Duck food: what do ducks eat and what don't?

Whoever keeps ducks has to care Feed for the animals don't worry too much. They usually eat whatever comes before their beak. However, they have their preferences.

Omnivores

When it comes to duck feed, one thing is particularly important: the animals are absolutely omnivores. What appears edible to them is also destroyed. And no, ducks aren't vegetarians either. On the contrary: if you have the choice between green fodder and a snail, for example, you will definitely give preference to the snail. In principle, all duck species cover a significant proportion of their protein requirements from animal proteins. It is not for nothing that ducks for snail control are kept in many German gardens. The animals are thus something like natural pest fighters. What applies to running ducks also applies in principle to all other duck species.

Note: Unfortunately, not only are potential pests eaten, but also useful animals such as earthworms. A duck makes no difference.

Because ducks are omnivores, their diet is also very extensive. The spectrum ranges from grass to roots, grains, seeds, eggshells and beetles to leftovers from the household, to name just a few examples. For duck keepers, therefore, supplying the animals with feed is usually not a problem. In many cases it is often not necessary to feed.

Animal self-sufficiency

If it has the opportunity, a duck will find its own food. Seen in this way, she is self-sufficient. However, this requires free-range farming and a correspondingly large garden. The duck will find a rich selection of duck food there. Typically, she is then busy looking for food and eating more or less all day long. This corresponds to her natural way of life and at the same time ensures that she does not get bored. The focus is on:

• grass
• other green plants
• grain
• Seeds and grains
• fine roots
• Larvae
• worms
• Snails
• insects
• Leftovers from other animals

The garden or even a pasture is full of duck feed. Whether the amount is sufficient, however, depends on how large the area is and how many animals are kept. In addition, of course, the time of year also plays a role. Naturally, there is less to eat in winter than in summer. Against this background, there is a regular discussion among duck keepers about whether ducks need to be fed at all in the summer months if they are kept free-range. In theory, at least, they would be able to feed themselves completely. However, it always depends on the specific circumstances on site.

Tip: Those who keep ducks in the garden should protect vegetable patches with a height of at least 50 centimeters. Otherwise, there is a great risk that domestic and flight ducks as well as runner ducks will unrestrainedly attack the beds and plunder them.

Amount of feed

It is not possible to give an exact indication of how much feed an individual duck needs per day. Nor is it necessary. A free-roaming animal will be busy looking for food and eating all day anyway. In addition, ducks signal their keepers relatively clearly when they are hungry and need food.

To feed

Free-range husbandry should be the form of husbandry of choice for every poultry breed if possible. They should only spend the night in a well-secured stable to protect the animals from predators such as marten or fox. If free-range husbandry is not possible for whatever reasons, feed must be given in the barn. And even if the duck feed is not enough in the garden or on the pasture, there is no avoiding additional feeding. There are basically two alternatives: Either you feed ready-made feed throughout or a feed mix or you create a menu that consists of a ready-made feed and leftover food from the household. The latter clearly offers more variety for the animals and is usually preferred by them.

Finished feed

In the vast majority of cases, duck feed is readily available in specialist shops. These are basically feed mixes, the content of which is tailored to the special needs of the animals. Mostly they are made up of the following ingredients:

• Corn
• wheat
• barley
• Soybeans
• ground mussel shells
• Sunflower seeds

This fully covers the need for nutrients and minerals and, in particular, for proteins. These ready mixes are therefore also suitable as complete feed.

Tip: Even when feeding with a complete feed, it is advisable to add fresh green fodder. This at least ensures a little variety in the menu of the animals.

Feed mixes are offered either in grain form or as pressed pellets. Both variants meet the natural need of all duck species to peck the food. Duck feed is also available as a special fattening feed. It contains a significantly higher proportion of proteins and carbohydrates as well as fats. This makes it possible to achieve faster growth for the ducks, i.e. to fatten them in the truest sense of the word. However, this fattening duck feed is not recommended. On the one hand, the health of the animals very often suffers from the rapid growth, on the other hand, the taste of the meat is not infrequently inferior. It is clearly better to give the animals more time to grow.

Make feed mix yourself

If you don't buy your duck feed ready-mixed, but prefer to make it yourself, you can do this relatively easily. It is of course ideal if the mix is ​​fresh every day. The following recipe has proven itself and is particularly popular with all types of duck:

• Corn flakes
• Bean flour
• wheat flour
• Oatmeal
• Barley meal
• Water or milk (to mix)
• cooked vegetables
• cooked potatoes

The cooked vegetables and potatoes must be allowed to cool before a duck can eat them. It is also advisable to chop the potatoes. Incidentally, these do not have to be peeled in advance. On the contrary: the shell contains lots of nutrients that are good for the ducks. Oat and barley meal is available for relatively little money from many grain farmers. The remaining ingredients are available from grocery stores.

Tip: If it is too time-consuming to make the mixture anew every day, you can also produce a larger amount in advance. However, this must then be stored as cool as possible and soaked again in water before feeding.

Leftovers

In practically every household there is a daily leftover food that you can feed to ducks. Basically, the animals are not picky here either. However, not everything that we humans like is good for a duck. If the leftover food contains flavorings and preservatives, they are taboo. The same applies to very spicy dishes. In addition, it must always be ensured that the leftover food is not yet infected with mold and thus inedible. The following leftovers can be fed:

• old bread
• Pasta
• rice
• Salad leaves without dressing
• cooked vegetables
• cooked potatoes

The bread should be soaked in water beforehand and then torn into small pieces. If it is already hard, there is no avoiding extensive watering. Some ducks should be able to break an edible piece out of a hard piece of bread. The animal could then suffocate on this piece. It is fundamentally important that you cut the leftover food into as small pieces as possible. With vegetables and potatoes, it is a good idea to mash them thoroughly and then loosen them up again. The food should be made in such a way that the animals can eat it with their beak as easily as possible and then swallow it without any problems.

water

Water plays an extremely important role in the life of every living being. This is especially true for ducks. It is not for nothing that they belong to the waterfowl group - and they not only love to swim in the water, but also have to drink a lot. In fact, water plays an immensely important role in the duck feed. Whenever the animals eat, they will drink shortly afterwards. To understand this better, you have to take a closer look at their anatomy. Waterfowl, including domestic ducks, flight ducks and running ducks, have neither teeth nor a swallowing mechanism. So you are not able to really chop up your food or swallow it. Water is therefore an important lubricant that helps move food to the stomach. If there is not enough or no water available, there is a risk that a duck will choke on its food. Therefore, not only should a swimming pond be created when abstaining, but several drinking vessels should always be available.

Earth

Yes, ducks eat earth. However, this does not serve as duck feed, but, like water, has a supporting function in digestion. You have to know that the soil and small stones in the stomach ensure that larger pieces of food are broken up or broken down. be ground up. As a result, they can be digested better and, above all, faster. In free-range husbandry, a duck repeatedly picks up food while foraging in the garden or on the pasture Soil with it - especially because it very often digs its way through the ground to find larvae or worms, for example Find. So it does not have to be administered separately. On the other hand, things look different when it comes to stables. A bowl with the softest possible garden soil is highly recommended. It also provides variety.

Treats and nutritional supplements

Ducks are not cats or dogs. Treats and food as a reward are not relevant to them. The biggest treat for every duck is a living snail anyway, which is then devoured in a great hurry. Food supplements such as vitamins or minerals are also not necessary. If duck feed is fed as described above, the animal receives everything it needs for its health. More is absolutely not necessary and can even be harmful under certain circumstances. In the vast majority of cases, and with a very high degree of probability, ducks would not appreciate it either.

Chick feed

For every duck keeper it is probably the highest of feelings when one of his animals has offspring at some point. As a rule, you don't have to worry about it that much. As soon as a chick hatches from the egg, it is based on the behavior of the mother. This applies in particular to eating or the feed. They learn from the mother what they can and cannot eat. However, for anatomical reasons, they are not yet able to take in larger pieces of food. Especially in the first three weeks of life, you should therefore make absolutely sure that you provide the finest, finely divided food possible. Duck feed labeled as chick feed is available commercially. The main difference to conventional feed, however, is only that it is very finely ground. You therefore do not necessarily have to feed chicks with chick food, which costs a lot of money. Grain meal or small corn flakes are at least as good and are significantly cheaper.