Fruits make both excellent foods and treat for ducks. There are many beneficial nutrients packed into fruits, while they provide a great taste. Ducks love to eat most fruits, as long as they aren’t too acidic.
Some fruits are better than others, and some even can be harmful to ducks. I will, through this article, give you a better understanding of which fruits you can feed ducks and which fruits you should avoid.
Most berries, apples, seedless grapes, melons, bananas, pears, plums, and raisins are excellent fruits to give ducks.
You should avoid giving highly acidic fruits like lemons, lemon peels, oranges, and orange peels. The low pH may cause harm to their stomachs. It’s important to give the fruits in small pieces since they otherwise can get stuck in their throats.
Ducks also prefer other foods besides fruits. I have made another resource containing which vegetables you can and can’t feed ducks with over 60 examples. You might want to check it out as well.
I am not a veterinarian, and you always contact your veterinarian before you change your backyard duck’s food.
What fruits can I feed ducks?
| Fruit | Can ducks eat it? |
| Apple peels | Yes |
| Apples | Yes |
| Apricots | Yes |
| Banana peel | Yes |
| Bananas | Yes |
| Berries | Yes |
| Blueberries | Yes |
| Dates | Yes |
| Dried cranberries | Yes |
| Dried fruit | Yes |
| Figs | Yes |
| Fruit | Yes |
| Grapes | Yes |
| Grapes with seeds | Yes |
| Honeydew melon | Yes |
| Jackfruit | Yes |
| Juniper berries | Yes |
| Lemons | No |
| Mango | Yes |
| Mashed banana | Yes |
| Melon | Yes |
| Nectarines | Yes |
| Nyjer seed | Yes |
| Orange peels | No |
| Oranges | No |
| Pears | Yes |
| Pineapple | Yes |
| Plums | Yes |
| Raisins | Yes |
| Raspberries | Yes |
| Strawberries | Yes |
| Watermelon | Yes |
| Watermelon rind | Yes |
Can ducks eat apple peels?
Ducks can eat apple peels, and they usually love them. Some say the peel has more nutrients than the actual apple. Go ahead and feed apples to the ducks.
Make sure you cut the peels into as tiny pieces as you can first—otherwise, the risk of the duck choking increases. Learn more about feeding apples to ducks.
Can ducks eat apples?
Make sure they’re cut into smaller pieces for them, so it’s easier to swallow. Apples and other fruits are great for ducks to eat. Among apples, they love watermelon, mashed bananas, mashed grapes, pineapples, and plums. Make sure you give them tiny pieces of the apple since apples are quite hard and can be a choking hazard. A more extensive description of what to think about when feeding apples to ducks can be found here.
Can ducks eat apricots?
Ducks love to eat apricots, and it’s very nutritious for them. However, you need to remove the seed and cut the apricot into smaller pieces first. Otherwise, the risk is high. They will choke.
Can you feed ducks banana peels?
It is possible to feed ducks banana peels. However, not all duck’s tastebuds are the same. If you wish to serve your ducks banana peels, try to cut them into tiny pieces and avoid the hard ends. Learn more about ducks eating bananas.
Can ducks eat bananas?
Ducks can eat bananas. Bananas are rich in potassium and provide the ducks with healthy nutrients. However, the banana should be mashed or cut into small pieces. This helps the ducks to consume it and lowers the risk for them to choke. Learn more about ducks eating bananas.
Can ducks eat berries?
One of the duck’s favorite things is berries—anything from strawberries, raspberries to blueberries. Just make sure to cut the bigger berries so it will be easier for them to eat.
Can ducks eat blueberries?
Blueberry is an awesome treat for ducks. Blueberries provide a good variety of vitamins and minerals and are a healthy treat. Learn more about feeding blueberries to ducks here.
Can ducks eat dates?
Ducks can eat dates and other fruits. It’s important to remove the seed inside the date before serving. It would also help if you cut the dates into smaller pieces. Dates provide natural sugar and give the ducks a well-deserved energy boost.
Can ducks eat dried cranberries?
Ducks can eat dried cranberries. However, I’m not sure if all ducks enjoy the taste. In humans, one might say dried cranberries have an acquired taste. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the same in the animal kingdom.
Can ducks eat dried fruit?
Ducks love fresh fruits but also dried fruit. However, dried fruit is often stiff and hard to swallow. Depending on the fruit, it might need to be chopped into smaller pieces before serving it. Otherwise, there’s a risk for the duck to suffocate.
Can ducks eat figs?
Ducks can eat figs. Although it doesn’t have many nutrients, it’s a sweet treat for them to give from time to time.
Can ducks eat fruit?
Ducks love to eat fruit and vegetables. They enjoy almost all fresh fruits, as long as they are served in smaller pieces or sometimes mashed. Let your imagination chose.
Can ducks eat grapes?
Ducks love to eat grapes. They prefer mashed grapes since it’s easier for them to eat. They do not seem to have any preference when it comes to the color of the grape. I would assume they wouldn’t be good as wine testers. Make sure the grapes are ripe since unripened grapes can contain citric acids. Read more about feeding ducks grapes and what you need to think about.
Can ducks eat grapes with seeds?
The seeds in grapes aren’t that big. At least not the one in green grapes. However, it would be best if you always mashed the grapes before feeding the ducks. If you have a possibility to throw away the seeds, do so since it would be harder for the ducks to digest and doesn’t provide any noticeable nutrition. I wrote another article dedicated to feeding ducks some grapes. You might want to check it out.
Can ducks eat honeydew melon?
Ducks love to eat all kinds of melon. Especially honeydew melon. They even like to eat on the rind. Honeydew melon provides the ducks with a sweet taste and a cooling food during hot summer days. If you have a melon over and don’t know what to do with it, the ducks will happily take it off your shoulders.
It happens sometimes you don’t have any fruits at home. Ducks like almost the same things that humans do. So I made another resource explaining which human food you can and can not feed ducks with over 85 examples. There might be some that surprises you.
Can ducks eat jackfruit?
Ducks can eat jackfruit as long as it doesn’t have any spicing or starting to rot. Canned jackfruit usually comes in either salt or sugar, which needs to be rinsed properly before serving. Fresh jackfruit can be cut into smaller pieces and served to ducks.
Can ducks eat juniper berries?
Ducks can eat juniper berries. Although they don’t provide much nutritional value, they come with a special taste that the ducks seem to like. If you have some extra berries, you can let the ducks eat them.
Can ducks eat lemons?
Ducks should not eat lemons since it is a citrus fruit. Citrus fruit interferes with Calcium uptake in the body.
Can ducks eat mango?
Just for us humans, the mango can make our throats itch. There is nothing toxic in mangos that will hurt ducks, but the itchiness may disturb the ducks. If you feed ducks the mango, make sure it’s cut into tiny pieces and also watch out for any reactions. In case there is a reaction, stop the feeding immediately.
Can ducks eat mashed banana?
Ducklings enjoy most fruits and while fruits are high is in beneficial nutrients, you should incorporate fruits into the duckling’s diet. However, it would be best to mash the banana, grapes, plums, watermelon, pears, and other hard fruits before serving it.
Can ducks eat melon?
Ducks love to eat all kinds of melon—watermelon, honeydew melon, and so forth.
Melons cool down the ducks during the hotter months. They appreciate the freshness and sweet taste of the fruit. When getting the chance to treat the ducks with melon, go ahead. There’s not much they do appreciate more than melon on a warm summers’ day.
Can ducks eat nectarines?
Ducks love the taste of nectarines. Although, it’s important to remove the seed before offering the fruit to the ducks. Please make sure the nectarine is cut into smaller pieces, so they can swallow and digest it easier.
Can ducks eat nyjer seeds?
Most birds like niger seeds and ducks are no exception. Usually, the nyjer seed is mostly known to feed small finches. However, bigger birds like the duck also enjoy the taste of the black fatty seed. Squirrels do not, for some reason, enjoy the taste of niger seeds. Before you serve the seeds to the ducks, please make sure to check them for mold first, as they tend to develop mold. I’ve written another resource about which nuts you can and can not feed ducks. You might want to check it out.
Can ducks eat orange peels?
Orange peels should not be given as food to ducks. They would most likely not enjoy it all. They are stiff, has a distinct smell, and cause acid reflux which will cause stomach ache among ducks. It would be better to offer them something else.
Can ducks eat oranges?
Oranges are a citrus fruit and will cause stomach ache for the duck. Although both ducks and humans enjoy the taste of oranges, we should not let the ducks eat oranges. If you would like to give the ducks a treat, you might wish to try mashed bananas, mashed grapes, or sunflower seeds.
Can ducks eat pears?
Pears are an excellent fruit for ducks. Pears provide a sweet, refreshing taste but also offer some good nutrients for the ducks. Ducks prefer the pears in smaller pieces, but they love them mashed. Pears can be a bit hard for them to swallow otherwise. Can you give them a sugar-free pear puree – they would be very grateful.
Can ducks eat pineapple?
Ducks can eat pineapple, and they love it. The sweet taste makes their butt wiggle. However, it would help if you chopped it up into small pieces and only use fresh pineapple. Serving them canned pineapple isn’t good unless you rinse it very properly to remove the excess sugar. Read more about feeding pineapple to ducks here.
Can ducks eat plums?
Plums are great for ducks to eat as long as the large seed in the middle is removed. That will help them to swallow and digest it easier. It will also help if the plums are cut into smaller pieces. Plums come with a good amount of Calcium and Vitamin C, but also some fiber.
Can ducks eat raisins?
Not only do raisins provide a good amount of vitamins, but they do also provide a sweet taste that ducks enjoy. However, make sure not to feed the ducks an excess amount of raisins since it would cause problems with their digestion. I’ve written an entire resource about feeding raisins to ducks. You might be interested in that.
Can ducks eat raspberries?
Ducks love to eat berries and especially raspberries. Raspberries provide the ducks with a sweet flavor but also come packed with nutrients. Ducks don’t mind which color the raspberry has. Black or red, they would still eat it. Make sure it doesn’t have any mold on it since it would be harmful to them. Read more about feeding raspberries to ducks here.
Can ducks eat strawberries?
Strawberries are one of the duck’s favorite berries. I usually grow too much for me and my freezer to handle. I make a strawberry patee for the ducks, which they love. It could look a bit horrifying when their beaks are covered in red color. Learn more about ducks eating strawberries.
Can ducks eat watermelon?
Watermelon is one of the duck’s favorite things to eat, especially on a hot summer’s day. Although watermelon isn’t packed with nutrients, it does come with a refreshing, cool taste. If you have the option, give the ducks a slice of melon, and you will see how much they love it. More information about feeding watermelon to ducks can be found here.
Can ducks eat watermelon rind?
Watermelon and their rinds are an excellent treat for ducks. It keeps them occupied for a while and provides them with much-needed cool food during hot summer days.
More information about feeding watermelon rinds to ducks can be found here.