What kind of treats can ducks eat?

We only have 2 ducks right now, and they are kind of having a rough few weeks with everything that's been going on. So I've been giving them lots of treats and special attention lately. Ducks love treats but just like kids they tend to prefer the junk food! When feeding ducks though you need to be careful that you give them healthy snacks most of the time. 

While ducks love treats like bread, it's really not that good for them. If you think about it, white bread isn't all that good for us either which brings me to the first rule of duck treats: If it's not good for you, it's not good for them. Just like when feeding chickens treats, things that shouldn't be given to ducks include alcohol, caffeine, lots of salt and spoiled foods.

Treats for ducks

Let's start with the basics of duck treats:

• If you won't eat it then don't give it to them. If it's starting to smell funny or grow mold just chuck it in the trash. 
• Chocolate is bad for most animals. Period.
• Caffeine is another no-no. Anything containing coffee, tea or chocolate should not be given to ducks. This includes matcha which is a powdered form of green tea.
• Alcohol. Desserts soaked in liqueurs are probably the biggest hazard, but anything containing alcohol that has not been burned off in the cooking process should be avoided.
• Salt. Anything excessively salty can be bad for a ducks kidneys. If you can, rinse the item off like canned vegetables. If not, it's best to just skip it. 

Obviously the best treats for ducks are going to be healthy foods like fruits, vegetables and lean proteins. Luckily ducks love all that stuff! Of course they like some things better than others and my ducks seem to be pickier than most! *sigh*

My ducks favorite treats

Peas: 

Fresh or frozen only. Canned peas are salty and my ducks don't seem to like them, maybe because they're mushy? In the summer they like when I toss frozen peas into the pond with them. 

Lettuce:

All kinds, but keep in mind that many types of lettuce (like iceberg) have very little nutritional value. My ducks don't like kale, but the wild ducks do...so if you have kale, rip it into small pieces and see if your ducks like it! They also like fodder, so if you're growing it for the chickens anyway, make sure to share it with the ducks!

Bananas: 

Cut into small chunks. 

Mealworms: 

Ducks also love slugs and grubs if you happen to come across any while gardening. You can even grow your own mealworms at home to reduce feed costs!

Blueberries & Grapes: 

These are so much fun to chase after!  

Watermelon & Cantaloupe: 

Ducks like the cantaloupe best when it's on the mushy side, but as long as it's cut into small pieces they'll eat it no matter how ripe it is. They also love watermelon and will even eat the rind!

Minnows: 

Minnows or feeder goldfish can be purchased at bait stores or pet stores. Ducks enjoy 'fishing' for them in a deep bowl of water.

Weeds: 

If your ducks don't free range they would love a few big handfuls of weeds tossed into their run! Check out this list of weeds chickens and ducks love.

Produce ends from  the kitchen: 

Strawberry tops, string bean pieces, tomato ends, cucumber peelings, the insides of squashes, pumpkins and melons. 

Scrambled eggs: 

Just like chickens, ducks love scrambled eggs and it's good for them. Also just like chickens they won't become egg eaters if you make the scrambled eggs to eat. They just don't connect the dots that way.

If you happen to keep ducks and chickens in the same coop, your chickens will enjoy these treats too! There are lots of treats that ducks love that aren't on this list and hopefully your ducks won't be as picky as mine!

Want more information on waterfowl? Click over to read all my posts on raising ducks!

~L

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