It’s a well-known fact that ducks are omnivores, and there’s a variety of stuff you can feed to ducks, and some of them can seem strange to someone who has never fed a duck before. One of them is dog food. In this article, we’ll see if you can feed your ducks dog food.
So, can ducks eat dog food? Yes, ducks can eat dog food, and they like it. Dog food is nutritious and full of health benefits, but there are things you need to keep in mind. Dog food is big enough to choke your duck, so you have to be careful how you feed your duck dog food.
You need to remember that dog food may be suitable for waterfowls, but when it comes to swallowing food, it could go either way for ducks. How do you stop this from happening?
What do ducks normally eat?
Ducks are omnivores, so they have a diverse diet. Ducks eat the following food items:
- Small fish
- The eggs of fish
- Mollusks, clams, etc.
- Fruits like grapes, which should be sliced to avoid choking in ducks
- Cooked rice
- Duck specialty pellet food
- Certain vegetables
- Underwater plants
- Snails and other small shelled animals
- Algae
- Insects and frogs
- Certain seeds and cereals
The most important part of a duck’s diet is water. Water helps ducks swallow and digest their food easily. Always provide fresh water to ducks, and when you give your duck food to eat, make sure you add water to the food to soften it. Many foods can become a choking hazard for these birds.
Ducks love eating dog food but let us see why should you feed dog food to ducks.
First, let us find out what makes dog food so nutritious.
How nutritious is dog food?
Dog food comes in two types — wet food, and dry food.
Wet Dog Food
As the name suggests, Wet dog food is dog food with more water content than its kibble counterpart. It has higher nutritional value because canned wet food contains more meat products and fewer carbohydrates like grains or vegetables.
However, wet dog food does not tax your dog’s gums and teeth, so dogs who are fed exclusively on a wet diet can face dental problems.
Dry Dog Food
Dry dog food is a healthy combination of grains or vegetables and meat or eggs. It is usually produced in the form of small dry cubes.
Most dog owners feed their pets a combination of dry dog food and other meat products.
Dry dog food works the teeth and jaw, thereby promoting good dental care.
The problem with dry food is that it can contain many preservatives, and the nutritional value may be lower than what that brand of dog food claims.
Dog food for ducks
Dog food, both wet and dry, contains meat and meat by-products. Dog food also has vegetarian options for those dogs that have been trained to avoid meat. However, if you are thinking of giving dog food to your duck, the answer is, you can.
In moderation, of course. As the old adage goes, moderation is the key to good health, and this is true for all life forms.
Dog food is high in protein and other nutritious elements like vitamins, omega fatty acids, and zinc. Dog food is a nutritional combination of mixed food groups to give your dog the best health he can have.
As mentioned before, ducks, like humans, are omnivores, which means that they eat both veggies and meat. Therefore, ducks can be given dog food that contains meat and meat by-products.
Dog food provides ducks with a high protein boost and provides the birds with other nutrients beneficial for their health.
Dog food can also be used as treats to help train your pet ducks, just like you would with a dog!
Most pet food, especially dry dog food, heavily relies on grains to make up most of the food content. Therefore, you can safely give your duck dog food. The protein present in dog food is also an added bonus.
Dog food that contains grains is great for ducks, so you can give your duck some dog food.
Things to keep in mind when giving your duck dog food?
As discussed earlier, dog food can be safely given to ducks, but there are some things you should keep in mind before feeding your duck dog food.
Dog food is rich in nutrients, but each flavor of dog food contains different types of nutrition. Try to offer your duck different types of dog food to ensure that your bird gets all the nutrients that its body requires.
Dog food tends to become moldy, especially if it is stored in damp places, or during the monsoon seasons. Never give food that has mold growing out of it, since there are several types of mold that can endanger your ducks’ lives.
Dog food is mainly based on corn and rice products, but contain meat to supplement a dog’s diet. While this non-vegetarian protein is good for your duck, dog food can contain too much protein for a duck.
Too much protein can cause certain health problems for your duck, mainly the disorder known as angel wing. Angel wing is a physical defect caused by the intake of more protein than required by a duck’s biological system. This deformity is seen when the wing of the duck sticks out instead of lying flatly against the fowl’s body.
Wet dog food contains more fats and calories in comparison to dry dog food, so be careful of how much you feed your duck. Too much fat can lead to obesity in your duck, and obesity kills.
Dry dog food comes in small cubes or circular shapes. Dogs can chomp on it easily, but for ducks, these foods pose a huge choking hazard.
Ducks can easily choke on foods that cannot pass through their gullet easily, and if they are unable to regurgitate whatever is choking them, they can succumb to a painful death.
Ducks are not very picky eaters, but they sure waste a lot of food like one. Kibbles that have fallen on the floor because the ducks have discarded them should be cleaned away as soon as your fowler has finished eating.
Dog food can have mold growing out of it in no time, and mold can be toxic for your duck. Many types of mold are fatal for these fowls, so make sure your ducks never have access to moldy food.
Some dog foods contain duck as a meat ingredient – avoid giving your duck fowl flesh. Cannibalism in ducks has changed the behavior of the birds — they become more aggressive and vicious.
While dog food has many health benefits, there have been many instances when companies have had to recall batches of dog food because of the illnesses that sprout from these contaminated foods. Be careful of what you give your duck to eat.
How do I feed my duck dog food?
Dog food can be presented to ducks for consumption in various ways, but avoid feeding them whole kibble — it can be a real choking hazard. You can feed your duck dog food by these methods.
Mashed
Never give your duck kibble without mashing them to bits first. Without doing this, your duck can choke on the bigger pieces. Discard any sharp or big pieces of food from your duck’s feed.
Mixed with the usual feed
You can mix dog food with what you feed your ducks usually. Ducks enjoy the variation in their food.
With water
We know how important water is in a duck’s diet. Therefore, always mix water with the kibble to soften it up so that the ducks can swallow it with ease.
As a treat
You can give dog food to ducks as a treat. Ducks also eat it as grit to improve their digestion.
Conclusion
Therefore, ducks can safely consume dog food, as long as it is mixed with water, and isn’t too big for them to swallow. Dog food is an excellent food for ducks.
Remember that ducks need various other nutritious food, so do not rely solely on dog food. Makes sure ducks have grits available at hand. Grits are small stones and sand that help ducks digest their food and provide tiny amounts of minerals.
Do not feed ducks junk food items like popcorn, cookies, bread, etc. — these foods are not good for ducks and can seriously injure their biological processes.