Starting Out
"When I first started raising Poultry I did all the research I could on nutrition. It has come to be by far one of my most favorite topics regarding Poultry." Tonya
My Ducks, Chickens and Turkeys are currently on Nutrena Poultry Feeds.
Duck and Chicken Chow
When it comes to your pets you should always try feed them healthy, high quality food.
In addition to their crumbled diet my Ducks and Chickens are also given leafy greens such as fresh lettuce, spinach leaves, parsley (not for Chickens), collard greens and carrot peelings as treats. (Although they are so good for them doesn't seem like you'd give them as treats.)
I also sometimes add a high quality cat kibble into their diet for breeding. It is a good source of animal/meat protein. Cat kibbles are not recommended to be fed to Ducks and Chickens all the time. I usually only feed it to them when they are laying or when I'm breeding them. When laying ceases I stop adding cat kibble into their diet. My Ducks especially go crazy for cat kibble. They gobble it right up from my hand.
In addition to their crumbled diet my Ducks and Chickens are also given leafy greens such as fresh lettuce, spinach leaves, parsley (not for Chickens), collard greens and carrot peelings as treats. (Although they are so good for them doesn't seem like you'd give them as treats.)
I also sometimes add a high quality cat kibble into their diet for breeding. It is a good source of animal/meat protein. Cat kibbles are not recommended to be fed to Ducks and Chickens all the time. I usually only feed it to them when they are laying or when I'm breeding them. When laying ceases I stop adding cat kibble into their diet. My Ducks especially go crazy for cat kibble. They gobble it right up from my hand.
I feed my Ducks and Chickens their pelleted or crumbled formulated feed and I also feed oats. I do not add more than 25 % of oats to their daily diet. My Ducks and Chickens also graze when I'm chaperoning them. When my birds are not laying I switch them to a feed with lower calcium. When Hens are not laying their calcium requirements drop as do their protein requirements.
Maintenance Rations------- Where I live they do not make maintenance rations specifically for Ducks; I don't even see them making them for Chickens. Ducks and Chickens should not be on layer when they are not laying. Also, males of both species should not consume layer feed all the time. You need to put them on a maintenance ration.I I'd say to make sure to follow your feed tag label's directions but Purina Layena says that it can be fed to males and non-laying birds. I'm sorry but the calcium levels are too high! Switch to a maintenance formulated ration made by a feed manufacturer or make your own! The following list is for Duck Maintenance only:
4 Parts Gamebird Flight Conditioner
to
1 Part Oats
What this means is if I were to use 4 cups of the game-bird feed I would use only 1 cup oats.
AND
3 Parts Starter/Grower Feed
to
1 Part Oats
What this means if I were to use 3 buckets of the starter/grower feed I would only use one bucket of oats. You do not have to use cups. You use "parts". You could go 3 bags starter/grower to 1 bag of oats. That is what "parts" means.
IF YOU ARE UNSURE OF USING GAME-BIRD FEED OR STARTER/GROWER FEEDS I HIGHLY RECOMMEND NURTRENA'S ALL FLOCK FOR NON LAYING BIRDS. THE CALCIUM LEVELS ARE JUST RIGHT. JUST ADD OATS AND YOU ARE SET. IF YOU ADD OATS TO THE WHOLE BAG of ALL FLOCK YOU NEED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT 5 to 25 % OF OATS IS FOR THE BAG. THE PROTEIN IS 18 % AND FOR DUCKS NOT LAYING THAT'S TOO MUCH PROTEIN--THE OATS WILL HELP WITH THAT.
Maintenance Rations------- Where I live they do not make maintenance rations specifically for Ducks; I don't even see them making them for Chickens. Ducks and Chickens should not be on layer when they are not laying. Also, males of both species should not consume layer feed all the time. You need to put them on a maintenance ration.I I'd say to make sure to follow your feed tag label's directions but Purina Layena says that it can be fed to males and non-laying birds. I'm sorry but the calcium levels are too high! Switch to a maintenance formulated ration made by a feed manufacturer or make your own! The following list is for Duck Maintenance only:
4 Parts Gamebird Flight Conditioner
to
1 Part Oats
What this means is if I were to use 4 cups of the game-bird feed I would use only 1 cup oats.
AND
3 Parts Starter/Grower Feed
to
1 Part Oats
What this means if I were to use 3 buckets of the starter/grower feed I would only use one bucket of oats. You do not have to use cups. You use "parts". You could go 3 bags starter/grower to 1 bag of oats. That is what "parts" means.
IF YOU ARE UNSURE OF USING GAME-BIRD FEED OR STARTER/GROWER FEEDS I HIGHLY RECOMMEND NURTRENA'S ALL FLOCK FOR NON LAYING BIRDS. THE CALCIUM LEVELS ARE JUST RIGHT. JUST ADD OATS AND YOU ARE SET. IF YOU ADD OATS TO THE WHOLE BAG of ALL FLOCK YOU NEED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT 5 to 25 % OF OATS IS FOR THE BAG. THE PROTEIN IS 18 % AND FOR DUCKS NOT LAYING THAT'S TOO MUCH PROTEIN--THE OATS WILL HELP WITH THAT.
I feed Calf Manna to help give my birds a boost of nutrition during breeding season and when stress might be elevated particularly in hotter weather. It is a good quality product.
Aureomycin- Medicated feed and Calf Manna- Nutritional supplement
Calf Manna has great ingredients-----no fillers or unwanted junk.
Ingredients for Calf Manna:
Soybean meal, corn, hominy feed, feeding oatmeal, dried whey, dehydrated alfalfa meal, linseed meal, brewer's dried yeast, vegetable oil, fenugreek seed, anise oil, calcium carbonate, moncalcium phosphate, dicalcium phosphate, salt, sulfur, iron oxide, ferrous carbonate, ferrous sulfate, copper oxide, copper sulfate, maganous oxide, sodium selenite, cobalt carbonate, calcium iodine, vitamin a supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, choline chloride, thiamine monoitrate, niacin supplement, riboflavin supplement, calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin B12 supplement, folic acid, biotin, propionic acid.
Ingredients for Calf Manna:
Soybean meal, corn, hominy feed, feeding oatmeal, dried whey, dehydrated alfalfa meal, linseed meal, brewer's dried yeast, vegetable oil, fenugreek seed, anise oil, calcium carbonate, moncalcium phosphate, dicalcium phosphate, salt, sulfur, iron oxide, ferrous carbonate, ferrous sulfate, copper oxide, copper sulfate, maganous oxide, sodium selenite, cobalt carbonate, calcium iodine, vitamin a supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, choline chloride, thiamine monoitrate, niacin supplement, riboflavin supplement, calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin B12 supplement, folic acid, biotin, propionic acid.
Aureomycin Ingredients:
Roughage products, processed grain by-products, forage products, magnesium mica, calcium carbonate, cane molasses, vegetable oil, sodium bentonite
crude protein- min 7%
crude fat- min 2%
crude fiber- max 29%
This helps protect my Ducks, Chickens and Turkeys
Protects against: bacterial enteritis, bacterial pneumonia, shipping fever, jowl abscesses, chronic respiratory disease and fowl cholera.
Manna Pro makes both of these products.
Roughage products, processed grain by-products, forage products, magnesium mica, calcium carbonate, cane molasses, vegetable oil, sodium bentonite
crude protein- min 7%
crude fat- min 2%
crude fiber- max 29%
This helps protect my Ducks, Chickens and Turkeys
Protects against: bacterial enteritis, bacterial pneumonia, shipping fever, jowl abscesses, chronic respiratory disease and fowl cholera.
Manna Pro makes both of these products.
These feed labels are from DuMor manufactured exclusively for Tractor Supply Co. only.
You can click on the photos below to make them bigger.