Almost everyone loves to feed ducks at a park or a pond. Some keep them as pets but are worried about what are the healthy choices in food for them. People generally ask whether they can feed lettuce to their ducks. Well, in this article we’ll see whether or not ducks eat lettuce.
So, can ducks eat lettuce? Yes, ducks love to eat lettuce. Vegetables such as lettuce and cabbage are full of nutrition and are very healthy for ducks. Make sure you cut lettuce into small pieces before feeding it to ducks.
Ducks, swans, and geese come under the category of omnivorous birds, and they love to savor vegetables like lettuce, cabbage, collards, chard, and all different categories of squash treats.
There is a variety of nutritious food that ducks love to eat, and also, it doesn’t go waste! When you plan to treat your ducks with enjoyable food, one thing that you need to be careful about is it should not be more than 10% of their daily diet.
Of course, it doesn’t include leafy vegetables like lettuce, cut grass, chard, weeds, and so forth. You can serve those leafy vegetables in unlimited amounts to your ducks.
Along with leafy vegetables like lettuce, ducks also love to eat root vegetables like potatoes, carrots, turnips, beets, and radishes, etc. but they should be adequately cooked.
Duck foods to avoid
We know, you love to feed your ducks, but please make sure that you offer them the most nutritious and healthy food for their growth and development.
Some foods can impact their growth, and it includes pieces of bread, cereal, crackers, chips, popcorns, junk food scraps, and other food items related to this category. The reason that even pieces of bread are not allowed for ducks is that they lack in nutritional value.
When it comes to fruits, certain fruits should be avoided while feeding to ducks. Look at them below!
1. Citrus Fruit (Lemons, Oranges, Grapefruit, Limes) – Citrus fruit is avoided because it can cause acid reflux and stomach pain in ducks.
2. Mangoes – You should avoid feeding mangoes to your ducks because it can make their throat itchy. In any case, if you fed them unintentionally, do remember their reaction! If they enjoyed the juicy and sweet mangoes, then you can feed them but in a limited amount.
3. Avocado – Avocado fruit or plant is extremely toxic for the ducklings. So, remember to avoid this fruit from their healthy routine!
4. Stone Fruits – Stone fruits like Apple, peaches, cherries, pears, apricots, and plums contain high amounts of cyanide, which is not good for their health and well-being. However, if it’s possible, you can remove the pits and seeds of the stone fruits before you plan to feed them!
Let’s talk about vegetables, which ones need to be kept away from the ducks eating routine!
1. White Potatoes – You should avoid adding white potatoes to ducks vegetable plan because they are toxic for them to eat! Not just that, white potatoes belong to the nightshade family. Thus, other vegetables like green tomatoes, eggplant, rhubarb should be avoided too!
2. Spinach – Yes, spinach is extremely nutritious, but they should be served in limited amounts, otherwise, it can cause egg binding or maybe soft-shelled eggs.
3. Iceberg Lettuce – Lettuce and Iceberg Lettuce, both are different, so don’t get confused! You can feed your ducks lettuce, cabbage, romaine, or collards, but you definitely cannot feed them Iceberg lettuce as it has low nutritional values. It can result in diarrhea in an excessive state!
Good food for ducks
Ducks like more nutritious and healthy food that can help them grow significantly! As mentioned above, they love to eat lettuce, and thus, they are always present in their eating meal.
Besides that, some other great foods are there to show them love and care!
1. Chopped Lettuce, Greens or Salad Mix
2. Vegetables, chopped into small pieces
3. Wheat, grains, and barley
4. Corns in cracked form
5. Uncooked Oats
6. Rice (White, Brown, cooked, Uncooked, Whole or Instant)
7. Birdseed, of any type or Mix
8. Milo Seed
9. Frozen Corns, or Peas (If defrosted, you don’t have to cook them)
10. Grapes (Cut into pieces)
11. Nut Hearts (Of any type but without any flavors, salt or coatings)
12. Fresh or Dried Mealworms
13. Earthworms, be it dug from the garden or fishing bait
So, before you plan for a duck’s meal, do not forget to include them as well! Because if they are not getting the right nutritional value in their food meal, then they can get an illness known as ‘Angel Wing.’
Basically, it’s a deformity in birds’ wings due to which they cannot fly, and that is obviously deadly for them.
From fresh nutrition-packed lettuce to instant porridge, seeds, and oats, you can serve them with such meals in daily routine as this would definitely keep them happy and healthy.
How to Feed Ducks? (Some tips)
If you love to feed ducks, then you must have stumbled upon the question, how to feed them appropriately, right? Whether you pay an occasional visit to the pond to feed ducks or you regularly go to the local ponds, you must know the tips to feed them properly.
Here are some of the useful tips for you to feed ducks for the next time plan to pay a healthy visit to them.
Tip 1 – Don’t feed them too much, please! If other visitors are also feeding the ducks, then it can result in health problems. Moreover, uneaten and leftover food can lead to foul odors, form algae, and attract other insects and mice.
Tip 2 – Ducks, Swans, and Geese, they cannot chew. Thus, you have to offer them food, which is in bite-size pieces that can easily be consumed without any struggle! No matter how tasty and healthy it is, you will have to take care of this thing well in advance.
Tip 3 – Just be cautious about ducks when they approach you very closely. Some ducks can be aggressive and can harm you! Therefore, feed them from a distance, which is good for both!
Tip 4 – In any case, if you are feeding the ducklings and they seem disinterested, stop feeding them right there! They must already be full and unwilling to eat, which will only create a stack of leftover or uneaten food in their feeding area.
Tip 5 – Do not forget to dispose of the trash from their feeding area! If you find out any garbage, specifically litter in their feeding area, dispose of immediately as it can be harmful to them. Apart from litter, plastic, bags, moldy scraps, twist ties, or any inappropriate thing can lead to health issues to ducks and other waterfowl birds.
Tip 6 – Do not chase or disturb them! Keep your children away from the ducks as it can cause them stress or any kind of injury if they even try to disturb them unpleasantly.
Tip 7 – While you feed them, always be ascertain about the food that is good for their health and food, which is harmful to them. If you love to feed ducks, then you should be aware of the food they love to eat, like Lettuce, delicious, chopped into pieces, and crunchy to savor!
Conclusion
Lettuce is a yummy treat for the ducks. Just avoid adding Iceberg Lettuce in their meal plan, and you are good to go! Apart from that, there are some great nutritious herbs, weeds, vegetables, and fruits that you can feed to your ducks.
Therefore, next time you plan for a visit to a local pond to feed the lovely ducks, make sure you carry lettuce and other food items (porridge, flapjacks, rolled oats, rice, seeds, fresh corns, etc.) that are healthy for them to consume!