Ducks and Cat Food?

13 years ago

We have 4 Rouen Ducks. We love them to pieces. But we are worried about their diet - Cat Food. Yes, that's right. When they were big enuf to escape their pen in the garage, they discovered the cat's food and emptied it every chance they had. We've been feeding them duck food that we get from Farm & Fleet but they don't want that anymore. They are 5 1/2 months old now and demand we give them cat food every morning! We are going thru 2 large bags a month now.

They forage all over the yard and creek area and under the bird feeders but still demand the cat food from us. I pour the duck food over the cat food so they get some of that but not much as they won't touch it without the cat food.

They seem healthy and happy but I worry if they get the proper nutrition they need. I've found a couple eggs recently and worry even more now about their nutrition needs.

Do any of you know what we should do. When we only give them duck food, they squawk so bad I can't stand it and worry the neighbors will complain. Thanx for your help, Barbara

Comments (4)

lazy_gardens
13 years ago
Cat food is high fat and high protein, supplemented with all kinds of vitamins. YUM!

I wouldn't feed it as the only food, but they are foraging so it's a snack that doesn't hurt them.

Mix the duck food and cat food together so they can't pick it apart. If they are foraging, they don't need much now, so make it a treat, not their daily pig-out.
oregonwoodsmoke
13 years ago
Um, you know.... they can't eat cat food if you don't give it to them.

Put the cat food up so that the cats jump up on something to get it and the ducks can't reach it.

When the ducks come to beg, throw them some grain. They'll give up on the cat food idea in a couple of days.

It's bad enough that I let my dog tell me what to do, but come on. You're being controlled by ducks? Sounds like a bad movie plot.
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goldenpond
13 years ago
There actually IS a book called that Can't recall the EXACT name my friend lent it to me. OWNED BY DUCKS or something like that. I have a small flock and they are EXTREMELY demanding. They come and stare thru the glass doors sqwauking
"Get out here and feed us!" I chase them back to the pond but they turn right around and follow me to the house.They also run into the garage the minute the door is open and eat catfood(we have a garage cat loooong story),birdseed etc. til we chase them out. We put it up now but some dribles on the floor plus they remember.
I try to feed them goodies DOWN by the pond Y know salad castoffs ,lettuce tomatoes and they also get fed egg layer crumbles.We have turtles who come up out of the pond and eat with them TOO cute.One red slider actually gooses the ducks and works his way into the dish of food.Fills up with 3 BIG bites. Goes to the pond to drink and the smaller turtles,fish etc eat what escapes from his mouth and turtle lips(?)
Your ducks are beautiful! The place where my dad lives is SR housing. Nice pond and ducks and geese. They only feed their ducks cracked corn and the residents(elderly) toss them bread and cheese and all sorts of CRAP. No matter what anyone tells them but the ducks seem to be doing well I have visited them for 5 years now!
Ducks are so funny,our flock got up to 21 and I was going crazy so we gave away more than half and are down to 8.
Tanya
Samantha Truong
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
If you give in everytime they squawk of course theyre going to keep doing it because you give in everytime.... cat food isnt suppose to be more than 10 percent of their diet. I would go 3 days without giving them cat food even if they dont eat their duck food, eventually they will get hungry when they see youre not giving them cat food and they will turn back to their duck food. And then when you do feed them cat food as a treat mix it in with their duck food so they cant pick apart or expect to be fed cat food all the time