Cucumber is a staple in most homes and can be added to most dishes. While not providing much taste, it still fills the stomach, hydrates the body, and can lift a dish with a different texture. Not only do humans enjoy eating cucumbers. Even the animals enjoy eating it. My garden is never safe, and there’s always someone who wants to take a bite.
Ducks can eat cucumbers, and they like it. Cucumbers aren’t rich in vitamins and minerals, but they provide a refreshing sensation on hot days and boost hydration. Ducks can and should eat cucumbers. However, due to the high water content, feeding too many cucumbers may lead to diarrhea.
Cucumbers consist of 96% water, and if feeding too much cucumber to your ducks may add too much water to their diet. You can help the ducks who are suffering from diarrhea by providing them with good food against diarrhea. Examples are oats, bananas, applesauce, rice, and potatoes.
As you know, cucumbers are quite big and not prepared-ducks can’t eat them. It would be best if you cut the cucumber into smaller pieces before serving. It would help to use a veggie chopper instead of cutting them with a knife. I use this from Amazon, which has helped me tremendously with cutting vegetables and fruits.
Can ducks eat cucumbers?
Ducks can and should eat cucumbers. Cucumbers aren’t rich in nutrients, but they still hold potassium, calcium, iron, and vitamin c. You can easily add cucumber to the duck’s regular diet without risking going overboard with calories. Since cucumbers are made of 96% water, it doesn’t hold many calories. It’s therefore also important not to give too many cucumbers to the ducks. If they fill their stomachs with cucumbers, they become full but not gaining any energy from it.
Can ducklings eat cucumbers?
Ducklings can eat cucumber after they are four weeks old. Before that, they need to eat duckling pellets to ensure they receive all essential vitamins and minerals for growing ducks. The pellets also have a high percentage of protein which is vital for ducks growing up. The link leads to the MannaPro’s pellets which all my ducklings have loved over the years.
When the ducks have turned four weeks, you can start incorporating real food into their diet. I would start by occasionally treating them with cucumber. Ensure the cucumber is cut thoroughly. You can also use a stomp to make it even flatter. If you are using a veggie chopper, you are fine.
Do ducks like to eat cucumbers?
Ducks love to eat cucumbers. Especially if they are small enough, so they can devour them. Ducks aren’t picky eaters, and cucumbers are no exception. If you give them a bowl of cucumbers mixed with oats in water, it’s gone within seconds. However, they will reject the cucumbers if they aren’t cut enough.
Can ducks eat raw cucumbers?
Ducks can eat raw cucumbers, and it is their preferred state. Raw cucumbers hold 96% water and hydrate the duck’s body. During the hot summer day’s you can treat the ducks with some cucumbers. Ensure not to give them too much since it may cause diarrhea.
Can ducks eat cooked cucumber?
Ducks can eat cooked cucumber. However, it isn’t suggested. Cooked cucumber may have been exposed to spices, salt, sauces, oils, and similar. Cucumbers digest these spices and hold transfers them to the duck when eaten. If you have dehydrated the cucumber, it won’t be as satisfying for the duck to eat. The hard cucumber will be harder to consume and not taste that good.
Can ducks eat the cucumber skin?
Ducks can eat the cucumber skin. It’s actually in the skin, where most of the nutrients are embedded. If you are making a dish of your own and peeling the skin of the cucumber, you can give it to your ducks. You will need to chop it into smaller pieces. You can fold the skin 2 to 3 times before cutting it to save time.
🌿 Want to give herbs to your ducks? Learn more about feeding herbs to ducks here.
Can ducks eat frozen cucumbers?
If you have frozen cucumbers, you can offer them to your ducks after they have reached room temperature.
Another way is to use the frozen cucumber in a smoothie. Ducks love to eat smoothie bowls. Chop the cucumber into 1″ pieces before freezing them. If you have a small blender, you might want to go even smaller. You can add other vegetables, fruits, and nuts like raspberries, strawberries, apples, bananas, carrots, kale, broccoli, and celery.
Never add these ingredients to a smoothie made for ducks: Spinach, avocado, dairy, orange juice, and eggplants.
💡 Find out what other vegetables you can feed ducks here!
Can ducks eat moldy cucumbers?
Ducks should never eat any food that has mold on it. Mold is toxic to ducks and may even be lethal. If you have moldy food, add them to your compost. You can notice mold on the cucumber at the ends. Usually, it grows a greyish hue and later rots the cucumber.
Can ducks eat pickled cucumber?
It would be best if you didn’t give pickled cucumber to ducks. Pickled cucumber is made from cucumbers, vinegar, salt, sugar. Ducks should never eat vinegar, salt, or sugar. Keep the pickled cucumbers to yourself, and give the simple, raw cucumbers to the ducks.
🥓 In some cases you can feed human food to ducks. But there are some human food you should never feed ducks. Find out which so you don’t accidentally give them anything that will hurt them.
How do you cut cucumbers for ducks?
For years, I cut cucumbers by hand, making tiny cubes. Almost as small as gravel. I cut them these small to avoid the choking hazard. Cutting the cucumber in circles from right to left would be a too-large piece for the ducks, risking it getting stuck in their throat. Nowadays, I use a veggie cutter that saves me so much time. Cutting cucumbers before took me several minutes. Now, it takes me mere seconds and perfect small tiny cubes every time. If you ever wanted to be more efficient in the kitchen, you might want to check out this veggie chopper.
Safe ways to feed cucumbers to ducks
The two most important things to be aware of when feeding cucumbers are to ensure the bits are small enough and you feed in moderation.
1. Cutting the cucumber in small pieces
Cut the cucumber into small cubes. Small cubes are harder to get stuck in the throat and are easier to consume. Consider using a veggie chopper for this.
2. Add the cucumber pieces to water
It is easier for the ducks to eat food if it is put into water. That way, the choking hazard decreases if water can help the food to go down. However, you shouldn’t add the cucumber to their pond water. Otherwise, there’s a risk of algae growth. Instead, put the cucumbers in a bucket of water and feed them on land.
3. Add cucumbers to their regular food
If you are feeding the ducks pellets, you might want to add the cucumber bits to it. This stimulates the duck’s instincts to forage for food. It keeps them occupied and happy.
4. Add cucumbers to smoothie bowls
You can prepare smoothie bowls as an occasional treat for your ducks. Ducks love to smoothie bowls and devour them within seconds. Check for inspiration among vegetables you can feed ducks here.
5. Mashed potatoes with cucumber
Did you know ducks love to eat mashed potatoes? Making mashed potatoes and adding vegetables to them is an easy way to incorporate many nutrients at the same time. However, it’s important not to use any dairy, eggs, or spices when making mashed potatoes for ducks. Check out my mashed potatoes recipe for ducks here. You can easily add cucumber to it. Either as an ingredient or as a garnish. The choice is yours.
🥜 Ducks love to eat nuts, but there are some things to know before feeding nuts to ducks. Learn more about it here.
Unsafe ways to feed cucumbers to ducks
There are in some ways you should avoid feeding cucumbers to your ducks. They can be harmful and, on some occasions, even lethal for them.
1. The cucumbers aren’t cut
Ensure the cucumbers are cut as small as possible. If you don’t own a veggie chopper, my best cutting technique is the following:
- Cut the cucumber in half horizontally, so you get two short cucumbers.
- Cut the two cucumbers halfs in half vertically, so you have four thin cucumbers.
- Chop them very thin, almost all way through vertically.
- Turn it, and chop them into small cubes horizontally.
It might be tedious after a while, and using a veggie chopper is much more efficient.
2. The cucumbers are pickled
Never feed your ducks pickled cucumbers. Pickled cucumbers contain vinegar, salt, and sugar—three things ducks should avoid. Vinegar is acidic, which isn’t good for the duck’s liver and kidneys. Salt dehydrates the duck, which also can be troublesome for the kidneys. Sugar has many calories, and you should avoid feeding them sugar so they won’t become overweight.
3. The cucumbers are cooked
Feeding cooked cucumbers to ducks may be harmful. It comes down to how you cooked them. In most cases, the cucumbers have been exposed to spices, oils, sugars, or salt, which you should avoid adding to a duck’s diet.
4. The cucumbers are moldy
Never feed cucumbers or any other food that is moldy to an animal. Mold is toxic and may kill them. Throw moldy food your compost and let the worms have a feast instead.
How often can I feed cucumbers to my ducks?
Cucumbers contain a lot of water. When a food contains a lot of water, the risk of developing diarrhea is increased. With diarrhea, the body loses a lot of water and make causes dehydration.
It would be best not to have cucumber as a daily staple but instead as an occasional treat on the scorching days. I would suggest you add the cucumbers with the duck’s other foods and combine them with good food for preventing diarrhea—for example, oats, bananas, applesauce, rice, and potatoes.
🍎 Ducks love to eat fruits – but there are some fruits you never should give ducks. Find out which!
How many cucumbers can I feed my ducks?
You can give as many cucumbers as you would like to your ducks as long as you regulate their other food intake and take other precautions. If you increase the number of cucumbers you are giving to your ducks, you might want to increase the amount of oats to help against diarrhea. On a hot day, I try to give my ducks half a cucumber each, mixed with other foods. Often with their regular feed, but sometimes as a smoothie.
Health benefits from feeding cucumbers to ducks
Feeding cucumbers to ducks provide them with some beneficial nutrients. Some vitamins and minerals are potassium, calcium, iron, and vitamin c. These are all essential in a duck’s diet, and you need to ensure they receive all of them daily.
Calcium in cucumbers for ducks
Calcium and potassium are the two most important minerals in a duck’s diet. Calcium is essential for egg production as well as making eggshells. Eggshells are almost completely made out of calcium.
Potassium in cucumbers for ducks
Potassium is important for fluid balance, as well as keeping the cells healthy. Nerve cells and muscle cells wouldn’t be able to function without potassium.
Iron in cucumbers for ducks
Iron is responsible for the production of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is important for providing oxygen to different parts of the body.
Vitamin C in cucumbers for ducks
Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps to improve the immune system and keeps the body healthy against free radicals.
Did you know ducks are omnivores and eat both vegetables and meat? Check out what meat you can give to ducks here.
Conclusion
Ducks can eat cucumbers, and it will benefit them. Ducks enjoy the taste of cucumbers very much. Ducklings can eat cucumbers after they have turned four weeks old. Before that, they need to eat a special duckling diet which contains a lot of protein.
Ducks can eat:
- Raw cucumber
- Cooked cucumber
- Cucumber skin
- Frozen cucumber
- Cucumber in smoothies
- Cucumber in mashed potatoes
- Cucumber in moderation
It would help if you avoided feeding ducks:
- Pickled cucumbers
- Moldy cucumbers
- Cucumbers that aren’t cut enough
- Cooked with spices
- Too much cucumbers
You need to be aware that cucumbers contain a lot of water, which means the risk of developing diarrhea increases. Diarrhea dehydrates the body, which can cause kidney failure.
You can offer cucumbers as an occasional treat by adding them to their regular diet. I would suggest you do this on hot days where they need to get the extra water balance.