If you have a pond nearby your house and wish to treat the ducks with some healthy foods, vegetables can be perfect. Most vegetables are suitable as food for ducks. However, there are some that may be lethal for them.
Avocados, spinach, eggplants, kettle corn, are examples of vegetables you never should feed ducks with.
Good vegetables for ducks are asparagus, corn, peas, sprouts, cooked beans, and different salads.
I’ve made a table below with over 60 examples as a resource to help you know which vegetables you can feed ducks and which are unsafe for them.
However, I am not a veterinarian, and you should always contact a licensed veterinarian before changing your backyard duck’s diet.
What vegetables can ducks eat?
| Vegetable | Can ducks eat it? |
|---|---|
| Arugula | Yes |
| Asparagus | Yes |
| Avocado | No |
| Baby spinach | No |
| Bell peppers | Yes |
| Broccoli | Yes |
| Cabbage | Yes |
| Carrots | Yes |
| Celery | Yes |
| Corn | Yes |
| Cracked corn | Yes |
| Cucumber | Yes |
| Deer corn | Yes |
| Dried split peas | Yes |
| Edamame | Yes |
| Eggplant | No |
| Frozen corn | Yes |
| Frozen peas | Yes |
| Grain | Yes |
| Green beans | Yes |
| Iceberg lettuce | Yes |
| Jalapenos | Yes |
| Jicama | Yes |
| Kale | Yes |
| Kale stems | Yes |
| Kettle corn | No |
| Kidney beans | Yes |
| Kiwi | Yes |
| Leek | Yes |
| Lentils | Yes |
| Lettuce | Yes |
| Lettuce leaves | Yes |
| Linseed | No |
| Millet | Yes |
| Mushrooms | Yes |
| Olives | Yes |
| Onions | No |
| Peas | Yes |
| Potatoes | Yes |
| Potato peels | Yes |
| Pumpkins | Yes |
| Salad leaves | Yes |
| Spinach | No |
| Sprouts | Yes |
| Sweetcorn | Yes |
| Tomatoes | Yes |
| Vegetable peelings | Yes |
| Vegetables | Yes |
| Vegetable scraps | Yes |
| Veggies | Yes |
| Wheat | Yes |
| Whole corn | Yes |
| Yams | Yes |
| Yellow beans | Yes |
| Yellow peppers | Yes |
| Yellow split peas | Yes |
| Yellow squash | Yes |
| Zucchini | Yes |
| Zucchini leaves | Yes |
Ducks are omnivores and can eat almost anything. Beyond vegetables ducks also like to eat fruits. However, there are some fruits they can not eat. I made a resource to help you to know what fruits ducks can and can not eat.
Can ducks eat arugula?
Despite looking like spinach with those dark leafy greens, arugula is a safe vegetable for ducks to consume. Unlike spinach, arugula does not contain oxalic acid, which hinders the body’s uptake of Calcium.
Can ducks eat asparagus?
Asparagus is full of antioxidants and nutrients which benefit the duck. Ducks prefer the asparagus cooked since it’s pretty hard raw. They also appreciate it if you cut it into smaller pieces for them before serving. Read more about feeding asparagus to ducks here.
Can ducks eat avocado?
Ducks can’t eat avocado. Avocado is highly toxic for them and will kill them. In addition, avocados contain toxic Persin, which may cause myocardial necrosis that kills the duck within 48 hours.
Can ducks eat baby spinach?
Ducks should avoid eating baby spinach since it contains oxalic acid. Oxalic acid makes it harder for the body to use the Calcium it takes in, which can become a Calcium deficiency.
Can ducks eat bell peppers?
Ducks love to eat bell peppers in all colors and shapes. However, they shouldn’t consume green bell peppers, the seeds, and the core within. Make sure you cut the bell pepper into small fine pieces so the risk of suffocation decreases. Read more about what to think about when feeding bell peppers to ducks here.
Can ducks eat broccoli?
Ducks can eat both stems and top of broccoli, both raw and cooked. However, they prefer it cooked and chopped up into small pieces. Read more comprehensive information I wrote regarding feeding broccoli to ducks here.
Can ducks eat cabbage?
Ducks can eat cabbage. They prefer the cabbage raw and chopped into smaller pieces. You can use a mandolin to shred the cabbage and then cut the strings into smaller pieces. Read more about feeding cabbage to ducks here.
Can ducks eat carrots?
Ducks enjoy cooked carrots in small pieces, and nothing is stopping them from eating carrots. However, you may notice the duck’s leavings might change color due to the orange dye called carotene in carrots. This is nothing to worry about. If you would like to know more about feeding carrots to ducks and what to think about. I got you covered. I wrote an entire resource about feeding carrots to ducks.
Can ducks eat celery?
Ducks can have as much celery as they want if they like it. From what I have noticed, there seem to be different opinions about celery amongst ducks. When I have treated them celery, some have loved it, and some have ignored it.
First, you will need to chop the celery as much as you can. Since ducks don’t have teeth, they need help. Use a mixer and chop it up into tiny bits before giving them celery. Hopefully, many ducks will enjoy it. The outstanding amount of antioxidants and nutrients in celery is beneficial for them. I wrote an entire article about feeding celery to ducks. You might want to check it out.
Some ducks prefer humans food as well as vegetables. There are some foods you never should offer to ducks. I made a resource going though over 85 examples of human food you can and can not feed ducks.
Can ducks eat corn?
Ducks can eat corn. Both canned, frozen, and directly from the cob are ok to give to ducks. However, since it’s plenty of sugars in corn, make sure to give it in moderation. Learn more about feeding corn to ducks here.
Can ducks eat cracked corn?
It’s ok to feed ducks cracked corn. Cracked corn is usually to feed cattle, sheep, goats, and chickens. Since it’s both affordable and has a lot of good nutrients, go for it.
Can ducks eat cucumber?
One of the duck’s favorite treats is, in fact, cucumbers. Make sure to give it in moderation since cucumber is very water-dense and can cause diarrhea. Make also sure to serve it in small pieces. You can always squeeze out some liquid before serving it. Learn more about feeding cucumbers to ducks here.
Can ducks eat deer corn?
It is ok to feed ducks some deer corn. Deer corn mixes seeds and grains to give deers during winter to maintain their fat. Corn has a lot of calories which helps with that. Serve ducks’ corn in moderation. During colder months, they would need more. Learn more about feeding deer corn to ducks here.
Can ducks eat dried split peas?
It’s ok to feed ducks dried split peas if you boil them first. Uncooked, they are tough to digest for them. However, dried split peas provide the ducks with good nutrients and vitamins.
Can ducks eat edamame?
Ducks will benefit from having edamame (soybeans) in their diet. However, it shouldn’t only be 100% edamame in their diet since it doesn’t have all the required nutrients for ducks. Mix it with other seeds and grains, and you will be fine.
Ducks love to eat nuts and pet fodder. There are however some that should be avoided. Check out which to nuts and fodders to avoid feeding ducks.
Can ducks eat eggplant?
It would be best if you did NOT feed the ducks eggplant. Eggplant is toxic to them and also lethal.
Can ducks eat frozen corn?
You can feed ducks both frozen corn, cracked corn, canned, and directly from the cob. They love corn, and it gives them a lot of calories. Since it has a lot of calories, feed in moderation. However, when they need extra energy during colder months, you can provide them a little more. Learn more about feeding frozen corn to ducks here.
Can ducks eat frozen peas?
Peas are good food for ducks. If you plan to feed them frozen peas, make sure they defrost them before serving them. It takes more energy for the ducks to digest the cold peas. Your goal for feeding the ducks is to provide them with energy, not the other way around. If you are interested in feeding peas to ducks and what to think about you might want to consider checking out a resource I wrote about that.
Can ducks have too many peas?
Like humans, ducks are also capable of having too much of anything. Even though green peas are very healthy and nutritious, they also come packed with sugars. These sugars quickly turn to fat which can cause obesity in the ducks. Ducks can have too many peas, and they should be served in moderation and not daily.
Can ducks eat grain?
Ducks thrive on grain. They love it very much. Grain has a lot of calories, while wholegrain has fewer. During summer, you can feed them wholegrain, and during colder months, when they need more calories, you can provide them regular grain.
Can ducks eat green beans?
Green beans are good food for ducks. However, you have to cook them before feeding them to ducks. Raw beans contain hemagglutinin toxic which is toxic for birds. I wrote an entire piece about feeding green beans to ducks. Make sure to read it before feeding ducks them any.
Can ducks eat iceberg lettuce?
It is possible to serve ducks iceberg lettuce. Since the lettuce mainly contains water, the ducks will suffer from loose stools and diarrhea, which will make them dehydrate. If you plan to give the ducks’ iceberg lettuce, make sure it’s in moderation and with something else.
Can ducks eat jalapenos?
Birds can eat hot food and not feel the burn as mammals do. That’s one reason how chili fruits spread across the world. Birds eat and poop seeds. However, I wouldn’t advise you to feed jalapenos and other hot food to ducks or any other bird. If the ducks miss a piece and a mammal finds and eats it, they will have a bad time.
Can ducks eat jicama?
Jicama is not a common vegetable, but it’s quite easy to grow in your garden. It’s more common in Mexico, where it’s called Mexican turnip and yam bean. The root of the plant is edible, but the rest is very toxic. The seeds contain a toxin called rotenone which usually is used to kill fish and insects. If you know what you are doing, you can cut small pieces of the root and boil them and serve them to ducks.
Can ducks eat kale?
Kale is an awesome food for ducks. Both cooked and raw. Kale has a lot of great nutrients and beneficial vitamins. Make sure to feed them small pieces. Learn more about feeding kale to ducks here.
Can ducks eat kale stems?
Ducks can eat anything on the kale. However, they prefer it chopped in smaller pieces so it would be easier to eat. It doesn’t matter if the kale is either cooked or raw. Learn more about feeding kale to ducks here.
Can ducks eat kettle corn?
Ducks should NOT eat kettle corn or popcorn. Both are considered junk food for both ducks and humans. They don’t provide any startling nutrients. If they are covered in butter and salt, it’s even worse. Please do not feed ducks kettle corn. Learn more about feeding kettle corn to ducks.
Ducks eat a lot of herbs in their natural diet. Although there are one in particular you should avoid feeding them. Read my resource where I go through over 40 herbs and explain what herbs you can and can not feed ducks here.
Can ducks eat kidney beans?
Ducks can only eat kidney beans if they are cooked. Uncooked beans contain an insecticide called phytohemagglutinin that may be toxic. Prepare the kidney beans first, and then feed them to the ducks.
Can ducks eat kiwi?
Ducks love kiwi. Kiwi is quite hard and a bit tricky to eat for ducks. Chop the kiwi in small pieces before serving it. I’m not sure about the peel of kiwi. But from my research, it seems safe to serve. Just make sure it’s cut into smaller pieces.
Can ducks eat leeks?
Leeks are a great treat for your ducks. They enjoy all parts of the leek as long as it is cut into smaller pieces. Otherwise, the choking hazard would be too severe.
Can ducks eat lentils?
Ducks can eat lentils, but make sure it’s cooked first. The duck doesn’t mind the color of the lentil, as long as it’s cooked. Raw lentils contain a protein called lectin, which is toxic. Read more about feeding lentils to ducks here.
Can ducks eat lettuce?
Ducks can and love to eat lettuce. They love green vegetables. Since lettuce has high water content, make sure you give them something else as well. Otherwise, the lettuce can cause diarrhea for the ducks. Learn more about feeding lettuce to ducks here.
Can ducks eat lettuce leaves?
You can feed ducks lettuce leaves. Make sure it isn’t moldy or slimy. You need to help the ducks by cutting them into smaller pieces first. Make also sure you give them something else besides the lettuce leaves so you won’t cause duck diarrhea of the high water content. Learn more about feeding lettuce to ducks here.
Can ducks eat linseed?
Ducks thrive on seeds. However, linseeds are known to swell up when coming in contact with water. Linseed is quite similar to flax seeds. The recommended intake of flax seeds for humans is 1-2 tablespoons per day. Imagine our stomachs are much bigger than ducks. So, just in case – I wouldn’t recommend feeding ducks linseed. Go for another seed, like sunflower seeds instead.
Can ducks eat millet?
Ducks love grains and seeds, and millet is no exception. These small seeds are what we used to see in birdcages with budgies. If you have some millet, there’s no harm in feeding ducks them.
Can ducks eat mushrooms?
Mushrooms could be good food for ducks. If you know for certain which mushroom you are feeding the duck. I don’t advise you to feed ducks a raw mushroom you found in the woods. If you have found a mushroom you know by heart, took it home, prepared and cooked it, chopped it into small pieces – then it would be ok. Otherwise, stay away. I wrote a whole resource about feeding mushrooms to ducks. You might want to check that out.
Can ducks eat olives?
Ducks can eat olives. However, if the olives are bathing in olive oil, I wouldn’t recommend feeding the olives to ducks. Ducks don’t need that amount of fat in their diet. Suppose you have regular dried olives go ahead. The olives shouldn’t be stuffed with anything harmful like cheese.
Can ducks eat onions?
A large number of onions and garlic can be harmful to ducks, and if you would like to feed them onions or garlic, do it in great moderation. There is better food out there for ducks.
Can ducks eat peas?
Peas are a great food for ducks. It contains a high amount of protein and a lot of beneficial nutrients. Make sure you serve it in moderation. A too high protein intake can cause Angel Wing among ducks. Read more about feeding peas to ducks here.
Can ducks eat potatoes?
Ducks can eat cooked potatoes. Not raw. Raw potatoes are toxic to ducks and shouldn’t be fed to them. Boil the potatoes and chop them up into small pieces first. This will help them with both eating and digesting them. Make sure to cook it without salt since salt isn’t good for ducks. You might want to consider reading more about feeding potatoes to ducks and learn everything you need to know.
Can ducks eat potato peels?
If you cook the potato peels and serve them to the ducks, they could eat them. However, the people I have spoken to never had any luck giving their peels to their ducks. I would assume it isn’t that appetizing or even looks edible to them. Their chickens did enjoy them, though.
Can ducks eat pumpkins?
Pumpkins are an excellent food for ducks since pumpkin contains many valuable nutrients, is easy to digest, and tastes awesome. Ducks enjoy both raw and cooked pumpkins. There’s an entire resource dedicated to feeding pumpkins to ducks. Check that out here.
Can ducks eat salad leaves?
All salad leaves are fine to birds as long as they aren’t slimy or have started to mold. You can help the ducks by cutting the salad leaves into smaller pieces.
Can ducks eat spinach?
It would be best not to serve spinach to ducks since it can interfere with Calcium absorption. A Calcium deficiency in poultry leads to osteoporosis which is very painful for any individual.
Can ducks eat sprouts?
Sprouts are an excellent food to give ducks. And it’s effortless to make them yourself. Sprouts from alfalfa, buckwheat, yellow peas, lentils, mung beans, and quinoa sprouts are super easy to make yourself by just soaking the beans for some hours and letting them sit. And they are super healthy for both ducks and you.
Can ducks eat sweetcorn?
Sweetcorn is one of the duck’s favorite treats. If you wish to spoil the ducks in the pond, sweetcorn will do the trick. The starch-rich corn will help ducks to re-energize.
Can ducks eat tomatoes?
Ducks can eat tomatoes, but only if it’s ripe. Green tomatoes can be toxic for them and should be avoided at all costs. Red ripe tomatoes are great, just as long you serve the tomatoes to them in small pieces. Want to have a detailed description of how you can feed tomatoes to ducks here here.
Can ducks eat vegetable peelings?
Vegetable peelings might not seem too appetizing for us humans to eat. But some peelings are a delicious treat for ducks and other birds.
Although vegetables like carrots and potatoes are safe to eat, not all ducks enjoy their taste.
If you would like to treat the ducks to some vegetable peels, make sure you cook them first. Otherwise, they might be too hard for them to eat. It would also help if you cut them into smaller pieces.
Can ducks eat vegetables?
Ducks can and love to eat vegetables. The greener, the better. However, some vegetables might be toxic and harmful for them. Check out the specific vegetable you are curious about to see if it’s good food for ducks.
Can ducks eat vegetable scraps?
Ducks eat most things, and scraps are no exception. However, if the scraps come from a plate, you will need to make sure they don’t have any oils, fats, and other things that might harm the ducks.
Some vegetables can be harmful to ducks. For example, spinach is bad for Calcium uptake. It would be best if you checked each vegetable separately.
Can ducks eat veggies?
Ducks and veggies go hand in hand. Ducks love veggies, and the greener the veggie, the better. However, all veggies aren’t safe for them to eat. For example, you can’t feed duck spinach since it interferes with Calcium uptake. There are also leaves from different veggies that are toxic to them. Look up each veggie you would like to serve the ducks to be sure.
Can ducks eat wheat?
Ducks can eat wheat in its natural form. Wheat bread shouldn’t be offered to ducks. Wheat, barley, and other grains are excellent feed to ducks. You might want to consider offering them a mix of different seeds to make sure they are getting a variety of nutrients and vitamins.
Can ducks eat whole corn?
Ducks can eat whole corn. Not only can they do so, but they also love it. Whole corn is almost just as good as sweet corn and is a real treat for the ducks. Corn holds a good amount of carbohydrates and provides a lot of energy to the ducks.
Can ducks eat yams?
Ducks can eat yam and are one of their favorite treats. However, there is one type of yam which are poisonous to many animals. It’s called “D. dumetorum.” Make sure your yams aren’t of that species. Make sure you boil it and cut it into smaller pieces before feeding the ducks.
Can ducks eat yellow beans?
If the beans are cooked or sprouted, there is no harm in feeding ducks yellow beans. If the yellow beans are served raw, they are very toxic and should be avoided at all costs. Read more about feeding yellow, wax, and green beans to ducks here.
Can ducks eat yellow peppers?
Ducks love peppers in all forms, shapes, and colors. Just make sure you remove the inside seeds and stem, and you will be fine. Cut the pepper into smaller pieces to help them to eat it. Their mouths aren’t that big, so the smaller, the better. Learn more about feeding bell peppers to ducks here.
Can ducks eat yellow split peas?
Peas are a great food source for ducks. Peas have a lot of nutrients and protein, which the ducks require. Make sure the peas aren’t frozen. Frozen peas require more energy from the duck to digest. Make sure to feed them in moderation since the high protein amount in peas can cause Angelwing.
Can ducks eat yellow squash?
Ducks love to eat yellow squash, and it’s a great treat for them. Just make sure you cut it into smaller pieces before serving. It would also help them if you cooked it before to make it softer.
Can ducks eat zucchini?
Ducks can eat zucchini. The only thing stopping them is the size of it. Help the ducks by cutting them into small dice, and they will be very thankful. Zucchini doesn’t have many calories, so that you can give them plenty.
Can ducks eat zucchini leaves?
Ducks can eat zucchini leaves. There is no harm in eating them. However, squash leaves are toxic to them.