What to Feed Ducks (and What Never to Feed Them)

The daily base

A formulated waterfowl or all-flock feed should be the foundation of the diet. Ducks need more niacin (vitamin B3) than chickens, and standard chicken starter is a common cause of leg problems in growing ducklings. If waterfowl feed is not available locally, all-flock feed supplemented with brewer’s yeast is the usual workaround — ask a vet or an extension service about the right amount for your birds.

What ducks can eat freely

• Leafy greens: lettuce, kale, chard, dandelion
• Peas, corn, chopped cucumber and zucchini
• Oats and cracked corn as a treat, not a staple
• Insects, worms, slugs — ducks are excellent pest control
• Duckweed and pond plants

Never feed

• Bread, crackers, chips, doughnuts. Empty calories that displace real nutrition. Chronic bread feeding is linked to poor growth and wing deformity in young waterfowl.
• Anything mouldy. Mouldy feed and mouldy bread can cause fatal aspergillosis.
• Avocado, chocolate, onion in quantity, and salty or heavily processed human food.

Grit and water

Ducks that eat anything other than pure crumble need grit to grind it. And every duck needs water beside its food at all times — a duck can choke without water to wash food down.

Feeding wild ducks at the park

If you want to feed wild ducks, bring defrosted peas, sweetcorn, oats or chopped lettuce. Not bread. Scatter a little, and stop when they lose interest — uneaten food fouls the water and draws rats.