Can Ducks Eat Asparagus? (Complete guide)

Asparagus is a healthy vegetable with a lot of benefits for both humans and animals. There are numerous health benefits from eating asparagus. Asparagus is high in Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Potassium, and also Phosphorus.

Ducks can eat asparagus, and they benefit from all nutrients. Despite the low calories, it still has many nutrients and will help your ducks thrive. However, you should give asparagus in moderation due to the high water content and because the taste can transfer to their eggs.

Not all ducks enjoy eating asparagus, but they do after some practice. It helps if they are cut as small as possible and mixed with the other food they like better. As with kids, they grow to like it more with age.

With only a little more than 20 calories per 100 grams of asparagus, it’s possible to fill the duck’s stomachs without giving them enough amount of energy. For best practice, it would be best to feed in moderation and with other foods.

Can ducks eat asparagus?

Ducks can eat asparagus, and they learn to like it. Asparagus is easy to grow yourself and have a distinct taste.

You must cut the asparagus into tiny pieces. I usually use a regular knife and cut several at the same time.

If you add it to other dishes and need to cut many of them (which we will go deeper into below), I suggest other tools.

Table of nutrients in 100 grams of asparagus

class=”fintabell”

Nutrient (unit)	Asparagus
Weight standard (g)	100
Energy (kcal)	22
Energy (kJ)	91
Carbohydrates (g)	1.8
Fat (g)	0.2
Protein (g)	1.94
Fiber (g)	2.5
Water (g)	92.9
Alcohol (g)	0
Ashes (g)	0.69
Monosaccharides (g)	1.7
Disaccharides (g)	0
Sucrose (g)	0
Sugars (g)	1.7
Total saturated fatty acids (g)	0
Fatty acid 4: 0-10: 0 (g)	0
Lauric acid C12: 0 (g)	0
Myristic acid C14: 0 (g)	0
Palmitic acid C16: 0 (g)	0
Stearic acid C18: 0 (g)	0
Arachidic acid C20: 0 (g)	0
Total monounsaturated fatty acids (g)	0
Palmitic acid C16: 1 (g)	0
Oleic acid C18: 1 (g)	0
Total polyunsaturated fatty acids (g)	0
Linoleic acid C18: 2 (g)	0
Linolenic acid C18: 3 (g)	0
Arachidonic acid C20: 4 (g)	0
EPA (C20:5) (g)	0
DPA (C22:5) (g)	0
DHA (C22:6) (g)	0
Tiamin (mg)	0.09
Riboflavin (mg)	0.12
Vitamin C (mg)	5.4
Niacin (mg)	0.92
Niacin equivalents (NE / mg)	1.2
Vitamin B6 (mg)	0.08
Vitamin B12 (µg)	0
Folate (µg)	186
Retinol (µg)	0
Vitamin A (RE/µg)	24.5
β-Karoten (µg)	289
Vitamin D (µg)	0
Vitamin E (mg)	1.19
Vitamin K (µg)	40.8
Phosphorus (mg)	36.7
Iodine (µg)	0
Iron (mg)	0.48
Calcium (mg)	19.1
Potassium (mg)	163
Magnesium (mg)	9.9
Sodium (mg)	36.5
Salt (g)	0.09
Selenium (µg)	3.9
Zinc (mg)	0.44
Cholesterol (mg)	0
Whole grains total (g)	0

Can ducklings eat asparagus?

Ducklings can eat asparagus, and trying to incorporate it at an early stage is wise. However, you shouldn’t feed them anything other than their duckling pellets in their first four weeks. After that, you can incorporate more foods into their diet. Asparagus, kale, and oats are great ways to start.

🍟 Do you want to treat the ducks with something from the fridge? Find out what human foods you can give ducks here.

Do ducks like to eat asparagus?

Ducks don’t like the taste of asparagus at first. However, they learn to like with age. If you add it to their favorite foods, they will start to associate the taste of asparagus with their favorite foods. For my ducks, it helped to add it to a bowl of green peas. Make sure to hide it well, and don’t give too much at first.

Can ducks eat raw asparagus?

Ducks can eat asparagus raw. When feeding the ducks raw food, it’s much more important to ensure smaller pieces are cut. One rule of thumb is to nut cut the pieces bigger than the width of your thumb. Not bigger than an inch.

Can ducks eat cooked asparagus?

Ducks can eat cooked asparagus, and they prefer it over raw. Raw asparagus requires more effort from the duck digesting it. If you cook it, I find it much easier to chop them before.

However, if you saute or roast the asparagus, it’s important not to use oil or butter. The best way to cook asparagus for ducks is to blanch them without salt.

Add them to boiling water, cook for 4 minutes, and then cool in cold water. Do not add any salt.

🥗 When you are making a asparagus salad you can add some nuts on top. Not all nuts are suitable for ducks. Check what nuts you can feed ducks.

What parts of the asparagus can ducks eat?

Ducks can eat the whole asparagus. However, it would be best to cut the bottom part, as you would do if you were eating it yourself. The bottom part is too hard and doesn’t provide nutritional value. Chop off and give it to your compost.

Can ducks eat frozen asparagus?

Ducks can eat frozen asparagus if they are defrosted. Frozen asparagus is too hard for them to eat. You can boil the frozen asparagus and give them to your ducks. Make sure they are cut into smaller pieces. You can also make a smoothie and nice cream for your ducks with frozen asparagus.

Can ducks eat spoiled asparagus?

You shouldn’t offer ducks and other animals any spoiled, old, rotten, or moldy food. It can be harmful to them and even lethal. On the end of the asparagus, you will see if it started to crack or looks dry-then it’s spoiling.

You can keep the asparagus fresh for longer if you place them in a jar of water in the fridge. The water should cover one inch of the stem. Put a plastic bag over the jar – not a lid. When you see a discolorization of the water, it’s time to change the water.

🐌 Ducks enjoy eating live feed sometimes. Do you know what animals ducks eat? Hint: One of them is a snail.

Can ducks eat pickled asparagus?

It would be best if you didn’t give ducks pickled asparagus. Pickled asparagus contains three things—salt, sugar, and vinegar. You shouldn’t add those three things to a duck’s diet. The vinegar is acidic and can cause acid reflux.

Can ducks eat canned asparagus?

You should avoid feeding your ducks’ canned asparagus. Canned asparagus contains salt, sugar, and preservatives. Adding salt to a duck’s diet may cause dehydration which can lead to kidney problems. Ducks gain weight easily, and adding sugar to their diet doesn’t prevent that. The preservatives aren’t found in the duck’s natural diet and should be avoided.

How do you cut asparagus for ducks?

You can cut asparagus in different ways. The best way to cut asparagus for ducks is to cut them into as small pieces as possible. It would help if you aimed for a maximum of one-inch pieces. Otherwise, the choking risk is too high.

You can either cut them with a knife, but you can also use a food processor for the job. If you are faced with a lot of cutting, I strongly suggest using a food processor you can drop vegetables into and get chopped.

🍌 Fruits and asparagus go hand in hand. But did you ducks can’t eat all fruits? Find out which fruits you should never feed ducks.

Safe ways to feed asparagus to ducks

There are easy ways to safely feed asparagus to your ducks. Most of them don’t require much effort, and you will be done in a matter of minutes. Below are six ways you can feed asparagus to ducks in a safe way.

1. Make a salad for your ducks

Ducks enjoy food and lots of it. My ducks get spoil often and get a huge variety of foods in their diet. When you are preparing salads, it’s easy to incorporate many different flavors and nutrients at the same time.

Great vegetables to have in your salad for ducks are:

It’s crucial you don’t add avocados, any onions or garlic, or spinach to their salad. They might be a good addition to a salad intended for humans, but they can be lethal for ducks.

2. Make asparagus nice cream for your ducks

Nice cream is on the rise, and thankfully to the vegan community; there are different varieties of flavors to try. However, asparagus nice cream might not be a hit for humans, but ducks love it. The only thing needed for making nice cream are frozen bananas and a food processor. Then you can add any other vegetable or fruit as you would like. When making asparagus nice cream for ducks, I suggest you blend in something else as well. Perhaps something sweet like raspberries, strawberries, or blueberries?

3. Make an asparagus smoothie for ducks

Smoothies are an excellent way to add nutrients in a fun way for both you and your ducks. Smoothies are super simple to make, and the only thing required is a food processor and some imagination.

My ducks prefer green smoothies where the base is green peas.

Great fruits and veggies to add to your smoothie bowl for ducks are:

Never add spinach, avocado or dairy products in your smoothies for ducks.

4. Add the asparagus to the duck’s regular food

An easy way to add asparagus to your duck’s diet, is to mix it with their regular food. My ducks receive their duck pellets, oats, fruits and vegetables each morning. The fruits and vegetables changes a lot and adding asparagus to it is a effortless way to change things up. If the ducks are new to the idea of eating asparagus, you might want to add something they love next to it. Why not pumpkins?

5. Add the asparagus to water

Another and the final easy way to incorporate asparagus into your duck’s diet is to feed it in a bucket of water. Boil the asparagus, and cut them into tiny pieces and add it to water. You can add a tiny bit of green peas (or any other food you know they love) to help them get started. However, don’ feed them the asparagus in the same water they swim in. Feed them in a bucket or similar. If you add food to their pond or lake it may cause algae growth and can disrupt the ecosystem.

6. Make asparagus soup for your ducks

Another easy way to get to your ducks to eat asparagus is to make them a healthy nutritious soup. The only thing you will need are some asparagus, water and some oats.

1. Start by removing the bottoms of the asparagus.
2. Add the asparagus in a blender.
3. Add some cold water.
4. Blend until smooth.
5. When you cant see any parts of the asparagus any more and it has a lovely green color its time to add the oats.
6. Add 1/4 of a cup oats per 5 asparagus and blend them also.
7. You can change the thickness of the soup by increasing the water or oats.

Remember: No spices or dairy. Keep it simple.

🌽 Asparagus is a great vegetable that provides lots of good nutrients for your ducks. Find out what vegetables ducks can eat here.

Unsafe ways to feed asparagus to ducks

There are some ways to avoid when feeding asparagus to your ducks. Here are five things to be aware of.

1. The pieces are too big

The most common problem when your ducks reject asparagus are the size of the pieces. Ducks aren’t really fond of the taste at first, and if the bits are too big they will ignore them. There are too many hurdles for them. Ducks don’t chew their food and swallow everything whole. Make sure to cut the pieces in as tiny pieces as possible. It would be if you aimed for a maximum of 1 inch per piece. Use the width of your thumb as a ruler. Not bigger than that.

2. Serving too much asparagus

Asparagus are healthy for your ducks as long as they are given in moderation. Too much of anything isn’t good and asparagus isn’t a exception. Asparagus contains a lot of water and fiber. Too much water can cause diarrhea and dehydrate the duck. A too high fiber intake can be hard for your ducks digestive system which can cause bloating.

3. Not removing the bottom part

The bottom part is easy to forget when you are prepping your duck’s dinner. The end part is too hard for them to eat and digest and it would best to throw it out. It taste bitter and isn’t something your ducks would like to eat. You can easily break the end part with your hands.

4. Feeding the asparagus bits in water

If you are visiting the park and see ducks swimming around it might be tempting to throw the food to them. Other people might do it, but that doesn’t make it right. If you add food directly in their pond or lake it will dissolve and cause algae growth. If algae growth is too severe it might disrupt the ecosystem below the surface which can affect the entire park.

Instead, it’s better to feed the ducks on the ground. Let them forage for their food and get some exercise.

How often should I feed asparagus to my ducks?

You can feed asparagus to your duck as often as you want. Asparagus are low in calories and the risk of them becoming overweight is small. I’m not aware of any diseases among ducks for eating too many asparagus or too often. The only thing I’ve heard of is that the taste of asparagus can transfer to their eggs. Some feed their ducks asparagus daily, and others feed them more rarely. I usually have many asparagus at home and try to incorporate asparagus daily in my duck’s diet.

How much asparagus can I give my ducks?

You can give your ducks how many asparagus you like, as long as you adjust the amount of the other foods in their diet. There aren’t many calories in asparagus, and they can eat a lot without becoming overweight. However, if they fill their stomachs with asparagus, they don’t have room for foods with more calories and nutrients.

If you want to incorporate asparagus in your duck’s diet, serve them with their regular food or afterward. Not before. Remember to feed in moderation, due to the high water amount.

Health benefits for ducks eating asparagus

Eating asparagus is well-known to be a good thing, at least in the human world. Asparagus is high in Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Potassium, and also Phosphorus. The same things that benefits humans, also benefits ducks.

Vitamin A in asparagus for ducks

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that helps with vision health, immunesystem and reproduction. Foods rich in vitamin a ducks can eat are carrots, tuna, sweet potato, lettuce, and broccoli.

Vitamin K in asparagus for ducks

Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that is important in blood clotting, bone metabolism, and regulating blood calcium levels. A deficiency in Vitamin K may lead to easy bruising, easy bleeding, and blood in the urine. Examples of foods rich in vitamin K that ducks can eat are kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cucumber, celery, asparagus, kiwi, apples, okra, green beans, grapes, and lettuce.

Potassium in asparagus for ducks

Potassium helps to regulate the fluid balance and is also vital for transmitting nerve signals. Potassium is necessary for the function of all living cells. Foods rich in potassium ducks can eat are: bananas, broccoli, potatoes, mushrooms, peas, cucumbers, and pumpkins.

Phosphorus in asparagus for ducks

Phosphorus keeps the bones strong, helping the muscles contract, muscle recovery, and managing the body’s energy usage and storage. A phosphorus deficiency may lead to loss of appetite, fragile bones, stiff joints, fatigue, and general weakness. Foods rich in phosphorus ducks can eat tuna, tofu, lentils, quinoa, nuts, and green beans.

Conclusion

Ducks can eat asparagus and will benefit from doing so. Not all ducks enjoy the taste of asparagus, but can learn to like it. Best practice to make ducks like something, is to blend it with something the already like. For example peas.

Ducklings should learn to appreciate the taste of asparagus at an early age. However, ducklings shouldn’t consume any other feed than the duckling feed for their first four weeks, since they require the protein.

Asparagus are pretty low in calories and is hard to gain weight with. However, there are downsides with feeding ducks too much aspragus. If you feed ducks asparagus, (or any other food low in calories) the risk is that they will fill their stomachs with it and not eat anything else with more energy. The duck will not be motivated to forage for other foods and risk malnourishment. The other risk of feeding too much asparagus is the high water content. Feeding ducks too much water may cause diarrhea. Diarrhea drains the duck from fluids and will cause them dehydration. Dehydration may lead to kidney problems. It’s therefore, important to feed asparagus in moderation and with other foods.

Ducks can eat both raw and cooked asparagus. They prefer the cooked better. However, it’s important you only blanch the asparagus and not add anything other than water to it. Salt, spices and other condiments should be avoided.

Ducks can eat frozen asparagus if you defrost them or put them in a smoothie.

You can feed asparagus to your duck as often as you want. Asparagus are low in calories and the risk of them becoming overweight is small. You can give your ducks how many asparagus you like, as long as you adjust the amount of the other foods in their diet

Asparagus is high in Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Potassium, and also Phosphorus. The same things that benefits humans, also benefits ducks.