Please educate me on nutritional vs brewers yeast

[21hens-incharge]

So having looked around my area a lot and online for duckling feed I am in a bit of a pickle.
Locally there just isn't any. Seems wrong for feed stores to sell quackers but not the proper feed. Online I find TINY bags at very high prices....then add shipping.
That started my research into the niacin needs of ducklings. I see it stated to use brewers yeast and then see nutritional yeast.

That has me wondering what the BYC group is feeding both as main feed as well as additional supplements.

Way back when I had ducks (20+ years ago) I got feed from the now closed mill. With little webbies coming soon I want to be ready so they can grow strong.

 

[gmjarvi]

This might help:

https://www.livestrong.com/article/...ence-between-brewers-yeast-nutritional-yeast/

TL;DR they have different nutritional profiles, and nutritional yeast seems to be richer in B vitamins, specifically niacin, which is often what people are concerned with when feeding ducks.

 

[MeganFair]

Nutritional yeast is something that people use to make things like vegan cheese. Brewers yeast is a supplement that gives extra protein and niacin.

We used Purina All Flock feed, and added oats and brewers yeast to it for our ducklings per the nutritional requirements given in David Holderread’s Storey’s Guide.

Edit: Brewers yeast is going to be a little cheaper than nutritional yeast too. Even though nutritional yeast has more niacin, brewers yeast has plenty for what you want it to do.

 

[MeganFair]

Also! Don’t be afraid to just use unmedicated chick starter. You just need to again, add the yeast of choice and you should be ok.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I added the book to my Amazon order.
I think given the nutrients in the nutritional yeast I will go with that. Unless there is a reason that brewers yeast is preferred.....

Oats....whole, steel cut, rolled?

 

[MeganFair]

Rolled. We literally just bought a thing of plain Quaker traditional oats and used that. As they get older we switched over to whole groats, but for when they’re little, rolled is just fine.

Edit: Again, I think it’s up to your preference. I used brewers because I could buy it in bulk cheaply and easily. If you prefer nutritional, I think Amazon has it for reasonably cheap.

 

[chickens really]

I've never used it once..

 

[Texag87]

I use brewers from Amazon . When I am not brooding ducks I put it on my dog’s food. It helps with joint issues.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I found nutritional yeast at my grocery store on sale....a tiny bit less expensive than by the bulk at Sprouts. I like that it is in a sealed can so isn't aging as fast.

I've never used it once..

So.....you have never found a need to supplement?
What feed do you use?
Most that I can get are formulated for chicken chicks so not adequate for quackers.

 

[chickens really]

I found nutritional yeast at my grocery store on sale....a tiny bit less expensive than by the bulk at Sprouts. I like that it is in a sealed can so isn't aging as fast.



So.....you have never found a need to supplement?
What feed do you use?
Most that I can get are formulated for chicken chicks so not adequate for quackers.

I feed a starter for Ducks, chickens, Turkey and Geese.