First and foremost, raising ducks implies learning everything about their feeding habits and nutritional needs, as these are the key to growing healthy and happy ducks! While it’s generally recommended to purchase commercial duck feeds that contain the “all-inclusive nutritional pack,” you can sometimes give them homemade treats.
If you’re wondering whether you can feed your ducks apples, we have the answer! Yes, ducks delight in apples! However, they can’t just eat a whole apple as people do. You’ll need to prepare the food so it’s easy to swallow and digest. As such, let’s see how ducks eat apples and what parts of this fruit suit their diet!
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Can Ducks Eat Apples?
Yes, ducks love eating apples, primarily because they are sweet! In fact, wild ducks are beyond happy when they stumble upon an apple while looking for food.
Since wild ducks are more adapted to wild environments and different types of food, they can easily devour a whole apple. On the other hand, domestic ducks may have a hard time swallowing them, so you’ll have to cut the fruits into small pieces or slices before feeding you ducks. Moreover, you have to remove the core and the seeds.
Besides the fact that ducks love the apple taste, this fruit is rich in antioxidants, carbohydrates, fibers, sodium, and water. Moreover, apple skin is extremely beneficial for your ducks’ digestive system.
This fruit contains vitamin A, which sustains the eyesight and the immune system. The vitamin C in apples protects your ducks’ bodies from tissue and cell damage, helps them absorb iron, and sustains bone and skin health.
Furthermore, apples also contain vitamin D, which sustains a healthy body. Besides this, one large apple contains around 15 mg of niacin, which is essential for the proper development of your ducks.
Apples will also provide your ducks with potassium, which sustains muscle development and the central nervous system, as well as calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus, which are “food” for bones and feathers.
Can Ducks Eat Applesauce?
Applesauce is an excellent meal to include in your ducks’ diet! Peel and slice the apples and start boiling them. Once they soften, strain them and mash the apples into applesauce using a potato masher or a blender. However, don’t rush on giving your ducks the applesauce. Just wait until it cools down.
Another advantage of turning apples into applesauce is that it supposedly has less sugar than the fruit itself, making it even healthier.
Also Read: Can Ducks Eat Corn
Can Ducks Eat Apple Seeds?
You should never feed your ducks apple seeds, as they contain amygdalin. This substance becomes hydrogen cyanide when it’s chewed and digested. While consuming a few apple seeds isn’t dangerous for humans and other larger animals, they can be highly poisonous to adult and baby ducks and sometimes even kill them.
Can Ducks Eat Apple Skin?
You’ve probably thrown away apple skin at least once in your life – either because you don’t like it or didn’t need it to cook your favorite cake. Well, now you don’t need to throw it away, as apple skin is a delicious treat for ducks! Cut the skin into small pieces to facilitate digestion and make your ducks happy!
Can Ducks Eat Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal?
If you want to go the extra mile and prepare something even tastier for your ducks, you can go for apple cinnamon oatmeal! We’ve already established that apples are an excellent addition to your ducks’ diet. And so are cinnamon and oatmeal! Cinnamon is generally considered safe for ducks and has great health properties, while oatmeal is another healthy treat!
How Many Apples Can You Feed Your Ducks?
Although apples are filled with vitamins and minerals that help your ducks develop properly and maintain good health, there are some things to consider.
A large apple contains around 15 grams of sugar. Since ducks are prone to gain weight quickly and since apples contain so much sugar (which is why ducks love this fruit so much!), you should only include this fruit into their diet as a treat. If you feed your ducks apples too often, it may affect their overall health and the ducks may gain weight and become sleepy and lazy.
