Park areas with artificial ponds are often inhabited by ducks, which are constantly fed by vacationers. Near city ponds you can see a sign that says “do not feed the ducks,” but this warning does not stop people. Many of them do not know that they harm the health of waterfowl when they throw pieces of bread, chips or crackers onto the surface of the pond.
What to feed ducks on a pond
Ducks that live in ponds find food on their own. In parks, ducks perform a useful function - they destroy mosquitoes, which makes nature walks near water bodies more attractive. Birds do not need additional feeding if the weather is good outside. When air temperatures drop sharply, additional feed helps birds stay full longer.
Healthy foods
The main source of calories and vitamins for domestic ducks are cereals and grains. Birds feed on peas, millet, barley, oatmeal, rye, and beans. They eat well milkweed, oatmeal, and fresh grass. From meat and fish, shellfish, small fish, and small frogs are suitable for wild ducks.
Is it possible to give bread?
The main food used to feed ducks in park ponds is bread. Vacationers paint fresh buns, cookies, and sweet pastries from pastry shops. White bread in large quantities is harmful to ducks. Carbohydrates are digested slowly, and a constant supply of slow carbohydrates inevitably leads to the bird gaining weight. She becomes heavy, clumsy, and loses the ability to find food on her own.
Dangerous food
There is a special category of products that are dangerous for the body of young birds. Ducklings are not given green onions, are not given fresh milk, and are not given trimmings of meat or fish.
Table of prohibited products:
| Product | Why you shouldn't give |
| Nuts | Pieces of nuts get stuck in the esophagus and are poorly digested. |
| Chips | Chips in large quantities cause digestive disorders. |
| Cookie | Cookies soaked in saliva clump, turn into a heavy piece, cause nausea, and are difficult to digest. |
| Blue bread | Mold is dangerous for birds; it can cause inflammation of the cloaca. |
| Ready-made porridge | Porridges with a short shelf life will turn sour when exposed to water and become unusable. |
Reference! Finely chopped green onions cause nausea in young ducks.
Seasonal feeding habits
Feeding characteristics depend on the time of year. Some products cannot be given in summer, but can be used for feeding in winter.
Winter
Lower air temperatures force birds to change their habits. Ducks are given millet, low-fat cottage cheese, and boiled eggs.
Spring
Ducks can be fed with peas, oats, and barley. In the spring they begin to be given root vegetables. Root vegetables that sprout in the spring are especially in demand by ducks.
Summer
The predominant food is green plant food, which ducks especially love. In the evenings, you can feed the birds with cereals and grains.
Autumn
A lot changes for urban birds in the fall. They need grains and cereals with added proteins that are quickly digested.
What do ducks eat in the wild?
Nature provides that wild birds find their own food. The basis of the diet is protein foods. These are mollusks, small fish, snails, frogs. Duckweed in ponds, as well as grass that grows near the shores, becomes plant food.
What to feed wild ducks at home
Wild ducks are fed at home for various reasons. Drakes of wild breeds often become material for further breeding of special breeds intended for slaughter. To raise a wild duck, you need to create a feeding plan that takes into account the characteristics of the bird.
Mineral supplements
Mineral supplements are especially necessary for ducks on the pond when the cold weather begins to set in. Calcium and phosphorus enter the body of wild birds with bones from fish or frogs.At home they are given additional products:
- crushed egg shells;
- feed chalk;
- meat and bone meal.
Ducks are given coarse gravel or sand as mineral supplements. The additive rate is calculated using the formula: 10 grams of sand per 1 duck. Gravel or sand helps digest food, quickly grind and absorb grain or cereal feed.
Vitamins and vegetables
Ducks are given vegetables and vitamin-rich foods rich in fiber:
- dried or fresh nettle;
- boiled root vegetables;
- raw pumpkin, zucchini;
- fresh cabbage.
Vegetables do not have to be chopped finely; the duck’s beak breaks large pieces, and chopped vegetables can reduce the bird’s reflexes, which leads to a weakening of the natural functions of the body.
Grains and cereals
Cereals and cereals are traditionally considered the basis of feed for home breeding. The diet includes different types:
- Barley. Suitable for compiling the main diet in winter and autumn, when it is important to give the bird crops that give a feeling of fullness for a long time.
- Wheat. An essential element of feeding, which is rich in vitamins and minerals.
- Oats. Give it to young birds with caution due to its hard shell, but be sure to include it in the diet of adult birds, since oats are rich in elements necessary for the formation of immunity.
- Corn. The vegetable is rich in proteins and carbohydrates that ducks need.
It is useful to periodically add beans to your birds' diet. They promote rapid digestion of food and are a preventive measure for problems with the esophagus.
Meat and fish
Meat or fish that wild birds obtain on their own can be replaced at home with the following items:
- waste from cooked meat;
- ground sprats;
- small fish, chopped with a knife.
Information! Meat and bone meal is included in the diet of chicks starting from the 5th day of life. This supplement contains up to 50 percent protein.
Making homemade food
The process of preparing combined food for home breeding takes into account age characteristics. During the first days, the ducklings are fed carefully and given crushed boiled eggs to develop the grasping reflex. From day 10, a complete combined feed is given, prepared from the following products:
- crushed wheat, corn, barley;
- feed yeast;
- feed chalk with the addition of shell;
- sunflower meal;
- bone flour;
- salt.
All ingredients are crushed using special equipment. Technologists advise mixing one component at a time, and not pouring out all the components at the same time. Flour is added to the feed last. After mixing, the feed must be granulated in a granulator. Over time, fish and bone meal are added to the feed, and they also experiment with the compositions of wet mash.
Dry food is not given to ducks because dust clogs the birds' nasal passages and prevents them from breathing. The best option is to dilute the feed with kefir. Kefir is taken in such a proportion to the feed that after thorough mixing you get a “wet crumb”. For variety, minced boiled eggs are added to the dish weekly.
