This question makes me sad and boils my blood at the same time. Please don't listen to duck people who say you have to add niacin or brewers yeast to your ducks feed! They think this because they are feeding their ducks the wrong feed to begin with and it lacks proper nutrition for ducks and water fowl. We raise over a thousand ducks a year so I have no clue what I'm talking about right.🤣
YES there is a feed just for waterfowl. If you can't find any then GAME BIRD feed can usually substitute well just read the ingredients first. We recommend Kruses Perfection Game bird crumble. I use it for ducklings from the minute they hatch to the day they go off to camp Kenmore. I also feed this to my breeding adults and they lay year around for me!
NEVER feed ducklings or ducks "All flock" of any brand!
NEVER feed ducklings medicated starter feed!
ALWAYS READ INGREDIENTS! If it doesn't include things like niacin and brewers yeast and have a high protein then its not right for ducks!
Ducks need a high protein diet. In the wild they would be eating slugs, bugs, mice, fish, smaller birds, frogs you name it. I also breed mice for my ducks and chickens. We call it duck rugby in the duck houses and chicken football in the chicken coop.
If you bought a healthy duckling and within three days of bringing it home it begins walking funny or any health or behavior changes please check the feed you're giving it!
Next check its bedding, many people have used wood shavings and pellets and been very lucky with ducklings. NOTICE I SAID LUCKY! Ducklings eat everything in their environment when they're young including each others poop. They can injest these pellets and the pellets swell in their crops and it can not only poison them but kill them by slowly suffocating them and keeping them from swallowing any food or nutrients! SAME GOES FOR WOOD CHIPS. Ducks and ducklings can NOT SWALLOW FOOD WITHOUT WATER. If their crop swells it means they didn't drink enough water while they were eating or they were overexcited during mealtime and didn't drink enough water to digest it past their crop into their tummy. We suggest using a bermuda hay or timothy hay any kind of green grass for bedding. It keeps the smell down better than pellets and wood shavings and if you lay down a thick amount each time it will absorb the water mess quite well and peels up like a sheet at the end of each week. Also they can eat all the bermuda or timothy they want and it gives them natural nutrients they need to grow healthy!
NEVER with hold water or food from ducklings ever! Some people only feed or water ducklings at certain times of day and that is bad for ducklings. Again they will get over excited and not drink enough water and their crops can get infected or swollen or worse. Also if you withhold food or water they will be more tempted to try to eat the pellets or wood shavings out of hunger.
If you ever have any questions about ducks or ducklings please feel free to call us or email us or even message us here we will be glad to help!