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November 17, 2017

Treats Your Ducks Will Love!


Whether they are farm animals or pets, treats are enjoyed by all. Ducks are no different. Want to make their day? Listed below are our Top 5 Treats Your Ducks Will Love. After dispensing these treats, you'll believe your ducks are better fed than you are!

Word of Note

Remember, these are treats and should not be a large part of your ducks' daily feed. Doing so can and will unbalance their nutritional intake from their regular feed.

Snails, Bugs and Slugs

Ducks love slugs, snails, flies, earwigs – you name it, they'll eat it. We notice fewer flies in our duck buildings than our goose buildings because ducks chase after them! We have even sold ducks to citrus orchards to keep snails under control. They are especially good at eating mosquitoes, ticks, and other pesky insects, so they double as bug control. If your birds can't go after the bugs, you can always take the bugs to them. Collect all those snails and dump them in the duck pen. They will be gone almost immediately. Or give them purchased treats such as crickets that can be found at many feed and pet stores.

If you really want to give the little guys a treat, worms are a fan favorite. We offer Happy Hen Treats which are freeze-dried meal worms! They slurp them up like spaghetti.

Fruits

Apples and grapes.
Strawberries, blueberries, grapes, bananas, apples, peaches, pears, and other such berries and fruits are amazing treats for your ducks. Make sure to cut them up into bite-sized pieces. Just stay away from the citrus fruits like oranges and lemons.

Melons are also a great treat. I have it on good authority that ducks love watermelon. So when you're having some during the summer, cut a slice for your ducks! They'll love you for it.

Vegetables

Corn, zucchini, and salad.
While vegetables could already be a part of your duck's daily diet, there are a few they especially like. Peas, lettuce, carrots, corn, swiss chard, cucumber, zucchini, leeks, cabbage, and other such green veggies are great treats.

Don't have veggies? Most yard cuttings such as grass and weeds are considered good eats. No need to worry about what to do with dandelions as they will gobble them up along with other edible flowers and weeds you have.

Dairy

Feeding eggs to ducks might seem counter intuitive, but they have a whole bunch of vitamins and proteins from which they can benefit. Give them a hard boiled egg and watch them go at it.

Meats

Beef and turkey cuts.
Meats are rich in protein and, while ducks can eat them, make sure to offer them sparingly. Small pieces of cooked chicken, beef, and pork are excellent little tidbits for them to eat. Fish is, of course, a favorite.

Want to let your ducks have some fun? Release some feeder fish like mosquito fish or tiny minnows into a kiddy pool and let them dive after the critters. Food and exercise at the same time!


1 comment:

  1. My ducks and geese LOVE this time of year as it is garden clean up time! When frost hits, the garden is done, and the ducks and geese get to go in and boy do they love those frosted tomatoes and peppers! Even the hot peppers!

    During harvest season, they are my clean up crew for cherries, berries and apples. Anything too wormy or unsuitable for humans...they take care of so that I do not have to worry about cleaning up the fallen fruit to prevent infestations of bugs.

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