Can Ducks Eat Watermelon?

Even though each duck has its own taste and is a picky eater, the majority of ducks adore fruits. Do these include watermelons? 

On your farm, there are a variety of fruits that can cheer up your ducks’ quacks. Generally speaking, ducks enjoy eating fruits as treats, which is fantastic because doing so keeps them healthy. They can eat fruits like plums, pears, and bananas, but we will only take watermelon into consideration.

Ducks should primarily be given a nutritionally balanced commercial waterfowl feed for maximum health and growth. However, feeding ducks may grow pricey because they require a lot of food to keep healthy. Many duck owners enjoy adding tidbits of human food and table scraps to their birds’ store-bought meals. In addition to giving the ducks diversity in their diet, this also lessens food waste. Make sure the extra treats provided are secure and beneficial for the ducks. 

On a hot summer day, watermelon is a lovely fruit to eat, but can ducks partake in this delectable treat? Ducks can consume watermelon, including the rind and seeds, and they may do so in any quantity.

Health Benefits of Watermelon for Ducks

Vitamin C

Vitamin C has a lot of advantages. Giving your duck vitamin C might just increase its rate of egg production and enhance the quality of the eggs it lay.

Egg production was actually improved by vitamin C treatment, according to a study done on Philippine Mallard ducks. Approximately 81 weeks of vitamin C administration to the ducks had excellent results. Giving your ducks regular watermelon snacks could therefore be quite beneficial.

Additionally, vitamin C will support ducks’ stress management and immune system. When under heat stress, it is especially beneficial. In addition, it can aid in the healing of wounds.

Vitamin A

Ducks require vitamin A for proper growth. Their lack of vitamin A will develop at a slower rate than usual. Ducks’ eyes benefit from vitamin A as well for healthy vision.

Since watermelons are a wonderful source of vitamin A, it would be difficult for your ducks to experience vitamin A deficiency symptoms if they regularly received watermelon treats.

Also like to read: Ducks Eat Blueberries

Magnesium

Magnesium may have a slightly different effect on ducks than it does on chickens. The eggshells get stronger when the chicken feed has more magnesium in it. Magnesium, however, has little effect on the eggshell in ducks.

Low magnesium and high calcium concentration are found in duck eggs. Therefore, calcium is the key nutrient for determining the quality of duck eggs. However, this does not imply that magnesium is useless for ducks.

Ducks’ growth and neurological function are both influenced by magnesium. A lack of magnesium can result in seizures, impaired growth, and even death.

The magnesium content in watermelons is approximately 10 mg per 100 milligrams. The magnesium needs of ducks are not met by this, but it still goes a long way.

Potassium 

In fact, potassium plays a significant role in our body’s cells. But inside the cells of your ducks’ bodies, it is also a significant issue. Your ducks are likely to suffer more from dehydration if potassium levels drop than when they don’t.

In other words, potassium is a mineral that ducks need in order to maintain proper electrolyte balance. When it’s very hot, watermelons can be a great source of potassium supplementation.

Water

Well, the fruit’s name, “watermelon,” did little to conceal its high water content. Watermelons typically have a 92% water content. In essence, watermelon is a juicy, sweet delight that is high in water.

The good news is that water is the ideal environment for everything in a duck’s body. Drinking water will aid in nutrient absorption and digestion. It can be helpful when under heat stress.

Even though you can feed watermelons to your ducks at any time of the year, you might choose to do so in the summer. They can greatly reduce the bad effects of high temperatures by drinking water from watermelons.

Iron

Iron is necessary for ducks to produce blood, and blood, in turn, controls blood temperature. It helps ducks’ immune systems in a variety of ways. Since ducks typically have more iron than other poultry, adding iron supplements from watermelons shouldn’t be harmful.

Antioxidants 

Antioxidants combat the reactive oxygen species that the body produces when under oxidative stress. They are very helpful in reducing oxidative stress in ducks because they have this effect on them as well.

As a result, there is an increase in immunity, better general health, and high-quality meat and eggs.

Sodium

Watermelon, however, contains little sodium. Therefore, it doesn’t provide ducks with a lot of salt. This is advantageous since birds’ kidneys have a finite amount of space. High salt exposure to them might not be beneficial.

Benefits Of Eating Watermelons For Ducks

1. Watermelons contain a lot of vitamin A, which maintains their growth and overall health. Ducks that lack this vitamin during their formative years are often smaller in size than other ducks.
2. Additionally, watermelons contain a lot of vitamin C, which is healthy for chickens’ immune systems and improves the quality of the eggs they lay. Additionally, it can relieve tension in your feathered pets, particularly heat stress.
3. Magnesium helps ducks’ neurological systems operate properly and also contributes to the strength of their eggshells.
4. The mineral potassium is what keeps the electrolyte balance in the duck’s body in check. Dehydration is a simple result of it being absent from their diet. Because of this, feeding your ducks potassium-rich meals in the summer rather than the winter is crucial.
5. Iron is known to control blood temperature and aid in oxygen transfer in your pet’s blood.
6. Last but not least, we should not overlook the fact that 90% of a watermelon is actually water, thus it can always keep your pets hydrated.

Are The Seeds Of Watermelon Okay For Ducks To Eat?

Your main worry is always the fruit’s seeds when you introduce a new fruit to your bird’s diet, isn’t it? The issue is much more acute with fruits like watermelons because of the numerous seeds that are dispersed throughout their flesh.

Well, the watermelon seeds do contain amygdalin, a substance that, when broken down, transforms into hydrogen cyanide and prevents oxygen from entering their blood. These seeds contain far too little amygdalin to have a negative impact on people’s health, though.

What About Watermelon Rind? Can Ducks Eat It As Well?

Most duck owners appear to believe that these rinds are edible to their pets because they have observed them pecking at watermelon rinds. However, this is untrue.

In actuality, the rind is too hard to swallow and digest for the ducks, just like it is for us. They are probably trying to eat the flesh that may still be attached if they are pecking at it. Even if these birdies are able to swallow a tiny piece of rind, it will undoubtedly cause them digestive issues.

Is It Okay To Feed Dried Watermelons To Ducks?

The dehydrated version of fresh watermelons, dried watermelons have a distinctive, crisp flavor and a significantly longer shelf life. It is frequently eaten as a snack in many homes.

Both fresh and dried watermelons have roughly the same amounts of nutrients, making them roughly equivalent in terms of nutrition. Whichever nutrients your pets are getting from fresh watermelons, they can also get from these.

There is, however, one key distinction between the two: the sugar content. The dried watermelons lose a lot of water, which results in considerably more concentrated sugar content than fresh watermelons.

It shouldn’t be an issue to feed dried watermelons to your ducks once a month because the sugar is still natural and unrefined. However, when it comes to the ducklings, no dry fruits, including dried watermelons, should be given to them.

You shouldn’t be concerned because your ducks will probably choose to eat fresh watermelons than canned ones if given the option.

Watermelons For Ducks: Feeding Ideas

Did you know that you might give blended watermelon juice to your pets as a cooling treat? Here’s a quick and enjoyable method for doing it:

1. Watermelon should be cut in half.
2. Scoop out all of the flesh from one half with a spoon. Save the rind in the shape of a bowl for later.
3. Using a blender, puree the flesh you removed, then pour the cool juice back into the rind.
4. Put the juice-filled rind in the center of your yard for your ducks to eat.

Conclusion

Ducks can’t resist watermelons since they are juicy, sweet, and contain a mixture of soft and crispy flesh. Additionally, their abundance of nutrients will do a lot to keep your pets healthy. Vitamins A, B, and C, copper, iron, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium are all abundant in watermelons.

Just be careful not to overfeed them with watermelons by distributing them to them in moderation. Ducks may experience stomach pain if they are overfed.

Ducks adore watermelon and will consume the entire fruit. To prevent any stomach disturbances, you must take into account chopping the watermelon into small slices and removing the seeds for newborn ducks.

Watermelons should only ever be given to ducks as treats, never as their main meal. Ducks can also be given treats like tomatoes, edible flowers, and cabbage in addition to melon.

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