what do ducks eat???????

[amandala45]

there's 2 ducks that usually swim in my pool and then go into my neighboor's yard for breakfast.but tonight they came into my yard and quacked at me! i got some bread, fed them, and then they left.the little one, who i named "Tiny" got 2-3 inches away from me and what i think is his older brother, "Rufas" got 5-6 inches away from me.what do ducks eat?becouse i expect that they'll come over to my house for dinner everyday becouse they have a habit of doing there little "swim & breakfast" thing.

[Cottontail]

Are they wild? Domesticated baby ducks each starter feed. They also enjoy foraging for bugs, eating watercress, grass, and other greens. (Depends on where you live).

[amandala45]

the're half-domesticated.but the only thing that's domesticated about them is that they trust me & my neighboor.

[Cottontail]

Oh. They will also eat something called "scratch." It's a blend of grains and cracked corn or just cracked corn. It's coated with a nutritional powder. You can get small bags of it for a low price. You could just get bugs (if you're not grossed out) and greens and give it to them.

[amandala45]

k.i think i saw that "scratch" stuff at a petstore once.

[Sorathien]

they'd probably like spinnach, leaf lettuce or romaine lettuce, kale, and other leafy veggies. probably cracked corn. i'm sure they are foraging for their own food and not soley relying on you and your neighbor.

[cpy75]

what kind of ducks?

if they are Malards they will like any dark green veggies cracked corn oats things like that.....
I have 5 baby ducks I am taking care of and they LOVE brussel sprouts!

[Fluff N Roll]

i got some bread, fed them, and then they left.
Do NOt,Do Not Feed ducks bread!!!!! :bread: i dont know what they eat... But when you feed them bread it makes there wings grow disformed!!

[Human Slave]

My duck ate anything she could catch including frogs and mice. lol

[amandala45]

rufas looks like a goose and has red bumpy stuff on his face and has black feet and is really big and tiny looks like an ordinary duck without red bumps and has orange feet.i dunno what type they are.

[lovechick]

We also have wild ducks and geese, but theyre not afraid of people, they belong to our community and we are allowed to feed them either rye bread ( no white bread), or dry cat food.

[cafeduck1]

The one with red bumps on its face sounds like a muscovy. Can't say about the other without more info--what color feathers. Maybe pekin if white, mallard if colored. Scratch is good, or cracked corn. Definately NOT white bread.

[amandala45]

tiny is black and green and has a black/orange bill

[TwinkleToes1049]

They eat duck food (its like rabbit pellets but made for ducks) you can get it at farm and fleet or Big R or any farm store basically. They also eat lettuce, water melon rinds, bugs, worms, unsalted corn, minnows, but they do not need bread! They will eat it but it is bad for them, it can swell up with their spit and they could choke if they eat enough of it. If they have plenty of water it helps wash down the bread.

[amandala45]

o.i didn't know that.well, i'm going to the store today to get them some duck food and there very own water & food bowl.

[FirinaWolfire]

The reason why people say don't feed bread is due to the fact that it is fattening and people usually give em the whole bag so they either choke to death or get so fat and have excess nutriens that there bones deform.

Ducks eat;

Lettuce
Cabbage
Carrots you know how you can skin a carrot with a knife so it comes out paper thin .
Brocolli cooked
Pasta
Rice
Cake ( a little)
Potatoes cooked with skin ( unless there are babies around)
Ham, chicken, pork, duck ( eyy who would eat duck!!), beef ( dice into fine pieces)
Maggots, earth worms, grasshopers
Chicken scratch
Eggs cooked or raw better cooked ( fully)
Oatmeal
Grits
Yellow Corn meal ( uncooked or cooked)
:D :p


P.S. No medicated feed!!!!!!!

[Cottontail]

Another reason you don't feed them bread is because it has a lot of protein, which will cause their wings to deform.

[FirinaWolfire]

exactly too much of any vitamins or minerals can be bad for humans and animals especially fowl.

[Human Slave]

Mine also loved corn on the cob and Mac & Cheese. :D

[cafeduck1]

tiny is black and green and has a black/orange bill
If the feathers are black, with a green sheen to them, then he may be a cayuga.

If the ducks are just loose, and you are feeding them more for fun, stick with a formulated chicken layer pellet with 16% protein. That is the healthiest for them. That is what the owner of Shank's hatchery recommends. He has been raising and showing poultry(grand champion wins) for over thirty years.

As for feeding meat, I have never heard of that, although a duck would probably eat just about anything if it is hungry enough. Just because a duck will eat it, doesn't mean it is appropriate to feed it.

[cpy75]

warning do not give ducks chick feed...chick feed is medicated and ducks will over dose on it.

I think that was said already but I wantted to make sure you saw it.

[cafeduck1]

warning do not give ducks chick feed...chick feed is medicated and ducks will over dose on it.

I think that was said already but I wantted to make sure you saw it.
The only chicken feed that is medicated is chick starter, which is for very young babies(just hatched). It also comes in non-medicated, so read the labels when you buy feed at the feed store. Baby ducks need a NON-medicated chick starter, or a waterfowl starter.

Since this thread is on feeding older ducks, it is healthiest to feed them a 16% protein layer pellet.

[amandala45]

o.k.--i have officially gained there trust.at first rufas came and didn't come near me.then slowly he got closer.then 2 days ago he accually came to my porch!then yesterday he came with tiny.i swear if i didn't open up my gate for them they would live with me.