Yes! Ducks can eat olives. In fact, they love eating olives.
Olives are well known for their numerous health benefits, ranging from richness in Vitamin E, Iron, Copper and even Calcium.
Poultry World stated that the presence of Vitamin E in Olives play a very important role in ducks growth and development. It strengthens their immunity and nervous system as well.
The other nutrients like antioxidants, minerals and vitamins additionally satisfies the ducks nutritional needs too.
In this article, you will get to know more about feeding olives to ducks.
What Are The Health Benefits of Olives for Ducks?
Olives are rich in minerals and vitamins and these are essential nutrients needed for ducks immunity, and production of eggs.
- Excellent for growth and development:
Olives are known to contain a high level of Vitamin E. This fat-soluble vitamin that act as antioxidant and necessary for reproduction also improves excellent growth and development in birds.
Your ducks would grow at a very fast and healthy rate and would be more plump than other ducks lacking Vitamin E.
- A good source of iron:
Iron is crucial for egg laying birds. It boosts cell reproduction and oxygen intake.
Lack of iron in ducks diet can make them anemic and too much of it would also lead to blood poisoning. Thus, a perfect balance is needed in their diet.
Feeding your ducks olive treats gives them the proportional amount of iron they need.
- A good source of calcium:
Calcium is a main nutrient in eggshells and that is why most ducks owners often choose a special feed fortified with calcium.
Thankfully, you won’t have to go miles to get a calcium fortified feed for your ducks when you can simply give them some olive treats.
Also, the presence of calcium in olives helps strengthen their bones and beaks.
- Boost immunity:
Olives are known for their high antioxidant levels. Feeding them to your ducks would definitely guarantee a perfect health as well as a boosted immune system.
- A healthy source of Amino Acids:
Another notable nutrient in olives which also transfers as its benefit is Amino Acid and healthy fats.
This would help ducks maintain a healthy heart and even produce the biggest and creamiest eggs.
Other benefits of olives to ducks are making their plumage shiny and fluffy, strengthening their immunity and reproduction, and most importantly, aiding a healthy growth and development.
Here is a complete list of foods that ducks can eat
How Often Do I Feed Them Olives?
Olive is also a treat and it must be regarded as one. This means in whatever you do, you have to keep the rate at which at which you serve them fairly below 10%.
If you are feeding your ducks cured olives, it would be advisable to give them just once or twice in a week.
This is because cured olives contain quite an amount of salt and a daily intake of that much salt can make the ducks terribly sick.
On the other hand, if you are feeding them fresh olives, it also would not be advisable to give them everyday. However, you can feed them fresh olives 3 to 4 times in a week.
What matters is that your ducks occasionally enjoy healthy treats of olives!
Can Baby Ducks Eat Olives?
Ducklings can eat olives. However, it is preferable to give them the pre-cured or fresh olives.
Olives are often cured because they contain a compound called oleuropein which gives it a naturally bitter taste. To reduce this taste, they pass through a curing procedure.
This procedure involves using water, salt, lye or brine to draw the compound oleuropein out of the olive flesh.
This process changes olive from the bitter taste to its popular rich and nutty taste.
However, it is always advisable to feed ducks, especially baby ducks the fresh ones.
This is because asides the fact that they care less about the taste of their treat, the fresh ones are totally healthy for them too.
Can Ducks Eat Olive Leaves?
Ducks can eat olive leaves. It makes them healthy and makes their plumage shiny and fluffy as well.
In fact, because of how healthy it is, olive leaves are used as a phytogenic feed additives for ducks diet.
Can Ducks Eat Black Olives?
Ducks can eat black olives, but it should be given to them in moderation.
Black olives are ripened before being harvested, and just like green olives, are soaked in lye and cured in brine to reduce the bitterness.
Black olives are often stored in a can and the combination of of added oxygen and gluconic acid also gives the olives that black color.
Basically, there are no nutritional differences between green and black olives so black olives equally gives ducks a generous amount of Vitamin E.
Black olives taste slightly salty than green olives and can be a great substitute olive treat for ducks.
However, in anything you do, always remember that moderation is crucial when feeding your ducks some treats.
Can Ducks Eat Olive Oil?
It is not possible not to mention olive oil when discussing about olives. Olive oil is beneficial to ducks just like it is beneficial to humans.
Can ducks eat olive oil? Yes, ducks can eat olive oil.
Many duck owners often use olive oil common bird ailments like mites.
You can add some olive oil to their water and even their feed. To give them a super healthy treat, tinned fish in olive oil is perfect.
If you are wondering if ‘ducks can eat sardines in olive oil’, try giving them first. Your ducks will totally adore you for tasty treat.
Ducks love fishes and tinned fishes in olive oil is a nutritious snack for them.
Also check out this article I wrote on can ducks eat kale?
Things To Consider When Feeding Ducks Olives.
Ducks love treats and its fun sharing some of the food we eat with them. Still yet, there are some thing you should consider when feeding ducks olives.
First, make sure that treats like olives should not make up more than 10% of ducks diet.
The bulk of their diet should be pelleted poultry food, which is specially formulated to make sure they get all the good nutrition they need.
Another thing is the color. The color of an olive doesn’t make any difference actually and ducks are less likely to consider color.
The distinguishing factor corresponds to how ripe the olive was when harvested, and how long the curing process was.
You can either feed them green olives or black olives.
Also, observe your ducks very well. If there is any duck that doesn’t really eat the olive treats, do not force it to eat.
What you can do is to gradually introduce the treat in very small portions to it and then, it becomes acquainted with the treat.
What are The Ways of Feeding Olives to Ducks?
There are different fun ways you can feed olives to your ducks:
- Feed them pre-cured olives:
Ducks do not really care about the taste of their treats. Pre-cured olives is fresh, but has a bitter taste.
Unlike humans, ducks have few taste buds so they might not really consider fresh olives to be bitter. Asides that, feeding them fresh olives is healthier than feeding them cured olives.
- Feed them olive oil:
You can feed them olive oil. Try including it in their feed or water.
Better still, you can give your ducks a healthy snack of tinned fish in olive oil.
Another way of feeding olives to ducks is to simply slice the olives, remove the pits, and then, throw the halves in for the ducks.
This makes it easier for your ducks to eat olives, reduce any risk of them eating the pits and even makes cleaning easier for you.
Conclusion.
Ducks can eat olives. There is a lot of nutrition in olives that helps support ducks healthy immune system and development.
Irrespective of the color, fresh or canned, ducks enjoy having olive treat occasionally. But you may not know which one your flock likes until you introduce the treat to them.
Olives are healthy treats for your ducks, but do not forget to always serve them olives in moderate portions.
