Have you ever fed a duck in a park or a lake? Surely at some point, you have offered them pieces of bread or whatever food you have on hand. Like the rest of the animals, ducks have a specific diet and there are foods that do not suit them at all. That is why it is important, before giving them food, to know what ducks eat and what foods can be harmful to their health.
What do ducks eat?
Ducks are omnivores. The ideal is to prepare a varied diet with a mixture of seeds, fruits, vegetables, and a part of animal protein. In this way, we will be providing them with all the proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals they need to be healthy. It is important to incorporate small stones (they are bought in the store) so that they can grind the food and have correct digestion.
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There are also specific foods for ducks in the form of feed or croquettes that you can find in some stores or veterinarians. However, your diet should not be based on them as they are often formulated for fattening. Although you can use them as a complement to fresh food.
The water is also essential and should always be available and near the food as the need to swallow food. Keep in mind that the bowl should be deep enough so that they can put their spout all the way in, including their nostrils. In the same way, it is best that they have a place where they can bathe, swim and drink since they are animals that need to be well hydrated.
The best fruits, vegetables and plants you can eat
Lettuce leaves (best romaine), cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, peppers, carrots, beets, asparagus, pumpkin, apples, pears, pomegranate, pineapple, grapes (always cut in half), bananas, natural peas, alfalfa. Carrots and bananas to a lesser extent due to their high carbohydrate content; as well as lettuce since, although they love it, it is not the most nutritious vegetable.
The portion of vegetables should be greater than that of fruits since the latter has high sugar content. And always remember to remove the bones and break them into small pieces.
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What other foods do ducks eat?
In addition to vegetables and fruits, you can offer them rice, corn, barley and oats as a source of carbohydrates. You can also include soybeans, sunflower seeds, peanuts and ground eggshell (source of calcium and protein) in your diet. And earthworms, worms, crickets, boiled fish and boiled egg as sources of animal protein.
What do wild ducks eat?
The feeding of a duck is not the same when it is domestic than when it is wild. In nature, ducks feed on what they can easily find in the environment in which they live. They usually eat plants, seeds, algae, insects such as snails, slugs and worms, small fish … In addition, they also eat sand or pebbles, which they use to grind food; This is something that birds do to be able to digest food since they do not have teeth to chew it.
What foods do they not eat?
French fries, popcorn, cookies, sliced bread, and any kind of candy are bad for them, as well as homemade food, convenience foods, or condiments. Nor can they eat onion, garlic, citrus or spinach (this vegetable, although it is good, makes it difficult to absorb calcium).
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Do ducks eat bread?
Clear! If you give them bread they will eat it, but that does not mean it is good for them. It is very common to see this in the parks, however, it is a food that does not provide any type of benefit in their diet. We could compare it to what “junk food” would be for us. Also, ducks cannot eat too many carbohydrates and can become ill if offered in excess.
If at any specific moment you want to give your duck some bread, it is better if it is whole grain or whole grain, but it is preferable to avoid it. And if you want to feed the ducks in the park or in a lake, bring them chopped vegetables.
On the other hand, adding bread makes the water dirty, smells bad and is less healthy for them. This can also lead to disease as the fish that live in it die.
Now that you know what ducks eat, tell us which are the foods that your duck likes the most or which are your favorites to feed the ducks in the park.
