When I first got my ducks I was clueless. I thought that a 50 lb. bag of duck food from the feed store and fresh water every day was all my pet ducks needed. Well, that may have been just enough but a truly balanced diet for a duck is more than a sack of pellets.
First of all, your pet ducks will need fresh water daily. I use a two piece metal watering can. The kind that holds the water in the middle, distributes it to a rimm around the outside of the can and keeps the little guys from climbing into it. I don’t know about you but my ducks love to climb into a bowl full of fresh water.
Next, the food. When my ducks were young they got a “starter” duck/goose pellet that was ground very fine. The starter was easy to eat, had the right nutrient/vitamin mix, and my ducks loved it. At a couple months of age I switched to a “grower” pellet. Again, correct mix of nutrients and vitamins but a larger pellet size.
Well, ducks also need greens. In our case that means grass, weeds, leaves, roots and flowers. And believe me, they love their greens. During the day my ducks (mallards) are free to range around our back yard. They are constantly nibbling on anything green (even my wives flowers; petunias are their favorite).
Finally, protien (the fun way). In the wild, one of a ducks main foods are minnows. So what I do about once a week is trek down to the local bait store. I pick up a scoop of crappie minnows for $2.00 and head back home. I make sure to have fresh clean water in the pool (better for my boys to see their treat) and in go the minnows. For the next five minutes it is a feeding frenzy. The ducks go crazy chasing those minnows, eating them in a few big gulps.
So, thats it. Fresh water, a staple diet of commercial duck pellets, greens from around the house, a few minnows (plus as many bugs as a ducks can catch) and your pet ducks should stay happy and healthy.
If any of you feed your ducks something different we’d love to hear about it?
See you, Dave
Do You Have Fear of Ducks ? ORINTHOPHOBIA
September 3rd, 2008I have noticed lots of folks who are scared of big Canadian geese. Me too, those geese hiss loud, look tough and are huge! But, I’ve also noticed folks who are scared of ducks. When my mallards chew on me it’s their way to show affection (I think anyway). And, even if they do peck it’s not hard. So, I did a little checking and there is a fear of ducks. It’s called Orinthophobia.
Orinthophobia in general is the fear of birds, but in particular it can be a fear of ducks. Some of the symptoms include: shortness of breath, rapid breathing, irregular heart beat, nausea, feeling of dread, and even vomiting. Therapies are the same as those of most phobias and can take months to make improvements.
Do you know anyone who is scared of ducks? Are you? Let us know!
Tags: Fear of Ducks, Orinthophobia
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