Grapes are a popular fruit to eat during the summer. This fruit can be used to make jam, eating fresh, or making smoothies. Grapes are healthy and safe for humans to eat. If you are raising ducks in the backyard, you may be wondering if you can feed them grapes.
So can ducks eat grapes? Yes, ducks can eat grapes. This fruit is high in nutrition which can benefit the ducks. Due to their high amount of sugar and water, grapes should be fed to them in moderation to avoid any health issues.
Health Benefits of Grapes for Ducks
Grapes offer a wealth of health benefits for the ducks due to their high nutrient. Some nutrients that grapes are known for are fiber, antioxidants, and vitamin C.
One cup (151 grams) of red or green grapes contains the following nutrients:
- Calories: 104
- Carbs: 27.3 grams
- Protein: 1.1 grams
- Fat: 0.2 grams
- Fiber: 1.4 grams
- Vitamin C: 27% of the Reference Daily Intake (RDI)
- Vitamin K: 28% of the RDI
- Thiamine: 7% of the RDI
- Riboflavin: 6% of the RDI
- Vitamin B6: 6% of the RDI
- Potassium: 8% of the RDI
- Copper: 10% of the RDI
- Manganese: 5% of the RDI
The above data is according to NutritionData
Below are some health benefits of feeding grapes to your ducks:
Prevent Cell Damage
Grapes are a good source of antioxidants, which help protect the cells from damages due to free radicals.
Free radicals are molecules that are created by the food that ducks eat, cigarette smoke, and radiation.
When these free radicals are not contained, they will cause damages to cells. This will cause the duck to become ill and have diseases.
Improve Bone Health
Grapes are packed with many minerals that are vital for healthy bones. These minerals include calcium, vitamin K, magnesium, potassium, phosphorous, and manganese.
All of these minerals help strengthen the duck’s bones. Also, it helps increase the density of the bones, which prevents them from becoming brittle and cracking.
Promote Healthy Digestive System
Grape is a good source of fiber. Ducks need a good amount of fiber each day for a healthy digestive system.
This bird eats a lot and will often have loose stool. Having plenty of fiber in their diet, the fiber will help increase the weight and size of the stool. Also, it will make the stool softer. All of this will make it easier for the food to move through the digestive tract smoothly.
Additionally, fiber helps promotes regular bowel movement and prevent constipation.
Can Duckling Eat Grapes?
No, ducklings should not eat any grapes. This fruit is too large for them, and it could pose a choking hazard for them.
However, once the ducklings are about 4 weeks old, you can start to introduce grapes to them. Start by giving them a small piece of grape that’s mashed. Make sure to remove the seeds as well.
Can Ducks Eat Grape With Seeds?
The seeds should be removed before feeding the grapes to the ducks. Grape seeds are hard and are a choking hazard for the ducks.
Also, the seeds are difficult for the ducks to digest.
How To Feed Grapes To Ducks
When it comes to feeding grapes to ducks, you have a couple of choices. You can either feed them fresh grapes or mix them with other fruits.
Feeding Ducks Fresh Grapes
Fresh grapes are the best method to feed your ducks as the fruit will contain the most nutrition.
- Start by washing the grapes to remove any dirt and other debris from them.
- Pull each grape from the stem. With a sharp knife, slice the grape in halves.
- Remove the seeds from the grape.
- Place it into their feeding bowl or scatter them across the ground for the duck to eat.
Fruit Salad
Making a fruit salad is a great way to give ducks a boost in nutrition. Besides grapes, you can add strawberries, watermelon, peaches, apples, and berries to the mix.
When preparing the fruit, cut them into small cubes. Remove the seeds from the fruits if there are any. Place all the fruits into a bowl, mix them together and place them into their feeding bowl or scatter them on the ground for the ducks to eat.
How Much Grape Can A Duck Eat?
Since grapes are a treat for ducks, they should be fed to them in small quantities.
For baby ducks that are under 4 weeks should not be fed any grapes. Once they are a month or older, you can feed them half of the grape. Make sure the grapes are mashed before feeding the ducklings. This will make it easier for them to digest it.
For adult ducks, 2-3 pieces of grape are fine. Cut the grapes into small pieces before feeding the ducks.
How Often Can Have A Duck Eat Grapes?
Due to the high sugar and water in the grapes, the fruit should be fed to the ducks in moderation.
Too many grapes given to the ducks can result in them having health issues. Sugar can cause the ducks to have high blood pressure and cause them to be overweight.
As for the water in the grape, too much of it will cause the ducks to have diarrhea and an upset stomach.
Therefore, to keep the ducks from having any health issues, feed them once or twice per week.
Other Fruits That Ducks Can Eat
Berries
Berries make a great treat for ducks. Berries such as blueberries, blackberries, gooseberries, cranberries, and mulberries are safe for ducks to eat. However, due to their high sugar content, it’s best to feed berries to the ducks in moderation.
Watermelons
Watermelons are another great treat for ducks. During the summer, when it’s hot, ducks tend to get dehydrated. This is especially true if you let them roam freely in the yard as they will actively forage for foods all day long. Even though watermelon is nutritious, it also has a lot of water. Feed the watermelons to the ducks in moderation to avoid any health issues.
Apples
Apples are a tasty and nutritious fruit for feeding the ducks. They enjoy apples due to their sweet taste. With apples, avoid feeding the seeds to them as they contain cyanide. This toxin is harmful to the ducks even in small amounts.
Related Questions
Can ducks eat jam?
Ducks should not be fed any jams, whether it’s on a slice of bread or the jams themselves. Jams contain a lot of additives, especially sugar. Too much sugar can cause the ducks to have health issues such as becoming overweight and having high blood pressure.
Can ducks eat raisins?
No, ducks should not eat raisins. These are basically dried grapes. As the grapes dry, most of the water in the grape is removed which leaves just the flesh and sugar. All of this extra sugar is bad for ducks.
