Cabbage is a fascinating vegetable that holds a lot of nutrition, taste and can be used for multiple things. Cabbage has been around for over 1000 years and has since then been a staple in many households. Cabbage comes in several shapes and colors and has just as many tastes. Not only do humans enjoy the vegetable, but also animals—some animals even more than others.
Ducks can eat cabbage, and they love it. While providing a good taste, a lot of nutrients, it also provides a good amount of fiber which helps the duck’s digestive system. Ducks can eat green cabbage, savoy, red cabbage, napa cabbage, bok choy, and Brussels sprouts.
Add cabbage to your duck’s diet today. Cabbage is an inexpensive vegetable that provides a lot of food for a low price. One of the best parts of feeding ducks’ cabbage is the effortless preparation. The only two things you will need to have in mind are to remove the inside core and cut the cabbage into smaller pieces. The other thing is to feed in moderation. Cabbage contains over 85% water, which can cause diarrhea if consumed too much.
Can ducks eat cabbage?
There are different types of cabbages, and ducks can eat all of them. The most important part is to offer the cabbage in smaller pieces.
Since there are different types of cabbages, you can easily adjust your duck’s diet by changing the type of cabbage you offer. If your ducks need fewer calories, feed savoy. If you want to increase the amount of fiber, go for Brussels sprouts. The options are endless.
Comparing different cabbages
| Nutrient (unit) | Brussels sprouts | Green cabbage | Red cabbage | Savoy cabbage |
| Weight standard (g) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Energy (kcal) | 44 | 40 | 31 | 28 |
| Energy (kJ) | 182 | 167 | 131 | 119 |
| Carbohydrates (g) | 4,7 | 3,2 | 4,7 | 3,6 |
| Fat (g) | 0,3 | 0,7 | 0,3 | 0,1 |
| Protein (g) | 3,4 | 3,38 | 1,13 | 2 |
| Fiber (g) | 4,2 | 3,7 | 2,64 | 2,5 |
| Water (g) | 86 | 87,5 | 90,5 | 91 |
| Alcohol (g) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ashes (g) | 1,4 | 1,5 | 0,7 | 0,8 |
| Monosaccharides (g) | 2 | 1,4 | 4,3 | 3,1 |
| Disaccharides (g) | 0,6 | 0,7 | 0,7 | 0,1 |
| Sucrose (g) | 0,6 | 0,7 | 0,7 | 0,1 |
| Sugars (g) | 2,6 | 2,1 | 5 | 3,2 |
| Total saturated fatty acids (g) | 0,05 | 0 | 0,06 | 0,01 |
| Fatty acid 4: 0-10: 0 (g) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lauric acid C12: 0 (g) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Myristic acid C14: 0 (g) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Palmitic acid C16: 0 (g) | 0,04 | 0 | 0,05 | 0,01 |
| Stearic acid C18: 0 (g) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Arachidic acid C20: 0 (g) | 0,01 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total monounsaturated fatty acids (g) | 0,01 | 0 | 0,02 | 0,01 |
| Palmitic acid C16: 1 (g) | 0 | 0 | 0,01 | 0 |
| Oleic acid C18: 1 (g) | 0,01 | 0 | 0,01 | 0,01 |
| Total polyunsaturated fatty acids (g) | 0,18 | 0 | 0,17 | 0,05 |
| Linoleic acid C18: 2 (g) | 0,04 | 0 | 0,11 | 0,02 |
| Linolenic acid C18: 3 (g) | 0,14 | 0 | 0,05 | 0,03 |
| Arachidonic acid C20: 4 (g) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EPA (C20:5) (g) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DPA (C22:5) (g) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DHA (C22:6) (g) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tiamin (mg) | 0,14 | 0,08 | 0,06 | 0,07 |
| Riboflavin (mg) | 0,09 | 0,15 | 0 | 0,03 |
| Vitamin C (mg) | 85 | 74 | 58,9 | 31 |
| Niacin (mg) | 0,7 | 1,89 | 0,39 | 0,3 |
| Niacin equivalents (NE / mg) | 1,27 | 2,5 | 0,6 | 0,63 |
| Vitamin B6 (mg) | 0,22 | 0,2 | 0,17 | 0,19 |
| Vitamin B12 (µg) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Folate (µg) | 159 | 111 | 45,9 | 79 |
| Retinol (µg) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vitamin A (RE/µg) | 35,8 | 263 | 0,2 | 50 |
| β-Karoten (µg) | 430 | 3150 | 2 | 600 |
| Vitamin D (µg) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vitamin E (mg) | 0,88 | 2,12 | 0 | 0,6 |
| Vitamin K (µg) | N/A | 347 | 18 | N/A |
| Phosphorus (mg) | 69 | 68,9 | 25 | 42 |
| Iodine (µg) | 0,3 | 0 | 1,4 | N/A |
| Iron (mg) | 1,4 | 0,86 | 0,28 | 0,4 |
| Calcium (mg) | 42 | 128 | 33 | 35 |
| Potassium (mg) | 390 | 378 | 260 | 230 |
| Magnesium (mg) | 23 | 20,1 | 11 | 28 |
| Sodium (mg) | 7 | 21,6 | 8 | 28 |
| Salt (g) | 0,02 | 0,05 | 0,02 | 0,07 |
| Selenium (µg) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3,8 |
| Zinc (mg) | 0,5 | 0,44 | 0,16 | 0,5 |
| Cholesterol (mg) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Whole grains total (g) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Waste (shell etc.) (%) | 23 | 38 | 20 | 20 |
Can ducklings eat cabbage?
Ducklings can eat cabbage after they have turned four weeks of age. After they’ve turned four weeks, you can start implementing a small amount of food in their diets as an occasional treat. You can start by adding food weekly and then increase the amount. Until the ducks have reached four weeks, you will need to give them duckling feed. I always go for this brand since it contains 22% protein which is mandatory for duckling’s early stages in life. It has always worked well. When you start feeding the ducklings cabbage, ensure to cut the cabbage into tiny pieces. I would suggest using a grater for this.
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Do ducks like to eat cabbage?
Ducks like to eat cabbage. Cabbage isn’t their favorite food, but they will eat it. From what I’ve noticed, they seem to enjoy cooked cabbage the most, maybe because it is easier to swallow than hard and raw cabbage. You can grate the cabbage and add it to their regular diet for the best effect.
Can ducks eat raw cabbage?
Humans have a problem eating raw cruciferous vegetables and will have a hard time digesting the sugars. However, ducks can eat raw cabbage and other cruciferous vegetables without any problem.
However, I would suggest cooking Brussels sprouts before serving them to ducks. Raw Brussels sprouts are quite hard and, even for humans, tough to swallow. Boil them for 4-5 minutes, and you can cut them into halves afterward. You can use a grater, food processor, or mandolin to shred the green-, red- and savoy cabbage.
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Can ducks eat cooked cabbage?
Ducks can eat cooked cabbage. This is their preferred way of eating cabbage. However, they will eat raw cabbage as well. If you boil cabbage for the ducks to eat, ensure it cools down before serving, and save the water for later use. The water from cooking cabbage can be used as vegetable stock and nutritious gardening water. If you don’t have any planned uses for it right now, you can freeze it into ice cubes and use them as bouillon cubes later.
Can ducks eat frozen cabbage?
Ducks can eat cabbage that has been frozen as long it has been defrosted before serving. It is great to prepare food for the week and doing all your preparation on Sunday. Cutting all frozen vegetables and put them into the freezer helps with the feeding process each morning.
Ensure the cabbage has been defrosted before feeding it to the ducks. Let it defrost in the fridge the night before and have it ready in the morning.
Can ducks eat molded or withered cabbage?
Ducks should not be offered molded or withered food of any sort. Mold and rot are toxic and should be wasted. If you have compost, you can add the waste to it. Usually, the outer leaves of a cabbage head wither first since they are exposed to most air. You can remove it and feed the rest of the cabbage to the ducks if they haven’t started to rot.
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Can ducks eat pickled cabbage?
Ducks shouldn’t eat pickled cabbage. Pickled cabbage is made from cabbage, vinegar, salt, and sugar. Ducks shouldn’t eat vinegar since it’s acidic. Salt causes dehydration and kidney failure, and sugar makes them overweight.
How do you cut cabbage for ducks?
The best way of cutting cabbage for ducks is to make the pieces as small or thin as possible. Cutting cabbage is pretty tedious, and your forearm becomes sore after a while. Cabbage is pretty hard to cut through and requires some strength if you cut it from the outside.
The best tool for preparing cabbage for ducks is to a grater. When you grate cabbage, they become thin strips that ducks can easily eat. When you cut with a knife, it’s easy to get lazy and not make them thin. With a grater, they always become super thin.
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Safe ways to feed cabbage to ducks
It is easy to feed cabbage to ducks in a safe way. There’s not much to think about more than making sure the pieces aren’t too big for them to eat.
1. Shred the cabbage with a grater
The easiest and quickest way to ensure the ducks safely eat cabbage is to shred it for them. Cut the cabbage head into four pieces and stroke the insides of the cabbage against the grater. In a matter of seconds, you will have lots of cabbage strips the ducks can swallow without a problem. Using a grater like this will save you much time in the kitchen. After it has been shredded, you can add it into a bucket of water or throw the cabbage strips on the ground for the ducks to forage.
2. Cook the cabbage
Boiling the cabbage removes a bit of that distinct cabbage smell. If your ducks aren’t fond of raw cabbage, you might want to try to boil it before feeding them. If you are boiling the cabbage, you don’t need to cut them as thin as you would with them raw. The cabbage turns very soft when boiled and can easily be gulped down.
3. Add cabbage to their mashed potatoes
If you want to treat your ducks with mashed potatoes sometime, you can add cabbage to it. Adding cabbage to the mashed potatoes will boost the amount of fiber, Calcium, and Potassium greatly. I would suggest you shred the cabbage before adding it to the mashed potatoes. That way, the ducks won’t even notice the cabbage inside. And the preparation would be much easier for you.
4. Add it to their regular pellets
After you’ve prepared the cabbage for the ducks, you can add it to their regular pellets. For the most time, I add a mix of different vegetables and fruits with their duck pellets and making a smörgåsbord for them to choose from. The ducks seem to join the variety of textures.
5. In moderation
It is crucial to feed ducks cabbage in moderation. Most of the cabbage is made of water, and consuming too much water will cause diarrhea—the same thing with cucumbers and iceberg salad. If you feed them cabbage or any other vegetables rich in water, add foods like oats, bananas, applesauce, rice, and potatoes to prevent diarrhea.
Unsafe ways of feeding cabbage to ducks
When feeding cabbage to ducks, there are some things to consider. Here are four tips on what to avoid when feeding ducks cabbage.
1. Not cutting the cabbage in small enough pieces
When feeding any type of cabbage to ducks, the most important thing is to cut it into small enough pieces for them. Cabbage is pretty stiff and tough, and cutting it into tiny pieces would immensely help the ducks. If you cut it with a knife, you should aim for a maximum of 1×1 inches. An easier way would be to use a grater to make strips. If you grate the cabbage, you will get longer, thinner, and more bendy pieces of cabbage to feed the ducks with. Ever since I started to use a grater like this, I saved ten minutes cutting each time. And that’s only the time cutting cabbage. I also use it for carrots, cucumbers, and celery.
2. Feeding rotten or moldy leaves
If the cabbage has started to wither at the end of the leaves, you should throw the part of the leaf out. Usually, it is the outer part of the cabbage that oxidizes the first, making it wither. However, if you notice any mold on the cabbage, you should throw the entire cabbage out.
3. Feeding pickled cabbage
Pickled cabbage may seem like a good thing to feed ducks. However, the vinegar, salt, and sugar the cabbage is bathing in aren’t good. The vinegar is acidic and upsets their stomach. The salt dehydrates them and causes kidney problems. Sugar has a lot of calories without providing any beneficial nutrients and instead causes obesity. Stay away from pickled cabbage.
4. Not feeding in moderation
Although it might be tempting to give a lot of cabbage to your ducks, it comes with a disadvantage. Since it is inexpensive and provides so much nutritional value, it’s easy to go overboard.
Feeding too much cabbage to ducks doesn’t only cause bloated stomachs; it also causes diarrhea. The water content in cabbage is pretty high and may cause diarrhea.
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Can ducks eat cabbage dolma?
A popular dish from home is cabbage dolma. It’s food stuffed in cabbage wrappings. You put different foods like meat, vegetables, rice inside a cabbage leaf. Knot a string around them or pierce with toothpicks and boil for 40 to 45 minutes. They can be made both made for omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans. If you want to try to make cabbage dolma for your ducks, you can try doing it vegan. Adding rice, oats, carrots, and other foods you know they like. Don’t forget to remove strings and toothpicks before serving.
How often can I feed cabbage to my ducks?
You can feed cabbage to your ducks as often as you would like. If you incorporate food in your duck’s diet, you’ll need to alternate the number of other foods accordingly. If you increase something, you’ll decrease something else.
Cabbage is a daily staple for my ducks, is usually offered in small amounts with their regular duck pellets. They also get diarrhea inhibiting foods like oats, bananas, applesauce, rice, and potatoes at the same time.
How much cabbage should I feed my ducks?
You can feed as much cabbage as you would like to your ducks. However, it is important not to feed too much. Cabbage contains a lot of fiber and raffinose. Raffinose is a sugar that makes the stomach bloat.
While cabbage isn’t high in calories, it does have other nutrient benefits. Since they are a powerhouse of good vitamins and minerals, I try to give my ducks 100 grams of cabbage each day with their regular duck pellets. I usually give it grated and mix in some other foods as well.
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Health benefits from feeding cabbage to ducks
There are numerous benefits from adding cabbage to both the duck’s diet as well as your own. Cabbage contains a lot of fiber but also other vitamins and minerals. But also a ton of antioxidants like β-Karoten. Cabbage contains Vitamin A, Folate, β-Karoten, Potassium, Calcium, Phosphorus, and Niacin.
Vitamin A in cabbage for ducks
Vitamin. Ais a fat-soluble retinoid which the name may imply is important for vision. It’s also important for the immune system and reproduction.
Folate in cabbage for ducks
Folate is an important vitamin. It helps with red blood cell formation and helps to grow and function healthy cells.
β-Karoten in cabbage for ducks
β-Karoten or beta-Carotene is converted in the body to Vitamin A, which helps with vision and cell growth.
Potassium in cabbage for ducks
Potassium is of great importance in the duck’s body. It helps to regulate fluid balance, muscle contractions, and nerve signals. A lack of potassium in the duck’s diet may lead to cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, and twitching.
Calcium in cabbage for ducks
Calcium may be the most important mineral in a duck’s diet. Calcium is essential for egglaying ducks since the eggshells contain almost only calcium. Calcium also helps build strong bones and helps the heart, muscles, and nerves to function properly.
Phosphorus in cabbage for ducks
Phosphorus is important to keep the bones strong. It also helps to muscles to contract and recover.
Niacin in cabbage for ducks
Niacin is an essential vitamin for ducks. Niacin is important for converting fats, carbohydrates, and proteins into energy.
Conclusion
Ducks can and will eat cabbage, Ducks like the taste of cabbage and will eat it offered to them. It is important to cut the cabbage into smaller pieces before serving it to them. Otherwise, it may be a choking hazard.
It would be best if ducklings didn’t eat cabbage before they have turned four weeks old. Until then, they have to eat a protein-dense diet with special duckling pellets.
Ducks can eat different types of cabbage.
They can eat:
- Green cabbage
- Red cabbage
- Savoy cabbage
- Napa cabbage
- Bok choy
- Brussel sprouts
All of them are fine to feed raw or cooked. However, Brussels sprouts are easier to cut when cooked.
Other cabbages are easiest to cut using a grater. Using a grater helps to ensure the ducks receive a small enough piece for them to swallow. You can grate cabbage once a week and freeze them and serve it. You will need to defrost them before serving.
Safe ways of feeding cabbage to ducks are:
- Cooking the cabbage
- Shredding the cabbage with a grater
- Add the cabbage to mashed potatoes
- Add it to their regular pellets
- Serve in moderation
Unsafe ways to feed cabbage to ducks are:
- Feeding rotten or moldy leaves
- Feeding pickled cabbage
- Not cutting the cabbage enough
- Not feeding in moderation
You can feed ducks cabbage both daily and also more rarely. If you give the ducks cabbage daily, you will need to adjust their other foods accordingly. Try to incorporate foods that prevent diarrhea.
There are plenty of reasons to feed cabbage to ducks, and you should incorporate it into their diet.
Cabbage is inexpensive and is easy to prepare while providing a good amount of nutrients.
You can feed how much cabbage you would like, as long as you do it in moderation. Feeding too much will cause diarrhea and bloating. I try to give a maximum of 100 grams per day to my ducks with their regular foods.
Cabbage contains Vitamin A, Folate, β-Karoten, Potassium, Calcium, Phosphorus, and Niacin.