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Barnyard Buddies:  Anybody know much about ducks?  |
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chickenladycris
True Blue Farmgirl
77 Posts
Cris
Prairie Farm
WI
USA
77 Posts |
 Posted - Apr 22 2010 : 11:59:32 AM
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Hi all,
I took the leap to raising a few Pekin ducklings for meat this year. They are cute, yes, but are now in the gawky adolescent stage so losing some of the initial "awwwwww" aspect. :-) It seems to me that their feathers are coming in awfully slow. They are about 5-6 weeks old now, still have yellow fuzz with some white feathers coming in, and are getting quite large so I know they are doing great other than growing feathers. I put them outside about a week ago, and took the heat lamp off of them two weeks ago. And then I read that starter feed doesn't have enough niacin for ducks, so I have doctored their water with 500 mg of niacin daily for a week--supposedly, niacin deficiency means slow feathering. I switched them to duck/goose grower feed yesterday, which they LOVE, and it reads like it will meet all their nutritional needs. But I am left wondering: Okay, they aren't too warm which would slow feather growth and they have the right diet. So when are they going to grow their feathers? Or is this normal for ducks?
"A farmgirl can never have enough chickens!"--me |
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karla
True Blue Farmgirl
1308 Posts
karla
Pella
Iowa
USA
1308 Posts |
Posted - Apr 22 2010 : 12:08:18 PM
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This is kind of normal for ducks-they definitely have that ugly duckling stage! I think mine lasted a couple of weeks before thay actually looked normal again. Mine are muscovies & they are a little different but I think you will find that all of a sudden one day you will look out & they will look "normal".
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. |
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chrystaldale
Farmgirl in Training
15 Posts
Chrystal
WV
USA
15 Posts |
Posted - Apr 22 2010 : 2:47:39 PM
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| I have Pekins and they were a little slow to feather out to. If you are like me I am use to raising baby chicks, and ducks were new for me. They are a total different ballgame. Mine are all grown up now and laying eggs everyday. Duck eggs are great for baking! |
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EastTXFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
731 Posts
Victoria
Farmgirl #549
TX
USA
731 Posts |
Posted - Apr 22 2010 : 4:48:06 PM
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Cris that is just ducks. Like Karla said they go through an ugly duckling stage that can last until they are about 3-4 months old. Some breeds longer than that. By the time they are 6 months old they will be beautiful. Be careful about adding human vitamins to animal feed or water. In some cases you can actually poison your animals.
Begin each morning with a song in your heart. |
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msdoolittle
True Blue Farmgirl
1145 Posts
Amanda
East Texas
USA
1145 Posts |
Posted - Apr 23 2010 : 05:48:39 AM
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Cris, I have raised 3 'batches' of ducks. Right now I have some Cayugas that are approximately 2 months old or so. They do have good feathering on their chests, heads, and backs, but still have some fuzz in between. It does seem to take a while for them to feather out. I guess if they were fully fuzzed, I would be concerned, but if they are feathering out, I wouldn't be. Ducks are usually ready to be at room temperature by about 4 weeks due to the dense feathering/fuzz that they have, so maybe you did accidentally keep them too warm for a bit (???).
I personally use a chick starter called Home Grown, which is unmedicated, and I have never had any problems with turkeys, ducks, or chicks. When I put the ducks outside at about 6 weeks I switched them over to Flock Raiser by Purina, and they all do great on that. It has a protein level of 20 or 21%, I believe, so it is acceptable for most poultry, for a grower and for maintenance. I wouldn't add anything to the feed, either. You can do more harm than good unintentionally.
FarmGirl #1390
www.mylittlecountry.wordpress.com |
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Barnyard Buddies: Anybody know much about ducks? |
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Anybody know much about ducks?
