How to feed ducks on the pond: what wild birds eat in nature and what is better not to give

In park areas where artificial ponds are equipped, ducks often live, which are constantly fed by vacationers. Near the city waters you can see a sign saying "do not feed the ducks", but this warning does not stop people. Many of them do not know that they damage the he alth of waterfowl when they throw pieces of bread, chips or crackers on the surface of the pond.

What to feed ducks on the pond

Ducks that live in water bodies find food on their own. In parks, ducks perform a useful function - they destroy mosquitoes, which makes nature walks near water bodies more attractive.Birds do not need additional feeding if the weather is fine outside. With a sharp drop in air temperature, additional feed helps birds stay full longer.

Useful products

The main source of calories and vitamins for domestic ducks are cereals and grains. Birds eat peas, millet, barley, oatmeal, rye, and beans. They eat well euphorbia, oatmeal, fresh grass. From meat and fish, shellfish, small fish, small frogs are suitable for wild ducks.

Can I give bread?

The main food used to feed ducks in park ponds is bread. Vacationers paint fresh buns, cookies, sweet pastries from pastry shops. White bread in large quantities is bad for ducks. Carbohydrates are slowly digested, and the constant supply of slow carbohydrates inevitably leads to the fact that the bird gains weight. She becomes heavy, clumsy, loses the ability to find food on her own.

Dangerous food

There is a special category of food that is dangerous for the body of young birds. Ducklings are not given green onions, they are not given fresh milk, they are not given trimmings of meat or fish.

Prohibited Foods Table:

Product	Why not to give
Nuts	Pieces of nuts get stuck in the esophagus, poorly digested.
Chips	Chips in large quantities cause digestive disorders.
Cookies	Biscuits soaked in saliva, clumping, turning into a heavy piece, causing nausea, poorly digested.
Bread with mold	Mold is dangerous for birds, it can provoke inflammation of the cesspool.
Ready-made cereals	Porridges with a short shelf life turn sour on water and become unusable.

Help! Finely chopped green onions make young ducks sick.

Seasonal feeding habits

Feeding features depend on the season. Some foods should not be given in summer, but can be fed in winter.

Winter

Lower air temperatures cause birds to change their habits. Ducks are given millet, low-fat cottage cheese, boiled eggs.

Spring

Ducks can be fed with peas, oats, barley. In the spring, they begin to give root crops. Root crops that germinate in spring are especially in demand by ducks.

Summer

Green vegetable food, which ducks especially love, becomes the predominant food. In the evenings, you can feed the birds with cereals and grains.

Autumn

A lot changes for city birds in autumn. They need cereals and cereals with added proteins that are quickly absorbed.

What ducks eat in nature

Nature provides that wild birds find their own food. The basis of the diet is protein food. These are mollusks, small fish, snails, frogs. Plant food is duckweed on ponds, as well as grass that grows near the coast.

How to feed wild ducks at home

Wild ducks are fed at home for various reasons. Wild drakes often become material for further breeding of special breeds intended for slaughter. Raising a wild duck requires a feeding plan tailored to the characteristics of the bird.

Mineral supplements

Mineral supplements are especially necessary for ducks on the pond when the cold starts to set in. Calcium and phosphorus enter the body of a wild bird with bones from fish or frogs. At home, they are given additional foods:

• shattered egg shells;
• fodder chalk;
• meat and bone meal.

As a mineral supplement, ducks are given coarse gravel or sand. The norm of the additive is calculated by the formula: 10 grams of sand per 1 duck. Gravel or sand helps digest food, quickly grind and absorb grain or cereal feed.

Vitamins and vegetables

Ducks are given fiber-rich vegetables and vitamin feed:

• dried or fresh nettles;
• boiled root vegetables;
• raw pumpkin, zucchini;
• fresh cabbage.

Vegetables don't have to be finely chopped, the duck's beak breaks large pieces, and chopped vegetables can reduce the bird's reflexes, which leads to a weakening of the body's natural functions.

Grains and cereals

Cereals and cereals are traditionally considered to be the basis of feed for home breeding. The diet includes different types:

1. Barley. Suitable for the main diet in winter and autumn, when it is important to give the bird cultures that give a sense of satiety for a long time.
2. Wheat. An essential element of nutrition that is rich in vitamins and minerals.
3. Oats. They are given with caution to young animals because of the hard shell, but they must be included in the diet of adult birds, since oats are rich in elements necessary for the formation of immunity.
4. Corn. The vegetable is rich in proteins and carbohydrates that ducks need.

It is useful to periodically add beans to the diet of birds. They contribute to the rapid digestion of food, are a preventive measure for problems with the esophagus.

Information! For home breeding, it is customary to use a combination feed. It includes essential elements of cereals and cereals.

Meat and fish

Meat or fish that wild birds get on their own can be replaced at home with the following items:

• waste from boiled meat;
• ground sprats;
• small fish minced with a knife.

Information! Meat and bone meal is included in the diet of chicks, starting from the 5th day of life. This supplement contains up to 50 percent protein.

Homemade food

The process of preparing combined feed for home breeding takes into account age characteristics. The first days, ducklings are fed carefully, they are given crushed boiled eggs in order to develop a grasping reflex. From day 10, they give a complete combined feed made from the following products:

• shredded wheat, corn, barley;
• feed yeast;
• stern chalk with shells;
• sunflower meal;
• bone meal;
• s alt.

All ingredients are ground on special equipment. Technologists advise mixing one component at a time, and not pouring out all the components at the same time.Flour is added to the feed last. After mixing, the feed must be granulated in a granulator. Over time, fish and bone meal are added to the feed, and they also experiment with the compositions of wet mash.

Duck food is not given due to the fact that dust clogs the nasal passages of birds, does not allow them to breathe. The best option is to dilute the feed with kefir. Kefir is taken in such a proportion to the feed that, after thorough mixing, a “wet crumb” is obtained. For a change, minced eggs from boiled eggs are added to the dish weekly.

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