Not sure what to feed your flock other than the usual duck feed and cracked corn?
Fortunately, you have plenty of options!
Skip the white bread and offer your ducks some of these awesome, healthy treats they’ll go quackers for.
Dark, Leafy Greens (Various)
Ducks aren’t picky when it comes to what they’ll eat, so why not offer them a salad packed with nutrients?
Certain greens like Swiss chard, kale, and spinach are all great choices, and you always have the option of adding other tasty veggies to the mix.
Dip them in some fresh water beforehand for some added hydration or, if you have a pond or artificial pool for your ducks, toss in some handfuls of greens for an impromptu pool party and brunch!
It’s best to feed them raw and chopped, as cooking them boils off a lot of essential vitamins and nutrients your flock will benefit from.
Watermelon
Watermelon makes an excellent summer treat for not only ducks but just about any other animals you’ve got on your hobby farms, like goats, chickens, and horses!
Either slice it up and distribute it amongst your flock or cut it into halves and watch them descend upon it with glee.
They’ll eat it down to the rind and then some!
What’s excellent about watermelon is it’s not only nutritious, but it’s got plenty of, well, water for added hydration during the warmer months of the year.
Keep your ducks cool with this cool, sweet, and, best of all, healthy treat.
Further Reading: Watermelon And Why It’s Good For Ducks
Scrambled Eggs
This one is a bit controversial at first, but ducks are omnivores who will happily eat various types of animal protein as part of their daily diet!
Both chicken and duck eggs are good options, and they’re full of protein and other vitamins.
Just avoid adding any spices, salt, or cheese–instead, throw in some safe veggies like peas, carrots, and bell peppers for an incredibly delicious treat with a wide variety of flavors.
This is particularly useful if you’ve also got a flock of chickens and have too many eggs to know what to do with!
Hint: Your chickens will enjoy the scrambled eggs, too!
Cooked (Plain) Pasta
Various types of cooked, plain pasta are a tasty and inexpensive treat for backyard and wild ducks, especially during the colder fall and winter months.
Whether it’s spaghetti, white or brown rice, or even penne pasta, your flock will greatly appreciate the warm, soft, cooked grains.
Again, avoid adding any kind of sauces, salt, or spices.
Sweet Potato
These tasty root veggies are adored by ducks and chickens, goats, and horses, too!
Whether they’re cooked or raw, your flock will devour every bit of sweet potato you offer them, including the skins.
They’re full of vitamins, particularly vitamin C, and a much more flavorful option than the typical duck feed and cracked corn your feathered friends are eating every day.
While most ducks will eat sweet potato regardless of how it’s prepared, grating or mashing it after it’s cooked is the best option.
Cooked sweet potato is especially great during the fall and winter, like a hearty, warm treat to keep your ducks warm and well-fed.
Mealworms
Although this particular option seems rather unconventional for duck treats at first, it makes a lot of sense–ducks are natural omnivorous foragers, and they gladly dig up bugs like worms, beetles, and crickets in your yard daily.
While most people would only feed mealworms to animals like reptiles and amphibians, ducks love them!
If you aren’t sure where you’ll be able to purchase mealworms, your local pet shop is always a good bet.
Most pet stores have both live and dried mealworms available for purchase.
We recommend live mealworms as they have a lot more moisture in them, but if you’re a bit queasy about handling live creepy-crawlies, go ahead and opt for a bag of dried mealworms instead.
Dandelion Greens
Dandelion greens are an abundant source of food for birds like ducks and chickens, and they’re rich in moisture and vitamins and nutrients like vitamins A, C, K, and they’re a good source of calcium.
If you’ve got a lot of dandelion greens growing in your yard where your ducks aren’t able to access them, consider foraging and gathering them yourself or simply expanding your ducks’ run, so they’re able to munch on them freely.
Just avoid applying any kind of pesticides to them!
Alternatively, you have the option of simply buying pre-packaged dandelion greens from various grocery shops and markets.
Either way, dandelion greens are extremely cost-efficient and will be greatly appreciated by your flock.
Tomatoes
Another popular vegetable (or is it a fruit…?) ducks adore is tomatoes!
Virtually all types of tomatoes are safe and delicious for ducks to eat–just be sure to avoid giving them any tomato leaves or other parts of the plant like the vines, as these are toxic.
Cherry tomatoes are a great option, as all you have to do is chop them in half and toss them out to your flock.
Alternatively, buy some large, round heirloom tomatoes (or grow your own!) and slice them up before offering them to your ducks.
Make sure the pieces are small enough to eat and break apart safely without any choking risk!
Apples/Applesauce
Apples are a sweet, moisture-rich and vitamin-packed treat ducks (and any other animals on your farm) love.
Opt for sweeter varieties like yellows and reds rather than tart apples like Granny Smiths.
Slice or grate them thinly to make them easier to eat, or simply toss an apple without the skin to your flock for them to peck at freely.
Additionally, applesauce makes an excellent treat, provided it doesn’t have any added preservatives or sugars.
Of course, you also always have the option of making your own duck-safe, sugar-free applesauce at home!
Strawberries
Fruits are an endless source of healthy, natural deliciousness for ducks and other animals, and strawberries are perhaps one of the most well-loved treats.
They’re small and soft enough for ducks to peck at safely without you having to prepare them first, but if you’d like, it’s also a good idea to cut them into smaller pieces.
The seeds are small enough, so you don’t have to remove them.
Don’t throw away the strawberry tops, either!
Your ducks will gladly gobble them up as well, and they’re a good source of vitamin C and calcium, two nutrients your flock will always benefit from eating.
Read more: Can ducks eat strawberries?
Sliced (Seedless) Grapes
Both green and purple grapes are well-loved by ducks of all kinds! Just be sure you cut the grapes in half (or smaller if you’re feeding them to ducklings) before tossing them out to your flock.
Always check to make sure they’re seedless to avoid any choking hazards.
Grapes are a great source of various nutrients and have plenty of moisture, too, which makes them a particularly tasty and hydrating treat during the summer.
They’re an excellent source of potassium and vitamins C and K!
Corn
Corn is a common ingredient in commercial duck feeds, but it also makes a great treat depending on how it’s prepared and the type of corn used.
Cooked sweet corn is a delicious choice for the colder winter months.
If you’re giving them raw corn, cracked or whole is fine, but cracked is a better option for younger ducks and ducklings to prevent choking.
Cooked corn on the cob is another good way to prepare corn for a flock of ducks!
Simply toss the cobs out into your backyard and watch your ducks come running.
Blueberries
Of all the potential fruits ducks can eat, blueberries are perhaps one of the most convenient, tasty, and healthy, thanks to their bite-sized nature and nutrient-rich composition.
You don’t even have to slice or prepare them in any way–just give them a quick rinse and toss some handfuls to your ducks as a quick and easy treat.
Blueberries have many health benefits, as they are full of moisture and rich in antioxidants, fiber, and vitamins C and K.
For a healthy and happy flock, blueberries are one of the best treats around for a tasty, enriching, and balanced diet.
Broccoli
Broccoli is another healthy and tasty treat ducks enjoy, whether it’s cooked or raw.
They’ll eat all parts of it, from the stalks to the delicious leafy ends.
If you offer cooked broccoli to your ducks, make sure there’s no added salt, spices, or sauces first.
Chop it up or break it into smaller pieces for raw broccoli to make it easier and safer for your ducks to eat.
Aside from being rich in flavor, broccoli is full of fiber, potassium, iron and is a natural source of vitamins C and K, making it one of the healthiest foods ducks can eat.
We recommend offering it raw, as cooking broccoli boils off many of its vitamins and nutrients, but either way, your ducks will greatly enjoy this as a snack.
Bananas
Bananas are one of the sweetest and most flavorful types of fruits, and while it’s not quite the healthiest option, ducks love them.
It’s soft enough, so you won’t need to prepare it in any special way, so regardless of whether you throw a whole banana or chopped banana slices to your flock, ducks of all ages and sizes will be able to munch on it safely with no difficulty.
Just avoid the peels, as these are difficult for ducks to chew and not particularly tasty, either.
In addition to being incredibly sweet and delicious, bananas have loads of potassium, fiber, and vitamin C.
Their natural sugar content is somewhat high, though, so keep this to an occasional, extra-special treat rather than a regular addition to your ducks’ meals.
Cucumbers
If you live in a particularly hot and dry area, cucumbers are an excellent way to provide your ducks with a bit of extra hydration during the harsh summer months!
All parts of the cucumber are safe for ducks to eat, including the skin, provided you slice, grate, or cut it into small enough pieces for them to swallow safely.
Cucumbers are low in calories, high in moisture and high in vitamins B, C, and K.
They’re by far one of the healthiest snacks for your duck flock.
Unsalted Sunflower Seeds (Without Shells)
Sunflower seeds don’t seem like they’d be a particularly great treat for ducks at first, but they’re pretty delicious and nutritious!
If you’re looking to give your flock sunflower seeds, you need to ensure they are unsalted and de-shelled first.
Thankfully, it’s possible to purchase them already de-shelled, so you won’t have to painstakingly remove them one by one as you toss them to your feathered friends.
This hearty snack is a good source of protein, vitamin E, and magnesium, making it a surprisingly healthy option for your ducks to munch on from time to time.
Zucchini
Honestly, there are so many kinds of squash ducks can eat it would be pretty easy to fill up this entire list with varieties of squash alone!
Zucchini is probably one of the most popular, tasty, and readily available, though, so we had to include and highlight it here over all other varieties.
Also sometimes known as courgette or baby marrow, zucchini is low in calories yet rich in potassium, vitamin C, and various antioxidants.
It’s safe for ducks to eat whether it’s cooked or raw, but we recommend serving it to your flock raw, as cooking it boils off a lot of its vitamins and nutrients.
The skin is also safe for ducks to eat, provided it is grated, sliced, or chopped thinly enough.
Peaches
Peaches are a wonderful treat for ducks with a bit of a sweet tooth, particularly in the hot, dry summer months.
They’re moisture-rich, incredibly flavorful, and both the skin and the flesh are safe for ducks to eat (aside from the pit, of course).
Plus, they’re so soft you don’t need to prepare them in any special way.
Whether they’re chopped into pieces, mashed, or even just thrown out in the yard whole, peaches are an excellent treat most ducks go wild for.
Like most sweeter fruits, they’re a bit high in sugar and calories, but they also have a decent amount of protein and moisture.
Peaches are always a great choice for some added hydration and flavor in the summer.
Cooked Oats
Cooked oats and plain oatmeal (made with water, not milk) are both excellent treats for ducks, especially in the frigid winter months!
They’re soft, warm, hearty, and flavorful, making them both easy to eat for ducks of all ages and nutritious.
If you offer your ducks oatmeal, make sure there’s no added sugar or other harmful ingredients like chocolate.
This treat takes a bit of extra preparation compared to many of the simpler options on this list, but it’s worth the extra effort to provide some TLC to your flock from time to time.
Keep your ducks warm and full in the winter with some cooked oats!
Crickets (Live or Dried)
Another insect ducks enjoy eating is the common cricket!
Abundant, dirt cheap, and naturally rich in protein, both live and dried crickets are excellent choices for snacks for a duck’s varied diet (as well as chickens and other birds!).
If you aren’t sure where to purchase them, check your local pet shop first, as they typically carry feeder crickets for pet reptiles, amphibians, and birds.
These feeder crickets are safely bred in captivity, where they’re free of diseases and pesticides.
We recommend feeding live crickets to your flock if you’re able to stomach them, as they have more moisture in them.
However, if it bugs you too much, there’s always the option of simply purchasing bags of dried crickets.
Earthworms
Earthworms are also rich in protein and commonly foraged by ducks in your backyard daily, but providing them with extra worms as a treat will always be greatly appreciated!
Many pet shops also carry captive-bred earthworms free of diseases and pesticides designed to be fed to pets, including your ducks!
Minnows
It seems natural for ducks to love fish, and minnows are perfectly bite-sized for them!
Feeder fish are commonly sold at pet shops and bait shops alike.
If you have a pond or a pool set up for your flock, tossing a few dozen minnows in there will instantly turn your backyard into a duck-feeding frenzy.
Full of protein and moisture, minnows are a delicious option for an occasional treat for pet ducks.
Peas
Nearing the end of our list, we had to make sure we added plain old peas.
While they don’t seem like terribly exciting food for humans, ducks love gobbling them up!
They’re perfectly bite-sized and full of essential nutrients like vitamin C, potassium, and a bit of protein, too.
During the winter, cooked peas are a great way to keep your flock warm and well-fed.
They’re also low in calories!
Make sure they don’t have any added salt before feeding them to your ducks, though.
Raspberries
Finally, to cap things off, we’ll end our list with raspberries: another delicious, sweet, nutritious berry ducks love to tear apart.
Compared to other sweet, fresh fruits, raspberries are somewhat lower in calories yet high in vitamin C and have plenty of moisture.
They’re great for a summer treat for older ducks and ducklings alike, as they’re very soft and easy to chew and swallow without any kind of special preparation.
Like with blueberries, just throw them into your yard whole and watch your flock come running!
