If you love ducks and you want to keep them as pets, you are probably wondering what is safe for them to eat and what is not?
Ducks are quite liberal when it comes to what they eat and what is safe for them, but you just need to be extra careful what you feed them.
Can ducks eat spinach? Ducks can eat spinach as it is a wonderful source of vitamins and minerals. Also spinach being a leafy vegetable, spinach helps in the digestive system of your birds and ensures that they are healthy and produce strong eggs.
What are the health benefits of spinach to ducks?
Now we know that you can feed spinach to your ducks without any issues, let’s look at some of the health benefits.
1. Spinach contains carbs
About 70% of spinach is made up of carbs which is very healthy for your birds.
Carbs helps improve the digestive system of ducks and also boosts the overall well being of the birds.
It also contains small amounts of sugar, mostly in the form of glucose and fructose which help improve the body functions of your birds.
2. Spinach contains fiber
Spinach is very high in soluble fibre which helps to boost the health of your birds in several ways such as adding bulk to their stool as their food passes their digestive system.
This helps prevent constipation and digestive issues.
3. Spinach contains lots of important minerals and vitamins
Spinach is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals which includes the following
- Vitamin A which is high in carotenoids and ideal for a healthy growth
- Vitamin C which is a powerful antioxidant and helps boost their immune system
- Vitamin K1 which is essential for blood clotting
- Folic acid which is essential for normal cellular action and body growth
- Calcium which is essential for strong growth and good eyesight
- Spinach also contains other minerals and nutrients such as potassium, magnesium and vitamins B6, B9 and E.
4. Spinach also contains lots of plant compounds like the one listed below
- Lutein which is very important for improved eye health
- Kaempferol which is ideal for good body growth and body functions
- Nitrates which helps promote good heart
- Quercetin which is important for warding off infections and inflammations
Are there any downsides to feeding your ducks spinach?
Most times farmers find one food that their birds enjoy and want to feed them with that all the time.
Remember that your birds need a balanced diet and you need to feed them with food that is balanced and in the right proportion with other vitamins and nutrients.
Spinach contains something called oxalic acid which most times can interfere with the calcium in your ducks body causing it to not be absorbed.
This can have severe consequences as if your birds become calcium deficiency, this might cause health and bone issues for them.
Also if your ducks are females and they lay eggs, a deficiency in calcium might affect the shells of their eggs.
While oxalic acid is present in lots of leafy greens and vegetables it is quite prominent in spinach and you need to be aware of that.
So you want to make sure that you always feed your birds a balanced diet and feed them in moderation.
No need to feed them with one particular type of food for an extended period of time.
You can also give them other fruits and vegetables as treats that your birds will like.
Things like grapes, apples, tomatoes, bananas are all ideal treats that you can mix with spinach to give them a balanced diet.
Check out my complete and detailed list of things to feed ducks
How much spinach is too much?
Now we know that you definitely need to moderate the amount of spinach you feed your birds, but then how much is too much?
You want to make sure that you do not overfeed your birds with spinach or any other food for that matter.
In my opinion, what I do is I feed them solely spinach twice a week while supplementing it with certains foods to reduce the impact of oxalic acid.
This way I ensure that my birds get the necessary vitamins and minerals they need from spinach and also reduce the chances of them getting too much oxalic acid.
What other vegetables can ducks eat?
Basically ducks can eat different types of vegetables.
They are natural foragers and they will find and eat green vegetables from fresh source and leafy vegetables
Here are some list of vegetables that you can feed your ducks
- Cabbage,
- Broccoli,
- Bell peppers,
- Cauliflowers,
- Tomatoes,
- Cucumbers,
- Beet greens,
- Celery
- Cabbage,
- Cooked potatoes.
Conclusion
Ducks can eat spinach as it is a healthy source of vitamins and minerals that is ideal for healthy growth.
But you want to ensure that you feed them in small bits and in moderation
