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Can Ducks Eat Watermelon?

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Ducks enjoy a variety of fruits, which are packed with lots of nutrients. Most are also juicy and tasty and certainly make your ducks happy.

Fruits such as pears, plums, and bananas are within their diet range, but let’s have a detailed look at watermelon.

Can ducks eat watermelon?

Ducks definitely eat watermelon! Some might even say watermelon is their favorite fruit.

They can consume the rind, seeds, and flesh of the watermelon, so they get the whole watermelon experience.

Though they love it, watermelon should only be given to them as a treat every once in a while. It is a great snack for ducks, especially during the warmer months of the year.

During summer, some owners often freeze the melon before giving it to their ducks to quench the ducks’ thirst and give them a cool treat.

Not only is watermelon full of water, but it is also packed with lots of nutrients and minerals that are beneficial to ducks.

Duck eating watermelon

Health Benefits

Watermelon has a lot of health advantages for ducks, which is why it’s one of the best fruit treats you can offer them. Let’s look at the nutrients and their significance in the duck’s body.

Vitamin C

Watermelons are packed with lots of vitamin C. This nutrient is responsible for boosting egg production rate, as well as improving the quality of the eggs produced.

Vitamin C is also responsible for boosting the duck’s immunity and is crucial for relieving stress, especially heat stress. Besides that, it can aid in wound healing too.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is an essential nutrient for bone development and growth in ducklings. It is common that ducks deficient in vitamin A will have stunted growth and may be smaller than normal.

Vitamin A is also responsible for the development of healthy eyes and improvement of eyesight.

Water

Water aids digestion and nutrient absorption. It also helps a lot when combatting heat stress.

Generally, watermelons can be fed to ducks any time of the year but are more ideal for hot weather because of their high water content.

Magnesium

Magnesium is important for ducks’ brain function and neural development.

Magnesium deficiency may cause convulsions, stunted development, and even at times death.

Potassium

Just like in humans, potassium plays a significant role within your ducks’ body cells. During hot weather, your ducks are more likely to suffer if their potassium levels are low than if they aren’t.

Essentially, potassium is a mineral that ducks require for electrolyte balance. During hot weather, potassium supplementation from watermelons can be quite beneficial.

Iron

Iron is essential for blood formation in ducks, and blood, in turn, nourishes every body process.

Iron also aids the ducks’ immune system.

Antioxidants

Antioxidants are responsible for fighting free radicals from the oxidative stress in the body’s cells which may be responsible for advanced infections and ailments such as cancer. Their significance is evident through improved health, immunity, and the production of quality eggs and meat.

Preparing Melons for Ducks

watermelon

The best way to serve watermelon to ducks is to cut it in half and leave it for them to devour in the feeding area. Luckily, ducks eat all the parts of watermelon from the rind to the flesh.

You could also consider chopping the melon into smaller pieces and mix it into a fruity salad for your ducks. Watermelon is a healthy treat, and they would love it.

During the warmer months of the year, you may consider freezing the watermelon to help the ducks cool down.

When they are done eating, you should clean up the feeding area to avoid attracting pests that could be problematic to the ducks.

Precautions When Feeding Watermelons to Ducks

  • Avoid overfeeding – Although the sugar in watermelon is natural, overfeeding them can lead to obesity or diabetes. Too many seeds might also cause digestive issues.
  • Watermelons are low in proteins and calories and cannot meet the duck’s daily requirements, so they should not be used as a replacement for the duck’s main forage.
  • Feed clean and fresh melons – This is a precaution to avoid the introduction of toxic substances into the duck’s feed.

Conclusion

Ducks love watermelon, and they eat the whole fruit. For baby ducks, however, you have to consider cutting the watermelon into small chunks and remove the seeds to avoid possible stomach upsets.

Watermelons are strictly to be fed as treats and never as the main meal for ducks. Besides melon, ducks can also enjoy tomatoes, edible flowers, and cabbages as treats.

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