Is cat food really ok for ducks?

[courtney91]

I would like to know how long to chickens live? They have just started laying again which is good, but my problem is they are not eating there pellets, can someone tell me why is this. I give them meal worms everyday and they just love those, but why are they not eating there pellets. can someone tell me please? Thank you Edie

I'm having the same problem.i can't get my ducks to eat them pellets or much greens either... but they will go crazy for meal worms, and worms, and cat food! I wonder why this is? Does anyone know?

 

[courtney91]

It depends on what type of chickens you have. Some can live 8 years, others 3 or 4. It depends on their environment, what they eat, how much eggs they produce in a year, etc.
I personally don't give mine treats everyday, only once a week.

Oh I have four ducks . Not chickens?? Is thier really much of a difference in the twos feeding??

 

[courtney91]

I have a Brahma hen going on 10 and a rooster going on 10 some EEs that are 8 and at least two of them are still laying. As for not eating their pellets is it layer or just reg chicken pellets? You might try crumble and see if they will eat it that way. I ferment the feed I give my flock so don’t have a problem with mine not eating pellets. Is it a new feed?

What do you mean fermet ur feed? Sorry I'm a new duck owner and I'll have to check thier feed, I do know that I did have changed thier food because they were not the babies anymore they just started laying. .

 

[Sierra G]

What do you mean fermet ur feed? Sorry I'm a new duck owner and I'll have to check thier feed, I do know that I did have changed thier food because they were not the babies anymore they just started laying. .

Fermentation involves wetting the feed and letting natural bacteria and yeasts start the process of breaking it down. Saurkraut is an example of a fermented food for humans. Others include kimchi, beer, sourdough, and yogurt. Fermentation improves the taste and makes the food easier to digest. It can also provide probiotic benefits. There are probably recipes on the site for how long to process various feeds and how much water to use. You'll want to find those articles so that your feed actually ferments and doesn't just spoil.

 

[Sierra G]

Oh I have four ducks . Not chickens?? Is thier really much of a difference in the twos feeding??

They do have different dietary requirements, especially during their first four months. Ducks need more niacin than chickens and they need more access to water. They need water they can stick their whole head in. Not having enough niacin and b vitamins can cause leg problems. Duck feed is approximately the same price as chicken feed and should be available in your local feed store. If you only have ducks there's no reason not to feed duck pellets. If you can't find it the next best options are probably gamebird feed or an all-flock formulation.

 

[GranderTheGander]

I used cat food for years in a park where literally hundreds of domestic ducks, as well as dozens of geese, were dumped. It's higher protein than what ducks and geese need, yet they weren't in captivity so I didn't worry about that. It was part of their diet, not all of it. I learned, though, not to buy off-brand food because it sometimes smelled bad, and I certainly didn't want to make anyone ill. I had to throw it out.

So, it became always the most inexpensive Purina brands that had no strong flavoring. Cheaper cat food is mostly grains, like corn, and vitamins. Today, if you compare how much it would costs, though, to buy 50 pounds of Indoor Cat Chow as compared to a 50-pound bag of Mazuri Waterfowl Maintenance from Chewy's, with free shipping, it actually is cheaper to buy the waterfowl food. The interesting thing is if you offer both a low protein feed and a high protein feed to ducks and geese, most will choose to eat first the higher protein one over the lower protein one.

 

[raingarden]

My chickens, ducks, peafowl, guineas and dove will all pick the dog food out of a bowl of Gamebird Chow. I don't know if it is healthy.

Peafowl, in particular, eat a lot of insects and need higher protein.

 

[MDouglas1979]

As long as they are on a balanced diet, it is not needed. Many people give cat or dog food to either save money on feed costs or to supplement. Cat food is a very high protein diet. Most are 34% or more and typically have meat protein as the main source. It can be given as a treat when ducks are molting to give them a little extra for feather growing. Cat food should not represent more than 10% of the diet (according to Storey's Guide). Dog food, in my opinion, would not be as great of a boon as it is usually grain, not meat based.
I have tried giving cat food to my ducks in the past and they never ate it.

I did look into it and compared costs with using it as a protein source and buying quality cat food and mixing it with grains would cost the same as buying poultry grower here.

I have outside ducks that have their own food but there are times where our one duck will eat the cat food instead of his own food