Duck & Gosling Care

Both Ducklings and Goslings should be watered immediately on arrival. It is not necessary to add any medication or sugar to the water. Start them on a 20% Duck and Goose (or chick) Starter. Keep them on that ration for the first 2-3 weeks. You may then switch them to a 16-18% Grower ration. Keep ducklings on that ration until slaughter. When gosling reach 3-4 weeks of age, you can commence feeding them cracked grain. For both ducklings and goslings, providing them with smaller pellet size feed is best although not mandatory. One thing is very important when growing waterfowl and that is that you must never let waterfowl run out of water. Should they run out of water and still have access to feed, a "choking" problem may result. Waterfowl need water to "wash down" the feed they eat.

Feed and watering space is very important with all poultry, but particularly so with ducklings and goslings. Figure 2 inches of feeder space per bird for the first 2 weeks, 3 inches per bird to 6 weeks, and 4 inches per bird after that. On watering space, figure 2-3 inches per bird from the beginning. If you get into "hot weather" periods, you must be sure to provide additional watering space.

Medicated feed...until just recently, we told customers that medicated feeds would not hurt waterfowl. However, we have had reports that some of the new feed medications do, in fact, negatively affect waterfowl. We suggest you try and use a non-medicated feed for your ducklings and goslings. Never use a feed containing arsenic for waterfowl.