If you’ve recently bought a pet duck or maybe are establishing a flock for recreation or commercial purposes, you’ve probably been investigating their diet. Ducks eat a variety of foods, but you have to make sure you provide the right ones. If you feed the wrong things to these birds, you will end up dealing with health problems and more.
You may be wondering, “what seeds do ducks eat?” There are several kinds of seeds that you can feed ducks. Let’s explore seven of them below.
1. Sunflower Seeds
Can ducks eat sunflower seeds? Yes, they can. Make sure they’re unsalted, though. Never feed ducks salted sunflower seeds, as sodium can cause health problems for these birds. Arterial hypotension (also known as low blood pressure) is an example. You may give ducks both raw and roasted sunflower seeds. Don’t worry if shells are still on the seeds, as you can give these to your ducks too.
However, never go overboard when feeding anything to ducklings. They have their own nutritional requirements, and you should make sure to give them a specialized duckling food.
Nutrition and Health Benefits of Sunflower Seeds for Ducks
Adding sunflower seeds to your duck’s diet will give the animal more selenium, and vitamins. Just make sure you don’t give your bird too many seeds. Some duck owners even grow their sunflowers as a source of seeds, but it should only be a small part of the animal’s diet.
Vitamin E, vitamin B1, and thiamine in sunflower seeds are beneficial for ducks. When you add sunflower seeds to your duck’s diet, you boost their digestive and immune systems.
What Part of the Sunflower Can Ducks Eat?
Ducks prefer sunflower seeds to the leaves, and black oil sunflower seeds are their absolute favorite. If you happen to have sunflower plants, however, you can try to offer them a small amount of leaves and see if they like them.
Your ducks probably won’t enjoy sunflower petals. They don’t taste very good. If they want to eat them, though, they can.
In addition, you can give your ducks sunflower hearts. These are chips of hulled sunflower seeds. These small pieces are easy to add to your duck’s feed. Many bird species enjoy eating sunflower hearts, and it is often a part of bird seed mixes.
Sunflower Seed Portions for Ducks
Like other kinds of seeds, don’t go overboard when giving your ducks sunflower seeds. You can add sunflower seeds to your flock’s regular feed to provide them with a nutritional boost. You may also give limited amounts of sunflower seeds to your ducks as a treat on a regular basis.
While sunflower seeds contain lots of nutrients that help you duck, you shouldn’t overdo it. You can mix some sunflower seeds into your duck’s main food, or, if you prefer, you could just give them the seeds as a treat twice a week.
2. Pumpkin Seeds
This is another kind of seed that ducks enjoy. In fact, ducks will eat not only pumpkin seeds but also raw pumpkin itself. In addition, you can give your ducklings a limited amount of pumpkin seed.
Nutrition and Health Benefits of Pumpkin Seeds for Ducks
Pumpkin seeds are beneficial to ducks because they have an antiparasitic effect.
There are also healthy minerals in pumpkin seeds, and they are carbohydrate-rich. The cooler and cold times of year are when pumpkin seeds will be most helpful to your ducks. They give the birds more energy and help them stay warm.
Pumpkin Seed Portions for Ducks
Like with all other seeds, pumpkin seeds shouldn’t be the primary part of your ducks’ diet. Just add some in as a healthy addition to a balanced nutritional plan. Many flock owners include pumpkin seeds to help ward off parasites in their birds.
As with other kinds of duck-friendly seed, only provide it in limited amounts as a nutritional supplement.
3. Bird Seed
Is it okay for ducks to eat birdseed? Yes, it certainly is. You can feed your ducks any birdseed variety. Just read the formula composition and make sure you are aware of all the seeds that go in the mix. The nutrition and health effects of birdseed for ducks will depend on what seeds are in the mix.
4. Chia Seeds
Chia seeds are a little bit expensive, but you can give them to your duck if you want to. They are extremely tiny, and many people like to mix them into other seed mixes. Some duck owners make chia seeds a component of a seed mix they occasionally give their ducks to boost their nutrient intake.
Nutrition and Health Benefits of Chia Seeds for Ducks
This kind of seed is nutrient-rich. Can ducklings eat chia seeds? Feed your ducklings a feed that is labeled as being for ducklings. This is important, as it will make sure the young birds get their fill of all essential nutrients for their growth and well-being. You can try offering a tiny amount of chia seeds to your ducklings as an occasional treat.
Chia Seed Portions for Ducks
You should only give your ducks small amounts of chia seed, partly because it’s so expensive. Before you give your ducks chia seeds, soak the seeds thoroughly in water. This is because chia seeds may make the animals dehydrated as they absorb water. You should also make sure your ducks have constant access to lots of drinking water when you give them chia seeds.
Give chia seeds to your ducks as an occasional treat. If you want, you can add to them to a seed mix that you sometimes give your ducks. The expense of chia seeds means you probably won’t want to always add them to your regular grain feed.
5. Sesame Seeds
Sesame seeds are another tasty treat for your flock. They come from the pods of the Sesamum indicum plant.
Nutrition and Health Benefits of Sesame Seeds for Ducks
As long as you only give your duck limited amounts of sesame seeds, you are giving them an excellent source of extra nutrition. Be careful with how many of these seeds you feed to your flock, as sesame seeds are an oily type of seed, so they are high in fat.
If you feed your birds sesame seeds that have the hull, this will give them more fiber and calcium. It will help the digestive system work optimally. Sesame seeds are especially good for ducks that will be laying eggs, as it gives them extra calcium.
Remember, ducklings have different nutritional needs than full-grown ducks, and they should have a special duckling feed. You can offer them sesame seeds as treats. This will give them extra nutrition and help them stay healthy.
Sesame Seed Portions for Ducks
The best kind of sesame seeds to feed your ducks are sprouted sesame seeds. This is instead of roasted or plain. When you feed birds sprouted sesame seeds, they get more nutrients. Sprouted sesame seeds also have less fat.
No matter what kind of sesame seed you give to your flock, make sure they’re in limited amounts. Add a tiny amount to other feed, or give your ducks an occasional treat of sesame seeds by themselves.
You may add a small number of sesame seeds to your regular duck feed that you give daily. Or, if you prefer, you can offer these seeds to your ducks as occasional treats a couple of times a week.
6. Flax Seeds
Maybe you’ve heard of flax seeds as a health food for humans, but it’s also something you can give your ducks in moderation.
Nutrition and Health Benefits of Flax Seeds for Ducks
This nutritious seed is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. Can ducklings eat flax seeds? As with the other kinds of seeds on this list, you can give tiny amounts of flax seeds to your ducks. Try offering flax seeds to your ducklings as a treat and see how they respond. Always make your ducklings’ primary food a special duckling or chick food.
Flax Seed Portions for Ducks
Give your ducks small amounts of flax seed. How often you should give flax seeds to ducks depends on their diet. You can do this as an occasional treat or add some of the seed to your duck’s regular food.
7. Hemp Seeds
If you’d like, you can add a small amount of hemp seed to your duck food. If you are keeping ducks for their eggs, giving this kind of seed to the animals will help improve egg quality.
As ducklings are much smaller than full-grown ducks, you shouldn’t give them as much of any kind of food. This includes hemp seeds. Give your duckling a special duckling or chick food. A duckling can eat hemp seeds in tiny amounts as an occasional treat
Nutrition and Health Benefits of Hemp Seeds for Ducks
Hemp seed is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. This is why it’s so nutritious and will lead to better quality eggs. When you eat duck eggs from an animal that ate hemp seeds, you get a more nutritious food. It’s easy for your ducks to digest the hemp seeds you give them.
Hemp Seed Portions for Ducks
Only give your ducks tiny amounts of hemp seed. This is a fatty type of seed. Even though it is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, you still don’t want to go overboard. Add a small bit of hemp seed to the grain mix you give your flock. Alternatively, you could give tiny amounts of hemp seed to your ducks as an occasional treat. Some people give their ducks hemp seeds weekly.
While hemp seeds are healthy for your ducks, you should only provide them with tiny amounts. If you go overboard, your duck may end up with medical issues, such as fatty liver. When ducks are raised for meat, they are often given hemp seed cakes.
You should add a tiny amount of hemp seed to your duck’s regular grain feed. If you would rather give hemp seeds to your ducks as a treat, do this just once each week. This will help make your duck’s feathers shinier, and boosts the egg quality.
Feed Your Ducks the Right Foods
Like any other animal, ducks have specific dietary needs. To keep your duck or ducks healthy, you must be aware of these nutritional requirements and give the birds the food they need. Remember to never give ducks bread, as this is extremely bad for their health, but a balanced diet with some of these seeds mixed in can provide benefits for both you and your flock.