Peaches are that fantastic little small fruit with fuzzy skin and sweet yellow flesh inside. It’s hard not to love peaches, and the peach tree in the garden is a blessing. I wondered if I could share some of the delicious fruits with the animals living here, so I did some research.
Ducks can eat peaches, and they like them. Before feeding peaches to ducks, you will need to remove the pit and mash the peach into smaller pieces. Peaches should be given as an occasional treat and not more than one at a time. One peach contains 50 calories and 13g of sugar.
Peaches boost the duck’s intake of vitamin a and vitamin c while providing them with energy and a great taste.
Can ducks eat peaches?
Ducks will love it if you give them peaches. Peaches are an excellent treat to give your ducks on special occasions. Not only do they taste great, but they also provide the ducks with a lot of vitamins and minerals.
However, you should never feed ducks dried peaches. Dried peaches are mostly sugars and may be harmful to ducks. You will need to be aware of canned peaches too. Canned peaches usually have sugars, salt, and preservatives added. Check this comparison between fresh, dried, and canned peaches below.
It’s important you remove the seed or pit inside. Inside the pit, there’s amygdalin. When it digests inside the stomach, the amygdalin breaks down to the poison hydrogen cyanide. For safety always remove and stalk and leaves since they also can be poisonous.
You will also need to either cut or mash the peaches before feeding them to your ducks. Too large pieces can get stuck in their throat and be a choking hazard. You can remove the pits, put them in a plastic bag and mash them with a pan.
Another thing to be aware of when feeding peaches to ducks is the word moderation. Although peaches aren’t too high in calories, they are still acidic. Peaches are between 3.4 and 3.6 on the pH scale. When you are feeding them acidic, you will need to balance it out with something alkaline. Otherwise, the risk of acid reflux increases.
Can ducklings eat peaches?
Ducklings can eat peaches, and they love it. I wouldn’t feed them peaches in their first four weeks. Instead, I would focus on providing them a high protein duckling diet through special duckling feed. I’ve used this for many years. After the fourth week, you can gradually start implementing peaches into the duckling’s diet as a fun treat.
Do ducks like to eat peaches?
Both ducks and ducklings like to eat peaches. They prefer moist food and especially if they are given to them inside water. The best way to feed peaches to ducks is to give them mashed peaches in water. That way, it’s much easier for them to swallow and ingest the food. Since they are acidic, you will need to mix in some other foods – that are alkaline. Peas, broccoli, watermelon, and carrots are alkaline and blend perfectly with peaches.
Safe ways to feed peaches to ducks
The safest way to feed peaches to ducks is to feed them the delicious fruit without them even noticing. They only taste the sweet flavor while eating their regular feed.
1. Make a peaches smoothie bowl for your ducks
Ducks love smoothies, especially when all of their foods are blended into a bowl of deliciousness. If you wish to give your ducks a real treat, you can add some of their favorite foods in a blender and make it smooth. I usually add green peas, oats, berries, and sweet fruits like peaches or pineapples.
2. Mix peaches with the ducks other foods
You can mix a lot of different foods with peaches. Often oats and their regular duck feed. Oats and pellets can be boring even for ducks, so sometimes I add some fresh fruits to surprise them.
3. Treat your ducks with nice cream
Nice cream may be my duck’s favorite treat. Nice cream is a vegan-friendly form of regular ice cream you can make yourself at home. Instead of dairy, you can use unsweetened oat milk. (Or add water and oats while blending).
To make a good nice cream for your ducks:
- 3 frozen bananas (peeled)
- 2 cups of water
- 1 peach (pitted)
- ½ cup of oats
- Some berries
Blend until you have an ice cream texture.
How many peaches can I feed my ducks?
The amount of peaches you can feed your ducks is determined by the other foods in their diet. Peaches aren’t too high in calories, but they are still acidic and contain much water (88%). If you add peaches to your duck’s diet, you will need to adjust other foods in their diet. Adding food will cause a caloric surplus and will over time result in overweight ducks. The high water content in peaches may be a problem too. Too much water may cause diarrhea. I’ve made it a habit to feed max one peach per duck, always with alkaline foods that inhibit diarrhea. For example carrots and oats.
Health benefits from eating peaches for ducks
Vitamin A in peaches for ducks
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble that is found in most foods. Vitamin A is important for vision, the immune system, and reproduction. Foods containing vitamin a that ducks can eat are carrots, tuna, sweet potatoes, lettuce and broccoli.
Vitamin C in peaches for ducks
Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps the immune system prevent diseases. It helps for the growth, repair, and development of body tissues. Foods containing vitamin c ducks can eat are broccoli, brussels sprouts, potatoes, cherries, and strawberries.
Table comparison between canned, dried and fresh peaches
| Nutrient (unit) | Peaches | Dried peaches | Canned peaches |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight standard (g) | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Energy (kcal) | 43 | 252 | 83 |
| Energy (kJ) | 179 | 1056 | 348 |
| Carbohydrates (g) | 8.6 | 52.9 | 19.5 |
| Fat (g) | 0.1 | 0.8 | 0.1 |
| Protein (g) | 0.7 | 3.6 | 0.4 |
| Fiber (g) | 2.1 | 8.2 | 0.8 |
| Water (g) | 88 | 32 | 79 |
| Alcohol (g) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ashes (g) | 0.5 | 2.5 | 0.2 |
| Monosaccharides (g) | 2.7 | 12.8 | 7.4 |
| Disaccharides (g) | 5.1 | 38 | 9.2 |
| Sucrose (g) | 5.1 | 38 | 7.8 |
| Sugars (g) | 7.8 | 50.8 | 16.6 |
| Total saturated fatty acids (g) | 0.01 | 0.07 | 0.01 |
| Fatty acid 4: 0-10: 0 (g) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lauric acid C12: 0 (g) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Myristic acid C14: 0 (g) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Palmitic acid C16: 0 (g) | 0.01 | 0.06 | 0.01 |
| Stearic acid C18: 0 (g) | 0 | 0.01 | 0 |
| Arachidic acid C20: 0 (g) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total monounsaturated fatty acids (g) | 0.03 | 0.24 | 0.03 |
| Palmitic acid C16: 1 (g) | 0 | 0.01 | 0 |
| Oleic acid C18: 1 (g) | 0.03 | 0.23 | 0.03 |
| Total polyunsaturated fatty acids (g) | 0.04 | 0.32 | 0.04 |
| Linoleic acid C18: 2 (g) | 0.04 | 0.31 | 0.04 |
| Linolenic acid C18: 3 (g) | 0 | 0.01 | 0 |
| Arachidonic acid C20: 4 (g) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EPA (C20:5) (g) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DPA (C22:5) (g) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DHA (C22:6) (g) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tiamin (mg) | 0.02 | 0 | 0.01 |
| Riboflavin (mg) | 0.04 | 0.2 | 0.02 |
| Vitamin C (mg) | 8 | 5 | 3 |
| Niacin (mg) | 1 | 4.4 | 0.6 |
| Niacin equivalents (NE / mg) | 1.12 | 5 | 0.67 |
| Vitamin B6 (mg) | 0.02 | 0.07 | 0.02 |
| Vitamin B12 (µg) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Folate (µg) | 4.2 | 14 | 3 |
| Retinol (µg) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vitamin A (RE/µg) | 7.2 | 107.5 | 8.3 |
| β-Karoten (µg) | 86 | 1290 | 100 |
| Vitamin D (µg) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vitamin E (mg) | 1.8 | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Vitamin K (µg) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Phosphorus (mg) | 12 | 119 | 11 |
| Iodine (µg) | 0.3 | N/A | 1.8 |
| Iron (mg) | 0.5 | 4.1 | 0.3 |
| Calcium (mg) | 5 | 28 | 3 |
| Potassium (mg) | 197 | 1000 | 92 |
| Magnesium (mg) | 11 | 42 | 6 |
| Sodium (mg) | 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Salt (g) | 0.01 | 0.02 | 0.02 |
| Selenium (µg) | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.3 |
| Zinc (mg) | 0.1 | 0.6 | 0.3 |
| Cholesterol (mg) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Whole grains total (g) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Waste (shell etc.) (%) | 24 | 0 | 0 |
Conclusion
Both duck and ducklings can eat peaches. Ducklings shouldn’t eat peaches until they are four weeks of age. However, peaches shouldn’t be given as a staple, but instead as an occasional treat. Not because of the high amount of calories, but instead because of the acids. Peaches are acidic and may cause acid reflux in ducks.
A weekly treat can be ok as long as you incorporate alkaline foods.
You will need remove the pit inside, but also mash the peaches before serving. The pit is poisonous when digesting it. The peach need to be mashed before serving to decrease the risk of the ducks choking.
Never feed canned or dried peaches to your ducks. They are too high in sugar, and other chemicals not found in the duck’s natural diet.
You can make feeding peaches to ducks more fun and safe.
- Add peaches in a smoothie bowl
- Mix the peaches with other foods
- Make nice cream with peaches
Ducks like it when their foods are in water for them to eat. However, do not feed them peaches in their swimming water. Instead, give them the peaches inside a container or a bucket of water.
Don’t overfeed the ducks peaches. I usually aim for maximum one peach per duck.
Peaches are a great source of vitamin a and vitamin c.