Feeding Ducks

Perry The Pom · **Posted:** Mon Dec 28, 2009 1:46 pm

G'day
How can one stop ducks wasting food. I purchase Duck Mash for my ducks. I feed them twice a day, morning and afternoon. I place their feed in a bowl. The ducks eat a small amount of mash and then run to the water and drink water and I think regurgitate. They knock more food on the grass than they eat and when I clean their water containers there is mash in the bottum of the container. Which is the best way to feed them?
Thanks

Sebducks · **Joined:** Wed Mar 11, 2009 3:41 pm **Posts:** 812

Thats the age old question when you own ducks I'm afraid. Ducks require water with their feed, they take food in their bills then go to the water for a drink, they aren't regurgitating anything its just they drop some in the water when they drink. Personally I find a shallow but large dish to work better than a small deep one and lots of water cleaning ie twice a day.

Walloon · **Joined:** Mon Dec 28, 2009 6:32 pm **Posts:** 6

Make up a wet mix like I do. I feed them in the morning and afternoon with a mix of 1 part mash 2 parts water only feed as much as they eat then take it away. You can even mix in vitamins ect.. mine love the porridge mash as I call it.

Perry The Pom · **Posted:** Tue Dec 29, 2009 12:09 pm

Thank you for your feed back. I tried a new shallow feeding tray this morning in stead of a deep bowl. The bowl was white the tray was red. The ducks would not go anywhere near the food to start with. They must have been afraid of the new item in their run!!!!. Once one took a feed the rest got into it no worries. This afternoons feed I will make up a mash slurry for them. I clean their water containers before I feed them. What vitamins do you add?
Thanks Perry the Pom

chooky81 · **Posted:** Tue Dec 29, 2009 4:12 pm

I've found hanging plastic barrel feeders with a china cap (to keep out vermin and rain) very handy but only for pellet feed. Hanging waterers are also good but need refilling daily.

One thing I have found is ducks love to forage in water for food so I have a shallow dish with water in it, I shove a little grain in there or leafy greens, they go wild dibbing for it it's also good practice for ducklings to learn to forage...foraging and free rangeing helps keep down the feed bill too... [smilie=a_cookiemonster.gif]

You could also try recycling the big plastic bottles that molasses comes in by cleaning them out, cutting them in half, nailing them to a small board and then wiring them around the pen around mid duck breast height. I do this for my ducks so they don't waste their feed.

I also do this for a waterer because they foul up the water at ground level this way they have clean water to drink and they can dib their faces in to clear their nostrils and clean their eyes.

You can also make feeders and waterers with PVC plumbing downpipes....cut a rectangle in the middle of a long bit of pipe then get 2 end caps and seal them on with silicone or similar, wire to cages or in pens...or make a J feeder the same way

Vitamins in feed....I don't add any vitamins they get a wide diet, sometimes I do add Diatomaceous Earth to their wet and dry feed the only thing I add to their water is Apple Cider Vinegar (for 1 week out of the month) both the above deter worms e.t.c thats about the only vitamins/prevention they need and you have seen photos of my Indian Runners, they are very healthy.

Perry The Pom · **Posted:** Tue Dec 29, 2009 5:22 pm

Thank you chooky81.

I will certainly take all of that info on board. I use Diatomaeous Earth to kill Small Hive Beetles in my be hives. What amounts do you use? How much to 500g feed. The vinegar, how much to a 9lt bucket of water?

chooky81 · **Posted:** Wed Dec 30, 2009 10:07 pm

Perry The Pom wrote:

Thank you chooky81.

I will certainly take all of that info on board. I use Diatomaeous Earth to kill Small Hive Beetles in my be hives. What amounts do you use? How much to 500g feed. The vinegar, how much to a 9lt bucket of water?

So you already know the wonderful uses of Diatomaceous Earth :D

For the Diatomaceous Earth I put around 1 teaspoon per duck/chook in with their feed.

For Apple Cider Vinegar I try to get the one with the mother, that hasn't been refined or filtered. I put around 4 desertspoons of apple cider vinegar to 4 litres of water...I also find it stops the waterers growing algae and is especially good for the duckpond...about 1 small cup I put in their pond.

Hope that helps

TDK POULTRY · **Joined:** Mon Nov 16, 2009 6:30 pm **Posts:** 6

For those that have not heard of DIATOMACEOUS EARTH this web site has good details
http://www.greenharvest.com.au/pestcont ... _info.html

Walloon · **Joined:** Mon Dec 28, 2009 6:32 pm **Posts:** 6

There's heaps you can use but a good one is Abdextra - Keymix just use it in moderation

Perry The Pom · **Posted:** Fri Jan 01, 2010 9:21 am

What is Abdextra - Keymix? What is it used for?
Thank you

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