A recent study show how humans started eating grapes over 22 000 years ago. This precedes before North America, and North Europe was covered in ice. Grapes began being cultivated between 7000 and 10 000 years ago. Ducks have been around for over 25 million years. So you can imagine both ducks and humans have eaten a few grapes over the years.
Can ducks eat grapes?
Ducks can eat all kinds of grapes. Grapes are high in water and contain potassium and Calcium, which is good for fluid balance and bone health. Grapes are best served to ducks when they are cut up into smaller pieces so they won’t get stuck in their throats. You should give your ducks grapes.
You might have seen people offering grapes to ducks before but being ignored. Often when that happens the duck thinks the grapes are too big for them. Large grapes might get stuck in their throat and choke them. That’s why it’s vital to either squash or cut the grapes into smaller pieces. I usually throw the grapes into a blender on low speed for five seconds before heading out. Some of the water may have been lost in the process. But it will make it much easier for the ducks to both eat and digest the grapes.
Can ducks eat grapes during winter?
Ducks can eat grapes during winter. It provides them with something sweet they usually can’t get in their natural diet during that time of year. During winter, the ducks need extra calories due to the cold climate. I would suggest you beyond grapes also serve something with high-fat content. Ducks usually prefer nuts and seeds in their diet. The easiest way would be to provide them with peanuts without their shells. The peanuts mustn’t be salted. Otherwise, their kidneys need to work extra hard while being dehydrated. Make sure they are roasted as well. I usually go for Planters unsalted roasted peanuts.
Ducks will benefit from having nuts in their diet, and especially during winter. I wrote a resource to help you know what nuts and fodders ducks can and can not eat.
What type of grape are best for ducks?
Grapes come in an abundance of colors, sizes, and textures. There are over 16 different types of grapes to chose from. Everyone has their own favorite: both individual humans and individual ducks. My favorite is Dominga because of its sweet flavor and high amount of antioxidants. They are usually easy to locate due to their yellowish skin.
However, I usually go with a seedless grape. Often Centennial. Centennial is a light greened grape and is usually the one used for making raisins. Although ducks can eat grapes with seeds, I don’t need to worry about the ducks choking or my blender breaking.
Why do ducks like grapes?
Ducks like grapes for the same reasons humans like grapes. Grapes are an easily accessed snack that provides many vitamins and minerals. Grapes consist of a small bit over 80% water and keeps the duck hydrated. Ducks mainly dip their food in water for it to be easier to eat. They don’t need to do that with grapes because of the high water content.
Can ducks eat whole grapes?
Some ducks may eat the grapes whole. However, most ducks don’t bother when they are too big and completely ignore them. You must mash the grapes before serving. If you are bringing them in a plastic bag, you can stomp on the bag first. The number of grapes eaten will increase by how the more petite the grapes are.
Make it a habit to always mash or cut the grapes before feeding them to the ducks.
Do grapes kill ducks?
There have been some cases where ducks have been choking to death when eating grapes. There is nothing in grapes that will harm ducks in opposition to hedgehogs. If you want to decrease the risk of ducks’ suffocation on grapes, you will need to cut them up into smaller pieces. I usually blend mine for five seconds before adding them into a plastic bag. In this process, I try to remove as many seeds as I can find. But it isn’t really necessary.
Can ducks eat the grape seed?
Ducks can eat the grape seed. However, you shouldn’t only feed the seeds to ducks. Just like us, they do prefer the whole fruit. If you buy grapes intended to feed ducks, you may want to consider buying the seedless type. Ducks can eat seeds, but it is the seeds that take the longest for them to digest while not providing many nutrients. There are other fruits suitable for ducks to eat. So many, so I even wrote an entire resource just for fruits with over 30 examples.
How to remove the seed from gapes
If you want to be on the safe side and not risking the ducks choking on grape seeds, you can easily remove them.
You only need a straw. Pierce the straw through the grape from top to bottom. Afterward, you will have all seeds collected inside the straw.
How to feed grapes safely to ducks
- Wash the grapes first. Unorganic grapes are one of the far worst coming to pesticides. In the USDA Pesticide data program, they have found 56 different types in grapes. Choose organic grapes and wash them!
- The grapes needs to be ripe. Unripe grapes are usually used in wine making in Europe. You will notice unripe grapes to their smaller sizes.
- Chop the grapes into as small pieces are possible. The smaller the pieces, the smaller risk of the ducks choking. Blend them, chop them, mash them. Do what you think would make them as small as possible for the ducks to eat.
- Don’t feed moldy grapes. No one like to eat moldy food. Ducks eat most things, and even mold. They trust you to give them food that they can eat. Moldy food is toxic and may even be lethal for them.
- Grapes in moderation. Although, grapes are low in calories (66,9 per 100g) it isn’t good to feed them too much. The high amount of potassium can be harmful if fed to much. Try to avoid to serve more than three grapes per duck.
What health benefits are there from ducks eating grapes?
There are plenty of vitamins and minerals in grapes that will benefit ducks. However, plenty of them, but not much of them.
The serving size for a human is half a cup of grapes, which equals about 80grams or 16 grapes. Stick to three per duck. As you can see, there aren’t that many minerals and vitamins in grapes. The one sticking out is potassium.
The percentages to the right are RDI for humans and not ducks.
Potassium in grapes
Potassium in grapes helps the duck with overall health, fluid balance, the cells breathing inside the muscles, and keep a healthy nerve function.
Vitamin C in grapes
Vitamin C helps with the overall quality of and quantity of eggs. Humans and other animals can develop scurvy when there’s a lack of Vitamin C in our diets.
Iron in grapes
If birds don’t get the proper amount of iron in their diet, they may suffer from lethal anemia. Although the amount of iron is low in grapes, you might want to consider provide them additional iron if you have your own ducks in the backyard.
Calcium in grapes
Ducks are one of the birds that need Calcium the most. As everyone knows, Calcium gives the skeleton extra strength. Ducks don’t fly as much as other birds and rely on their legs more; they require stronger legs.
Conclusion
It’s time to round up what we have learned. Ducks can, will, and love eating grapes. Their only demand is that the grape is served in smaller pieces. A too big piece might get stuck in their throat and suffocate them.
Ducks can eat the seeds inside the grapes, but they aren’t interested in just the seed but wants the whole fruit.
There isn’t anything harmful in grapes that will kill ducks. However, there have been cases where the grape got stuck in their throat, choking them.
It is fine to give ducks grapes during winter, but they require extra fats to keep themselves warm. You can add peanuts to their diet. It’s important the peanuts are unsalted, roasted, and taken out of their shells. I usually go with Planters.
The best grape for ducks would be the organic seedless type. You won’t need to worry about cleaning them as thoroughly or even remove the seeds before serving. The only thing you will need to think about is to cut or mash them.
Suppose you have grapes at home and want to be on the safe side. You wash the grapes and then remove the seeds. You can remove the seeds by piercing a straw through the grape, from top to bottom. You will also need to check the grapes if they are moldy or ripe. Throw away moldy grapes immediately.
There are Vitamin C, Potassium, Calcium, and Iron in grapes, where all play an important role in the duck’s digestive system.
If you are interested in what other fruits ducks can eat, you may want to check out my other article going through over 30 fruits and see if ducks can or can not eat them.