What to feed pet or backyard ducks to maximize their health and longevity

Aaron von Frank

Niacin is essential for proper development in waterfowl during the first 8 weeks. After that, needs lessen. If you have a good duckling-specific feed, it will contain enough niacin. However, niacin is a water soluble vitamin, so you almost can’t overdo it. A copy/paste from our article about raising ducklings:

“Add Niacin (Vitamin B3) to the feed and/or water. Because ducklings grow faster than chicks, chick starter does not have the niacin levels that are optimal for ducklings. National Research Council (NRC) requirements for ducklings are 55 mg/kg niacin per 2.2 pounds of feed compared to only 27-35 mg/kg for chicks. Niacin deficiencies in ducklings lead to leg deformities since they don’t have the nutrition to support proper bone and muscle development. To supplement, we typically add 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast per cup of crumble or 100mg B-Complex. (You can also add the same amount per gallon of drinking water instead of to their food.) You can order either form of niacin via Amazon. Make sure you do NOT get timed-release or flush-free B vitamins — neither of those are niacin!”

You definitely want to get a friend or two for your duck to make sure she stays happy! For your sake, try to get females, not males, or you’ll have to deal with all sorts of problems. Also, given their large size, you should know that Pekins are more prone to health problems such as arthritis and leg/ankle injuries. We try to get our Pekin to eat a Wholemega Fish Oil pill daily, which can help prevent some of these illnesses and injuries. We stick the pill inside a small cherry tomato (which she loves) and she wolfs down the whole thing.

Best of luck to you!

Aaron von Frank

Hi Meg! If you can’t keep the two flocks segregated by day and/or night so as to offer slightly different feed regimens, then I’d definitely go with 100% maintenance feed for the whole flock, offering oyster shell on the side. If you haven’t already done so, please be sure to watch our two interviews with Dr. Scott Echols. He’s one of the world’s top avian vets. Both videos are chock full of useful, practical duck care advice that go deep into this topic and other important topics related to nutrition, supplements, general care, etc.
-Interview 1: https://www.tyrantfarms.com/part-1-dr-scott-echols-duck-healthcare/
-Interview 2: https://www.tyrantfarms.com/second-interview-with-dr-scott-echols-duck-nutrition-healthcare/.

Aaron von Frank

Thanks, Debbie! We’ve heard of water glassing eggs but have never tried it. Our family actually eats so many eggs that we’ve never been overwhelmed on the production side. Plus, we have neighbors, friends, and other family that are always happy to have any of our extra eggs. Once all of our new female ducks start producing, we may have to give water glassing a try.

Aaron von Frank

We’d love to be able to feed our ducks certified organic food. Problem: It’s currently impossible to find a certified organic duck food that’s specifically formulated for waterfowl/ducks, much less one that’s in kibble form. Chickens and ducks have different nutritional needs, so using organic chicken-specific feed (which is easy to find) or feed that claims to be formulated for chickens and ducks isn’t viable. Certified organic duckling feed is available, but that’s a different formulation than what’s ideal for mature ducks. (And any time we raise ducklings, they get certified organic crumble.)   

When we first started raising ducks over a decade ago, we were using organic Scratch & Peck feed for our mature ducks and some of our girls were just picking out the bits they liked and not eating the rest, unbeknownst to us. One of them ultimately ended up dying as a result. Hence our desire to use kibble. 

If there was a certified organic duck kibble/pellet feed that was on the market today, we’d be using it. Since there isn’t, we’re using the best available alternative we have, and the one that our avian vet recommends. We have some ducks that are 10 years old and have been consuming Mazuri waterfowl feed from the time they reached maturity.

Aaron von Frank

Thanks for your kind words, and glad to hear the information we provide has been helpful for you in raising your ducklings and ducks! Fermented foods can be great for your ducks! Frankly, the reason we don’t go that route regularly is lack of time – or maybe more honestly, laziness. Ha. You’ll still need to make sure you’re paying careful attention to the macro- and micronutrient profile of your feed, even though the microbial action boosts some of the nutrients and makes them more bioavailable. Best wishes!

Aaron von Frank

You should be able to sex your ducklings within a few weeks based on their vocalizations. See our article about how to sex ducklings and ducks here: https://www.tyrantfarms.com/how-to-tell-boy-and-girl-ducks-or-ducklings-apart/.

As far as what to feed your ducklings, it’s very important you get their nutrition right or they could end up with permanent physical deformities, which are often caused by niacin deficiencies and/or incorrect protein levels. For what to feed ducklings, see: https://www.tyrantfarms.com/how-to-raise-ducklings-a-step-by-step-guide/.

Best of luck!

Aaron von Frank

Hi Christi! Thanks for putting so much care and attention on your ducks’ health (and your chickens, too). 22% protein is way higher than what our avian vet recommends for ducks, so dropping to 16.5% protein is certainly an improvement. As we note in this article, Mazuri waterfowl feed breeder/layer formula is 17% protein, 2.5-3.5% calcium. If your ducks are able to free-range in a large and rich environment, they’re also going to be able to get worms, slugs, snails, and other high-protein supplemental food (plus nutrient-rich greens and seeds which are higher in carbohydrates). Bottom line: it sounds like your ducks are positioned for good health and longevity. Just keep a close eye on two things:
1) their egg shells to make sure the shells are not showing abnormalities (deposits, thin shells, etc), and
2) laying too long (we want our ducks to stop egg production in the fall and not pick back up until late winter-early spring so their bodies have time to recover and remineralize).

Side note: We’ve only briefly experimented with this but you might want to try it as well… acorns. Wild ducks eat acorns in the fall. One year, we cracked large white oak acorns for our ducks and cut the nut meat into small bits. Lot of work, but our ducks enjoyed it and their yolks were even more beautiful than normal. So that could be a good alternate feed source for you that avoids oats, corn, and soy. Acorns can also be made into great human food as we detail here: https://www.tyrantfarms.com/diy-how-to-make-acorn-flour-acorn-recipes/

Hope this helps and good luck to you and your flock!

Aaron von Frank

Hi Diana, and sorry to hear about your duck’s leg injury. It’s very hard to recommend a treatment regimen without a diagnosis. It sounds like you’ve ruled out bumblefoot (reference: https://www.tyrantfarms.com/how-to-treat-bumblefoot-in-ducks-safely-effectively-and-humanely-with-video/), which would be the most likely culprit. After ruling out bumblefoot, a vet would likely start by checking for hot, swollen joints which could pinpoint an injury. If that didn’t yield anything obvious, they’d likely next do a radiograph to see what’s going on inside. It could be a break, a strain, arthritis, or an infection. Again, depending on the diagnosis, the treatment regimen would vary. Pain meds, activity restriction, and possibly some sort of wrap or brace could be used to treat a physical injury, whereas antibiotics would likely be prescribed for an infection. To help try to figure out what’s happening, some questions: 1. Did the limp come on slowly or did it just happen all of a sudden one day? 2. Do you see swelling or feel any hot joints? 3. Does your duck ever lay soft, misshapen, or bumpy eggs? 4. Is it easy for the duck to get in and out of the pool, i.e. is the pool level with the ground?

Also, a bit of bad news: due to their larger size, Pekins are known to be more prone to leg injuries than smaller breeds.

Aaron von Frank

Hi! A little more detail on our duck feeding recommendations:

>1-2 weeks old: 18-20% protein (ideally crumble feed, not pellets)
>Between 3-8 weeks old (where you are now): 15-16% protein (crumble, not pellets – we mix organic old fashioned oats into their crumble to lower protein levels)
>9-18 weeks or until they start laying: 13-14% protein, plus make oyster shell available in separate bowl in case they need it as their bodies begin to initiate egg production
>Laying hen: *15-17% protein and 2.5-3% calcium, plus make oyster shell available in separate bowl in case they need it (*protein % varies by point in season, health of birds, and egg shell quality – this assumes a focus on health not maximum egg production)
>Mature non-laying ducks and drakes: 13-15% protein, plus make oyster shell available in separate bowl in case they need it (oyster shell available for females, males shouldn’t need it)

For reference, here are the numbers on the Mazuri waterfowl feed which is the brand our avian vet recommends:

>starter: 20% crude protein (these are pellets; we actually start our ducklings on a certified organic starter crumble)
>maintenance feed: 14% crude protein. 0.8-1.3% calcium
>breeder/layer feed: 17% protein, 2.5-3.5% calcium

What we’ve found over the past three years with a lower protein regimen for our laying hens is that the approach requires careful attention to your flock. While sunlight exposure + daylight hours dictate hormonal shifts which trigger physiological responses like egg production, other environmental cues like protein levels in their diet also help to influence egg production. What we’re basically trying to do is get our ducks to lay fewer eggs each year by starting egg production later in the season and ending egg production sooner in late summer/early fall. That’s still A LOT of eggs for a duck to produce. As a visual reference, imagine a bell curve overlaying a time period between late winter through late summer. At the beginning and ends of the bell curve are when we mix in the least amount of breeder/layer feed and at the peak of the curve (in mid summer) is when we mix in the most breeder/maintainer feed.

We fully acknowledge that this is an unorthodox duck feeding approach and there isn’t research data to draw on in order to determine efficacy and overall health effects of this approach on domestic duck populations. However, anecdotally, we can say that we’ve had no serious illnesses or deaths in our flock since implementing this feed approach whereas we had fairly regular health issues when we stuck to the conventional high protein approach.

*In the summer, we also provide supplements like Rooster Booster in their water, plus give them lots of greens, fresh tomatoes, and other treats (See our 10 summer care tips for ducks which are applicable now: https://www.tyrantfarms.com/summer-care-tips-backyard-ducks/). Our ducks also get to forage out in our gardens for 1-2 hours each night when we’re out, which means they’re also eating worms, slugs, snails, etc. Heat and heat-stress reduces calcium absorption, so it’s especially important to provide shade, supplements, cool swimming water, fans, or anything else you can do during summer when they’re laying eggs to keep your ducks happy, healthy, and in top shape.

Hope this helps and please let us know if you have any questions!

Aaron von Frank

Ducks eat a lot more when they’re laying eggs to account for all the extra calories and nutrients it takes to produce an egg. At 10 weeks old, your girls aren’t laying eggs yet (that usually starts at around 16 weeks old unless low sunlight hours delay the process to the following spring). However, they’re still going to need a lot of food and nutrition which they might not be able to get from foraging the same spots each day. Remember, wild Mallards can fly to new foraging spots; domestic flightless ducks like Welsh harlequins can’t. And they need plenty of good nutrition and calories to develop and remain healthy.

Our girls are also out foraging their fenced backyard all day then the rest of the gardens with us in the evening, but we still give them unfettered access to a bowl of Mazuri waterfowl feed as well (this time of year, it’s usually 50% layer / 50% maintenance or even slightly higher on the maintenance percentages). They eat when they need to and that doesn’t seem to diminish their desire to forage, which is more for fun and supplementation than the majority of their diet.

It sounds like with your situation though, that you need to use your ducks’ feed as an incentive for them to come in to their coops at night, otherwise it might be hard to get them inside. If so, maybe start the day with a cup of food per duck in outdoor bowls. Hopefully, they finish it by late afternoon but it keeps them well enough fed during the day. Then they’ll still be hungry enough by the time it’s cooping hour for them to want to come inside.

Hope this helps!

Aaron von Frank

Hi Evie! Answers to your two questions below:

1. I’ll copy & paste from our how to raise ducklings guide/article (https://www.tyrantfarms.com/how-to-raise-ducklings-a-step-by-step-guide/) since it directly answers your question:

“Ducklings (like chicks) require higher levels of protein the first two weeks of life, 18-20% protein to be exact. When your ducklings are 3 weeks old, bump the protein levels of your chick feed down to 15-16% by mixing in 20% organic old fashioned oats to their crumble.

This encourages your ducklings to grow at a healthy, normal rate vs. the more accelerated rate commonly recommended for broilers & commercial egg layers (as per duck expert, Dave Holderread, in Storay’s Guide To Raising Ducks).

This step is extremely important because sustained higher levels of protein can cause leg and wing deformities in addition to causing kidney and liver damage.”

Since your ducks are now at 4 weeks, you’ll definitely want to taper down their protein percentages immediately as detailed above. And keep utilizing the nutritional yeast.

2. Yes, a duckling’s “foraging” often entails picking at inedible things like brown leaves, sticks, etc. This is how they learn their world and what parts of it they can eat. Obviously, you’ll want to be very careful that there aren’t small pieces of plastic, metal screws, and similarly dangerous objects that could kill them if swallowed. If they’re just out foraging in your lawn (which hopefully doesn’t contain any pesticides) then they’ll be perfectly fine to forage away.

Aaron von Frank

Glad to hear that, Diana, thanks! Yes, it’s definitely a good idea to let your ducks determine how much grit they need rather than putting it in their food. Sounds like you’ve got a nice setup for your flock.

Aaron von Frank

Thanks for your kind words, Laura! Yes, you definitely don’t want to feed high protein layer feed to drakes. Good on you for figuring that out and focusing on the long-term health of your ducks.

We’re a few years into our new feeding regimen for our girls, and are happy to report zero reproductive health problems in our flock since. We do mix in some higher protein feed to their maintainer feed during laying season (especially in summer) but maintain a much lower protein diet than is generally recommended for maximum egg production. They stopped laying about a month ago, and we’re ok with that. We’d rather have healthier, longer-lived ducks than more eggs. 🙂

Aaron von Frank

Thanks, John! We offer oyster shell to our ducks year round. It will pretty well go untouched when the ducks aren’t laying – they might take a nibble here and there as-needed. However, a few weeks before they start laying again, they’ll start eating it. This is a good indicator that eggs are on the way, which is helpful to know so you can start checking their coop in the morning. Note that you’re not actually wasting or having to refill the oyster shell when they’re not eating it since oyster shell doesn’t go bad.

Aaron von Frank

Hi Monika! If your girls are still healthy and doing well after 6 years under your current care/feeding regimen, chances are you’re doing things right. Otherwise, health problems would have become evident by now. Granted, just as in people, duck care can and should change with age. Ducks will naturally lay fewer eggs as they get older, but you may want them to lay even fewer eggs each year to make sure they don’t put too much stress on their bodies. As you said, you can make them go broody with fake eggs, which triggers a hormonal response that shuts down egg production. We’ve made our ducks go broody for similar reasons using similar methods as we detail here: https://www.tyrantfarms.com/why-and-how-to-make-a-duck-go-broody/.

As far as making our own customized feed for our ducks: we’ve never done that or had the need to do it since we have access to high quality waterfowl-specific feeds here in the US. Frankly, without a science lab and a way to precisely measure macro and micronutrient content of a do-it-yourself duck feed, I’d be very wary about going that approach since ducks’ nutritional needs are pretty precise. In your situation, it sounds like your garden + foraging may be helping them get the nutrients they need to stay healthy since corn by itself would not have an optimal macro and micronutrient profile for a duck’s long-term health.

Bottom line: it sounds like what you’re doing is working, so drastic changes aren’t warranted. Perhaps the best way for you to reduce egg production in your ducks is to force your girls to go broody with fake eggs at a certain point during the year, rather than changing their feed regimen.

Best of luck to your and your flock, and cheers from the United States!

Aaron von Frank

Thanks, Katie! We actually have a good friend who keeps geese and ducks in the high desert of Colorado (Dolores). She uses Mazuri waterfowl feed, which is also what we switched to a while back as per our avian vet’s recommendation. Mazuri waterfowl feed is designed to float on water, so she feeds her ducks and geese in their pond each day by simply tossing their food in the water. No way for other birds to get it. So, you might consider putting their food in bowls of water or whatever swimming pond you have for them?

*One possible downside to this approach: it’s entirely possible that the nutrients in the feed will degrade fairly quickly in water if it’s not consumed within some short time window (15-30 minutes)? This is entirely speculative on our part, but something to consider. We’d hate to give advice that could cause some sort of nutritional deficiency in your ducks over time.

Another option is to put a cover/shelter over the food with something reflective on top, like an aluminum pie pan. If it’s set up where your ducks can’t see it but birds looking down from above can, it could help to keep them away.