My mom tells the story of when I was a toddler, we went to the park. There, of course, was a lake at the park with lots of ducks. I had a bag of popcorn which I was evidently sitting on the bench thoroughly enjoying. My mom suggested that I share some of my popcorn with the hungry ducks and my response was, “No! I no like ducks!”
Feeding ducks at the park or even the zoo is a fun thing to do and for so long the acceptable food of choice was stale bread or popcorn. I remember taking my boys to the park with a bag of stale bread or hamburger buns. It was so fun to watch the expressions on the kid’s faces as the ducks quacked and dove after the pieces of bread. First there would only be one duck, then another would join the party, and pretty soon there were tons of ducks and you were out of bread!
Modern day thinking has changed and feeding all your old bread to the ducks at the park is no longer considered a healthy thing to do. For the ducks! I even read where feeding ducks bread and popcorn was compared to overloading your kids on potato chips. Sure they love them and sometimes it’s hard to eat just one, but it’s not healthy to fill up on chips and not be hungry for the good foods. The same thing applies to ducks. They like bread and it’s easy to fill up on the stuff and not be hungry for the grains, greens and bugs that will keep them strong and healthy.
So, if bread and popcorn aren’t the best treats for ducks, what are? I have six older ducks that have run of the property. They are free-range and forage and find their own treats. I would say that the only treats I give them is when I open up the garden gates in the fall and let the ducks forage for whatever fruits, vegetables or bugs they can find in the finished garden. I recently bought five ducklings and at this point I’m not sure if they will remain in an enclosure or be free-range ducks and join the older crew. Therefore, I have done some research as to what treats are good for ducks. Of course their main diet should consist of a commercially prepared duck, waterfowl or chicken feed. There is also a flock feed that is supposed to be good for a variety of birds…chickens, ducks, geese, etc., or you might make up your own feed consisting of various grains and vitamin supplements to meet your duck’s dietary needs. Treats should not be the main portion of their diet, but should definitely be included. My belief is that different foods offer different benefits, so variety is good.
Treats should not be given to your ducklings until they are at least two to three weeks old and then they should be given sparingly and in small pieces. Grit should also be provided to aid in the digestion of these other foods. Starter feed is formulated to break down easily without the need for grit, but when you start introducing other foods, it’s time to include grit in their daily diet if they don’t have access to dirt or sand. You can mix it in with the treats, or offer it free-choice.
Ducks enjoy many of the same treats that chickens like, which makes it easy if you house them together. Most grains are good for your ducks as are a variety of fruits, vegetables and greens. My babies love, love, love canned or frozen peas in their water dish. They think that is the best treat ever! Because of a duck’s need for niacin in their diet, peas were the first treat that I gave them, and are a good source of the vitamin.
They also like tuna fish and scrambled eggs. I have given them spring mix lettuce in their water dish and they seemed to enjoy that. I tried some chopped up cucumber, but that did not seem to be a winner. They spit more of it on the ground than they consumed. Weeds, particularly dandelion flowers and leaves make good treats as do a variety of herbs, either fresh or dried. I plan on sprinkling some of my dried rose petal/herb mix in their water dish. My geese enjoy that, so I presume the ducks will as well. I have not tried any fruits yet, but plan to. I have raspberry bushes, as well as a peach and a pear tree. Zucchini always grows well in almost any garden, so they will have the opportunity to try some of those, and tomatoes. I have noticed that my ducks seem to enjoy treats more if they are put in their water dish. Maybe diving after them is half the fun! Just make sure that any weeds, grasses or treats from the garden are chemical free.
I always like to give my animals treats along with their daily feed and I think that they enjoy the variety. Occasional “junk” food is alright for your animals, but don’t let them fill up on the not-so-nutritional food so they won’t eat the foods they need for proper growth, development and strong immune systems. I think that applies to all our farm animals and not just ducks. Our animals rely on us to help them grow old!
