Strawberries are a fruit that’s popular during the summer. This fruit has a sweet taste and can be eaten fresh, making smoothies, or make dipping sauces. Humans can eat strawberries without any problem, but what about ducks? Can do they enjoy strawberries too?
So can ducks eat strawberries? Yes, ducks can eat strawberries, including the leaves and skin. This fruit has a lot of nutrients that the ducks can benefit from. You can feed them fresh or frozen strawberries, but avoid dried strawberries as they contain too much sugar.
Health Benefits of Strawberries for Ducks
Strawberries are packed with vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants. For that reason, ducks can benefit a lot from eating this fruit.
One cup of sliced, fresh strawberries, or 166 g, contains in the following amounts:
- Calories: 53 kcal
- Protein: 1.11 g
- Carbohydrates: 12.75 g
- Dietary fiber: 3.30 g
- Calcium: 27 mg
- Iron: 0.68 mg
- Magnesium: 22 mg
- Phosphorus: 40 mg
- Potassium: 254 mg
- Vitamin C: 97.60 mg
- Folate: 40 micrograms (mcg)
- Vitamin A: 28 international units (IU)
The above data is from the USDA
Below are some of the health benefits of feeding strawberries to your ducks:
Prevent Cell Damage
Strawberries are high in antioxidants. Antioxidants are substances that prevent or slow damages to the cells caused by free radicals.
Free radicals are unstable molecules the body produces as a reaction to environmental or other pressures. This can be the food the ducks eat, cigarette smoke, and radiation.
By eating plenty of food high in antioxidants, it will help prevent cell damage and less chance of developing a disease.
Strengthen The Immune System
Strawberries are packed with vitamin C. This vitamin helps maintain and strengthen the immune system of the duck.
Without a good diet of vitamin C, the ducks are prone to getting sick. Feeding them plenty of food high in vitamin C like those found in strawberries will prevent that from happening. If the duck does get sick, this vitamin will help them recover quickly from the illness.
Can Duckling Eat Strawberries?
Yes, ducklings can eat strawberries, but only once they are at least 3 weeks old. Before them, you’ll want the ducklings to be fed a diet of starter feeds. These commercial duck food has been formulated with the right amount of nutrition to meet the baby duck’s daily needs.
Once they are 3 weeks old, you can start to introduce strawberries to them. Mashed strawberries are the recommended method to feed the ducklings. This will prevent them from choking on the fruit.
Can Ducks Eat Strawberry Leaves?
Yes, ducks can the leaves of the strawberry plant. It’s doesn’t contain any toxins and safe for the ducks to eat.
The leaves are also packed with nutrition which can benefit the duck’s health. It’s an excellent source of iron, antioxidants, vitamin C, K, and calcium.
Feed them the leaves along with the strawberries to give them a boost in nutrition.
How To Feed Strawberries To Ducks
Fresh Strawberries
Feeding fresh strawberries is the best way to feed the ducks. If you have a garden growing strawberries, pick when they are riped and feed them to the ducks.
Make sure to cut the strawberries into tiny cubes for them to digest. Unlike chickens that can peck at the fruit, ducks are not able to.
Mashed Strawberries
This is another method to feed the ducks. By mashing the strawberries first, it will make it easier for them to digest them. If you have ducklings, this is the recommended method of feeding them.
Pick or use the freshest strawberries. Then wash them thoroughly to remove dirt or debris. Place them into a blender and blend it until it becomes uniform. Alternatively, you can simply use a potato masher and mash the strawberries.
Fruit Salad
Making a fruit salad is a great way to give the ducks a boost in nutrition. Besides strawberries, you can cantaloupe, pears, and honeydew to the mix.
Since these are fruits high in sugar, you’ll want to slice a small piece from each fruit.
Once done mixing the fruit together, place them into their feeding bowl and let the ducks enjoy it.
How Much Strawberry Can A Duck Eat?
Strawberries are nutritious, but you should only feed a few strawberries to them.
For baby ducks, give them a piece of strawberry. Make sure to mash it first before feeding it to them. This will make it easier for them to digest.
For adult ducks, you can give them a couple of strawberries. Cut the strawberries into small pieces for easy digestion.
How Often Can Have A Duck Eat Strawberries?
Strawberries should be fed to the ducks in moderation. This fruit has a lot of sugar and water in it. Both of these are unhealthy for the ducks.
Too much sugar can cause the ducks to become overweight. Since ducks gain weight quickly, eating a lot of strawberries will cause them to become obese quickly. Ducks that are overweight will have a hard time flying and won’t be able to forage for food.
As for the water content in the strawberries, too much of it will cause the duck to have diarrhea or an upset stomach.
Other Fruits That Ducks Can Eat
Cantaloupe
Cantaloupe is another fruit that makes a great treat for ducks. This fruit has a sweet flavor with soft flesh. Also, cantaloupe is full of nutrients such as calcium, vitamin C, and niacin. All of this is important to the health of the ducks.
Honeydew
Honeydew is similar to cantaloupe, but it’s larger and more nutritious. This fruit is safe for the ducks to eat since it’s soft in texture. Even though it’s soft, you’ll want to cut them into small cube sizes so it’ll be easier for them to digest it.
Watermelon
Watermelon is a fruit packed with nutrition that you can feed your ducks. While it’s nutritious, it also has a lot of water and sugar. Too much of both of these can be harmful to the ducks. To avoid any health issues, feed them in moderation. A slice of watermelon once or twice a week is enough for them.
Conclusion
Strawberries are a fruit that popular to eat during the summer. Not only do humans enjoy eating them, but also the ducks. Since the fruit is high in water and sugar, feed the ducks in moderation to avoid health issues.
