At home, it does not pose any great difficulties for the poultry farmer. Domestic ducks eat almost anything. However, there is such a thing as proper feeding of ducks. With full feeding, the bird receives that set nutrients which she needs during the day. Proper, nutritious feeding will have a positive effect on the productivity of your domestic ducks. More precisely, if you follow these standards, you will get maximum productivity from your birds.

In this article we will look at all the rules for proper feeding of ducks. We’ll also talk about the importance of this or that nutrient, and what consequences its lack in the diet can lead to. At the end, we will summarize and summarize all the knowledge gained in a compact table, which you can easily navigate and know why this or that product is needed in the diet of feeding ducks.

Correct feeding ducks involves creating the right diet for your birds. In order to do this, you need to know the nutrients that ducks need for their bodies, as well as know the products that contain certain nutritional elements. Therefore, below we provide a list of nutrients, and we will also tell you what foods contain them and in what quantities they should be given to ducks.

Like any other living organism, it receives both nitrogenous substances and non-nitrogenous substances from food. Nitrogenous compounds include proteins and various amino acids. And non-nitrogenous ones include carbohydrates, fats and various vitamins. Determining in what quantity and ratio these substances are necessary for birds and introducing them into the daily diet is called correct feeding ducks.

Also, for proper metabolism in the body, minerals are necessary in the diet of ducks: copper, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, manganese and others.

Feeding Domestic Ducks: Nutrients

Now, let's look at each substance that is simply necessary in the diet of ducks.

Proteins (Protein). Proteins are the building material of any living organism, including ducks. Therefore, their presence in the diet is simply necessary. The importance of protein in the diet of any poultry is very high, or rather, life is impossible without it. However, we will not delve into the importance of protein in the life of all organisms, but let’s just talk about ducks. When free-range, ducks feed on various larvae, worms and other living creatures, which contain a lot of animal protein. Therefore, domestic ducks that are kept free range require less specialized protein feed compared to those birds that are kept in a pen or, even worse, indoors.

Proteins, in turn, when they enter the food tract, are divided into amino acids. Ducks are constantly deficient in the following amino acids: tiptophan, lysine, cystine and methionine. This needs to be given due attention. The listed amino acids are found in large quantities in animal feed: meat and bone meal, fish and meat products, as well as dairy products.

The lack of protein feed in the diet of ducks will have a very negative impact on the productivity and health of the bird. The bird will feel depressed and will not gain weight well.

Carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are also necessary for the functioning of any organism. First of all, carbohydrates are energy. Carbohydrates are contained in almost all feeds in a duck’s diet, but most of them are in grain crops: oats, wheat. There are also a lot of them in root vegetables, potatoes, beets, etc. Carbohydrates also serve to maintain the bird’s body temperature.

If there is a lack of carbohydrates in the diet of domestic ducks, the bird will feel very lethargic and will greatly lose body weight. If there is an excess of carbohydrates in the diet of ducks, this will lead to obesity in the bird, since if the energy is not spent, then it goes into reserve, that is, into fat.

Fats. Fats are a very important element in the diet of domestic ducks. First of all, fats are a huge source of energy. When digesting fat, several times more energy is released than when digesting proteins and carbohydrates. First of all, fats are necessary in the diet of poultry during the winter season. However, it should be remembered that if you overfeed fatty foods, in ducks it begins to be deposited not only under the skin, but also on internal organs, which could negatively affect her health.

Minerals. Minerals are very important in the body of ducks. They can do the most various functions. Substances such as phosphorus and calcium are part of bone tissue. Minerals can also regulate osmatic pressure.

A lack of certain minerals can lead to various disastrous consequences affecting the productivity and health of the bird. For example, with a lack of calcium, ducks can completely stop laying eggs. It can also lead to disruption of bone structure.

Vitamins. Vitamins are also very necessary in the diet of poultry. They also perform many functions in the bird’s body. Use large quantity Vitamins have a positive effect on the immunity of ducks, they become able not to become infected with various diseases, and if the bird does get sick, thanks to the vitamins, the disease is tolerated much more easily.

The main source of vitamins for ducks is various green feeds. There are also many vitamins in feed that are of animal origin: fish fat, dairy products and more.

What to feed domestic ducks? Many poultry farmers ask a similar question. Proper feeding of domestic ducks is done using a combined method. The bird's diet should be very varied. With combined feeding, ducks receive a variety of essential nutrients necessary for the bird's body.

The diet of domestic ducks must include green food, root vegetables, and animal feed. At home, ducks are fed with various table scraps.

Domestic ducks, unlike chickens, are herbivores. Therefore, in their diet, various herbs should prevail over grain products. For example, ducks really love duckweed from ponds.

Ducks receive the most varied food on free range with access to a pond.

The exact feeding ration for ducks is determined depending on the desired product. If you want to get eggs from your ducks, then the diet should be one, and if you keep them only for meat, then another.

But before drawing up the correct diet for feeding ducks, let’s talk about what food to give ducks and how well they satisfy certain nutritional needs.

Duck feed

At home, the main part of the ducks’ diet is grains and cereals. Grain is the main source of carbohydrates for ducks. The grain is perfectly eaten and quite well absorbed by the duck’s body.

Wheat is an excellent food for ducks. This grain crop has a very high nutritional value. In terms of protein content, wheat is the leader among all grain crops (12-14%). Wheat contains a lot of B vitamins, as well as E.

When feeding ducks, it is best to use wheat that is not intended for human consumption. Because it is much cheaper.

Wheat is also perfectly absorbed by the body of ducks.

Barley. Both adult ducks and young ducks love barley. This grain is given to ducks in the amount of 20-30% of the total amount of grain crops in the ducks’ diet.

For small ducklings, barley should be ground before feeding.

Adult ducks willingly eat barley in whole. Barley can also be fed sprouted or soaked.

The only drawback of barley is the outer film that envelops the grain. It contains poorly digestible fiber, so overall digestibility decreases.

Oats are a very good complete food for ducks. Oats have only one drawback: they have a grain film, which reduces the overall nutritional value. However, oats are very rich in essential amino acids. Oats contain a fairly large amount of fat - 4-5%.

It is best to feed ducks with oats without the outer shell (film). Today, such varieties are sold on the market. The diet of ducks should contain approximately 10-20% oats.

Corn. Corn is an excellent food for domestic ducks. In terms of nutritional value, it occupies a leading place among grain crops. The main advantage of corn is that it contains quite a bit of fiber (only up to 2.5%), so it is very well absorbed by the bird’s body. Yellow corn varieties provide the highest value for poultry. This is due to the carotene content in it, which, when digested, turns into vitamin A.

Corn does not contain enough protein, so feeding this crop should be combined with other protein feeds. In the diet of ducks, corn should be 30-50%.

Domestic ducks also eagerly eat the fruits of legumes. Such crops include peas. The main advantage of peas is that they contain a very high amount of protein. And this protein contains a number of essential amino acids necessary for the body of ducks. Protein in peas contains about 21%.

The disadvantages of peas include bad smell and taste. Ducks won't be able to eat a lot of peas. Usually, before feeding the ducks, the peas are ground. The diet of adult ducks should consist of 15-20% peas.

Green feed for feeding ducks

It involves feeding the birds a large amount of green feed. Green food is very important in the diet of ducks. As mentioned earlier, ducks, unlike chickens, are natural herbivores rather than granivores. Therefore, the presence of green food in the diet of ducks is simply necessary. Domestic ducks can be fed with almost any grass, including: nettle, alfalfa, clover, dandelion, common sedge, etc. Nettles must be scalded with boiling water before feeding.

Green food contains a huge amount useful vitamins and microelements.

Green food can be fed either in mash or by simply throwing grass into the room or pen.

Feeding ducks: other foods

Also, for proper feeding of ducks, it is necessary to include other foods in the diet. Among them are mineral feeds, and at home, other feeds from your tables.

Natural everyday duck feeds do not contain enough minerals to satisfy the ducks' body. Therefore, for proper feeding of ducks, it is necessary to additionally include mineral supplements in the diet. Below we will briefly talk about all the necessary minerals ducks need, as well as the norms of their consumption per bird per day.

Shell. Shell is the main source of calcium for ducks. Moreover, it is contained in it in an easily digestible form. It should be given to the bird, mixed with mash, at the rate of 1-2.5% of the total weight of feed at a time. It is best to give mash with shell to ducks in the morning.

Chalk.Chalk is also an excellent source of calcium. It should be fed to ducks in the same way as shells.

Bone flour. Bone meal is a necessary mineral supplement to the diet of domestic ducks. In addition to calcium, it contains phosphorus and other very necessary microelements. Bone meal should also be given with wet mash. The amount of bone meal in the poultry diet is based on 1-2.5% of the total daily feed weight.

Some poultry farmers use table salt. However, this is not urgently necessary, since the everyday food of domestic ducks contains a sufficient amount of those substances that are contained in table salt.

Egg shells can also be an excellent source of calcium.

In conclusion to the topic "" it should be said that ducks are great at eating table scraps. Potatoes, carrots, and any animal products can also be an excellent addition to the general diet of domestic ducks.

Duck feeding diet

Now you are savvy enough to create a diet for feeding ducks. To do this, it is necessary to proceed from the goals of keeping domestic ducks. For high egg production, the diet for feeding ducks is one, but for obtaining tasty and high-quality meat, it is completely different. Below will be presented correct diets feeding ducks, listed in tables for convenience, and a few words and comments will also be said.

It is produced in a combined way, and this fact must be taken into account.

When feeding laying ducks, you must not forget about mineral feed and give them as much as they should (this is mentioned above). This is justified by the fact that laying ducks lay a lot of eggs and thereby deplete the reserves of calcium and other minerals in their bodies.

It should be borne in mind that the length of feeders and drinkers should be at least 4 centimeters per head.

In winter, ducks need to be fed 3 times a day, and by the time they lay eggs, switch to 4 feedings a day.

Dry food in the diet should be distributed as follows: 65-70% grain, 5-10% protein food (for example peas). 10-20% of the diet should be green food.

There is nothing more to say about the feeding diet of laying ducks; for exact feeding rates, see the table below.

As a rule, ducks are raised for meat for no more than two months, so they are prepared for slaughter right from birth.

In the first few days after birth, it is necessary to monitor whether all ducklings are consuming food. If there are ducklings that do not eat, then they should be force-fed - from a pipette. Later, after force-feeding, they begin to eat on their own.

In the first days of life, ducklings eat various dairy products very well. Thanks to them, they grow and gain weight very quickly.

Mineral supplements should also be provided in separate feeders at all times.

Some poultry farmers, when fattening their ducks for meat, prefer to feed them exclusively with dry grain mixtures. Feed should also be rich in vitamins and microelements.

Feeding ducks for meat according to the diet presented in the table below will ensure an increase in live weight by 60 days of age to 2.5-3 kilograms.

Feeding ducks before laying

Before the start of the laying period, in order to obtain high-quality hatching eggs, it is necessary to slightly improve the feeding diet of ducks and make some adjustments to it. About two weeks before the expected start of the egg-laying period, sprouted grains are included in the ducks’ diet, and greens, if available. During this period, ducks simply need to improve their feeding ration, otherwise the laying period may not be long and the quality of hatching eggs will also drop. before laying, see the table below.

When planning to have a bird in their backyard, many people calculate the various options, and often the most attractive of them is raising ducks. Indeed, they grow quickly and have an enviable appetite. Another clear advantage of such pets is their attitude to food: it is believed that they eat almost everything. Let's find out whether this is really so and what kind of feed guarantees stable weight gain for birds.

What can you feed ducks at home?

Despite all the unpretentiousness of these birds, their owners still need to know what to feed their birds. Let's look at the main types of feed.

Cereal feed

This is the basis of the diet. Whole and crushed grains are the main source of calories, vitamins and minerals (they are especially high in carbohydrates, which are necessary for maintaining activity). Moreover, eating grains promotes bird growth and rapid weight gain.

Ducks' favorite cereals are:

1. It is perfectly digestible and has a leading energy value. Priority is given to yellow varieties (they contain more carotene). Depending on the age of the bird, these grains make up 40–50% of the total food volume.
   
2. In terms of proteins, it is more profitable than corn (14% versus 10%), but is somewhat inferior to it in energy value. Contains vitamins B and E. Maximum dose- 1/3 of the total weight of the feed. Many people do not use the grains themselves, but coarse flour mixed with wet “grinders”. This is also allowed.
   
3. Half of the grain mass is carbohydrates, so its share in the daily diet usually reaches 1/3. True, because of the hard shell, the ducklings are given barley, ground into fine dirt, and always with the shell removed (otherwise the product is not digested).
   
4. The lack of a number of essential amino acids is compensated by a high (10–15%) protein content. It is best to take peeled grains or bare grain varieties.
   
5. High protein food, which is given in ground form. But due to the specific smell and taste, it is fed in small doses (maximum 12% of the total grain and flour diet). The same goes for lentils.
   

Important! Before using such raw materials, inspect them for mold, darkening, or signs of rodent activity.

Let’s not forget about processed products in the form of bran. This mixture of flour, germ and grain shell contains up to 12% protein. But due to the high concentration of fiber, bran in the diet of dry food is allocated no more than 20%.

Juicy feed

Experienced owners know that such delicacies are especially loved by ducks. They switch to this type of food in the summer. During this period, they try to provide the birds with the following food:



Did you know? The duck has more cervical vertebrae than the giraffe.

Silage is often made from succulent products. The collected clover or alfalfa is mixed with chopped carrots, pumpkin or the same beets (they are cut into pieces of 5–6 mm). The container with such reserves must be stored without access to air, therefore, when laying the silo, it is thoroughly compacted.

Fermentation lasts 1–1.5 months, after which the mixture acquires an odor similar to the aroma of soaked apples. From this point on, silage can be fed as feed, starting with small doses.


There are two here important points: silage is prohibited for chicks under 3 weeks of age, and the problem of excess acidity is solved by adding ground chalk (50 g per 1 kg of weight).

Animal feed

Animal products are another important source proteins, calcium and other elements that guarantee the growth of the bird. And the primacy here is held by flour obtained from processing fish or meat:




Important! Broth is often made from fishmeal, which is used as a base for mash, which ducklings eagerly eat.

In addition to the foods listed above, ducks love graxa - this waste product obtained from melting cod livers is often found in the form of flour. It can be added in the same doses as fishmeal. Fresh grax is less common. It is quite fatty, so this product is fed strictly from 10 days of age (maximum 5% of the dry diet).

They are necessary for normal digestion and formation bone apparatus. But their presence is especially important for laying hens - to obtain a normal shell, they spend a huge amount of valuable elements, and the reserves have to be regularly replenished. Help with this:

1. Carefully crushed (into fragments no more than 2 mm) shells, which are added to wet mash.
2. Dried and crushed eggshells or chalk. These are also calcium-rich supplements.
3. Bone flour. It is easily digestible and contains up to 25% calcium in its mass. Add 2-3% to the main feed.
4. Gravel screenings or coarse sand. These ingredients help the bird digest solid grains that have entered the stomach. Reception begins at a young age (10 g per week is enough for a duckling).



Did you know? In search of food, a duck can dive to a depth of 6 m.

Regular table salt is also popular. But it is given only to those ducks whose diet does not contain salted vegetables or mixtures. In this case, extremely small doses are taken (0.1–0.2% of the total mass of feed).

What do ducks eat: feeding habits by age

Having found out what feeds are used when keeping ducks, let’s move on to an equally important issue - their specific dosage depending on age. Let's start with the first days of life of the chicks.


Little ducklings

Caring for ducklings comes down mainly to competent and timely feeding. The main thing is to correctly calculate the dosage of the necessary products.

Weekly

The menu of the smallest chick (up to 5 days) includes:

• boiled eggs - 10 g;
• wet mash - 6 g;
• greens in small pieces - 5 g.

From the 5th–6th day of life the following ingredients are added to them:

• wheat and corn dirt - 6 g each;
• millet - 3 g;
• powdered milk - 2 g;
• fish, meat and bone meal and bone meal are mixed in equal parts (3-4 g should be obtained).

It turns out that by the 10th day the duckling should receive 38–46 g of food. It happens that the owners make a slight mistake with the dose in the direction of reducing it. Please note: minimum daily norm for a baby up to 5 days old it is 21–22 g, and for a 10-day-old chick - 32 g.

Two weeks

Consumption rates increase significantly:

• wheat and corn dirt are given equally (the total should be 70 g);
• low-fat cottage cheese - 20 g;
• grain mixture - 15 g;
• millet - 9 g;
• fish meal - 8 g;
• sunflower cake - up to 6 g;
• hay and meat and bone meal - 5 g each;
• yeast - 4 g;
• shells and chalk - 1 g each;
• salt - 0.5 g.

Important! It happens that the duckling is weak and cannot eat from the feeder. In such cases, use a pipette.

This general scheme, which you have to focus on. If we talk about optimal numbers, then by the end of 20 days the ducklings are given 135–160 g of feed (taking into account their well-being and appetite).

Period

Feeding is increasing:

• the emphasis is on crushed barley - up to 90–100 g of such barley will be needed per day;
• bran and greens are given equally (60 g each);
• grain mixture - 20 g;
• fish and meat and bone meal - 10 and 7 g, respectively;
• 1 g of crushed chalk and shells will be needed.

The recommended intake is 250–255 g of food per day.

Two months

This best moment to switch to “adult” food. The diet is formed as follows:

• the basis is the same products as for month-old poultry, but in slightly smaller quantities (220–230 g/day);
• the content of corn dirt is increased to 70 g;
• the grain mixture will need 60 g;
• wheat derti - 25 g.

By the 40th day, ducks should receive 280–290 g of feed, and by the 50th day - 400–410.

Adult ducks

The diet of adult birds will differ - it all depends on the purpose for which the livestock is kept.

Laying hens

3 weeks before laying, the ducks are transferred to a different feeding scheme: the supply of coarse and succulent feed is reduced, replacing it with protein-rich feed.

Did you know? The duck's quack doesn't echo.

At this time, intensive 4 meals a day are practiced: wet mash is given 3 times, and sprouted grains (oats or barley) are given at night.

There is one nuance here. The fact is that during this period it is better to feed grain ingredients together with yeast:

• dilute 20 g of this product in warm water;
• For 1 liter of such a mixture take 1 kg of grain;
• After mixing these components, the composition is infused for 8 hours;
• After the specified time, the mixture is added to any feed.

The daily amount of food directly depends on egg production per month:

• if you look at the numbers, it turns out that the doses of barley (or corn) and hay flour remain unchanged - 100 and 40 g, respectively;
• Almost at the same level, the consumption of fresh herbs or boiled carrots is an average of 100 g;
• for ducks that produce 3 or fewer eggs, add 60 g of boiled potatoes (for better egg production, only 40 g is needed).

There are also “floating” numbers in the diet. For convenience, we will indicate them through a dash, according to the schemes “0–3”, “12”, “15”, “18”, “21”. As you guessed, these are egg production indicators, with an eye to which the following feeds are given:

• grain mixture: 50–60–75–80–87 g;
• meal, cake: 2.4–9.4–12–13.5–16.2 ​​g;
• crushed shells: 5.8–8.4–9.2–10–10.9 g;
• fish or meat and bone meal: 1.6–6.4–7.8–94–1.5 g;
• bone meal: 1.1–1.4–1.5–1.6–1.7 g;
• salt: 1.1–1.4–1.5–1.5–1.7 g.

Important! If the future hen is not well-fed, then they switch to such a diet another 1.5 months before the appearance of the first clutch.

In addition to feed, the duck will also need water (about 1 liter per day) - make sure there is an open container nearby. At the same time, try to avoid waterlogged feed.

Meat breeds

Fattening ducks for meat usually takes 2–2.5 months. That is, they begin to care about weight gain from the first days of life.

If young animals are raised for meat production, the consumption rates will be equal to those indicated slightly above. But in the future it is worth remembering two main dates:

1. 2 weeks before the expected slaughter, the diet includes increased doses of protein foods - peas or low-fat cottage cheese. They accelerate growth muscle mass;
2. For 1 week, they provide food with a “fatty” focus - boiled potatoes and more mash, limiting the movement of the bird if possible.

During the final fattening period, fishmeal and minced meat, as well as fish oil, are excluded from the duck menu.

How does the diet change depending on the season?

The nature of feeding, as well as the amount of food and feed used, varies depending on the time of year. Let's find out how and why.

Spring

This is a transitional period: if in March - the first half of April the diet contains small amounts of silage, grass meal, and sometimes steamed hay, then closer to mid-May such strengthening feeds are replaced by the emerging greens.

Did you know? Ducklings actually mistake the first creature they see for their mother after they hatch from the egg.

In order for the poultry’s nutrition to be balanced at this time, they are guided by the following food consumption standards (hereinafter indicated in grams):

• cereals (in grains or as shit) - 180;
• wheat bran - 25;
• greens - up to 100 (as they appear);
• carrots - 60;
• boiled potatoes - 40;
• cottage cheese - 15;
• shells - 6;
• bone meal - 3;
• fishmeal (or fresh minced meat) - 10;
• hay flour - 15;
• chalk - 3;
• salt - 1–1.5;
• gravel (screenings) - 2.

The number of feedings for birds in the pen is 4 times a day (2 - in the form of wet food with herbs, and 2 more - grain mixtures and compound feed).

Summer

For birds, this is the peak of gastronomic diversity: the season of greenery and grazing is in full swing, and if there is access to a pond, then it’s generally wonderful. But in any case, you should not transfer ducks to self-sufficiency - the feeder must have:

• cereals (in grains or as shit) - 190 g;
• wheat bran - 25;
• greens - 120;
• cottage cheese - 15;
• shells - 5;
• bone meal - 2;
• fish meal (or fresh minced meat) - 15;
• chalk - 3;
• salt - 1.5;
• gravel (screenings) - 1.

The abundance of greens allows you to temporarily remove boiled vegetables and the additive in the form of hay flour from the diet - an armful of fresh grass will more than cover the need for the necessary elements.

Autumn

If in September it is still possible to survive on reserves of greens, then as the weather gets colder they switch to increased feeding - leftover silage, boiled and crushed beets, grain mixtures with mineral supplements.

Important! Portions are placed in feeders with a small reserve: if you place too much additive, the feed may turn sour or ferment, which can lead to infections.

The standard daily calculation of consumption takes the following form:

• cereals (in grains or as shit) - 170 g;
• wheat bran - 35;
• greens - 150;
• beets - 70;
• cottage cheese - 8;
• shells - 6;
• bone meal - 1.5;
• fishmeal (or fresh minced meat) - 8;
• hay flour - 5;
• chalk - 3;
• salt - 1.5;
• gravel (screenings) - 1.

In general, ducks tolerate autumn days well, but in winter they need special care.

Winter

The list of ingredients (with the exception of the greens that had disappeared by that time) remains the same, but different numbers appear in it:

• cereals (in grains or as shit) - 180 g;
• wheat bran - 40;
• carrots - 80;
• boiled potatoes - 60;
• beets - 30;
• cottage cheese - 10;
• shells - 6;
• bone meal - 3;
• fishmeal (or fresh minced meat) - 1;
• hay flour - 18;
• chalk - 3;
• salt - 1.5;
• gravel (screenings) - 2.

The increase in the share of some feeds occurs for a completely understandable reason. If during the warm season the influx of nutrients is spent on growth and activity, then by winter another “expense item” appears - keeping the bird warm.

What not to give to ducks: harmful foods

Ducks, which many consider to be almost omnivores, are actually quite sensitive to the feed and products they eat. In the case of them, there is also a list of forbidden treats that should not end up in the feeder.

Did you know? Ducks walk calmly in the snow because of the special structure of their paws: they have neither nerves nor blood vessels.

Among them:

• feed and bread products with traces of mold (it causes aspergillosis);
• finely ground flour - as an ingredient in mash, it absorbs moisture and is taken in pellets, which can clog the nasal openings;
• fresh milk and milk porridges (due to rapid souring and risk of diarrhea);
• maple leaves - this is the strongest poison for ducks;
• nettle untreated with boiling water (the hairs cause irritation of the stomach walls);
• any parts of poisonous plants - celandine, henbane, cocklebur and others.

The absence of such feeds, coupled with a competent diet, guarantees fast growth livestock and health of poultry at any age.

Now you know what raw materials and products are used to raise ducks, and in what quantities they are supplied. We hope this information will be useful to those who are thinking about having such a flock in their backyard, and the funny fluffy lumps will quickly turn into powerful and heavy birds. Good luck in this matter and be more positive every day!

Video: what to feed ducks and how to make duck food

Despite the fact that domestic ducks are quite unpretentious in their diet, you still need to know what to feed ducks in order to achieve good results: rapid weight gain, good egg laying and disease prevention. Reading the article will give answers to the main questions: what do ducks eat? How much do they eat and how to feed them correctly?

Main types of feed

In addition to succulent herbs, cereals and vegetables, the ducks' feeding diet should also include animal feed. In addition, for stable operation digestive tract, formation skeletal system and shell formation, ducks need substances such as chalk, coarse sand and shells. So what exactly can you feed ducks?

Cereal feed

Feeding ducks at home involves mainly the use of cereals, which should make up the lion's share of the diet. The advantage of grains is the large amount of carbohydrates necessary for vital energy birds. In addition, feeding with cereals guarantees stable growth and weight gain. Ducks eat grain with pleasure; the digestibility coefficient of such feed is very high - up to 80% (significantly more than that of chickens). Cereal grains consist of 70% starch, another 10-15% are proteins (protein).

Let's take a closer look at the nutritional value of some cereals:

Name	Benefits for poultry	Usage
Corn	It is a leader among grain crops in terms of its energy value. It contains a very small percentage of fiber (about 2-3%), so it is easily processed. Preference should be given to yellow varieties with the highest content of carotene, necessary for the synthesis of vitamin A. The protein content in corn is about 10%. In addition, corn protein is poor in some important amino acids - lysine, cystine and tryptophan.	Corn grains can make up up to half of the total feed volume. For young animals this norm should be 10% less.
Wheat	Wheat is in second place in terms of energy value. Fodder wheat is used for feeding. In terms of protein content (about 14%), wheat is ahead of corn and contains quite a lot of vitamins B and E. Coarse wheat flour, which is usually mixed with other feeds, for example, with wet mashes, is also suitable for feeding.	The amount of such flour should not exceed a third of the total weight of feed. It is not advisable to give finely ground flour, since moisture causes it to stick together and can block the bird’s nasal openings, located on the beak.
Barley	You can also add barley grains to the grain flour mixture at the rate of 30% of the total mass of such a mixture. One of the disadvantages of barley grain is its cellular shell, which contains fiber that is difficult to digest.	For adult individuals, it is advisable to feed sprouted (or soaked) barley. For small ducklings, the barley is ground and the shells are sifted out.
Oats	Its advantage is a significant amount of fat - almost 5%. Oats have a fairly high level of protein (up to 15%), but some essential amino acids (histidine, tryptophan) are insufficient.	For fattening, it is advisable to use naked varieties or grains peeled from the shells.
Legumes	The value of peas is high content protein - about 20%.	In small quantities (10% of the total grain flour mass) you can give peas or other legumes. It is not recommended to give more, since ducks are not very willing to eat it. Peas also need to be ground for feeding.

Feed – waste from processing of agricultural raw materials

Feeding ducks should also include some feed that is considered waste at processing plants: cakes, meal, bran.

Name	Benefits for poultry	Usage
Cake and meal from oil crops	Cake and meal made from soybeans, rapeseed, peanuts, cotton, and of course, sunflower are suitable for feeding. Cake cakes are richer in fat (5-6%), as they are obtained by pressing sunflowers or other oil-containing seeds. Cake and meal contain a lot of phosphorus and potassium, which are necessary for the skeletal system of ducks. Sunflower waste contains more than 40% crude protein, rich in amino acids.	It is enough to give ducks 5-10% of the total mass of grain flour.
Bran	Feeding ducks can also be made more economical by using bran, a waste product from flour milling. Bran is a mixture of grain shells, germs and flour. For example, wheat bran contains up to 12% proteins.	The high level of fiber (10%) does not allow increasing the recommended dose - up to 20% of the weight of dry food.
Barda	Sometimes stillage, potato or bread waste obtained during the alcohol production process, is also used to fatten ducks.	This food can be given to ducklings from one month of age and older. Dose – 10% of dry food.
Beetroot pulp	Sugar production also produces feed waste - beet pulp. Ducks are given dry cake as it contains more carbohydrates.	This food can be added to ducklings from 20 days of age in an amount of up to 9% of the total weight of dry food.
Brewer's or baker's yeast	You can enrich your bird's body with B vitamins using brewer's or baker's yeast.	For ten-day-old ducklings, you can give dry or raw yeast (3% of the amount of dry food).

If there is dry bread left, you can also feed it to the ducks after soaking it in water.

Juicy feed and root crops

In the summer, feeding ducks is much cheaper, since they can be released onto pasture or onto ponds. Independent and timely harvesting of greens will allow you to feed it to the birds in the pen.

Name	Benefits for poultry	Usage
Aquatic vegetation	The favorite foods of ducks in natural conditions include duckweed, pondweed and elodea. These plants contain essential vitamins, microelements and proteins.	Adult ducks can be given 0.5 kg of this mass. Ducklings from 5 days of age should receive no more than 15 g of these plants, gradually increasing to an adult dose.
Green mass		Typically, the chopped herb is mixed with wet mash. The feeding diet of ducks should include up to 20% of such greens. Nettles must be doused with boiling water.
Combined silo	In the summer, you can prepare vitamin-containing silage. To do this, the herbs that the duck eats (clover, alfalfa) are mixed with some vegetables (pumpkin, carrots, sugar beets). Naturally, before placing it in a container, the mass is crushed to small particles not exceeding 0.5-0.7 cm. Required condition For proper storage of silage is the absence of air in it. To do this, it needs to be compacted well. Approximately 5-6 weeks after laying, the silage stops fermenting and takes on the smell of soaked apples. Only after this can it be given to the bird. To neutralize acidity, about 50 g of ground chalk is added per 1 kg of silage.	Silage is given little by little, gradually increasing its volume. Silage is not recommended for use by ducklings under three weeks of age.
Vegetables	Grated vegetables (carrots, cabbage, yellow pumpkin) are excellent sources of vitamins. Since carrots quickly lose provitamin A (carotene) during storage, it is better to ensile or salt them. Kale is an important nutritional element for the younger generation, as it contains sulfur-containing amino acids necessary for feather growth.	Salted carrots are added to the wet mash in an amount of 10-15% of the total mass. The amount of cabbage in the diet of ducks can be unlimited. Potatoes can be fed from ten days of age in amounts up to 20% of dry food. Boiled sugar beets, rich in carbohydrates, can be given in the same quantity.

Animal feed

Under natural conditions, the food that ducks eat is enriched with proteins of animal origin: amphibians, invertebrates, small fish, insects. At home, they feel a lack of such food, so it is extremely necessary for ducks to grow and lay eggs with feed similar in nutritional value - dairy products, fish and meat and bone meal, small fish.

Name	Benefits for poultry	Usage
Fish flour	The most convenient for storage and use is fishmeal. It contains more than half of the necessary proteins, calcium, phosphorus and B vitamins. Low-fat flour (up to 10% fat) is considered safer for the health of birds.	The amount of this product in the diet of birds is no more than 7% of the total mass of feed. If desired, instead of flour, you can prepare minced fresh fish at the rate of 30 g per adult.
Meat and bone meal	Similar, although less valuable for ducks, is meat and bone meal. The amount of complete protein in it ranges from 30 to 50%.	You can mix flour with other feeds from 5 days of age. For small ducklings - up to 5%, medium ones - up to 8%, adults - up to 10% of the total weight of feed.
Dairy		You should not give fresh milk, as it quickly turns sour and can cause diarrhea. From the first days, ducklings can be given low-fat cottage cheese.

Mineral supplements

A feature of fattening birds is the need for mineral supplements, without which the process of digesting food will be complicated and the process of forming eggs with a hard shell will be practically impossible.

Name	Benefits for poultry	Usage
Shell, eggshell and chalk	The shell contains up to 40% of the calcium necessary for ducks. There is also a lot of it in chalk and eggshells.	The shell particle size should not exceed 2 mm. For uniform eating, small amounts of shell are added to the mash. Dried eggshells are ground and also mixed with the main feed. Natural calcium is perfectly absorbed by the duck body.
Bone flour	It contains 25% calcium, 14% phosphorus, potassium, sodium and other important trace elements. Well absorbed poultry th (up to 60%).	In small quantities (2-3%) it is added to the bulk of feed.
Salt	Regular table salt, which contains chlorine and sodium, should be given only if there are no salted foods in the ducks' diet.	It should be added to the feed in very small doses (0.2%).
Coarse sand or gravel	Ducks need it to grind hard grains in their stomachs. Construction sand is not suitable for these purposes.	Each duckling should consume about 10 g of this coarse sand per week.

Feeding in the warm season

The ideal option when raising ducks in the warm season is the opportunity for them to visit natural reservoirs or small rivers with a slow flow. In such conditions, there is no need to particularly wonder: what to feed the ducks? Birds independently obtain half of the necessary nutrition. As a last resort, the ducks can be released into the pasture, where they can browse the grass all day. Then, it is enough to feed the birds twice a day.

If pets are constantly in a pen and do not have the opportunity to obtain food on their own, they should be fed 4 times a day: 2 times with dry food and 2 times with wet mash, including aquatic vegetation.

When preparing wet mash in the summer, you need to accurately calculate the amount that will be completely eaten in one go. Warm weather causes food to sour quickly.

Ducks should have fresh greens in their diet throughout the season.

Feeding in the cold season

In winter, the duck's diet is significantly narrowed. Let's consider what you can feed ducks in winter? Feed should be given no more than twice - morning and evening. One feeding should consist of wet mash and combined silage, and the other should consist of dry grain flour feed. Winter feeding ducks must include fish or meat and bone meal, boiled potatoes, steamed hay and rot.

Everything that ducks eat in winter has a slight impact on their weight, however, this does not mean that their diet can be significantly reduced. In severe frosts, when the room temperature may be sub-zero, birds do not freeze thanks to accumulated fat.

Duck feeding diet

Knowing energy value and the purpose of all types of feed, it is necessary to balance the nutrition of ducks depending on the ultimate goal: fattening for meat or increasing egg production. In the tables below you can see the recommended diet for birds to achieve certain goals. For better perception the tables are accompanied by comments.

Diet of laying ducks

Three weeks before the planned egg laying (usually the end of January), the bird is switched to a different diet: the amount of concentrated and protein feed is increased and the amount of succulent and roughage feed is reduced.

The need to change the diet is due to the fact that egg laying requires a high content of calcium and other minerals, so laying hens must eat feed with a high content of them.

Every day, laying hens consume about a liter of water, however, too wet food should not be given.

An insufficiently well-fed duck must be switched to a new diet one and a half months before laying.

4 meals a day should include wet mash three times. At night, give sprouted grains of barley or oats.

It is advisable to feed all grain feeds for laying hens in yeast form. To do this, 20 g of yeast are diluted in warm water and mix 1 liter of this mixture with 1 kg of grain. At room temperature, this mixture should stand for about 8 hours, after which it can be added to any food.

Table: Diet and approximate feeding standards for laying ducks (g per head per day):

Fattening ducks for meat

Feeding ducks for meat lasts no more than 2.5 months from their birth, so they begin to fatten from birth. In any brood there will definitely be several weak ducklings that cannot feed on their own. Such babies can be fed from a pipette. If the population is large, then weak ducklings are simply discarded.

In the first days, babies willingly eat boiled and crushed eggs and low-fat cottage cheese. It is especially necessary to monitor the freshness of such products, since stomachs are very sensitive in the first days of life. Some poultry farmers feed ducklings with special dry food with a high content of vitamins and minerals.

15 days before the expected slaughter of the ducks, fattening begins, which involves increasing protein foods (cottage cheese, peas) in the diet for an accelerated gain of muscle mass. IN last week provide more food for fat formation (mash, boiled potatoes, etc.). During fattening, fish and fishmeal are not given.

It is advisable to limit their physical activity.

Diet of parent flock ducks

The diet of the parent flock must be improved with greens and sprouted grains, since in this form it contains vitamins B and E, which are extremely desirable for better incubation of eggs.

Table: Approximate feeding rates for ducks (daily ration, g per head):

Domestic ducks eat almost everything; they are not picky about their living conditions. In addition, they have a high survival rate, they rarely get sick, quickly gain weight and, most importantly, are very cost-effective, especially in the summer. Even beginners can cope with keeping and feeding ducks.

The peculiarities of the diet of ducks are related to the fact that they are waterfowl. Agricultural feed produced today can provide these birds with all the substances necessary for healthy life. When selecting food, do not forget about seasonality, which plays a significant role in the life and formation of the needs of birds.

Types of feed

Many experts are of the opinion that Ducks are omnivores that can eat almost any food.. In principle, these birds can easily feed on the food leftovers of their owners’ family, but modern poultry farming still recommends using professionally selected food for a balanced diet. The nutrient content in them has already been selected taking into account the specific metabolism and lifestyle of ducks.

As for humans and many mammals, one of the basic essential components of duck nutrition is protein. Wild birds can easily obtain animal protein in the form of:

1. worms or small amphibians,
2. insects

Domestic ducks do not have this opportunity.

Carbohydrates are also an integral part of duck nutrition. These important elements The diet is responsible for obtaining vital energy and maintaining the activity of the bird. Without fats, normal development and weight gain are impossible. Also, duck meals should not be without minerals, vitamins and various useful additives - they help strengthen the immune system and maintain bone tissue healthy. All these ingredients are parts of compound feeds, which will be discussed further.

Agricultural raw materials for feeding

Frequently used food for ducks can be various bran, cake and meal.. At many recycling plants, all this is considered waste. production process, but in poultry farming these materials are quite useful.

The result of processing oil plants by pressing type is cakes and meals not only from sunflower, but also from:

• rapeseed,
• soybean,
• peanuts
• cotton

Such feeds contain potassium, phosphorus and fat. These components are necessary for the formation of healthy bone tissue.

The consumption of such food for birds will seem quite reasonable to a thrifty owner. Experts advise feeding processed raw materials at the rate of 5-10% of the body weight of one individual.

Another possible dietary supplement is bran., which are formed as a by-product of the flour milling industry. The bran includes different parts germs of wheat, oats and other cereals, as well as the shell of grains and sometimes flour. Bran can serve ducks as a source of easily digestible protein and fiber. Birds can be fed bran in amounts up to one-fifth of the duck's weight.

In poultry farming for feeding young and adult birds bard is also used- industrial waste from the production of bread and potatoes. Such food can be introduced into the menu of birds aged one month and older. It is recommended to feed bard weighing no more than 10% of the body weight of ducks.

Beet pulp, which is constantly produced in the sugar industry, is also excellent for consumption by ducks. This type of cake is rich in carbohydrates, and therefore is an excellent feed for birds gaining weight. The calorie content of such food is quite high, so birds will systematically increase the fat layer when consuming such cake weighing even 9% of the duck’s weight. This nutritional component should be given to birds no earlier than they reach the age of 20 days.

Brewer's yeast, also called baker's yeast, will become an indispensable source of B vitamins for poultry. Even ten-day-old ducklings can receive such food, and it can also be given in dry form. But the amount of yeast should be small - less than 3% of the bird’s body weight.

Animal food

Wild ducks independently add animal protein to their menu. Such foods are:

• all kinds of worms,
• rodents,
• insects,
• fish,
• some amphibians and invertebrates.

For domesticated birds, hunting such prey is often impossible, so bird owners must ensure that the poultry receives all the necessary components from other, more accessible sources.

Since ancient times, an indispensable assistant for the poultry farmer is fishmeal, the composition of which partially coincides with the components of small fish, which have a lot of bones. This flour is quite convenient to store. The most beneficial for birds is considered to be low-fat meal, which is devoid of excess lipids, but is a source of protein, phosphorus, calcium and B vitamins. One duck per day should contain fish meal weighing no more than 7% of the total weight of all feed received. Farmers often prepare such flour themselves from minced meat, for which they take fresh fish; bony fish is also suitable for this purpose. The maximum allowable portion of such flour is 30 grams per day.

Meat and bone meal is not as rich in nutritional components, but it is also a fairly common feed in poultry farming. Protein makes up about 30 out of 100 grams of such flour. It can be mixed with other substances. Pure meat and bone meal, as well as mixed with something, should not be given to ducklings under 5 months. The consumption of this type of food is less than 5% of the weight of young birds, approximately 8% in older ones and 10% in adult ducks.

Some owners do not give dairy products to their birds, while such elements of the diet are quite useful for ducks. Breeders recommend giving low-fat cottage cheese even to small ducklings, so they will get used to this product from a young age. Fresh cow's and goat's milk cannot be given to ducks - it is not digestible by them. gastrointestinal tract and may negatively affect overall health. In the same time dairy products useful for the body of poultry, including for stimulating population growth and reproduction.

Food with vitamins

Breeding ducks requires that the owner take care of providing the bird with a full set of vitamins and minerals. A real storehouse of these substances are:

• green part of clover,
• wild nettle,
• cabbage,
• beets and other root vegetables,
• quinoa,
• carrot tops,
• as well as a mixture of peas and oats.

All these vitamin-rich foods supply the birds’ bodies not only with basic vitamins, but also with protein and carotene. Green types of food can be offered to your clients without any minimal processing; you just need to take care of the purity of the selected product. It is recommended to finely chop or grate the greens, and then mix with some flour.

These types of food are suitable for poultry from three days old. Vitamin food can be given several times a day. For this nutritious component of the diet, you can have a separate feeder or pour it into a basic food container, alternating the prepared mixture with other products. Home-made vitamin food should make up less than 30% of the total dry food that the duck receives.

You can also include herbal meal in your birds' menu, which experts consider beneficial for the health of both young and adult birds. You can make your own flour by grinding or otherwise grinding alfalfa, cereals, beans, or clover leaves and stems.

Herbal meal- source:

• carotene,
• folic acid,
• squirrel
• many other nutrients.

This type of food is suitable for ducklings over 3 days old. Birds should be given an amount of grass meal that does not exceed 4% of the weight of the total dry food.

You can also make your own feed from vegetables. To do this you need to finely grate carrots, cabbage or pumpkin, preferably unsweetened - yellow. Ducks can be allowed to eat cabbage without any restrictions at all, carrots - in reasonable quantities, which each poultry farmer determines independently. It is advisable to salt carrots before feeding the birds. Birds can also be given boiled beets, which in the middle zone are a source of vitamins all year round.

Mineral supplements

Natural feed, grains and vegetables are not able to replace mineral supplements for domestic ducks. The farmer must take care of this, then the ducks will develop harmoniously and gain weight as planned. Without minerals, the egg shell will not be hard, and the general tone of the bird’s body may also suffer.

A considerable amount of calcium that birds need is contained in eggshells, chalk and even shells - they are 40% calcium. All these elements need to be added in small quantities to the duck diet. At the same time, you should make sure that the shells are small or crushed into small pieces that the bird can eat without getting hurt. Eggshells are softer than shells, but they also need to be crushed and only then added to the food.

Another useful element of the diet is bone meal, which contains phosphorus, healthy salts and potassium. Flour, like shells and shells, should be added in crushed form to other food.

For small ducklings, it is important to ensure that coarse sand and fine gravel are present in the feeder or nearby. In a week, a duckling can eat 10 grams of sand or gravel. These seemingly exotic additives help birds’ stomachs process food, especially various grains.

Experts advise giving domestic ducks salt, but too much can be harmful. The optimal portion is considered to be up to 0.2% of the weight of the total feed. If the duck eats salted carrots, there is no need to give additional salt.

Features of duck nutrition in summer

If poultry grazes freely during the warm season, then it needs to be fed twice a day - morning and evening. When ducks have access to a pond, they consume the required amount of water on their own. In other cases, it is necessary to provide birds with access to a trough, drinking bowl or other container with water.

Suitable food for grazing birds:

• millet,
• oats,
• wheat,
• barley,
• corn.

Only last year's rye should be fed - fresh has a negative effect on the intestines of poultry. If the choice falls on barley, it should be soaked for at least 10 hours before feeding.

Ducks that are deprived of free grazing opportunities should eat 4 times a day. You need to give the birds grain twice, and two more times - green food with the addition of grass, vegetables, bran and other useful ingredients.

Mallard ducks for conservation dietary properties For their meat, they should receive fresh fish, which must first be finely chopped.

Features of duck nutrition in winter

Since ducks are kept in outbuildings during the winter, feeding is usually done indoors. Sometimes the owners let the birds go out for a walk for several hours a day - then a small portion of the food can be given outside.

Three meals a day are optimal for winter. The first two times you can feed a wet mixture of several foods, and sprouted grains are good for dinner. On especially frosty days, it is recommended to mix the food with warm water. It is advisable that this food be consumed within an hour.

In the cold season, do not forget about drinking water for ducks. The body's need for water remains, although it decreases somewhat. It is important to organize the drinking bowl so that the bird cannot knock it over and be left without access to water.

Kira Stoletova

Not every farmer knows what to feed ducks at home in order to quickly build meat on the bird or increase its egg production by 2-3 times. The question of what a duck eats and what to feed ducks in winter becomes acute for people with a large number of livestock. Increasing the number of young animals at home, high quality fluff ensures correct and balanced diet. What do ducks like to eat and how not to go wrong with cheap food?

Ducks on the farm

A duck is an easy-to-care domesticated bird that is bred for various purposes. Who needs agile birds? Farmers raise ducks for:

• quality meat supplies in the house;
• valuable fluff;
• for eggs;
• for sale.

Duck food determines their well-being and the health of the future brood. Is it possible to feed ducks bread? There are many myths among people about what can and cannot be added to poultry feeders. Feeding depends on the farmer's capabilities. Why ducks should not be fed bread, only experienced poultry farmers know that they have encountered the undesirable consequences of improper feeding of birds. Rule of success household There’s just one thing: what ducks eat in nature is how they can eat properly at a person’s home.

Green complementary foods are the most nutritious, healthy and environmentally friendly, but what to do in winter or during epidemics? You can’t feed your pets just anything, and the quality of its fluff and meat depends on what the feathered representative eats. Feed ducks only grain, oats or pumpkin seeds harmful to the stomach of pets. Only a caring farmer will be able to raise a large herd at home. How much feed will be needed for adult ducks and young animals?

The duck eats several times a day, and it also drinks large amounts of purified water.

Features of care include only vitamin supplements. This is exactly what young ducks especially need. Without nutrients, the duck quickly weakens and falls on its feet, while it cannot gain weight.

It is not advisable to feed young animals with low-quality food, only waste or dry feed, because this species will need much more time to grow. Setting up enclosures and cages for duck groups, organizing their feeders and drinking bowls is a simple matter, but creating a diet for all poultry is not as easy as it might seem from the outside.

Only an attentive and patient farmer will be able to acquire a large flock of ducks at home. Ducklings need to be handled even more carefully, as their stomachs are too weak to withstand excessive stress. What is given to pets that need to gain a lot of weight or in the future sit in a nest to hatch offspring? Feeding the entire yard of birds with the same food is unwise and dangerous: both young and adult birds may suffer as a result of rash actions.

What types of food are there?

What to feed ducks in winter, and what to put in the feeder in summer? The diet of domesticated birds changes several times a year. With changes in temperature and humidity of the external environment, the behavior of birds changes. You need to be especially careful with ducks during cold weather, then the birds are most weakened and unprotected from various diseases. How to properly feed ducks at home? Complementary foods, both main and additional, should be varied. The same food will not only quickly get boring for your pets, it will not allow them to receive the required amount of nutrients and vitamins.

In summer, feeding a flock of ducks is not difficult, and at home, in just one season, a successful farmer can increase the number of ducks by 2-3 times. It's easy to deal with ducks if you know a few features of their life. What does the diet depend on? Feeding may vary depending on several factors:

• breeding poultry for meat (in order for birds to gain excess weight, carbohydrates and proteins must be present in their area);
• increasing egg production for a large number of offspring for sale (particular attention is paid to the nutrition of laying hens);
• to obtain high-quality fluff (additives consist of many vitamin complexes high in calcium).

The farmer himself determines the main function of the ducks on the farm, and then describes feeding and caring for the flock. Organizing your diet is not difficult if you know what supplements to include in your daily diet. Regardless of a person’s plans, all birds, without exception, should receive useful material and green supplements every day.

Main types of feed

For domestic birds, only high-quality products are selected, either prepared independently or purchased in specialized stores. Taking risks with food for birds means harming your own profit or health. In order for birds to gain weight faster, their diet should in no case be combined with a sedentary lifestyle, and cramped cages will not benefit the plumage; with such ducks, the farm will quickly become unprofitable.

It is important to take into account the living conditions of the flock if the farmer is aiming for serious work. Caring for pets that provide eggs and meat is in the interests of the person who eats these products. The duck eats everything that is put in the feeder, because it is not able to get food on its own. With ducklings, things are even more complicated: they are entirely dependent on humans. They give birds safe food of the following type:

• cereals (literally any cereal crop);
• waste;
• root vegetables (green grass);
• meal from other animals;
• mineral complexes in the form of additives;
• vitamin feed.

They give feed alternately, sometimes they are mixed, depending on the time of year and the age of the bird. Don't forget about water, ducks love it very much. Birds that are given balanced feed feel better than their relatives and withstand epidemics.

What should you not feed ducks and what foods are not tolerated by adult ducks and ducklings?

Feed from waste

In order for birds to gain mass (fat or a layer of meat), ducks need special care. How much do ducks eat? The amount of feed additives depends on their quality. Dry feeding alone is not suitable for ducklings, while for adult ducks mixed feed can be replaced with grass in the winter.

Is it possible to feed ducks corn? In fact, ducks can be fed any foods that other poultry eat, but in limited quantities. Bran and cake are considered industrial waste. They are added to the bird feeder. Ducklings tolerate bran well.

Is it possible to feed young ducks only oil cake? The percentage of feed additives that will not make young animals or adults feel ill is as follows:

• Meal from soybean or rapeseed. Waste from cotton or sunflower processing is suitable for feeding poultry. The proportion of healthy fats in such products is very large - up to 5%. Bran is rich in phosphorus and potassium, which are considered the most important additives in caring for ducklings. From the production of oil-containing products, up to 40% of raw materials remain ( average rate), and throwing it away is unprofitable. Why feed ducks bread if you have a few bags of bran on hand? Birds living in an artificial reservoir love such complementary foods; they compensate for the lack of phosphorus and calcium in the body.
• Potato waste. Such complementary foods are obtained in the production of alcohol. They are added on the tenth day of the chick’s life, which is very useful and nutritious for the young duckling’s body.
• Beet pulp. Sugar production does not occur without generating large amounts of waste. The favorite food for ducks is cake, it allows you to feed even large flocks ( nutritious product due to carbohydrate content). It is allowed to add 1 g of cake to young animals after 20 days of life. Birds that live in a pond are content with nutritious cake up to 2 times a day. Little chicks do not eat cake; it is too heavy food for them.
• Beans. The high protein content makes legumes indispensable in feeding ducks. The duck group eats peas and beans, but in small quantities. You can't add too many beans.

Birds that often visit a body of water (open or artificial) or pond must be provided with clean water. A wild duck rarely eats corn or bread, so poultry can do without such a product. Warm food can also be added to bird feeders, but hot mixtures should not be left. Small ducklings are susceptible to any changes in diet, so it is necessary to add waste gradually. It is not recommended to overfeed chicks with corn or beans. You can add a little flour or feed with bread, but do not get carried away with a sudden change in the food products that the ducks are accustomed to.

Green food for ducks

Which greens should a farmer choose? The bird should not be limited in green complementary food, especially in summer. You can change additives, but the grass that is considered the basis proper nutrition, there is no need to remove it completely. It eats greens and young birds, laying hens, and drakes (green food is especially important for adult birds). A video about duck breeding shows how much the birds enjoy eating grass.

By nature, ducks are wild, freedom-loving birds that live near rivers or ponds. The grass they consume is easy to find. The flock is capable of eating not only greens, but also fish (by nature, drakes are getters). A bird can be domesticated, but it will not change its habits. If an adult female eats grass, then the young also eat it. In farming, it will be possible to refuse fish, but it will not be possible to refuse healthy green complementary food.

What to feed ducks. How to make duck food

What to feed ducks? How to make duck food. Mulard ducks. willow leaves

The food that the flock eats is used by the birds as energy with which they can continue to fly or increase their mass. Feeding is a special process. You should think about it as soon as a person decides to start his own farm. Good feeding ensures healthy broods and active layers.