Raspberries are the small, sweet, often red, wrinkly berries found in brambles in northern Europe, Canada, and the US. They are often found on the edge of a forest but mostly along the pavements. Raspberries come in five different colors, depending on which Robus species in the rose family it comes from. You can find raspberries in colors of red, yellow, pink, purple, and black. Both humans and animals benefit from having raspberries in their diet.
Ducks can eat raspberries, and they love it. Raspberries provide a sweet taste, good nutrients and are easy to consume, making them superb for ducks to eat. Raspberries are soft enough for ducks to eat as they don’t require any preparation. However, they should be offered in moderation.
The berries have Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Potassium, Iron, Calcium, and Magnesium, which are very beneficial for ducks to eat. Raspberries are actually the berry with the lowest amount of calories. But also carries the highest amount of Calcium, Niacin, and fibers, which is especially valuable for ducks.
Can ducks eat raspberries?
Ducks can eat raspberries and benefit greatly from them. Raspberries come in a small enough package for them easy to consume and digest. The sweet taste combined with all the valuable resources which come with raspberries is excellent for ducks.
Raspberries are at the top of every vitamin compared to every other berry and are probably the best of all berries to feed your ducks with. The amount of fiber compared to other berries is the highest and helps to improve the digestive system and removes pathogens and bacteria.
If you have the opportunity to add raspberries to a duck’s diet, either as a staple or as a treat, you should do so.
Comparison between different berries
| Nutrient (unit) | Raspberries | Strawberries | Blackberries | Blueberries | Lingon | Cranberries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight standard (g) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Energy (kcal) | 34 | 41 | 43 | 53 | 57 | 46 |
| Energy (kJ) | 142 | 172 | 181 | 221 | 237 | 192 |
| Carbohydrates (g) | 4,1 | 8,29 | 7,5 | 9,1 | 11 | 8,9 |
| Fat (g) | 0,6 | 0,21 | 0,2 | 0,8 | 0,5 | 0,2 |
| Protein (g) | 1,2 | 0,49 | 1,13 | 0,7 | 0,7 | 0,4 |
| Fibers (g) | 3,7 | 1,9 | 3,4 | 3,1 | 2,5 | 3,3 |
| Water (g) | 90 | 88,73 | 87,5 | 86 | 85 | 87 |
| Alcohol (g) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ashes (g) | 0,4 | 0,37 | 0,3 | 0,3 | 0,3 | 0,2 |
| Water-soluble vitamins | ||||||
| Tiamin (mg) | 0,03 | 0,01 | 0,02 | 0,04 | 0,05 | 0,05 |
| Riboflavin (mg) | 0,05 | 0,02 | 0,05 | 0,07 | 0,04 | 0,07 |
| Vitamin C (mg) | 27 | 60,8 | 7 | 8,1 | 7,9 | 10 |
| Niacin (mg) | 0,5 | 0,44 | 0,5 | 0,3 | 0,3 | 0,1 |
| Niacin equivalents (NE/mg) | 0,7 | 0,5 | 0,7 | 0,42 | 0,42 | 0,17 |
| Vitamin B6 (mg) | 0,09 | 0,07 | 0,05 | 0,06 | 0,01 | 0,06 |
| Vitamin B12 (µg) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Folate (µg) | 45,9 | 85,7 | 34 | 10,2 | 24,5 | 2 |
| Fat-soluble vitamins | ||||||
| Retinol (µg) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vitamin A (RE/µg) | 0,8 | 0,8 | 3,4 | 8,5 | 0,7 | 1,8 |
| β-Karoten (µg) | 3 | 10 | 38 | 96 | 8 | 22 |
| Vitamin D (µg) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vitamin E (mg) | 1,4 | 0,55 | 1,17 | 0,1 | 1,6 | 1,6 |
| Vitamin K (µg) | 10,7 | 5 | 19,8 | 15 | 7,9 | N/A |
| Minerals | ||||||
| Phosphorus (mg) | 28 | 20 | 24 | 20 | 16 | 9 |
| Iodine (µg) | 0,4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0,2 | 0 |
| Iron (mg) | 1,1 | 0,34 | 0,31 | 0,6 | 0,4 | 0,7 |
| Calcium (mg) | 27 | 18,1 | 24 | 23 | 16 | 15 |
| Potassium (mg) | 150 | 129,5 | 154 | 86 | 87 | 80 |
| Magnesium (mg) | 25 | 11 | 18 | 9 | 9 | 8 |
| Sodium (mg) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Salt (g) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0,01 | 0 | 0 |
| Selenium (µg) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zinc (mg) | 0,3 | 0,2 | 0,2 | 0,2 | 0,2 | 0,3 |
💡 Did you know that ducks are omnivores?
That means they eat both other animals and vegetables. Check out what other animals you can feed ducks as part of their diet. One hint: One is insects.
Can ducklings eat raspberries?
Ducklings can eat raspberries after they have turned four weeks of age. Before that, they require a specific duckling feed with a higher amount of protein. However, you can add raspberries to a duck’s diet gradually after they turned four weeks. Start by offering them a fist of raspberries as an occasional weekly treat until they are adults and can have it as a staple in their diet.
Do ducks like to eat raspberries?
Ducks love the taste of raspberries. I buy frozen raspberries and let them defrost in the fridge overnight. That way, they have become softer, and the ice turned to water carrying a lot of raspberry juice. The ducks love to eat both the berries and drink the juice. It doesn’t take long until a bowl has been devoured. They are extra delighted if there are oats added in the bowl of raspberries.
🍳 Do you wonder what human foods you can give ducks? Wonder no more. Check the resource I wrote about that.
Can ducks eat raw raspberries?
Ducks can eat raw raspberries, and you don’t need to prepare them in any way. Their preferred way of eating raspberries is actually eating them as they are.
Can ducks eat cooked raspberries?
Ducks can eat cooked raspberries. However, there is no reason for doing so for the sake of the ducks. Ducks are the happiest if they are fed the berries untouched. When cooked, you remove some of the liquid in the berry, making it a bit harder.
Can ducks eat raspberry jam?
Ducks can eat raspberry jam if you make it yourself, without adding any things that may hurt the ducks.
Jams are sweet due to the high amount of sugar. To balance the sweetness, there are usually citric acids added to the jams, like lemon juice. To get the “jelly” texture, there is gelatine added. Normal gelatine is usually fat from animals in the animal industry. For the jam to have a long expiration date, they add preservatives.
Ducks should avoid:
- Sugar
- Lemon juice or any other cirtric acids
- Gelatine
- Preservatives
If you want to make raspberry jam yourself without adding any of the above, you can cook raspberries with water on low heat. That’s it. The ducks don’t mind being fed the raspberries in their natural state.
If you had luck finding many raspberries and want to give them to your ducks later and want to preserve them as jam, I would instead suggest you freeze them.
Can ducks eat frozen raspberries?
Ducks can eat frozen raspberries as long as they are defrosted first. Frozen raspberries are much cheaper to buy than fresh ones and can be defrosted in the fridge during the night before serving.
Can ducks eat a raspberry smoothie?
Ducks love to eat smoothies. Smoothies are an excellent treat during hot summer days. You can make raspberry smoothies by simply adding raspberries, bananas, and some water into a blender and let it blend until smooth. The banana adds a good texture and a lot of potassium. Serve the smoothie into bowls or a bucket. If you have other berries like strawberries, you can top the bowl with some.
Can ducks eat moldy raspberries?
Ducks should never be fed moldy raspberries or any other food that has mold. Mold is toxic and may also be lethal to them. If you have moldy food, add them to your compost.
Can ducks eat berries?
Ducks can eat all kinds of berries. Some berries carry cyanide that even humans can’t eat—for example, Nandina berries. Regular berries you can find in your store are all fine to feed ducks.
- Blueberries
- Blackberries
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
- Barberries
- Cranberries
- Lingonberries
What fruits do ducks not eat?
There are some fruits you shouldn’t feed to ducks. Especially fruits that are highly acidic. Lemons, oranges, and peels, for example. There are far more fruits you can feed ducks than not.
Good fruits for ducks are apples, grapes, melons, bananas, strawberries, pears, plums, and mango.
Learn more about what fruits you can give ducks here.
💡 Did you know ducks love to eat strawberries as well as raspberries? 🍓 Learn more about feeding strawberries to ducks here.
Do I need to cut raspberries for ducks?
You don’t need to cut the raspberries before feeding them to your ducks. The raspberry is very soft by nature and is easy for the duck to consume. If you would like to be on the safe side, you can flatten them first. An easy way would be to add the raspberries to a bowl and use a fork to push them down.
Can ducks eat unripe raspberries?
It is not recommended to feed unripe raspberries to ducks. When the raspberry isn’t ripe, it has a green color which means it contains much solanine. In the same way that tomatoes go from green to red is due to the removal of solanine. Solanine is an alkaloid that is poisonous to ducks in humans. It requires only 25mg to make a human feel uncomfortable.
Safe ways to feeding raspberries to ducks
There are some ways you can safely feed ducks raspberries. All of them are easy to do and don’t require much effort from you. The ducks enjoy the raspberries in most shapes and forms, but there are some ways you can safely feed them the raspberries. I will below give you my five best tips on how to feed ducks’ raspberries safely.
1. Add them to water
It isn’t harder than that. Put the raspberries in water, and it will be easier for them to consume. However, I wouldn’t add them to the water they are swimming in. If the ducks missed eating a berry, it would cause algae to grow. It is better to put the raspberries with water in a bucket.
2. Crush them with a fork
If you have found some huge raspberries, you think maybe they are too big for the duck’s mouth, and you might want to consider crushing them with a fork. Serve them in a bowl where they are flattened.
3. Serve them as they are
The easiest method is to serve them as they are without any changes. Throw some on the ground, and they will find them. The strong red color will show in the grass. This keeps the ducks busy and will stimulate their instincts of foraging for food.
4. Mix in with their regular food
Every morning I feed my ducks oats with water. Every so often, I add some fruits to the mix, making it a healthy porridge. Don’t be shy when adding the raspberries. The low amount of calories is beneficial when feeding it with foods high in calories, like oats.
5. Make a raspberry smoothie
The thing ducks enjoy the most is a healthy, tasty and awesome smoothie bowl. Smoothies are an excellent treat for ducks during hot summer days. If you have spare fruits and nuts, you can add them to the mixture and as long as you have checked the number of calories.
Good smoothie bowls contain:
- Bananas
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Nuts
- Kale
- Mango
- Blueberries
💡 Tip: Check out what vegetables you can feed ducks and throw some of them in the smoothie as well.
Unsafe ways to feed raspberries to ducks
Some ways are better than others, and some you should avoid completely. If you aren’t planning, there’s a risk you might endanger the ducks unnecessarily. Check below which ways to avoid feeding raspberries to your ducks.
1. Sugered raspberries
You should never give your ducks sugar in any way. If you buy raspberry jam from the store, it most definitely has added sugars to it. You shouldn’t add the sugar yourself, either. Sugar contains a lot of calories and doesn’t provide any nutritional value that benefits the ducks.
2. Frozen raspberries
If you have frozen raspberries, you will have to defrost them before serving. Frozen raspberries are too hard for them to consume. It would also require much more energy to digest them. Giving food to animals is to provide them with energy, not take it from them.
3. Moldy raspberries
It would be best if you never fed ducks or any other animal with moldy food except for the worms in your compost. Mold is a high toxin that may be lethal for your ducks.
4. Raspberry ice cream
It might be tempting to offer raspberry ice cream to ducks. The truth is that you should never feed ice cream to ducks. Ducks are lactose intolerant and will be hurt if fed dairy. If you have made raspberry popsicles, you can treat them to yourself. They would be too hard for ducks to consume.
5. Unripe raspberries
It would be best if you never ate or feed ducks with unripe raspberries. Until they are ripe, they are in a light green color and shouldn’t be consumed. The green color means they contain a high amount of solanine which is an alkaloid that is poisonous to both humans and ducks. Have patience and let it turn red before feeding it to your ducks.
How often should I give raspberries to my ducks?
You can give raspberries to your ducks as often you would like. As long as you know how many calories you are feeding them, and ensure they receive all required vitamins and minerals
It all comes down to how much calories from other foods you provide and how much you are willing to spend on raspberries for your ducks. Some people give raspberries as an occasional treat, and others offer them as a daily staple. If you increase your raspberries, you can decrease the feed from pellets.
How many raspberries can I feed my ducks?
Since the number of calories in raspberries is pretty low, you shouldn’t be afraid of overfeeding them with raspberries. Raspberries are only 34 calories per 100g and are lower than other berries. I try to aim for 100 grams per duck when feeding them raspberries. I don’t feed them raspberry daily, but instead as an occasional treat. Otherwise, I would declare bankruptcy.
Health benefits from feeding raspberries to your ducks
There are numerous benefits from feeding raspberries to your ducks. The most prominent is the high calcium, potassium, protein, and Niacin amount compared to other berries. The strongest benefit compared to other berries is the low calories. A modest 34 calories per 100g compared to lingonberries at 57 calories make raspberries an effective player.
Calcium in raspberries for ducks
Ducks benefit greatly from eating calcium-rich food. Ducks require calcium for developing healthy eggs and eggshells. 97% of the eggshell is made out of calcium. If you have egglaying ducks, the intake of calcium is essential.
Potassium in raspberries for ducks
The intake of potassium is greatly valuable. One of potassium’s main purposes in the body is to control fluid balance in cells and ensure muscle and nerve cells are healthy.
Vitamin E in raspberries for ducks
Vitamin E is an essential antioxidant that helps slow down the process that damages cells in the body. Antioxidant’s purpose in the body is to protect the duck’s cells against free radicals.
Phosphorus in raspberries for ducks
One of the phosphorus’s many purposes in the body is to keep bones healthy. It also provides help to ensure the muscles contract and also removes waste from the kidneys.
Magnesium in raspberries for ducks
Raspberries have the highest amount of magnesium compared to other berries. Magnesium provides support with muscle and nerve cells function.
Conclusion
Ducks can eat raspberries, and they love it. They prefer the raspberries in their natural form, but they can’t resist when offered as a smoothie with other fruits, vegetables, and nuts.
Ducklings can also eat raspberries. Ducklings are required to be at least four weeks old before eating raspberries. Until then, they are required to eat a diet containing 22% protein.
The berries have Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Potassium, Iron, Calcium, and Magnesium, which are very beneficial for ducks to eat. Raspberries are superior to other berries when it comes to these vitamins and minerals.
Ducks can eat raw, mashed, cooked berries, raspberry jams (if homemade without sugars, acids, gelatine, and preservatives), defrosted, but also in smoothies.
Safe ways to feeding ducks raspberries are:
- Add the raspberries to water
- Crushing the raspberries with a fork.
- Throwing the raspberries to the ground
- Mix the raspberries with their regular food
- Make a raspberry smoothie
Unsafe ways to feed raspberries to ducks:
- Add sugar to the raspberries
- Feed the raspberries frozen
- Feed moldy raspberries
- Feed raspberry ice cream
- Feeding them unripe raspberries
You can feed raspberries as often as you would like – as long as you control the calories they are consuming. If you increase the raspberries, you would need to decrease something else, for example, pellets.