Can You Feed Peas to Ducks
Peas are an underestimated vegetable and should be more common in homes around the world. Lately, there has been a pea swing. At least in the vegan community, where meat substitutes usually are made out of soybeans, they are now changing to locally grown peas instead. The deforestation of rain forests in the Amazons is exchanged to supporting local farmers growing peas. That is awesome! Hopefully, the green peas will continue to grow in popularity.
Peas don't have the same protein amount as soybeans but still have many nutrients that benefit most individuals. Both animals and humans will benefit from adding peas to their diets. This can be a good thing since not all animals require a high protein amount and instead suffer from a too high amount.
Ducks can eat peas and will benefit greatly from doing it. Peas are most duck's favorite thing to eat. Peas are both incredibly nutritious and are easy to consume for ducks and prepare for them. However, it should be offered in moderation due to its high amount of calories.
Peas have 81 calories per 100 grams. It can be pretty easy to overfeed ducks green peas unless you weigh them before serving. A hand full of peas usually weigh between 100 and 150 grams. I try to give my ducks around 50 grams of peas each per day. That way, I know they will receive a considerable amount of nutrients and still be satisfied.
Can ducks eat peas?
Ducks can eat peas, and they do. I have never encountered a vegetable that my ducks eat so quickly. Peas are small, soft, and fit easily inside a duck's mouth.
Peas contain many nutrients—calcium, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Iron, Magnesium, and Potassium. They also are made of 5% protein which can be good for health in general. However, the number of calories coming from carbohydrates is pretty high compared to other vegetables and should be a factor in portion control. 100 grams of peas are 81 calories, where 100 grams of broccoli only is 33 calories.
Peas in comparison to other vegetables by calorie.
| Vegetable | Calories |
|---|---|
| Asparagus | 20,3 |
| Bell Peppers | 31 |
| Broccoli | 33,7 |
| Cabbage | 24,6 |
| Carrots | 41,3 |
| Cauliflower | 24,9 |
| Celery | 13 |
| Corn | 96 |
| Cucumber | 13 |
| Eggplants | 24,9 |
| Green Beans | 30,8 |
| Kale | 40 |
| Leek | 60,9 |
| Lettuce | 14,8 |
| Mushrooms | 22,2 |
| Peas | 81 |
| Potatoes | 76,7 |
| Pumpkin | 26,1 |
| Salad Mix | 44,9 |
| Tomatoes | 17,7 |
| Zucchini | 16,7 |
Chart of 100g vegetables measured by calories
As you can see in the graph, peas are the second-highest vegetable with only corn beating it. Therefore, you should avoid adding too many peas to the duck's diet and have various vegetables instead.
Ducks are omnivores and can eat many different type of foods. Peas and other vegetables can be edible by ducks. There are some vegetables ducks can not eat. Check out what vegetables ducks can and can not eat here.
Can ducklings eat peas?
Ducklings can eat peas as a staple food after four weeks of age. However, they can have peas as an occasional treat until then. Ducklings require a high amount of protein accessed through special duckling feed. You can treat them with a low amount of peas each week. 10 grams of peas each week is a good start which can be increased over time.
Do ducks like to eat peas?
Ducks love to eat peas. Peas are far their favorite vegetable to eat, and it doesn't take long until they have emptied all. If you aren't convinced, check out this video below.
Can ducks eat raw peas?
From an owner's perspective, the best part of peas is you don't need to cook the peas before serving them to the ducks. The ducks can eat peas raw. It would be best to offer the peas in water. Otherwise, it can be harder for the ducks to find them hidden in the grass.
Can ducks eat cooked peas?
Ducks can eat cooked peas. If you have leftover peas, you can offer them to the ducks. However, if the peas have been seasoned or have some sauce on them, you will need to rinse them first. It would be best if you avoided spices and fatty sauces in the duck's diet. The peas already have enough calories, and the spices wouldn't benefit them. Plain cooked peas are excellent. Ensure the peas aren't hot when serving them.
Did you know that ducks loves to eat fruit? However, there are some fruits you should never feed ducks. Check out which!
Can ducks eat the pea pods?
It would be best if you didn't give the pea pods to your ducks. It may be tempting to offer them the pods instead of throwing them away since the ducks like them so much. Pods are quite hard and pretty difficult to open sometimes. They are too high a security risk to offer ducks since they might choke on the pod. The risk of the pods being sprayed with pesticides can be harmful (or even lethal) for the ducks to consume. Therefore, you should avoid feeding ducks the pea pods and instead add them to your compost.
Can ducks eat frozen peas?
Ducks can eat frozen peas and love it. However, it would be best to put the peas in room temperature water before serving the frozen peas. Otherwise, it will require more energy from the ducks to digest it. There's also a health concern when offering hard frozen food – the choking hazard. Unless you let the food properly defrost, they might get stuck in their throat. Defrosting can be part of your morning ritual. Moving the peas from the freezer to the fridge and defrosting them naturally take around six hours and is perfect for lunch.
Can ducks eat peas with mold?
Ducks should never be offered any food with mold on it. Peas can grow mildew and, if affected, shouldn't be offered either. Mold is toxic and can be lethal. You can see if the peas have grown mold by noticing a color change to a brownish color. There would also be a small putrid smell.
Ducks can eat many human foods as long as there aren't any molds. However, there are some exceptions. Learn which humans food you should never feed ducks. Learn more here.
Ducks are nuts for nuts! However, they can't eat all nuts. Check out what nuts you can and can not feed ducks here.
Can ducks eat canned peas?
Ducks can eat canned peas if there aren't any salt, sugar, or preservatives added. However, there are, far as I know, not many options that don't have sugar, salt, nor preservatives. It would instead be best if you bought frozen peas and defrosted them yourself. That way, you remove the risk of mold growth, and it will be easier to do portion control and prepare the duck's diet.
Safe ways to feed peas to ducks
There aren't that many ways to feed peas to ducks. Most ways are safe and are pretty easy to do.
The safest and best ways to prepare green peas for ducks are:
- Take out the frozen peas from the freezer and measure today's rations.
- Put them into the fridge for defrostation
- When it's an hour left until feeding, take them out
- Put in pot with cold water until boiling. Remove when the water started to boil.
- Let it cool and serve in a bucket of water.
Not harder than that.
If you visit the park and give the ducks peas, you can throw some in the water. They will appreciate it very much.
Unsafe ways to peas to ducks
There are some things to think about when feeding peas to ducks.
- Avoid offering them frozen peas due to risk of suffocation.
- Ensure there isn't any mold on the peas.
- Feed in moderation since the amount of calories is pretty high.
- Don't offer them the pods the peas comes in
- Avoid canned peas since the peas usually bath in sugar, salt and preservatives
💡 Did you know that ducks love to eat meat and other animals? Check out what other animals ducks can eat here.
How often should I feed my ducks peas?
Feeding your ducks peas should be thought out. Some people feed their ducks peas as treats, others as a daily staple.
You will need to plan out the calories for your ducks and make sure they receive all the nutrients. My preferred method is to incorporate as many natural foods as possible in the duck's diet without relying purely on duck pellets. I decrease the number of pellets in favor of vegetables, fruits, herbs, nuts and, other animals. When I feed the ducks leftovers and other human foods the ducks can eat, I adjust the number of pellets.
How much peas can I feed my ducks?
There are many different opinions about how much of this and that you can feed your duck. It all comes down to if you adjust the other foods you feed the ducks with. I try to give my ducks 50 grams of peas daily along with other vegetables. Others may give more or less depending on how many pellets they give their ducks.
In the same way as humans, ducks can also become obese if the caloric intake is more than the energy they consume. Since peas are 81 kcal per 100g, adding another 40 kcal to the duck's diet won't harm them too much as long as the caloric equivalent from pellets is removed.
Health benefits from feeding peas to ducks
Peas contain nutrients like Calcium, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Iron, Magnesium, and Potassium which all are great for a duck.
Calcium in peas for ducks
Calcium is one of the most prevalent of all minerals in a duck's diet. Despite building strong bones, Calcium also is essential for the development of healthy and strong eggshells.
Iron in peas for ducks
An iron deficiency in ducks could lead to anemia. Iron is needed to produce hemoglobin which carries oxygen.
Magnesium in peas for ducks
Magnesium helps to release energy from our food (metabolism) while contributing to the maintenance of bones and teeth.
Potassium in peas for ducks
Although Calcium is crucial, Potassium is also essential in the bird's diet. Potassium regulates fluid balance and muscle contractions.
Vitamin B6 in peas for ducks
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) is a vital vitamin that benefits the central nervous system and metabolism.
Vitamin C in peas for ducks
Vitamin C strengthens the duck's immune system, helps manage high blood pressure, and helps prevent iron deficiency.
🌿 Do you know which herb you should never feed ducks? Read more here: What herbs you can and can not feed ducks.
Conclusion
Ducks can and should eat peas. Peas can be fed both as a treat as well as a staple food.
There's 81kcal in 100g of green peas, which is much more than other vegetables. Feeding peas to ducks can be done, as long as it is in moderation.
Ducks enjoy eating peas so much; I'm starting to wonder if it isn't perhaps their favorite food.
Due to the high amount of calories, one might give them an occasional treat now and then while limiting the feed to 10 grams per duck. I feed every duck 50 grams per day.
Ducks can eat cooked peas as well as raw peas. However, they can't eat the pods the peas came in. The pods are too stiff and don't taste too good.
You can feed ducks frozen peas, but you will need to defrost them first. Feeding them peas directly from the freezer may be a choking hazard and require a lot of energy to digest.
Peas can be given as much as you want, as long as it fitting in their calorie budget whilst providing them with all the required nutrients they need.
The best way of feeding peas to ducks is to put the peas inside a bucket or similar. Placing the peas directly on the ground makes it hard for them to find all of them.
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Source: https://howtohelpanimals.com/ducks/can-ducks-eat-peas/
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