What happens when you ask whether ducks can eat mushrooms? Well, you end up with an interesting hour-long conversation between a chemist, a student in a wildlife biology class, and an emergency department doctor. And here is the outcome of the discussion.
Can ducks eat mushrooms? Ducks can eat mushrooms as a treat because they’re full of nutrients that benefit both ducks and their eggs. Make sure to feed the kind of mushrooms that are safe for humans to consume, not wild mushrooms because they can be harmful to ducks.
If you’re looking for a safe mushroom variety to feed your ducks, the easiest way to go about it is to give them mushrooms that are safe for you to eat.
Many people find fresh, homegrown mushrooms are filling and delicious. Ducks may be no different, especially when the fruiting bodies of the mushroom are small and soft.
When it comes to treating your ducks, all duck-owners would agree that these little birdies can get bored of a snack in no time. Therefore, having various snacks to treat them with is one of the most effective ways of keeping them happy.
To many of you, mushrooms might sound like an unusual choice for your duck’s treat. However, in this article, we will tell you how well they can work for your feathered pets once they get used to these.
Will ducks eat mushrooms?
One of the first things you will learn as a pet parent to the ducks is that they can be quite difficult for their diet. Most ducks have their individual taste and might even decide what they like to eat on a whim.
If you want to figure out whether your pet duck will eat mushrooms or not, your best choice is to try serving it to them.
If they seem to like mushrooms, you can include them in their diet as a treat. However, if they are not so eager to eat them, it would be best if you start looking for other alternatives.
After all, the whole point of treating your pets is to make them happy, so force-feeding them mushrooms would be pointless.
Are mushrooms healthy treats for ducks?
If you have already tried feeding mushrooms to your ducks and they like it, congratulations! You are ready to move on to the next essential question: how do mushrooms impact your duck’s health?
As a responsible pet parent, you’d want to treat them with something that is both tasty as well as healthy for them, right?
This section will find out if mushrooms can be a healthy treat for your feathered pets. Let’s begin by exploring the nutritional value of mushrooms in the table given below:
| Nutrient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) | 0.012 mg |
| Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) | 0.017 mg |
| Vitamin B3 (Niacin) | 0.067 mg |
| Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) | 0.067 mg |
| Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) | 104 mcg |
| Vitamin B9 (Folates) | 9.1 mcg |
| Vitamin B12 (Choline) | 16.6 mg |
| Vitamin C | 3 mg |
| Vitamin D | 0.2 mg |
| Calcium, Ca | 2.9 mg |
| Magnesium, Mg | 8.6 mg |
| Iron, Fe | 0.5 mg |
| Phosphorus, P | 82.6 mg |
| Sodium, Na | 4.8 mg |
| Potassium, K | 305 mg |
| Zinc, Zn | 0.5 mg |
| Copper, Cu | 305 mg |
| Selenium, Se | 8.9 mg |
| Carbohydrates | 3.1 g |
| Sugar | 1.9 g |
| Fat | 0 g |
| Protein | 3 g |
| Calories | 35 kcal |
Serving size: 1 cup (100 grams)
Now that we’ve gone through the table and have a basic idea of all the nutrients present in mushrooms, we can talk about the role they play in your feathered pet’s health:
- Thiamin, or Vitamin B1, is an essential nutrient that ensures the smooth functioning of your duck’s brain, heart, stomach, and intestines.
- Niacin supports the health of their legs and joints. Its deficiency in their diet can lead to severe joint problems and have a lasting impact on their walking abilities.
- Pantothenic acid aids them in the metabolism of important macronutrients like protein, carbs, and fats.
- Pyridoxine serves two important functions in their body: promoting their healthy nervous system alongside maintaining their red blood cell count.
- Although the functioning of folates in a duck’s body is undetermined, their lack is often seen to result in diseases like Macrocytic Anemia.
- Vitamin C provides your ducks with essential antioxidants, strengthening their immune system against all kinds of diseases and infections.
- Calcium strengthens their bones and muscles. Ducklings need more calcium in their diet than their parents.
- Iron prevents them from Anemia.
- Magnesium supports their nerve and muscle functions and also regulates their heartbeats.
- Potassium improves and maintains the cognitive functions of the body.
- Selenium plays a key role in keeping their thyroid gland healthy.
- Carbs are the building blocks of energy in most birds, including ducks.
- Fibers are essential to keep their digestive system healthy and smoothly functioning.
- Protein is responsible for the production of enzymes and hormones in the body.
- A low sugar content means they wouldn’t gain unnecessary weight by eating mushrooms.
Are wild mushrooms safe for ducks to eat?
Before we move ahead, let’s make one thing very clear: all the health benefits we have discussed above are valid only for the store-bought mushrooms varieties that we eat ourselves. You must not let your pet feed on wild mushrooms at any cost, and here’s why.
Many studies and researches on mushroom varieties claim that roughly 20% of all the mushroom varieties that grow in the wild are poisonous to some extent, some more than others. And unless you’re an expert on these things, there’s no way you can know which one is safe and which one isn’t.
Moreover, while we can tolerate eating some mildly poisonous wild mushrooms without serious consequences, you can’t expect the same from small birds like the ducks.
Their health is much more fragile than ours, and they can suffer very easily if they eat something wrong or toxic, like wild mushrooms.
The consequences of eating wild mushrooms for your ducks can vary, depending on the toxicity of its variety. In general, it can range from minor digestive problems to severe neurological issues, even organ failures.
Wild mushrooms have even killed many birds, including ducks. Therefore, as a safety precaution, wild mushrooms should never be fed to your feathered pets.
Mushroom varieties that are safe for ducks
In the previous section, we learned that you must be 100% sure that they’re safe for your pets before feeding these to them as far as mushrooms are concerned. But how would you do that?
While it takes an expert to determine which mushrooms are safe or dangerous in the wild, there’s a much easier way for you to do it at home.
The best thing about mushrooms is that all varieties that are safe for your consumption would be safe for your feathered pets as well. So, you can safely feed the store-bought mushrooms you buy for yourself to them as well.
These are some mushroom varieties that you can easily find in any neighboring store:
- Chanterelle mushrooms
- White button mushrooms
- Oyster mushrooms
- Crimini mushrooms
- Portobello mushrooms
- Morel mushrooms
- Porcini mushrooms
- Reishi mushrooms
- Black trumpet mushrooms
Is it okay to feed mushrooms to ducklings?
Is your pet duck also a mother to little ducklings? If you’re wondering whether the ducklings can also enjoy mushroom treats, we would suggest you hold back on it for at least 2-4 weeks. Until the ducklings are 4 weeks old, they should only be fed their feed and nothing else.
Once they’re older, you can start introducing mushrooms to their diet. If they like mushrooms, it can be used as a treat for them once a week.
Mushrooms for ducks: feeding ideas
So far, we have learned everything we need to know about mushrooms and their impact on your feathered pet’s health. There’s only one more thing you need to know: how to feed mushrooms to ducks?
The first step of this process involves purchasing mushrooms. As we have mentioned earlier, all mushrooms safe for us to eat are also safe for the ducks.
When buying mushrooms for your pets, make sure to buy from a trusted store or supplier instead of going for a new one. Also, check if the mushrooms are fresh or not.
Once you’ve bought mushrooms and are about to serve these to your ducks, always wash them thoroughly first.
Even the mushrooms that are grown in a safe environment might have dust or dirt on the surface. And when it comes to your pet’s health, it is always better to take all precautions.
The next step involves prepping mushrooms for your pets.
You might have noticed that mushrooms have a rubbery texture. This texture might make it difficult for your ducks to enjoy eating mushrooms. Therefore, to make mushrooms more appealing, you can boil them for 10-15 minutes to give a soft texture. This way, your ducks will be able to break them apart easily.
However, let the mushrooms cool down for 10 minutes before serving them to ducks; you wouldn’t want them to burn their mouth.
Conclusion: Can Ducks Eat Mushrooms?
Ducks can eat mushrooms in moderation. In addition to being rich in healthy nutrients, edible mushrooms also have a flavor that ducks love.
However, too much of any food could prove harmful to your feathered friends. So it’s best to give them a mushroom treat now and then and avoid overdoing it.
Thanks for reading our article! We do hope you found it interesting, and that it will help you to better eat mushrooms with your ducks.
If you want more information about this topic, or if you want to join in the discussion yourself, be sure to contact us.
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