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Can Ducks Eat Watermelon

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Northern Pintail Duck swimming in the river

There are many fruits on your farm that can make your ducks quack happy quacks. Generally, ducks like fruits as treats, and this is great since eating fruits makes them healthy. Fruits like plums, pears, and bananas are within their diet range, but we shall only consider watermelon in this article.

So, can ducks eat watermelon?

Ducks can eat watermelon. They find watermelons very delicious. In fact, watermelon is one of those fruits that will make ducks react joyfully. They can eat watermelon seeds, rind, and flesh, meaning they benefit from the total watermelon package.

There’s a whole lot of benefits ducks get from eating the different parts of watermelons. This article looks at the benefits of watermelons to ducks, how you can feed watermelons to ducks, and much more.

Health Benefits of Watermelon for Ducks

We’ve already emphasized how healthy watermelons are for ducks a couple of times in this article. Now, let’s get specific. The following are some of the nutrients in watermelons, and what they do for ducks.

Vitamin C

The benefits of vitamin C are not limited to just us humans. Giving vitamin C to your ducks may just boost their rate of egg production and improve the quality of eggs they produce.

A study involving Philippine Mallard ducks showed that vitamin C supplementation actually increased egg production. The ducks were given vitamin C for about 81 weeks, and the responses were great. So, giving your ducks regular watermelon treats might just pay off big time.

Vitamin C will also help boost the immunity of ducks and help with stress. It is particularly helpful during heat stress. Besides that, it can help with wound healing too.

fresh sliced watermelon with leaves on light background

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is essential for the growth of ducks. You’ll find that ducks deficient in vitamin A will grow to be smaller than normal. Vitamin A is also useful for ducks to have healthy eyes.

Watermelons are a great source of vitamin A, so with regular watermelon treats, it would be hard for your ducks to come down with symptoms of vitamin A deficiency.

Magnesium

The effect of magnesium in ducks may be a little different from what is obtainable in chickens. With increased magnesium content in chicken feed, the eggshells become stronger. But in ducks, magnesium will not really affect the eggshell.

Duck eggs contain low magnesium content and high calcium content. So, calcium is the determinant nutrient for eggshell quality in ducks. But this does not mean magnesium is of no use in ducks.

Magnesium plays a part in the neural function and growth of ducks. Magnesium deficiency can cause convulsions, stunted growth, and even death.

Watermelons contain about 10mg of magnesium per 100mg. While this does not meet the magnesium requirements of ducks, it certainly goes a long way.

Potassium

Potassium is actually a big deal inside the cells of our body. But it is also a big deal inside the cells of your ducks’ bodies. If potassium levels fall during dehydration, your ducks are likely to suffer more than when it doesn’t.

In other words, potassium is one mineral essential for electrolyte balance in ducks. Potassium supplementation from watermelons can be very useful when it’s very hot.

Water

Well, the name of the fruit (watermelon) did not do much to hide its water content. On average, the water content of watermelons is 92%. Basically, watermelon is a sweet treat with a lot of water.

The good thing is water is just perfect for everything in the body of ducks. Water will help with digestion and absorption of nutrients. It can also be useful during heat stress.

Although you can give watermelons to your ducks at any time of the year, you may prioritize giving it to them when the weather is hotter. The water they get from watermelons can go a long way in mitigating the negative effects of extreme temperatures.

Iron

Ducks need iron to form blood, and by extension, blood helps in regulating blood temperature. Iron also plays a part in improving the immune system of ducks. Ducks generally have higher levels of iron than other poultry, so iron supplementation from watermelons should do no harm.

Antioxidants

Antioxidants act against the reactive oxygen species produced by the body during oxidative stress. This effect of antioxidants is also seen in ducks, and this means antioxidants are quite useful in alleviating oxidative stress in ducks.

The result of this is improved immunity, better overall health, quality eggs, and high-quality meat.

Sodium

Well, watermelon has a low sodium content. So, it doesn’t offer too much sodium to ducks. This is a good thing because the kidneys in birds have limited capacity. Exposing them to high levels of sodium may not do any good.

The Parts of Watermelon Ducks Eat

There’s no part of watermelons ducks cannot eat. The flesh, the rind, and the seeds are all edible to ducks.

Watermelon Flesh

Without a doubt, ducks can eat the flesh of watermelons. This is where most of the water and the tastiness is, and this might just be the most enjoyable part.

Watermelon Seeds

Ducks can eat watermelon seeds, not just watermelon seeds but all types of melon seeds. Although they can eat watermelon seeds, be cautious not to overfeed them with it.

Give them too much, and they may not digest it readily. While at it, try to provide a hard rough surface on which the ducks can break the seeds to allow easy chewing.

Watermelon Rind

The watermelon rind (or skin) might not be the tastiest part of a watermelon, but ducks do not shy away from eating it. You can make eating the rind easier for them by cutting it into small chunks.

Watermelon Treat Ideas

Watermelon Cocktail

  • Cut a whole watermelon into half.
  • Cut the content of one half into small chunks and keep aside.
  • Scoop the flesh out of the other half, leaving a bowl-shaped rind.
  • Puree the scooped flesh in a blender, then pour the puree into the bowl-shaped rind.
  • Add the small chunks from step 2 into the puree.
  • Then place it before your ducks.
  • You may add some ice if you choose.

Watermelon-Banana Cocktail

  • Cut a whole watermelon into half.
  • Scoop the flesh out of each half, leaving 2 bowl-shaped rinds.
  • Puree the scooped flesh in a blender, then pour the puree into each bowl-shaped rind.
  • Chop 3 banana fingers into small chunks.
  • Add these chunks to each bowl of puree.
  • Then place it before your ducks.

Things to Remember

Here are a few things you shouldn’t forget while feeding watermelons to your ducks:

Do not overfeed them

You should be particularly cautious not to let them eat too many seeds.

Watermelon treats cannot replace their main forage

For one, watermelons are low in calories and proteins. Meaning they cannot meet the caloric and protein requirements of ducks.

Ensure that you feed them fresh, clean watermelons

We didn’t mention this earlier but ensure you feed your ducks with clean and fresh watermelons. Doing the contrary may make them sick.

Conclusion

Your main considerations while feeding watermelon to ducks should be quantity, hygiene, and freshness. If you get these 3 right, then you’ll have no issues when your ducks eat watermelon.

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