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I.R.D.A.
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Feeding Indian Runner Ducks One of the first things new duck keepers want to know is: 'What do ducks eat?' There isn’t a simple answer: the diet varies depending on the time of year and the conditions under which your birds are kept. If ducks are genuinely free-range they will find most of their own food. This will include a lot of slugs and worms and insects found in the grass and stream. It will also include greens, such as grass and duck-weed. Birds fed like this will have tight, glossy feathers and a bright orange beak (in the orange/yellow billed breeds). This bright colour comes from natural substances found in greens. However, most of us cannot allow our birds such liberty for fear of foxes. Also, even free-range birds do not mind being offered food from bags, especially to fill up before a long winter night. Winter food If your Runner ducks are laying, they do need layers pellets (with additional calcium and phosphorus). Feed these pellets dry in a bowl at the end of the day, or make a permanent canopy for the food bowl to keep the rain off. Poultry layers pellets will be adequate, but hen layers contain additives such as egg-yolk colour, and also the calcium content is too high for the drakes. That's why it's a good idea to offer wheat as well. The ducks, which need the pellets, will eat more of those; the drakes will choose more wheat. If you want to keep things simple, mix layers pellets and wheat 50:50 dry in a bowl. Specialist food producers do manufacture duck pellets. Telephone numbers are listed at the foot of this page. Food for breeding birds You
could help the ducks get enough calcium by liming the ground if the soil is
acidic. This may be needed in high rainfall areas in the west of the
UK. Calcified sea-weed is probably best because it contains trace elements too. Also
you could make mixed poultry grit available. This can be bought loose from pet
shops, or in bags for about £4.00 from poultry feed stockists. The
birds love to select the grade of chipping they require from underwater. If you have a small stream, just leave the poultry grit loose in the water, or contain it in a
heavy, broad-based clay plant pot in the water itself. This will keep the chippings clean. There is no need to worry about the
ducks getting too much calcium
from the environment. If the ducks do not need the extra calcium, they will not pick up the lime-rich grit. Duck starter crumbs alone should only be used for 2 weeks maximum. Gradually introduce some duck grower pellets, with a lower protein content, until the ducklings are happy with 100% grower-size pellets. Note that the protein content of 15% (for growers) is still too high. Runners can develop rough wings if they are forced too quickly on high protein food. Introduce wheat into the diet by 5 weeks—and provide grit. You can raise wheat to 50% of the diet by 10 weeks. Runner ducklings need space and exercise to develop strong legs. Do not ‘hot house’ them too much but do protect them from wet weather. They have fluffy backs until up to 5–6 weeks old. Continue
with duck grower pellets and wheat (50:50) until they are 16--20 weeks-old.
Young ducks can come into lay at 24-26 weeks and will then need layers' pellets.
Drakes can move on to more wheat in the diet after 20 weeks. Duck food Suppliers in the UK The Yellow Pages UK will list local distributors under Animal Feed
Stuffs.
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Contact the Secretary through the Application page
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