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Feeding Ducks - Compound Feeds from
Starting with Ducks - by Katie Thear

Anyone who keeps ducks, or fancies keeping ducks in the future, will find this book extremely useful and full of practical advice and tips. This book covers everything you'd ever need to know to keep your ducks fit and healthy and is great value for money.

Part 1 of 3

Feeding Ducks

All ducks, whether dabblers, divers or perchers, have the same need for nutrients in the form of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals and vitamins; it is merely the proportions and the form in which they are found or presented that vary.

A balanced diet is essential, for too much of one type of food at the expense of other nutrients can soon lead to problems. The fact that people often throw bread to ducks on public park ponds does not mean that this is their sole diet.

This is not to say that bread cannot be given, but it should be an occasional rather than a regular item. Dried bread should be broken into small pieces and soaked, for choking is not un­heard of. It is also vital to ensure that any bread given is free of moulds. The ideal diet is a compound ration with all the necessary nutrients.

Compound feeds

Compound feeds normally consist of wheat and maize, with soya bean meal and soya oil added in order to provide the extra protein and energy requirements. Minerals and vitamins are also added to ensure against deficiencies. They are formulated in several forms, depending on the age of the birds and whether they are domestic or ornamental breeds.

Many ornamentals, for example, need a higher protein level because they are used to feeding on insect larvae and crustaceans in the water. Some feeds may contain fishmeal, but these are usually for ornamentals rather than domestic breeds. Egg and table breeds are best fed on a free-range or organic ration that has plant-sourced proteins. This caters for consumer preference, as well as ensuring that eggs do not acquire a fishy taste.

It is important to remember that the nutritional requirements vary at different stages. Ducklings require a higher percentage of protein than adults, so a starter ration of compound crumbs is advisable. These are available without anti-coccidiostat medications which some chick crumb rations contain. A starter ration is usually given for the first few weeks of life.

There are also grower rations for young ducks, to follow on after the starter crumbs. This type of feed has a reduced level of protein, normally around 15%, but may be even lower if slow-growing, free-range table ducks are being reared.

Before the breeding season starts, it is a good idea to feed a breeder ration to domestic and ornamental breeds. This formulation ensures that the breeding birds are not lacking in any of the crucial nutrients, and the ducklings are less likely to suffer from nutritional deficiency complaints.

Ducks will also take free-range layer’s pellets of the kind formulated for chickens. They are suitable for all types of ducks, not just the egg producers, and may indeed be the only type of feed available in some smaller feed stockists.

The morning when the ducks are released from their house is a good time to give a compound feed. Placing the pellets in a shallow, heavy-based feeder prevents them from being wasted by being trampled upon and dispersed into a mush.

Where ornamentals are concerned, compound feeds formulated specifically for them are available from some feed suppliers. (They will also take poultry layer’s pellets as described above). Some ornamental feed pellets are made to float on the surface of the water. These are particularly appropriate for sea ducks, such as Eiders, Goldeneyes, Mergansers and Smews, that need a higher protein feed to make up for the lack of fish which they would normally catch.

Natural and organic compound feeds are available, as distinct from the normal rations that are produced for the intensive sector. They are free of artificial additives, antibiotics or egg yolk colouring agents, a particularly important aspect for those keeping egg layers or rearing table ducks. It is also important not to give grower feeds such as those formulated for turkeys, or those produced for the intensive sector generally, because some of the additives in them are toxic to ducks. These feeds are also much higher in protein than is necessary, even for insectivorous ducks. Turkey feeds, for example, may be as high as 24% protein. Too high a level can result in an accelerated rate of growth, so that weak leg or slipped wing problems may develop. There is a list of specialist feed suppliers in the reference section. Examples of compound feeds that are available are shown in the table above.

Starting With Ducks - Sample Chapter Feeding Ducks

• Starting With Ducks - Information and Contents
• Feeding Ducks - Compound Feeds
• Feeding Ducks - Grain, Grit, Grazing Greens & Pond Feeding
• Feeding Ducks - Practice & Home Feeds for Ducks

© 2004. Katie Thear. From Starting with Ducks , published by Broad Leys Publishing Ltd