Ducks are not chickens, and feeding them like chickens is how ducklings end up with crippled legs. Ducks need noticeably more niacin (vitamin B3), and growing ducklings especially — a deficiency shows up fast as leg and joint problems. The right feed is a waterfowl or all-flock formula with the niacin ducks need (or a good whole-grain feed supplemented with brewer's yeast). Get it right and you get robust birds and some of the richest eggs in the barnyard. Here's where to buy real duck feed.
Published July 2026 · Updated 4 Jul 2026 · Sourcing verified 4 Jul 2026
Metzer Farms is one of America's premier duck and goose hatcheries, which means their feed is formulated by people whose entire livelihood is waterfowl — niacin levels and protein tuned specifically for ducks and geese, not adapted from chicken feed. When the people making the food also hatch and raise the birds, the nutrition tends to be exactly right. For a keeper who wants feed from genuine duck experts, Metzer is the specialist's specialist. Feed built by waterfowl people, for waterfowl.
Why it beats chicken feedWaterfowl-specific feed has the niacin ducks require that chicken feed lacks. From a dedicated duck hatchery, it's formulated for the exact bird you're raising — not borrowed from another species.
See it at Metzer Farms →Scratch and Peck's certified-organic, Non-GMO whole-grain feeds work beautifully for ducks — whole grains and their naturally higher B-vitamin content suit waterfowl well, and many keepers run a mixed flock of chickens and ducks on them. The same transparency and clean sourcing that make them a chicken-feed favorite apply to the ducks in the yard. For an organic mixed flock, this is an easy, high-quality one-bag answer. Clean, whole-grain, and duck-friendly.
Why it beats commodity feedOrganic whole grains are cleaner and more nutritious than medicated commodity crumble — and their natural B-vitamin content suits waterfowl better than pulverized, GMO-based feed.
See it at Scratch and Peck →Mazuri makes zoo-standard waterfowl diets — maintenance and breeder formulas built for ducks, geese, swans, and ornamental waterfowl — the same nutrition zoos and serious keepers rely on. Their floating and sinking waterfowl formulas are designed around how these birds actually eat and what they need to thrive and lay. For a keeper who wants exact, research-backed waterfowl nutrition (especially for breeding or ornamental birds), Mazuri is a gold-standard choice. Precise, complete, and waterfowl-specific.
Why it beats chicken feedA zoo-grade waterfowl formula is built for ducks' specific needs — floating pellets, correct niacin and protein. A one-size chicken feed simply isn't designed for how a duck eats or what it needs.
See it at Mazuri →If you mill a genuinely waterfowl-appropriate feed — niacin-correct, organic, or otherwise superior — and you ship it, this spot could be yours. Tell us who you are; no fee, ever.
Add your brand →Adult ducks can eat unmedicated chicken layer feed in a pinch, but ducks need more niacin (vitamin B3) than chickens. If you feed chicken feed, supplement with brewer's yeast — or better, use a waterfowl or all-flock feed formulated with the niacin ducks need.
Ducklings need significantly more niacin than chicks. Niacin deficiency causes leg and joint problems that can cripple a growing duckling. Use a waterfowl or all-flock starter, or add brewer's yeast to a chick starter, and never feed medicated chick starter to ducklings.
A waterfowl layer or an all-flock layer feed with added niacin and enough calcium for eggshells. Ducks lay large, rich eggs and need the calcium and B-vitamins to keep it up — plus grit and free-choice oyster shell.
Yes, if they aren't free-ranging on ground where they can find their own. Grit sits in the gizzard and grinds food. Ducks that forage on soil and gravel often get enough naturally, but offering it free-choice is good insurance.
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