Wild ducks tends to eat aquatic plants, insects and animals . They mostly reside at ponds making their natural diet anything they find near or in water. Domestic ducks however are mostly fed pellets, grains and mealworms. They do enjoy treats in form of vegetables and fruits, but can ducks eat hemp seeds?
Yes, ducks can eat hemp seeds. They are very nutritious and also contains omega-3 fatty acids, making it a very healthy snack for ducks.
In this article we will explore more about ducks eating hemp seeds.
How Much Hemp Seeds Can a Duck Eat?
Hemp seeds is very high in fat and even tho they are very healthy, you should only feed your ducks a small amount. You can add hemp seeds into a grain mix and then feed that to your ducks. Normally when given ducks treats it should never be more than 10% of their overall diet.
This might be too much from hemp seeds, but it’s a good number to have in mind when feeding other treats than hemp seeds. If you are at the park and want to wild ducks hemp seeds, then be very restrictive in the amount of seeds you give them, just because of the same reason as for domestic ducks, the high mount of fat.
Also chances are that more people already fed the wild duck before you and giving them to much hemp seeds, might cause health issues for them.
Hemp Seeds Nutritional Value
Hemp seeds are nutritious and 50g of raw hemp seeds contains:
- Calories: 277
- Protein: 15.8 grams
- Fat: 24.3 grams
- Carbohydrates: 4.3 grams
- Fiber: 2 grams
It also contains several vitamins and minerals:
- Iron
- Vitamin E
- Manganese
- Magnesium
- B-vitamins
- Zinc
[Source]
Are Hemp Seeds Healthy for Ducks?
Yes, hemp seeds are very healthy for ducks when fed in small amount. It contains a high amount of fat and protein, but also several vitamins and mineral, making hemp seeds a good snack for ducks in addition to their diet.
Hemp seeds, can help the duck keep their immune system strong, stronger bones and better heart health. Manganese can also help the duck with reducing inflammation.
Do Ducks Like Hemp Seeds?
Ducks tends to like hemp seeds and a good way to introduce them to hemp seeds is to put them in a grain mix and then feed them. This will give them something tasty they, know but also a new flavor from the hemp seeds and most of the time they will just eat it all.
How To Feed Hemp Seeds To Ducks
A good way to introduce them to hemp seeds is to put them in a grain mix and then feed them. This will give them something tasty they, know but also a new flavor from the hemp seeds and most of the time they will just eat it all.
You can also put the grains in water for the duck to reach and eat it easier or you can just feed in a bowl. If you just sprinkle it on the ground, they also eat, dirt from ground and will need water. If put in water, they can just filter out the water and only eat the seeds.
Seeds Ducks Shouldn’t Eat
Now there are a few seeds that ducks should not eat such as:
Apple seeds, they contain amygdalin and when digested it turns into cyanide, which can cause severe health issues for the duck.
Passion fruit seeds has the same problem as apple seeds because it also contains amygdalin.
Other Seeds Ducks Can Eat
Ducks loves to eat seeds and below are some more that they can eat.
Navigate the world of duck diets with ease by checking out our carefully compiled list of grains and seeds for ducks.
Conclusion
To sum up, hemp seeds is healthy for ducks to eat in moderation. Mix it with grains and you will hear some happy quacks. Even tho it contains many healthy minerals and vitamins, together with omega-3 it’s not good for them to eat too much because of the high fat, which could give them fatty liver.
Ducks enjoy most seeds, but always be sure to make your own research to avoid health issues caused by feeding them seeds that are bad for them.
Thanks for reading, take care!
Disclaimer: The information in this article is for informational purposes only. I'm not an expert or a veterinarian.
