeping ducks and this is the first winter I've had to care for ducks. I've noticed a gradual weight loss of all 3 ducks but one more than the others. I finished worming them a couple of weeks ago. They have a constant supply of chicken layer pellets (from the Smallholder Range) and I give them cooked vegetable peelings and pasta most days. They have some corn most days as well, although they don't tend to eat much of it even though I have offered it to them soaked and unsoaked.

I realise it has been a hard winter and this is why they have lost weight along with producing their daily egg. They have also had a low wattage heat lamp on in their house at night for the last couple of weeks just to stop them using more fat reserves.

I have to shut them solely in their house at night with just water as the run is not fox proof at the moment, so they are without food through the night which probably doesn't help. The ground has not thawed for weeks now so I can't get the new fence posts in.

Is there any high calorie/protein suplement I can feed the ducks to bulk them up? 

[harry]

good duck / geese feed is whole wheat and barley not mixed corn as for hens, i mix a little growers in for extras, but waterfowl forage they are not vegies, the eat mice slugs worms etc

[jameslindsay]

Hi Poppy, my ducks are locked up at night with no food either and that doesn't cause a problem. The weather has been awful this year so I am sure that has something to do with it. God luck, let us know how you get on.

[harry]

ducks can prefer to eat at dusk

[doganjo]

ducks can prefer to eat at dusk

Mine all get the same as the chickens as they are in the same run - layers pellets, veges, porridge etc - twice a day morning and teatime, but the ducks are always out after the chooks have gone to bed so they quite often get something extra - bread for example.

[Daisys Mum]

My ducks are also in the same run as the chickens and I have noticed that they do like to eat after the chickens have gone to bed. I also let them out 10 -15 mins before the chooks in the morning so they get first go at the feed. One of the silly Khaki Campbell girls went in the hen house last night and when we let them out this morning she has no feathers left on her wings. Hens are such horrible bullies, we would not have left her there if we had noticed but I was late shutting up last night and it was dark.

[doganjo]

My ducks are also in the same run as the chickens and I have noticed that they do like to eat after the chickens have gone to bed. I also let them out 10 -15 mins before the chooks in the morning so they get first go at the feed. One of the silly Khaki Campbell girls went in the hen house last night and when we let them out this morning she has no feathers left on her wings. Hens are such horrible bullies, we would not have left her there if we had noticed but I was late shutting up last night and it was dark.

I have two sheds and one of them is a dedicated duck shed - the other is a cheap garden shed from a DIY place - and where do the ex batts sleep?  In with the ducks!  The LS cockerel and hen go in the other one on their own.  Try as I might I cannot get them to change their minds, so when the perma frost has lifted the plan is to separate the ducks into a new run and shed, and leave the chooks to do what they want with the duckshed.

[ballingall]

All our poultry get Layers mash in the morning- made hot with boiling water and fresh goats milk to cool it down a bit, we make it a bit runny because the ducks like it sloppier than the chickens do. The hens all have hoppers in their run with pellets and mixed grain in so they get that ad lib, while the ducks get a helping of layers pellets in their run in the afternoon. We give them mixed grain as well, because the call ducks like that best- I have no idea why. They also get a bowl of leftovers when they are any, pasta etc. When I am home in the afternoon as well (only at the weekends) they get an extra feed late afternoon- porridge like Annie makes (I use her recipe) or bread and milk. 

Ours too are shut in at night, once it gets dark, and they have no food or water in their shed. Ducks will eat in the dark unlike hens, so you could put something extra for them at night.

I'm sure yours will be fine, the weather has been extreme this year.


Beth

[northfifeduckling]

The weight loss might be because they were producing eggs in these harsh temps. This is the first year that all of mine , even the Campbells, are taking  break.
I feed them layers pellets and soaked wheat. Mine don't like barley unless it's malted (from brewing). I do add veggie scraps and rice or pasta in the morning, but found that the new hens are much more into kitchen greens. the ducks get fed again before they go to bed, they spend all day ruining what is left of my lawn! I never put any food or water into the duck house,they make enough mess without. the only time I did was when I had a broody duck and she didn't leave the house.

[Daisys Mum]

"One of the silly Khaki Campbell girls went in the hen house last night and when we let them out this morning she has no feathers left on her wings. Hens are such horrible bullies, we would not have left her there if we had noticed but I was late shutting up last night and it was dark."

When I went out to feed this afternoon unfortunately she had died

[doganjo]

Looks like she may have been ill - the chickens would have known - don't think they have killed her.  What do you think?

[Daisys Mum]

I think that you are right Annie, She had not seemed as bright as the others for a couple of days, I just hope that it is not infectious, will just have to keep a close eye on the others. This weather does not help my run is so muddy now that the snow is melting and it is hard to keep the houses dry, when the doors are open the rain blows in, roll on spring!!

[doganjo]

I know how that feels.  I was actually quite glad to see the frost and the snow to dry up my run!  But it's bucketing tonight so i can imagine what it will be like tomorrow.  My duck shed door is frozen to the ground so I've been unable to clean it out for at least three weeks - that is NOT a job I'm relishing!  The chicken one shouldn't be so bad as it is further off the ground and has vinyl on teh floor so easily removed, cleaned adn hosed down.  But both are jobs for a better day than tomorrow looks like being.  Sorry about your duck, DM - hope the others are OK.

[poppy]

Thank all for replying.

The ducks don't look ill or act it, they are very active and keen to forage around the garden. They also have a good appetite and seems especially desparate for food when I first let them out. They always have access to the layers pellets during the day. I have been giving them cooked vegetables mixed with either pasta or potato each day while the snow and frost was here. They don't seem to fussed for the corn, I have tried it cook and straight out of the bag but there's always some left in the bowl. It is the mixed corn intended for chickens I think (Smallholder Range).

I think I will stop putting the water in with them at bedtime as their bed is soaked and I have to change it regularly. It's just they seem desparate for food and water in the morning when I let them out.

They are still laying an egg each evaryday, even through the cold weather so hopefully their weight loss is just down to that.

I was doing some research and came across Impaction (crop binding). Is this common? I'm not sure where the crop is (neck?) as my book says to give the duck a spoonful of cooking oil and then 'knead' the crop area. 
They do forage all the time, would it be obvious if they had a blockage?

lastly, is it good to have a food routine, I just give them veggies when I can. Should I try a feed just pellets in the morning and veggies/corn in the afternoon?



   

 

[northfifeduckling]

I would take them off the mixed corn and only give them wheat and barley (if they like it). someone suggested that the mixed stuff wasn't good for ducks and what's the point if they just leave the bits they don't like. It's much cheaper, too, to go onto single grain. With ducks I would not give them layers pellets ad lib, as they can get egg bound (happened to mine when I introduced the pellets), it possibly says on the bag how much is recommended per bird per day. I only give pellets in the morning and soaked grain ad lib refilled twice a day.
I think if they are foraging freerange in your garden they don't need veggies as they will find what they need, but if they like them, give them extra scraps.
I've never come across crop binding, so can't give any advice. No way I could catch my ducks to massage them, as much as I'd like to try my skills on them,lol.
A good routine is helpful, starting with a good load of food when they get up (mine around 9.30), then I check at lunchtime and before they go into their house. Nearly forgot because it's winter - I do collect slugs and snails for them. If they see me with the bucket coming from the veg plot they come running