Whether you’re a duck owner or someone who occasionally throws out breadcrumbs at the local pond, you should know what type of food is edible for them. If you’ve ever wondered if chicken feed was one of those foods, but weren’t sure if it would hurt them, don’t worry! Ducks can eat chicken feed.
There are some negative side effects and a few guidelines you need to know. Any concerns you may have will be addressed, along with additional information about the health content of chicken feed and finding a few nutrient-rich alternatives.
What’s in the Feed?
Chicken feed has many nutritional benefits for poultry. It is composed of grains, oilseed, and plant or animal protein sources. Protein content will vary depending on the brand and anything above 18% protein content will be hard to find.
This is all well and good for chickens, but what about ducks?
Well, ducks are not chickens and will need a slightly different diet. The most potentially harmful difference is the lack of adequate niacin (vitamin B3) in most chicken feeds. If you’re only feeding ducks occasionally at your local park, don’t worry; chicken feed won’t harm them. However, if you are raising ducklings yourself, they will need more nutrients than chicken feed provides.
What Should Ducks Eat?
Chicken feed is one valid option. If you decide to go that route you will need to make up for the lack of niacin. Without the niacin, your ducklings will grow to be smaller than average or they might even develop bowed legs and be unable to walk.
Adding brewer’s yeast to the feed is a common solution. When feeding ducks, you should add approximately 1.5 tablespoons to every cup of chicken feed.
Other options include niacin tablets, liquid B3 vitamins, or vitamin and mineral packets. On average, ducklings require about 55–70 mg of niacin per kg of feed, which equals roughly 10–20 mg per duckling per day, depending on size and age.
Making sure you have the proper niacin-to-feed ratio can get very complicated very quickly, but if math’s not your thing, there are alternatives to chicken feed. Most professionals recommend waterfowl starter or grower pellets above all else when feeding ducks. They are full of the nutrients your aquatic friends need, and you won’t have to worry about niacin supplement calculations!
- Related Read: Can Ducks Eat Tomatoes?
How Much Is Too Much?
Ducklings love to eat! They’re growing and they need a lot of protein, but this poses a minor problem for those who use chicken feed. Most chick starter feed can be medicated to prevent coccidiosis, a common problem for chickens, but not a concern for ducks. Ducklings have a tendency to eat a lot, about 6-7 ounces of feed a day, and if they eat too much, they can over-medicate themselves and become sick.
When feeding ducklings, it’s best to find non-medicated chick starter or, even better, waterfowl starter feed to avoid this potential problem.
Full-grown ducks don’t need as much food so there is a much smaller risk of over-medicating. However, you will still need to make sure they are not being overfed. Ducks usually need around 4-6 ounces of feed a day, depending on breed, size, and activity level.
Final Thoughts
For all you duck lovers out there, it’s good to know that chicken feed can be used safely for ducks, provided you adjust the niacin content and use non-medicated feed for ducklings. Ducks need niacin, which is an ingredient not found in most chicken feed, so if you’re feeding chicken feed to your ducks regularly, you’ll need to provide them with this vital nutrient. Ducklings need more food than adult ducks, and will become sick if they eat too much medicated chick starter feed. If you’re looking for the best option for your ducks, commercial waterfowl pellets are ideal, but if you ever run out, chicken feed will do in a pinch.
Now go out there and feed some ducks!
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Featured Image Credit: Piqsels
