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Anyone who keeps ducks does not have to worry too much about the feed for the animals. They usually eat whatever comes in front of their beak. However, they have their preferences.

omnivore

When it comes to duck feed, one thing is particularly important: the animals are absolute omnivores. What appears to them to be eaten is also consumed. And no, ducks are not 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 runner ducks are kept in many German gardens to combat snails. The animals are thus something like natural pest controllers. What applies to runner ducks also applies in principle to all other duck species.

Notice: Unfortunately, not only potential pests are 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 household food leftovers, to name just a few examples. For duck farmers, providing the animals with feed is therefore usually not a problem. In many cases it is often not necessary to supplement.

Animal self-sufficiency

Given the opportunity, a duck will forage for itself. In that sense, she is self-sufficient. However, this requires free-range husbandry and a correspondingly large garden. The duck will find a rich selection of duck feed there. Typically she is then busy foraging 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
  • leftover food from other animals

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

Tip: Anyone who keeps ducks in the garden should protect vegetable beds with a border of at least 50 centimeters in height. Otherwise, there is a great danger that both domestic and muscovy ducks as well as runner ducks will attack and plunder the beds without restraint.

Snail in the garden bed

amount of food

It is not possible to state exactly how much feed a single duck needs per day. Nor is it necessary. A free-roaming animal will be busy all day looking for food and eating anyway. In addition, ducks signal their owners relatively clearly when they are hungry and need food.

To feed

Free-range husbandry should be the husbandry form of choice for every breed of poultry whenever possible. They should only spend the night in a well-secured stable to protect the animals from predators such as martens or foxes. If free-range husbandry is not possible for whatever reason, it must be fed in the stable. And even if the duck feed in the garden or on the pasture is not enough, you can't avoid feeding the ducks. There are basically two alternatives: either you feed your dog consistently ready-made food or a feed mixture, or you create a menu that consists of ready-made food and leftovers from the household. The latter clearly offers more variety for the animals and is usually preferred by them.

finished food

In most cases, duck feed is readily available from specialist retailers. These are basically feed mixtures whose content is tailored to the special needs of the animals. They are mostly made up of the following ingredients:

  • Corn
  • wheat
  • barley
  • soybeans
  • ground mussel shells
  • sunflower seeds
Zea mais

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

Tip: Even when feeding with a complete feed, it is recommended to also give fresh green fodder. This ensures at least some variety in the diet of the animals.

Feed mixtures are offered either in grain form or as pressed pellets. Both variants correspond to the natural need of all duck species to peck the food. Duck feed is also available as 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 of the ducks, i.e. to fatten them up 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 often rather inferior. It is clearly better to give the animals more time to grow.

Make your own feed mix

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

  • cornflakes
  • bean flour
  • wheat flour
  • oatmeal
  • barley grist
  • water or milk (for mixing)
  • cooked vegetables
  • cooked potatoes

It is imperative that the cooked vegetables and potatoes are cooled before a duck is allowed to 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 a lot of nutrients that are good for the ducks. Crushed oats and barley are available from many grain-growing farmers for relatively little money. The rest of the ingredients are available from grocery stores.

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

leftovers

In practically every household there are leftovers every day, which you can also feed to ducks. Basically, the animals are not choosy here either. However, not everything that tastes good to us humans is also good for a duck. If the food leftovers contain flavorings and preservatives, they are taboo. The same goes for very spicy foods. In addition, care must always be taken to ensure that the leftovers are not yet affected by mold and are therefore inedible. The following food leftovers can be fed:

  • old bread
  • pasta
  • rice
  • Lettuce 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, you cannot avoid extensive watering. It is true that some ducks are also able to break out an edible piece of bread from a hard piece of bread. But the animal could also choke on this piece. It is important that you break up the leftovers into pieces that are as small as possible. With vegetables and potatoes, it is a good idea to mash them thoroughly and then loosen them up a bit. 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. They don't belong to the waterfowl for nothing - and they not only love to swim in the water, they also have to drink a lot. In fact, water plays an immensely important role in connection with 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 and thus also domestic ducks, muscovy ducks and runner ducks have neither teeth nor a swallowing mechanism. So they are not able to really crush their food nor swallow it. Water is therefore an important lubricant that helps move food into the stomach. If there is not enough water or no water at all, there is a risk that a duck will choke on its food. Therefore, when abstaining, not only a swimming pond should be created, but also several drinking vessels should always be available.

Earth

Yes, ducks eat dirt. However, this is not used as duck feed, but, like the water, has a supporting function in digestion. You have to know that soil and small stones in the stomach ensure that larger pieces of food are broken up or ground up. They can be digested better and, above all, faster. When kept outdoors, a duck will always pick up soil while foraging in the garden or on the pasture - especially because it very often digs through the ground to find larvae or worms, for example. So it does not have to be administered separately. The situation is different when it comes to stable housing. Here a bowl with the softest possible garden soil is highly recommended. It also provides variety.

treats and dietary supplements

Ducks are neither cats nor dogs. Treats and food as rewards are not relevant to them. The biggest treat for every duck is a live snail anyway, which is then devoured in a great hurry. Dietary supplements such as vitamins or minerals are also not necessary. If duck feed is fed as described above, the animal will receive 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 probability, ducks would not appreciate it either.

chick feed

It is probably the greatest feeling for every duck owner when his animals eventually give birth to offspring. Usually you don't need to worry too much about it. As soon as a chick has hatched from the egg, it orients itself towards the behavior of the mother. This applies in particular to eating or food. They learn from their mother what they can and cannot eat. However, for anatomical reasons, they are not yet able to eat larger pieces of food. Especially in the first three weeks of life, you should therefore make sure that you provide fine, fine-grained food. Duck feed labeled as chick feed is commercially available. The main difference to conventional feed, however, is that it is very finely ground. You therefore do not necessarily have to feed chicks with chick feed, which costs a relatively large amount of money. Grain meal or small corn flakes are at least as suitable and are significantly cheaper.

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Animals in the garden