What do wild ducks eat and what can you feed them in the city?

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Ducks are waterfowl, so they can be found near a river, lake or pond. Often, poultry farmers independently dig out a pond at home in order to keep ducks there or to lure game. Of course, if the animals do not have something to eat in a given reservoir, then they will not stay long. It is necessary to feed the ducks in the pond. What do waterfowl eat?

Important! Many people like to feed wild ducks on the pond, providing them with a well-fed life, but environmentalists are against such an initiative. In winter, birds simply will not fly away from their feeding area, which promises them death in the harsh climate of our country. But the law confirming the words of the “greens” was not officially adopted, so many people happily feed ducks while walking in the park or relaxing in the wild.

Is it possible to feed ducks at the city pond?

The appearance of a duck on the city pond in the park is greeted with joyful cries. People will definitely feed the unfortunate bird chips, bread, and cotton candy. It’s not for nothing that large parks have signs prohibiting feeding ducks. Experts are categorically against feeding birds on the pond.

There is enough food for the ducks to survive. Birds independently obtain it and look for useful substances using a filter located in the beak of the mallard. Urban ducks feed on small marsh plants and animals: crayfish, mollusks, worms, and mosquito larvae.

Park creators deliberately release ducks into the pond to reduce the number of mosquitoes.

Wild ducks cannot be taught to live an easy life. The survival instinct disappears. The bird gets used to favorable conditions, a warm climate, and a carefree life.

When cold weather sets in, the mallard does not fly to warm countries. Without human help, it will be difficult for an animal to cope with a lack of food and cold weather.

When can you feed the ducks in the park?

In favorable conditions, feeding ducks is strictly prohibited.

There is an exception. During the breeding season, sudden climate change and environmental problems in the reservoir cause mass deaths of ducks. Experts allow feeding injured animals and birds located in a body of water with environmental problems.

In winter, bait is recommended at low temperatures and in the absence of wormwood, the main source of food. Warm plumage, subcutaneous fat and high body temperature (42 degrees) allow the bird to live in the city in winter.

The animal can handle temperatures up to -15 degrees on its own. At lower temperatures, fertilizing is recommended.

A large number of birds (from 100) located on one pond need help.

Features of feeding ducklings in the first week after birth

Every experienced poultry farmer knows what to feed little ducklings in the first days of life. Day-old birds are fed only eggs and milk, increasing their diet every day. Raising ducks requires careful monitoring of the birds' diet, especially one day after birth. On the second day it will be easier to monitor the bird. All the conditions for their growth have already been met, all that remains is to accustom the ducklings to nutritious, healthy food. On the second day, low-fat cottage cheese can be added to the menu of small birds. It should be included in the diet in separate portions, alternating with a boiled egg. On day 5-6, the duckling can be fed grass. It's better to give:

• nettle;
• dandelion;
• quinoa;
• green legumes.

You can also make mash with grass, including cottage cheese and egg. We must not forget about water. She should always be close to the bird, especially in the first days after hatching. And here you can’t do without human help. It is best to give it to ducklings through a pipette. Such manipulations will take 1-2 days until the baby learns to drink from the drinking bowl himself.

What to feed a duck on a decorative pond?

Creating a decorative pond at your summer cottage is a great idea. Nature lovers release ducks into artificial ponds. Without knowing how to properly formulate a diet for ducks, pond creators harm the birds. There are 5 types of useful baits.

Mineral supplements

Mineral supplements are necessary for birds to reproduce. An egg forms inside the bird. For normal development, a strong and hard shell is needed. Mineral supplements make egg shells strong and improve food digestion.

Birds do not chew their food. They swallow it, and an organ called the cloaca mechanically crushes the pieces of food.

The best mineral supplements are crushed egg shells, shells, gravel, salt, sand. Laying hens need mineral nutrition. If the rule is neglected, the chicks will take a long time to form and develop, the shells of the eggs will be thin, and the bird will break them through carelessness.

Vitamins and vegetables

Creating vitamin and green feed is not difficult. At their summer cottage, people grow vegetables and prepare food for the winter to feed ducks.

3 types of vitamin baits are used:

1. Fresh herbs and leaf blades are thoroughly dried. Green plants are hung in well-ventilated places.
2. Ducks love marsh plants. Experts use dried duckweed, chora, hornwort and various algae as preparations.
3. Boiled and fresh vegetables: tomatoes, carrots, pumpkin, potatoes, beets. It is recommended to pickle carrots.

Grains and cereals

The main source of food for birds is grains and cereals. They stimulate the growth and activity of the duck. Experts allow feeding birds with crushed and whole food. Grains and cereals are suitable for all ages.

The following varieties are suitable for feeding:

• peas;
• wheat;
• barley;
• rye;
• beans;
• residues of any grain crop.

For rapid development and growth, it is recommended to add grains and cereals to the diet of chicks.

Meat and fish

An important source of building material for the body is protein. In the wild, birds eat small fish, shellfish, frogs and other amphibians. For mallards living in a decorative pond, eating food of animal origin in its pure form is not recommended.

The poultry diet should include any of the following components:

1. Oxidized dairy products: cottage cheese, whey, cheese.
2. Flour with added fish for making broths and mash.
3. Meat and bone meal is an excellent source of fat.
4. Entrails of small fish, fillets.

The use of animal products containing bones, which can damage the bird's cloaca, is strictly prohibited.

Making homemade food

It is recommended to create your own homemade food, rich in nutrients necessary for full active life. 100 grams of feed contains mineral, animal and plant additives. Feed additives are taken by ducks 3 times a day.

The amount of mineral additives per 100 grams is 7.8 grams, animal products – 4 grams, vegetable baits – 65 grams. As grams increase, the proportion increases.

In the evenings, after three meals a day, it is recommended to add pure grains and cereals to the diet.

Diet preparation for laying hens and fattening ducks

Domestic ducks for meat production are early maturing and for maximum productivity during fattening they require a special diet almost from birth.

The faster the bird gains slaughter weight, the more tender the meat will be. Therefore, the menu for fattening ducks should be as balanced and varied as possible, including both proteins for building muscle mass, and carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins.

Laying hens need their own “diet”, which the birds are switched to 20 days before the start of laying. The diet of this category of birds includes more concentrates and protein-rich feed. Particular attention is paid to replenishing the body with calcium, ensuring the growing moisture needs of the duck, and reducing the proportion of green, coarse and juicy products.

The menu for laying hens includes sprouted grains and yeast containing many amino acids and active substances.

What to feed ducks in summer?

In summer, feeding with green plants and algae predominates. It is recommended to add dry food.

In a closed reservoir, where the bird cannot search for food on its own, the owner feeds the ducks and ducklings 4 times a day. 2 times with mash and 2 times with products of plant origin. Wet baits spoil quickly.

It is recommended to give food in precise quantities. There should be no leftovers. The bird must have access to water and clean gravel.

In summer, ducks find food on their own in ponds. In the evenings or mornings, people feed grains and cereals.

Making homemade food

To make feed for wild ducks at home, you need to have a grain crusher or you will have to buy grain already crushed. A grain base is prepared for poultry by mixing the components in certain proportions. Additional additives (grass, vegetables, fish) are added to the duck mash immediately before serving.

When mixing ingredients when making feed for adult ducks, the following proportions are adhered to:

• corn - 30%;
• wheat - 10%;
• oats - 15%;
• cake - 10%;
• feed yeast - 5%;
• fish meal - 8%;
• herbal flour - 20%;
• table salt - 0.3%.

This dry food can be stored for about 3 months in a cool, dry place. The bird is given 70–100 g of feed per day, moistened with water and added vegetables and herbs.

What foods are bad for ducks?

List of products dangerous to the normal functioning of birds:

Birds, just like people, can suffer from an improper diet. If you don’t know what to feed the duck, it’s better to leave the idea altogether.

Consequences of an unbalanced diet

A lack or excess of a nutrient in the diet leads to metabolic disorders, vitamin deficiency, indigestion, and pecking. To understand what ducklings lack, you need to take a closer look at their behavior and condition:

• Lack of vitamins and greens provokes a slowdown in the growth of chicks, ducklings fall on their feet.
• A lack of protein and amino acids leads to pets attempting to peck each other and pluck feathers. This condition is called level disease. Crushed chalk, iodized salt, and bone meal are added to the menu.
• Excess protein foods have a bad effect on the condition of the liver; in children, bowel movements are disturbed.
• Lack of vitamin A. Ducklings are lethargic, eat poorly, and develop conjunctivitis. It is necessary to add fish oil, grass meal or vitamin A diluted in warm water to the diet.
• Lack of vitamin E. The main symptoms are loss of appetite, lethargy, cramps and weak pulse. In this case, your veterinarian may prescribe a tocopherol supplement. To prevent vitamin deficiency, green flour, whey, skim milk, and wheat are given.

Sometimes ducklings develop cuticulitis, a disease accompanied by diarrhea with the remains of undigested food. The situation can be corrected with the help of nicotinic acid and vitamin A. A few drops of a pinkish solution of potassium permanganate are added to the drink.

Duck meat in cooking

Tasty and healthy duck meat has found its wide application in cooking. It can be stewed, fried, cooked in the oven, cooked in soups (the best thing for a weakened body!), It is suitable for canning (i.e., pickled in a jar). Many people enjoy dried duck - a wonderful substitute for sausage, which is easy to make at home.

An alternative to the classic duck with apples is to cook it with beets, cabbage, carrots and parsnips, stuffed with oranges, buckwheat, and mushrooms. The flavor properties of duck are revealed more clearly if served with fruit or berry sauce.

It is believed that duck recipes from China are the most delicious, since they have long tamed these birds and even gave birth to a new species - the “Peking” duck, which is one of the most famous meat breeds.

Cooking secrets

If you are one of those people who are uncomfortable with the smell of duck meat, simply add slices of aromatic apples to the carcass while cooking. They will completely eliminate the specific smell.

The duck’s “enemy” is the bay leaf, and its best “friend” is dry wine.

Recipes developed for poultry are suitable for wild duck. The only nuance will be getting rid of the river taste in the meat. To do this, when you cut the carcass, completely remove fat and skin from it. While cooking, add carrots, onions and spices to the wild duck. This will help neutralize the fishy taste that is present in the game. If you don’t want to add vegetables, you will have to keep the cleaned carcass in the cold for three days. This will also rid the bird of off-flavors.

Is it possible to give potatoes

Potatoes are not only possible, but also necessary for ducks. They even feed it to young ducklings, but only little by little, so that they get used to a variety of foods and receive useful substances.

As a rule, old potatoes are used, not young ones. It must not be rotten or spoiled. It is washed, boiled, chopped with a knife and put into mash along with other vegetables, herbs, and cereals. It is not recommended to feed raw potatoes. Birds can be poisoned by it, especially if there are green spots on root vegetables, or if they eat too much of it.

Agricultural waste

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In addition to cereals, it is useful to include waste from the agricultural industry in the diet of ducks. What can you feed ducks using similar products?

• It is very beneficial to use meal or cake for fattening. They are made from canola, soybeans, peanuts, sunflowers or cotton. The abundance of fats and minerals makes these foods healthy, but they may only make up up to 7% of the total daily diet.
• Bran makes up up to 10% of grain flour feed. Essentially, it is waste generated during the production of flour. They can be given no earlier than 20 days of age.

Ducks can also be fed stillage (waste from beets and potatoes during the production of alcohol) and baker's yeast.

What else should you not give?

In addition to bread, ducks should not be given sweets or salty foods, nuts, chips, cookies, popcorn, or cakes. All this seems tasty to humans, but is harmful to birds

Moreover, it does not matter whether the duck eats such food constantly or from time to time. It contains ingredients that are alien to the bird’s body: large quantities of salt, spices, dyes, preservatives, etc.

It is best not to give ducks onions, which are good for humans but not for waterfowl. It is forbidden to treat you to chocolate, sweets and anything that contains a lot of sugar.

Pets also get used to bread quickly, they may prefer it to other foods, or choose from mash. If there is a lot of it in the diet, the bird will receive only certain nutrients and not receive enough of the rest. This will lead to hypovitaminosis and further diseases.

It is not recommended to feed a lot of legumes, especially peas. It provokes flatulence, gastrointestinal upset, and if the duck manages to avoid this, it will quickly become obese. Fat females do not lay eggs well, and not everyone likes this kind of meat. Therefore, the proportion of legumes in the diet should be minimal, only to satisfy the need for valuable plant proteins.

It is not advisable to give whole dry grain; it is better to grind it and boil it a little. This way the product will be absorbed almost completely and in a short time. Potato peelings, citrus peels and pumpkin peels are difficult for ducks to digest; you can also do without them. Do not moisten the mash with fresh milk. Ducks lack the enzymes needed to digest lactose. Milk causes them to have eating disorders.