If you’re looking for a fun and educational activity to do with your kids, feeding wild baby ducks is the perfect opportunity.
But, it’s not always easy to find the right food for wild ducklings, and you have to make sure that it is safe for them too, since they’re just so darn cute!
In this article I will teach you what baby ducks like to eat in order to make your first experience feeding wild baby ducks an enjoyable one!
Follow these steps and you’ll be able to feed those adorable little wild ducklings in no time.
What Do Wild Baby Ducks Like To Eat?
Wild baby ducklings are almost vegetarian (adult ducks are omnivores), therefore some popular foods for wild baby ducklings include:
- Fruits and vegetables
- Pre-Packaged baby Duck/Chick Feed
- Dried Mealworms
- Bread (They like it a lot, but you should be careful to not overfeed them)
Fruits and Veggies
Wild baby ducks can eat lots of different kinds of fruits and veggies. I learned this from my personal experience.
I was sitting in the back of my house, when I heard an odd noise through the bush and thought to myself, “What is that?” The next thing I knew this small blinking light came through the leaves.
It would stop from time to time as if it sensed someone was watching it. Tentatively it crept closer until finally coming into full view: a wild baby duckling!
The wild baby duck had made its way up from one of our ponds and somehow managed to get stuck behind my house on a little hillside.
It looked cold and hungry so I quickly ran inside for a box, some tissues that I used as a bedding, water, and chopped celery from our garden.
The wild baby duckling was actually much friendlier than I expected. It let me pet it and held still for a moment while I cut some more celery into bits for it to eat.
So make sure to give them some chopped lettuce, celery, cabbage and other greens, they love it.
Pre-Package Baby Duck Feed
These pre-package foods are the best. This way you can be sure that you are feeding the wild baby ducks with the right mix of foods.
You can find pre-package baby duck food in your local pet store or go online and order some from a wildlife supply company.
Remember: Ducklings need to eat un-medicated feed. Make sure that you check the label on the packaging. If it’s medicated, they could eat too much of it and die.
Crackers and Bread
You may have seen signs up in your local parks about not feeding baby ducks. Why is this? Crackers and bread are two foods that some people think are good for wild baby ducks, but be careful as they lack the nutrients. Bread and crackers are not beneficial to ducks and can lead to other predators being attracted to feed near ducks.
Don’t overfeed wild baby ducks bread or crackers. These types of foods don’t contain any nutrients and can make them sick!
Don’t leave any leftover crumbs around as they could attract unwanted pests.
Be sure to clean up after having a picnic and be sure children do not feed ducks discarded human food or snacks. It’s very tempting to watch ducks eat leftovers, but they can be harmful to digestive systems.
Feed Wild Duckling Dried Mealworms
You can find mealworms in your local pet store. The wild ducklings will be able to eat them easily.
When feeding wild baby ducks at a park, sprinkle some of the mealworms on the ground or in the grass.
Wild Baby Ducklings Need B3
Baby ducklings often have a B3 deficiency, so you can add brewer’s yeast to your ducklings food.
Brewer’s yeast is an ingredient used in the beer making process. Brewer’s yeast contains essential nutrients like vitamins and minerals.
That is why it is being used as a nutritional supplement to help feed baby birds.
Water
You should have clean water out for your wild baby ducks all the time. They can’t swallow the food without water.
Ducklings should always be drinking, and a lot of them like to bathe in it too.
Try getting a waterer that hangs on the side so they can feed themselves without any help. This makes feeding them much simpler!
When To Stop Feeding Wild Baby Ducks?
If you’ve been feeding baby ducks in your yard for a month or two, then it might be time to stop. The reason for this is that if you continue feeding them, they will learn to rely on humans for food all year round .
They will become tame and it will be impossible to move them back into the wild later on.
Plus, these wild baby ducklings were probably born here anyways so it’s best to let nature run its course when it comes to their survival.
As soon as the wild baby ducklings are big enough (after around 10 weeks of age), they’ll start making their own way in the world with other adult ducks or go off on their own.
This is how nature intended it, so don’t worry!
What Do Baby Ducks Eat In The Wild?
The ducklings in the wild eat everything from grass and aquatic plants to other vegetation as part of their natural diet.
Baby ducks are born with the ability to eat right away. Wild ducklings follow their mother wherever she goes as she also feeds them with different plants or small insects.
Summary
You should feed wild baby ducks the same way that you feed domestic ducklings.
Also, when feeding them at a park, sprinkle some of the mealworms on the ground or in the grass to encourage them to come out from hiding.
If you want to feed the wild ducklings in your local park more easily, without thinking what is good or bad for them, then try using these pre-package foods that are specifically for baby ducks!
Related articles:
– Indian Runner Ducks
– Khaki Campbell Ducks
