Tomatoes are eaten worldwide and are used in many different dishes and add something extra to every dish it’s added to. Tomatoes are a staple food in most homes, and there wouldn’t be a decent pizza without it. Tomatoes are healthy, easy to grow yourself, and are pretty cheap. Not only do humans like tomatoes, but other animals also enjoy the red berry.
Ducks can eat tomatoes, and they do like it. Ducks can eat any tomato and benefit from it. Being low in calories but still providing many nutrients makes tomatoes an awesome staple. However, you shouldn’t feed the duck the unripe, vines, or any leaves since they contain solanine and are lethal.
Due to the low calories in tomatoes, you can easily add tomatoes to the duck’s daily diet. They make an excellent staple food and bring Calcium, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Iron, Magnesium, and Potassium to the table.
Can ducks eat tomatoes?
Ducks can most definitely eat tomatoes, and they will benefit from it. There are many different types of tomatoes, and they come in various shapes, sizes, and colors. Small cherry tomatoes to beef tomatoes and all in different lovely strong colors.
The ducks don’t seem to have any particular favorite among the different types of tomatoes. Their only preference seems to be the tomato are chopped into smaller bits and easy for them to eat. The skin can be a bit hard to pierce sometimes, and it would be best if you helped the ducks by either putting the tomatoes in a food processor or chopping them yourself. However, the latter is a bit tedious after a while.
🍅 Did you know ducks eat a lot of various vegetables? There are some vegetables they shouldn’t eat. Find out what vegetables you can feed ducks here.
Can ducklings eat tomatoes?
Ducklings can eat tomatoes. Ducklings shouldn’t eat tomatoes in their first four weeks of age. At the beginning of a duckling’s life, they require a high protein intake. There are really good ducklings fodders out on the market, which is perfect for this. However, tomatoes can be given as an occasional treat after the fourth week and, over time, be incorporated into their daily diet.
Do ducks like to eat tomatoes?
Ducks really enjoy eating tomatoes. Ducks prefer sweet and moist foods and tomatoes qualify in both fields. Ducks do prefer their food into smaller pieces so they can eat it with ease. It would be best to serve the tomatoes chopped into tiny pieces or blended in a food processor. In the video below, they are only pierced by a thumb before serving, and you will notice how much effort it takes for the duck to swallow it.
🍅 Beyond tomatoes – ducks can eat fruits as well. Learn about what fruits you can feed ducks.
Can ducks eat raw tomatoes?
Ducks can eat raw tomatoes. Most of the tomatoes I feed my ducks are raw. If the tomatoes have been cooked, they’ll lose moisture and softness. Ducks may prefer raw tomatoes because of this. You can safely feed raw tomatoes to your ducks.
Can ducks eat cooked tomatoes?
Ducks can eat cooked tomatoes as long as they haven’t been exposed to any condiments. Tomatoes that have been salted or been into a stew, on top of pizza or similar shouldn’t be offered to ducks. If you have roasted tomatoes without oil, pepper, or salt and only used herbs for garnishment, please feel free to offer it to your ducks.
🥜 Ducks like to eat nuts! There are some nuts ducks should avoid. Check out which nuts you should never feed ducks here.
Can ducks eat unripe tomatoes?
Ducks can not eat unripe tomatoes. Unripe tomatoes contain a toxic alkaloid called solanine. It requires as little as 25mg of solanine to make a human feel uncomfortable. Imagine how ducks must feel eating the same amount. You can notice unripe tomatoes of their green hue. Some tomatoes are greenish orange which also should be considered unripe and not servable to ducks.
Can ducks eat tomato skins?
Actually, the skins hold a lot of nutrients and shouldn’t be removed. Ducks can eat the skin of the tomato without any problems. If you can keep the skin of the tomato still on, please do. The skin might be a bit hard to pierce for the duck, but try to make the piece smaller so they don’t need to pierce and can eat the small piece in its entirety.
🌱 Ducks eat herbs like there are no tomorrow. Learn more about what herbs ducks can and can not eat here.
Can ducks eat tomato seeds?
Ducks can eat tomato seeds and won’t suffer any harm from doing so. Ducks should avid the vines and tomato leaves since they contain solanine. Solanine can also be found in tomatoes that haven’t ripened yet. Solanine is a toxin alkaloid that, even in smaller doses, can make humans feel uncomfortable.
Can ducks eat frozen tomatoes?
It would be best if ducks did not eat frozen tomatoes. The tomatoes need to be defrosted before serving. Otherwise, there’s a bigger risk the duck will get the tomato stuck in their throat. However, even if the tomato has been cut before it was frozen, you shouldn’t offer the smaller frozen tomato pieces to the duck. Frozen food requires more energy to digest for the duck. The goal of giving food to them in the first place is to provide them with energy. Not the other way around.
Can ducks eat moldy tomatoes?
Ducks should never be offered moldy tomatoes or any other food that has grown mold. Mold is toxic and should be wasted. It would be best if you threw the entire tomato instead of cutting the moldy part of it.
It’s important to check for mold. Especially if you are feeding human foods to ducks. Check out what human foods that are OK to feed ducks here.
Can ducks eat burnt tomatoes?
If you have leftovers from yesterday’s barbecue and some scorched tomatoes are left, they might be good to offer to ducks. If the tomatoes haven’t been drained in oil or drizzled with salt, you are fine. However, the ducks much more prefer fresh tomatoes. Instead, you can use the leftover tomatoes to make a salsa sauce. Scorched tomato and bell pepper bring out awesome flavors that may lift an entire dish. Throw them into a food processor and add your favorite spices, garlic, a bit of water, and you are done.
Can ducks eat canned tomatoes?
Ducks can eat canned tomatoes as long as they aren’t any sugar, salt or preservatives added. Most canned tomatoes include at least one of these, but some brands don’t. Those brands are usually a bit more pricy, and it would be better if you bought the tomatoes yourself. When buying canned tomatoes, you can not be sure if there have accidentally been any vine or leaf added. The vines and leaves contain solanine which is toxic to ducks.
🐟 Ducks are omnivores which means they eat both plants and other animals. I wrote a resource explaining what other animals you can feed to ducks.
How do you cut tomatoes for ducks?
There are some ways you can prepare tomatoes for your ducks. The thing to have in mind it should be easy for the duck to consume and digest. If it’s too big for their mouth, they will reject it. Some ducks are brave and will try to eat it but, at the same time, risk choking.
1. Using a vegetable chopper
The easiest way to ensure the ducks get a tiny piece each time is to use a tool. Instead of cutting tomatoes by hand every day, I’ve saved so much time using a vegetable chopper. I just cut every tomato in half and let the vegetable chopper make them into tiny bits.
2. Chopping them yourself.
Suppose you aren’t cutting vegetables that often; you might not want to invest in a tool. It is fine to cut with a knife yourself. Ensure the cuttings are small enough to fit inside the duck’s mouth. My best advice here is to chop them in half and cut them from the inside of the tomato flesh. The inside of the tomato is much easier to cut through, and if you have a dull knife, it won’t slip as easily.
Safe ways to feed tomatoes to ducks
It would be best if you fed tomatoes to your ducks in a safe way. There’s always some risk when feeding ducks food that needs to be prepared first. I’ll give you my five best pieces of advice to feed tomatoes safely.
1. Using a food processor to blend the tomatoes
The easiest way to ensure the tomatoes are cut up in a safe size is to use a food processor. Ducks don’t mind if the tomatoes are liquid, as long as they can eat them. The ducks enjoy some tomato soup from time to time and receive it in a big bucket they all share.
2. Use a vegetable chopper to cut smaller perfectly shaped sizes
Ever since I bought a veggie chopper, I have had much more time on my hands. Gone are the tedious cutting every day, making sure the sizes aren’t too big. I cut the tomato in half, put it on the sharp blades, and press down. Perfect squares every time.
3. Feed tomatoes in moderation
Although tomatoes are very low in calories and feeding the ducks, many tomatoes might be a good idea; it can backfire. There are two main reasons. Tomatoes contain the alkaloid solanine, which is harmful to ducks to consume. Solanine is mostly found in the leaves and vines and inside the tomato but is not as concentrated. The other reason to feed ducks tomatoes in moderation is that they will be full and stop forage for other foods, leading to malnourishment.
4. Check for vines and leaves
It’s important to remove the vines and leaves from tomatoes before feeding them to ducks. Vines and leaves contain solanine and are toxic and even lethal to ducks.
5. Check for mold and throw the entire tomato
Mold grows on almost everything. Thankfully, it’s pretty easy to notice on tomatoes due to their strong red color. If you notice a teal or turquoise color change on the tomato, you will need to waste it. Mold is extremely toxic and is lethal for ducks as well as humans. If you have compost, add the moldy tomato to it.
Unsafe ways to feed tomatoes to ducks
The most unsafe ways are due to a lack of knowledge and can easily be adjusted and safe. I will try to bring the most common unsafe ways to the light.
1. The tomatoes are fed whole
This is common to see at the park—families with a picnic and have brought cherry tomatoes for themselves. Ducks approach, and the children feed the ducks the cherry tomatoes whole.
Cherry tomatoes are excellent to offer ducks, but they will need to be cut. Despite their petite size, it can still cause the ducks to suffocate. At least cut them in half before offering them.
2. The leaves aren’t removed from the tomato
It’s common to forget to remove the small crown on top of the tomato. The crown and vines are packed with alkaloid solanine which is harmful to ducks. Ensure both crown, leaves, and vine are removed before offering them.
3. The tomatoes are unripe
Sadly, it isn’t well-known that unripe tomatoes are toxic. The green tomatoes contain solanine and are both harmful to humans and ducks. Wait until they are ripe before feeding them.
How often should I feed tomatoes to my ducks?
Tomatoes are rich in many nutrients. Tomatoes come packed with many vitamins and minerals, and especially the ones ducks require the most. However, you can’t only feed ducks tomatoes. They need a more varied diet with different vegetables, fruits, and meat sources. I like to use pellets as a base in my duck’s daily food and add various foods on top of that—tomatoes which are pretty low in calories. A medium-sized tomato weighs 5 oz (around 150g). I try to feed my ducks 2 to 3 tomatoes per day each. Some days I don’t feed any, but compensate with other vegetables or more pellets that day.
How many tomatoes can I feed my ducks?
The amount of tomatoes you can feed your ducks depends on how many other foods you give them. An adult duck needs a little bit more than 1000 calories per day. A tomato is around 30 calories, which means you can’t only give your ducks tomatoes. If your duck’s daily caloric intake is a bit over 1000 and you want to offer them some tomatoes, you will need to decrease something else. Otherwise, the excess calories will turn them overweight.
Health benefits from feeding tomatoes to ducks
Tomatoes contain Calcium, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Iron, Magnesium, and Potassium. All of them are essential for the duck’s health and need to be given daily.
Calcium in tomatoes for ducks
Calcium is in top of the most important minerals in a duck’s diet. Calcium is essential for egg production and the eggs themselves. The eggshells are almost completely made of Calcium.
Vitamin B6 in tomatoes for ducks
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) is mandatory for the function of sugars, fats, and proteins in the body. It also helps with the growth and development of the brain, nerves, and skin.
Vitamin C in tomatoes for ducks
A deficiency in Vitamin C shows in fatigue, malaise, feather loss, and in some severe cases, even scurvy.
Iron in tomatoes for ducks
An iron deficiency is called anemia which means the body doesn’t produce enough substances in the red blood cells that enable them to carry oxygen to different body parts. This shows in form av shortness of breath.
Magnesium in tomatoes for ducks
A magnesium deficiency shows in the form of loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and fatigue.
Potassium in tomatoes for ducks
A deficiency in Potassium is shown by weakness, fatigue, muscle cramps, and stiffness.
Conclusion
Ducks can eat tomatoes, and they like it very much. It is possible to feed tomatoes both as a staple as well as an occasional treat. Ducklings can eat tomatoes after they have turned four weeks.
Ducks can eat both raw and cooked tomatoes.
You should never feed:
- Unripe tomatoes
- The vines of the tomato
- The leaves of the tomato
- The crown of the tomato
- Frozen tomatoes
- Moldy tomatoes
- Whole tomatoes
The best way to offer tomatoes is to cut them with a vegetable chopper to ensure the pieces are small enough for their mouths.
Tomatoes are low in calories, which means they don’t provide much energy. However, their size fills the duck’s stomach easy so they won’t feel the need to forage for other foods. It’s therefore important to serve tomatoes in moderation.
Ducks obtain Calcium, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Iron, Magnesium, and Potassium from a diet containing tomatoes.