What do pet ducks eat

The kids loved it. This site contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I may earn a commission. Please see my disclosure page for more information about cookies collected and our privacy policy. Now that I am raising my own backyard ducks, I know a little bit better about their diets. So what do ducks eat? They absolutely love to roam as far and wide as you will let them searching for just the right bite to eat.

What kinds of forage will ducks eat? Ducks will eat just about any insect or bug. Give a duck a rainy day and she will be a happy duck! Mostly because it brings the worms closer to the surface where they can snatch them up! Ducks love greens- grass, weeds, seed heads. They will rake their beak through to find anything tasty! Our ducks love to jump at the wild blackberries that grow along our property line.

If you have a pond for your ducks they will catch small fish as well as eat the fish eggs. Layer Pellets — These are the same as what you would use for chicken feed. Choose pellets over crumble. Crumbles can cause choking. If you are feeding young ducks, start with chick starter and gradually move to layer pellets as they grow. Sunflower Seeds — We keep a lot of black oil sun flower seeds, but any will do!

Birdseed all types — Our ducks like to hang out under the feeders and clean up the mess made by the wild birds! And they loved the bag of birdseed we fed them after it was infected by grain moths! Again- not as their main source of feed, but as a treat or in a pinch. Whole Grains — Oats, wheat, barley, etc.

Just make sure they are whole grain. We raise ducks for eggs, so layer pellets are an integral part of their diet to keep their egg laying production up.

What else do ducks eat? Here are some good options for treats:. Meal worms — We used meal worms to help train our ducks when they were younger. And they go crazy for them. They still love the color red because that was the color of the meal worm bag!

Fruits and Veggies — Put that compost to good use! Ducks love most fruits and veggies including cucumbers, pumpkins, watermelon rind, apple cores, etc. If you have too much produce to handle from the garden, put in back into your homestead by feeding it to your ducks! Just no raw potatoes, spinach, citrus, or avocados. Eggs- Sometimes in the summer we get overrun with eggs. A tray of eggs baked in the oven until hard boiled consistency and cracked and tossed in the yard is a wonderful treat.

They get protein from the eggs and calcium from the shells! It is high in niacin and can help prevent deficiencies and keep them healthy. The most important thing to remember when feeding ducks is to make sure they have a lot of fresh water available at all times. They need this water to help them swallow their food and to clean the nostrils- which can get clogged with mud and dust from raking and searching for food.

Zucchini, peas, leafy greens, corn, vegetable peels, non-citrus fruit and worms are suitable. Duck starter crumbles are ideal. Avoid chicken feed at this age as it is deficient in some of the nutrients that growing ducks need.

Ducklings can now be fed a good quality grower food suitable for ducks or for pullets young chickens. The ducks can now be fed a good quality layer or breeder food suitable for adult ducks or chickens. Pellets or mixed grain are best.

They also need daily access to shell grit as a source of calcium to ensure strong shelled eggs. Ducks need plenty of clean water provided to wash their food down with. As the Winter can be harsh for wild ducks most will migrate to areas where the water does not freeze so they can survive through the winter. They are very well equipped to withstand the bitter cold weather as they have lots of fat and feathers. They will stay in an area that has unfrozen streams and ponds or areas where they can forage on land for their food.

They can survive quite some time before they actually need to eat but they will eat lots in the good months to prepare for winter. Ducks burn off their fat reserves and conserve energy then eat what they can find during winter months. Unfortunately in severe winters many diving ducks die because the winter was too long and food was scarce.

The majority have become used to duck or chicken feed as their main staple. However if they are allowed they will forage for grass, slugs, bugs and tasty plant foliage to supplement their diet.

You can feed them any of the treats listed above for wild ducks fruits, veggies, grains and berries but avoid junk food like bread and pasta. Interestingly there are some domestic ducks that actually work for a living by eating slugs and bugs. Several wineries employ Runner ducks to eat all the bugs they can find in the vineyards. These ducks are well cared for with secure accommodations and are fed grain at the end of the day. They spend most of their day foraging for goodies in order to pack on fat for the winter.

In the summertime wild ducks can be seen foraging late into the night on lakes and water margins. Divers can hunt up small fish and crustaceans through the night hours especially if the area has lots of small marine creatures. Interestingly wild ducks will feed more at night during hunting season — a survival strategy no doubt. Domestic ducks are usually locked up at night for their safety but if you do let them out you will likely see them hunting for their favorite snacks.

If you keep domestic ducks they will generally follow your schedule and eat when you take their feed to them. Also if you let them range they will pick up snacks throughout the day. The second interesting difference is the gizzard ventriculus. Large hard items such as acorns and some crustaceans require more grinding power so the esophagus can increase in size and strength.

Smaller items such as berries, grass and slugs do not require as much power so the gizzard can shrink down in size. It is important to note that their diet must be consistent to increase or decrease the size of their gizzard.

For example if the duck has been grazing on grass the gizzard will be smaller, but if the duck changes to a diet of crustaceans the gizzard will expand just like a muscle that is used consistently. Wild ducks are omnivores so there are lots of snacks you can feed them.

Greens such as kale, collards and broccoli are great for them.