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Domesticated ducks live a very different lifestyle than their wild cousins, from their migratory behavior to their use of flight. One particularly interesting difference is their diet.
Ducks are omnivorous birds, meaning they eat both plant and animal material. In the wild, they will snack on a variety of plants, invertebrates, and small fish.
For domesticated ducks, their diet should match up with their natural nutritional needs, but the form of those nutrients is often quite unlike their wild food sources. Let’s dive into the difference between domesticated and wild duck diets and what it means for housing and feeding a wild duck in captivity.
The Wild Duck Diet
Ducks are natural foragers who have no trouble sifting out their own food sources in the wild. Being omnivores, ducks eat a variety of wild plants, insects, and aquatic invertebrates, mollusks, crustaceans, and occasionally, small fish in their natural habitats.
When ducks are free to explore, they naturally find food sources that work for them. For example, they eat greens both on land and in water. Their diet will depend on the season and the area in which they live.
The species of duck also has a significant impact on what they eat. For instance, some ducks have a bill designed to rip and tear fish, while others primarily peck at wild greens and small invertebrates.
Plants
Wild ducks will eat just about anything—even some things that aren’t so good for them. But in nature, they devour aquatic plants, wild rice, coontail, and wild celery.
Animals
Geography is a significant factor in determining the specific animals ducks eat, but generally speaking, they feed on small animals like insects, worms, snails, crustaceans, tadpoles, and small fish. Adult frogs are not a common part of the diet, but if they are small and available, they’re fair game.
Grit
Ducks don’t have teeth. Instead, like all birds, they have a muscular stomach compartment called the gizzard. In the wild, ducks will naturally pick up sand, shells, and small stones as they eat. This material accumulates in the gizzard and aids digestion by physically breaking down hard food particles.
Domesticated Duck Diet
Most duck owners feed their birds a combination diet of natural ingredients and commercial feed. Ducks love to forage, and you will often find them with their heads stuck under shrubs and bushes, eating a variety of plants and insects
Just because they are domesticated doesn’t mean they won’t benefit from exploring their surroundings, looking for food. As long as you can keep your ducks safe, allowing them to roam around in the plants and water will make their lives all the better.
If your ducks are living a free-range lifestyle, be on the lookout for any poisons or pesticides. Slug pellets, rat bait, and other chemicals can be deadly for ducks, so make sure their habitat is safe.
On the water, they love to eat aquatic plants, insects, snails, slugs, small fish, and crustaceans, too. You might also find them in all sorts of garden plants or plucking ripened fruits on the ground.
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Animals
If your duck is kept in an enclosure, the variety of animals they eat will be limited to what enters their habitat, and what you can provide. Mealworms and earthworms are a favorite for domestic waterfowl.
If they have access to a pond and are allowed to forage, they will eat much like their wild cousins.
Plants
In addition to all the plants they can snack on in nature, you can also feed your flock tasty garden veggies. Ducks love a variety of goodies like cucumbers, broccoli, corn, leafy greens, and squash.
Grit
Domesticated ducks still need adequate grit in their diet, and to make sure they’re getting enough, you can buy bags of grit at the store to give to your flock.
Can Wild Ducks Eat Commercial Food?
Feeding the ducks is something everyone has done at one time or another, and sadly, many well-intentioned people can do more harm than good. Feeding bread and other human foods can be unhealthy, even dangerous, and supplementing the diet of wild birds can also lead to obesity and a reliance on humans for food.
However, if you do enjoy peacefully passing the time surrounded by ducks, a small scattering of commercial duck food is the most appropriate thing to offer. You could also grab a bag of leafy greens like romaine lettuce, watercress, and cabbage – no spinach.
If you have wild ducks in your yard, you might also wonder if there are any treats you can serve up to keep them coming around. It is not a good idea to wild ducks regularly, as it can interfere with natural foraging behavior and migration patterns, and they may become dependent on this food source. Additionally, it can lead to abnormal gatherings, which can increase the spread of infectious disease.
Foods to Avoid Feeding Ducks
Even though you might have sat with your grandparents on the park bench feeding ducks soft pieces of bread, is this really the healthiest choice? The truth is, commonplace scraps can actually be really dangerous for ducks.
Foods Toxic to Ducks
Avocados, citrus fruits, onions, raw potatoes, and spinach are all toxic to ducks, so make sure you never include these in their feed dish.
Bread
It might have been commonplace for years to feed ducks bread at the park—you really shouldn’t do this. Bread has all kinds of ingredients that are unhealthy and nutrient-depleting to ducks.
Sweetened Cereals
Even though unsweetened grain cereals, like Cheerios, are perfectly fine to feed ducks, sweetened cereals are no-nos. Sugar isn’t a natural part of your duck’s diet, so it’s best to avoid it altogether.
Pastries/Donuts
It may be tempting to throw out yesterday’s bad breakfast decisions into the yard—but it’s best not to. Donuts and other delicious baked delights are full of sugar and other harmful ingredients that can wreak havoc on your duck’s digestive system.
Spoiled Meat/Plants/Grains
While ducks might be able to gobble up fruits or veggies that are a day old, you shouldn’t ever offer spoiled food. If it has mold, decay, or a foul smell, discard it in the compost and not in your duck’s dish.
Conclusion
While ducks in the wild versus those in captivity have slightly different diets, they also mirror one another. However, it is not advisable to feed wild ducks the same diet as domestic ducks, as this can disrupt their natural ecology and behavior.
If your ducks are unable to forage free-range, make sure they have a wide variety of greens, veggies, fruits, worms, and nutritionally balanced commercial waterfowl feed to keep them healthy. And don’t forget the grit!
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Featured Image Credit: Pixabay
