Nutritional Needs of Ducks

The nutritional needs of ducks vary somewhat from chickens. Ducks need more niacin in their diet than chickens do. As soon as your ducklings arrive, they should be fed a waterfowl starter diet instead of a regular chick starter. But what if you cannot find a waterfowl starter feed at your local feed store?

Signs of Niacin Deficiency

Ducklings that are fed plain chick starter can develop some niacin deficiency symptoms fairly quickly, usually within a few weeks to months. Niacin is vitamin B3 and is responsible for building strong bones, nervous system development and converting food into energy. Young ducklings grow extremely fast and they require a higher level of niacin than even adult ducks.

Signs that a duckling may have a niacin deficiency include:

• Unwillingness to walk
• Lameness
• Slow growth
• Sitting back on its haunches

Adult ducks may exhibit other more long-term signs:

• Swollen hock joints
• Pigeon-toed stance
• Lameness
• Bowing of legs

Treats and Supplements High In Niacin

If you cannot find waterfowl starter or maintenance diets, make sure you provide supplemental sources to your ducks to ensure they have enough niacin available:

• Brewers’ yeast 
• Peas
• Dark, leafy greens
• Sweet potatoes

The easiest way to ensure that niacin is available is to add brewers’ yeast to their feed. Sprinkle it over their feed. To help it stick, mist the feed slightly with plain water before sprinkling the brewers’ yeast on top.