Ducks are aquatic birds that are omnivorous in nature.
They depend on various vegetables, fruits, and fishes to maintain a healthy diet.
“Well, if ducks require a balanced diet in order to stay healthy, I assume that they would be fans of strawberries, also right?”
The answer to that question is an astounding YES. Strawberries are high calorie foods that are rich in proteins, carbohydrates, vitamin C and manganese which are all essential for a duck’s wellbeing.
Although it’s safe for a duck to have strawberries, we must also realize that it’s equally important for us to know when and how many strawberries are sufficient for ducks.
Administering such fruits to aquatic birds is more of an art than a science, hence why it’s important to capture the main link between ducks and their cravings for strawberries.
Health benefits of strawberries
Firstly, let’s examine what a duck may obtain upon consuming 100g of strawberries.
1. It contains carbohydrates
Fresh strawberries have a low content of carbs in them due to their high-water content.
Most of the carbs contained in strawberries come from the natural sugars present in them such as glucose, fructose, sucrose and so on.
The chances of spiking your blood sugar levels are very low from consuming strawberries.
Another point to note is that a little less than 30% of the carbohydrates present in strawberries comprises fiber.
Dietary fiber is important to maintain good gut health and for the smooth and effective functioning of the digestive system.
2. It is a rich source of vitamins and minerals
Strawberries are known to be a good source for Vitamin C, which has proved time and again to be good for your immunity and for the health of your skin.
Strawberries also provide Folate, also known as Vitamin B9 which is an important component for the growth of tissues and cell function in your body.
The major health benefits of eating strawberries include:
3. It helps improved heart health
Strawberries have an effect on maintaining a healthy heart due to its high polyphenol content.
According to a report in 2019, anthocyanin present in strawberries have a link to reducing the risk of a particular type of heart disease known as myocardial infarction.
The fiber and potassium content in strawberries also promotes heart health.
4. It reduces risk of cancer.
As per a study done in 2016, the powerful antioxidants present in strawberries are suggested to be working against any free radical systems that may be working within living bodies.
The study further suggests that these antioxidants could prevent the growth of tumors and could reduce inflation within the body.
Although no fruits have been definitively concluded to be a cure for cancer, it is well within our reason to believe that strawberries definitely have a chance in reducing the risk of cancer.
It improves hydration and gut health.
Consuming fruits such as strawberries that have a high level of water content in them, prove to be helpful for ducks suffering from dehydration.
The high-water content in strawberries along with its rich source in fiber can help hydrate and improve or maintain healthy bowel movements.
Can baby ducks eat strawberries?
Ducklings usually don’t consume any food during the first 48-hour period.
This is because they like to stay warm and consume the nutrients present in the yolk of the egg, they stay in.
However, upon hatching, it is safe for anyone to feed ducklings with strawberries.
Ducklings love strawberries because they have high water content and have lots of natural sugars in them.
Although it is safe to feed ducklings with strawberries after the 48-hour mark, it’s not safe for them to consume strawberries as a whole or in large quantities.
When feeding them, one must dice the strawberries into small pieces so that the ducklings can comfortably eat them without having any trouble.
What other fruits can ducks eat?
Ducks enjoy a wide range of fruits. Some of them include:
- Banana: Ducks prefer foods that are soft and mushy. Since bananas fit this category of foods, ducks love them. Since bananas are highly nutritious and have no seeds in them, it makes it easier for the ducks to consume and digest them.
- Watermelon: Ducks will start to quack happily at the sight of watermelons. They eat all parts of the watermelon including the seeds, rind, and the flesh. The Vitamin C they get from watermelons helps increase egg production, boosts immunity, and helps with reducing stress.
- Apples: Although apples seem to be favored by ducks, it must be provided carefully and in regulated quantities. This is because the sugar content in apples is rather high. Another point to note is that apple seeds contain cyanide in them, and so one must always remove the seeds first before giving them to ducks.
- Grapes: Ducks love grapes and it’s best to feed them with half-cut fully ripened grapes. Make sure to keep away large grapes from ducks as it can choke them and unripened grapes as it has a lot of cyanide content in them.
What fruits should you not feed ducks?
Fruits such as oranges, lemons, grapefruit, and lime are not suitable for ducks since they are citrus in nature.
Citrus fruits are believed to be harmful for ducks since they interfere with the calcium absorption mechanism in their bodies and thus lead to producing thin shelled eggs.
Thin shelled eggs can be detrimental to young ducklings due to the poor nature of protection they receive during the crucial 48-hour period before their hatching.
Moreover, citrus fruits can also cause acid reflux hence causing stomach aches in ducks.
Ducks tend to have itchy throats right after consuming mangoes.
This is because of a chemical called urushiol that is found in high concentrations in mango peels and in the flesh directly below the peel.
Thus it is advised to keep mangoes away from ducks since they make them feel uncomfortable.
Seeds of stone fruits often contain cyanide in them which could cause serious trouble to ducks if the concentrations increase within the bodies.
It’s fine to provide them in moderation but it’s safer to remove the seeds of such fruits and provide the ducks with only their juicy flesh.
It should be obvious to all after this discussion that ducks are strawberry lovers.
They love to munch through various fruits that provide them with essential nutrients and energy.
Strawberries keep them healthy and sound which is another reason why they crave them.
It is however our responsibility to understand that strawberries must be given to ducks only moderation.
A ducks diet cannot only consist of strawberries.
Their diet must be varied across a wide range of foods such as green leafy vegetables, snails, small fishes etc.
Strawberries and other such fruits can definitely help ducks with their wellbeing but their consumption alone must not be depended upon.
