Many insects are natural prey for ducks, at the end of the day they eat pretty much anything that comes in their vicinity.
but what about dragonflies?
Do ducks eat dragonflies? The answer is yes. When a duck is hungry, it will not hesitate to go for it, if it comes in its zone.
Some insects have substances in them that can disrupt the liver and other bodily fluids of animals, so eating them may be hazardous to the ducks’ health hence they just fly away and leave them alone.
The dragonflies do not seem to have such substances in their bodies hence the ducks don’t mind eating them especially when they have no other food source around.
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Are Dragonflies Safe For Ducks?
As I told you before your ducks would have no problems snacking on a dragonfly. But are they safe? The answer is yes. Dragonflies do not pose any danger to ducks even when they do decide to snack on one.
That being said, this doesn’t mean that all insects are fine for them to eat as you can see reading down.
Ducks As Pest Control
Knowing this, you could be asking yourself, Ducks could be used as pest control in your yard?
Ducks are considered a good natural pest control. In the cases where food is scarce, these ducks will happily eat bugs that would otherwise get into your yard. Pests include mosquitoes, gnats, ants, and grasshoppers.
Why Do Ducks Eat Insects?
To some people this might seem like a silly question but this is to be on the safe side as no one wants their ducks falling ill after eating insects.
Why do ducks eat insects? The answer to this question is because they need the protein in insects as well as other carbohydrates. Ducks are carnivores which means that their diets consist of animal proteins, fats and minerals.
Are All Insects Fine For Ducks?
The answer is yes… but there are a few exceptions. There might be a few insects that you do not want to feed them like cicadas and grasshoppers.
They can have pretty hard exoskeletons which could lead to your duck choking on them. The same goes for moths and butterflies wings- they tend to get stuck in the throats of your ducks!
There are also quite a lot of insects out there that would prove toxic for your ducks like bees, wasps and hornets, for example. They can prove deadly for your ducklings! I think you should avoid feeding them as well to be on the safe side!
Ducks will eat basically any type of insects that they find including isopods (which resemble dead bugs from outer space), grasshoppers, caterpillars, termites and beetles.
You can also offer your ducks things like mealworms (which are actually beetles) and crickets but try to avoid caterpillars which have a very hard shell that might lodge in the throat of your duckling when it tries to swallow it.
Also, it’s better for them to avoid moths since they might get caught in the trachea of your duckling when he is trying to swallow them.
Conclusions
Yes, ducks can eat dragonflies and other insects, but you better don’t expect them to be able to process all of those things that they might eat. There will be some of them that will prove toxic for your ducklings and some that are not.
This article is meant for general knowledge and it does not contain specific recommendations for your ducks, only what I think would be good for the health of your ducks in most cases. It’s of course always better for them not to overfeed and try to note changes in patterns
CREDITS: picture from Pixabay.com
