Ducks can eat rabbit food, they will for sure benefit from the high fiber content of the fiber-rich greens and plants that rabbits love to eat. Ducks will also be able to get all the extra minerals and vitamins that rabbit food provides.
If you find yourself with a bunch of ducklings that are not growing as fast as you had hoped, make sure to give them rabbit food to see if it can change their growth rate.
I think you will be surprised when a big healthy duckling comes out of your effort. Adapting your ducks’ feeding requirements will help them grow faster without having to feed them more than they need.
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What Is Rabbit Feed?
You probably have heard of rabbit pellets that you can buy from many pet stores or supermarkets in the form of pellet feed. What most people don’t know is that those pellets are actually a “pelleted” combination of different grains and are designed for rabbits that don’t eat the grasses and plants of their natural environment. They will be able to grow big and healthy feeding on those pellets alone, which certainly is not an option for your ducks.
What Is in Rabbit Feed?
The main components of rabbit food are: – Grains: oats, barley, millet, wheat or corn. The grain needs to be whole grain and should never be cracked (which causes tooth problems). The grains are high in fiber but low in protein and fat. They provide energy but not much nutrition. Make sure you do not give too much grain (more than 20%). –
Vegetables: high quality leafy greens such as kale or parsley (but only 1/10 of the total ration). Other vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, carrots are also good sources of nutrients but should only comprise 10% of the total food intake because they are high in calories with little nutrients.
Pellets made from hay or grasses help reduce the amount of waste in the litter box which means less cleaning for you! Some pellets have fruits or vegetables included which help to provide extra nutrients (be careful so that these extra vitamins do not cause diarrhea).
Is Rabbit Food Good For Ducks?
Rabit food is good for ducks, although ducklings should be given more protein in their food; they have to eat more protein than rabbits due to the required energy to grow.
Ducks also do not produce solid waste as rabbits do, so they can make do with pellets or a small amount of hard food/veggies. Ducklings should be handfed for the first few days to allow their stomachs to take in proper amounts of food. They will grow a lot faster if they are fed a variety of foods with each meal.
Anyway, the nutritional content in rabbit feed will be beneficial also for ducks due to the similar nutritional needs of both species.
What Should Ducks Eat?
Ducks are omnivorous, they can enjoy a pretty diverse diet.
The types of food that ducks should eat are:
Vegetables: Beans, carrots, corn, cucumber, lettuce, peas and Chinese cabbage. Things you should take into account is that cucumbers and beans should not be given whole; the seeds inside can cause problems for the digestive system of the duck. Also, carrots should only be fed in small amounts so that they don’t get too many calories from their diet. The rest of the food items should not be fed in excess either because then your duck will gain weight and some may have problems digesting all those rich foods.
Grains: Oats, barley and sprouted wheat. The only grains that should be fed in excess are oats, barley and wheat because of the energy that these contain; however, you can feed them in moderation and not let them become a major part of your duck’s diet.
Fruit: Apples, grapes and pears. The seeds inside of these fruits may cause digestive problems for ducks as they swallow large amounts at one time. Also, fruits should be given in small amounts so that the duck does not gain too much weight from them.
What You Shouldn’t Feed To Ducks
Do you want your ducks to eat garlic and other vegetables? Of course, you do! However, if you are going to feed them vegetables, make sure they are organic. The health of your ducks is more important than their taste.
Some food to keep away from ducks are:
- Avocado: Avocados are highly toxic due to a toxin contained in the skin and seeds
- Chocolate: Like for cats and dogs, chocolate contains theobromine which is toxic for ducks.
- Coffee: Caffeine is toxic to them as well so be careful to use coffee to compost your yard
- Sugary and Fatty Food: They are not equipped to digest this type of food, it will give them stomach problems
- Citrus Fruits: Citrus fruits are toxic to ducks, too many acidic foods can give them diarrhea
