Galaxyfalcon
Songster
I realised the ducks had niacin deficiency -- with the pekin having acute, severe niacin deficiency. I had started a new sack of purina duck pellets on the Wednesday before the weekend when the first symptoms arose. It's my opinion that the sack of Purina duck pellets is deficient in niacin. I have never had niacin deficiency in my flock nor in my son's laying flock of pekins. [The layers get brewer's yeast on their pellets every day].
Has anyone else had niacin deficiency develop in their adult ducks after starting a new supply of purina duck pellets? I bought my sack at Waldorf Maryland Tractor Supply last Tuesday.
We've definitely had issues with Purina pellet niacin, but we also have heavier birds (Jumbo Pekin and his mixed babies). We have to add brewers yeast and a poultry multi vitamin, and occasionally the heavier birds (usually the Jumbo) get an extra boost with some b-complex. I've considered switching to something else for food, but we would have to special order it as none of the local shops in a 50 mile radius carry anything else.
edit: we've also had problems with TSC food being contaminated with grain mites in the past. Grain mites will basically eat all the nutrients out of the food before you even open it, so it could be food that has been filled with mites at some point. I have a hard time finding pictures of the mites, but they're extremely small. They basically look like dust and it can be easy to miss if there aren't many of them. In large masses, they look like moving/flowing sawdust.
Here's just one thread as an example