The big question for the day is, “can I feed my chickens dairy products?” I believe this information applies to ducks as well.
Can Chickens Eat Dairy?
A Duck’s 5 Senses
Whenever I go out to feed and visit with my ducks, there is one that inevitably gives me this cute little head-cocked, sly look. I wonder what’s going through her mind as she stares at me. Is she wondering if I have more treats than what I’m sharing, or does she suspect me of being a wolf in people’s clothing? She doesn’t seem to be afraid, just watching. Sizing me up. Taking it all in. This silly little duck got me wondering about the senses that a duck uses to navigate in their world…so I did some research.
Duck Treats!
My mom tells the story of when I was a toddler, we went to the park. There, of course, was a lake at the park with lots of ducks. I had a bag of popcorn which I was evidently sitting on the bench thoroughly enjoying. My mom suggested that I share some of my popcorn with the hungry ducks and my response was, “No! I no like ducks!”
Black Oil Sunflower Seeds
I don’t really know too much about sunflower seeds other than discarded seed hulls generally littered the ground under the stands at baseball games and birds really seemed to like them. They were not a favorite of mine. I enjoyed sucking the salt off of the seed, but breaking into the hull for such a tiny reward didn’t seem worthwhile to me. Just recently I discovered that all sunflower seeds are not created equally. Some have thicker hulls, less oil, different nutritional benefits. Others are a really great source of nutrients for a variety of farm animals. The familiar black seed that is found in wild bird seed is the Black Oil Sunflower Seed, often referred to as B.O.S.S., a very adept acronym for a powerhouse food. No wonder birds love them! They seem to know instinctually the treasures that Mother Nature has supplied for them. Who would have guessed that a common bird feed would also be good for horses, goats, chickens and even rabbits!
Water and Niacin for Ducklings
Are you thinking about adding some ducks to your flock or hobby farm? There are a couple of really important things that are good to know if you plan to take the plunge and try your hand at raising ducks. One has to do with water and the other has to do with Niacin.
