Low nutrient consumption generally reduces the productive performance of meat-type ducks11,12. In this study, both the growth rate and FCR of ducks fed the LD diet were significantly poorer than that of CD during the starter period, while only FCR was poorer for the grower or overall period. During the starter period (1-14 days of age), feed intake was not significantly affected by the reduction of protein (-4% of total protein) and energy (-100 ME kcal kg–1).