Can Ducks Have Watermelon?

Ducks are fruit lovers. If this sounds funny to you, take a piece of watermelon and give it to your ducks, their willingness to devour it will tell you how much they enjoy the fruit. Watermelon is a tasty and healthy fruit that can serve as a snack for your ducks during summer. Anytime you buy yourself a watermelon, remember to share it with your ducks.

Ducks can have watermelons because they provide natural minerals like potassium and phosphorus. Additionally, melons are rich in vitamin A and C, which can help boost a duck’s immune system and eyesight. Ducks are bigger than most domesticated birds, so they need good hydration from melons.

Benefits of watermelon for ducks

However, you can’t just grab a melon, throw it to your ducks, and expect them to enjoy it. Let us look at how you can feed melons to ducks and how much they can have. But before that, let us look at some of the advantages ducks have from consuming watermelon.

1. Watermelon helps your duck to stay hydrated.

Adequate hydration plays a significant role in ducks, like; regulating the body temperature, delivering nutrients to the cells, and standard functionality of the organs. Furthermore, watermelon is 92% water, making it an excellent choice for everyday hydration.

2. Beneficial nutrients and vitamins

Watermelon contains different nutritional contents like vitamin A and C, magnesium, and potassium, which are crucial for overall duck health. Vitamins help in improving their eyesight and enhancing their growth. A duck suffering from vitamin deficiency tends to have a smaller body than others.

Besides improving the duck’s body’s neural function, magnesium and potassium play a key role in making solid eggshells. Iron helps your ducks’ blood transfer oxygen and is also believed to help them regulate their body temperature.

3. Improved digestion process

Watermelon’s fiber aids in digestion and assures that your ducks have standard bowel functionality. If your ducks are experiencing digestion problems, try giving them a watermelon daily, and you will see some changes.

How to feed ducks watermelons

As we had said, ducks love watermelons, and feeding them is very easy. The first and most straightforward method is to slice the melon into multiple slices, push out any exposed seeds, and let them feast on the flesh.

Another great way to feed your ducks with watermelon is to cut out the rind and chop the left fresh piece. You may decide to get rid of seeds or just let the ducks feed them but be on the lookout not to overfeed them. If you feed them from too many sources, they might be unable to digest it. Place a hard surface that they can use to break the seed.

The other best way is mixing watermelon with other fruits. This fruit mixture will not only provide a diversity of nutrients to your ducks’ diet, but it will also provide them with extra minerals and nutrients, keeping them healthier.

Like any other animal, Ducks will get infections if you feed them rotten and spoiled watermelons. So, if you’ve decided to include this juicy fruit in your ducks’ diet, ensure they are clean and fresh, free from worms and

How many times should ducks have watermelon?

Duck should have watermelons once a week. Just make sure to offer them limits so they don’t become overly reliant on them. Ducks may have stomachaches if you feed them too much. You shouldn’t use watermelon to substitute their main food because it lacks all of the elements required to develop well.

Remember, watermelon is just a snack. As much as feeding ducks watermelon is a good idea, do not overdo it since it will bring some problems to your ducks. We all know that too much of something is poisonous. Below we’ve discussed some disadvantages of too much watermelon for your ducks.

The disadvantage of too many melons for ducks.

Even though the sugar in melon is healthy, eating too much of it might contribute to excess weight gain in your ducks. It’s also possible that eating too many seeds will create stomach problems.

Moreover, too much watermelon will make your ducks full quickly. Thus they won’t eat their daily food package as required. If that happens, it may negatively affect their overall production since melons alone are insufficient to provide them with all the essential vitamins and nutrients they need.

Can watermelon seeds hurt ducks?

Seeds carry most nutrients like vitamins zinc, Ion magnesium, and potassium. They will add more health benefits to your ducks and so feeding on watermelon seeds is so much okay for your ducks.

Even though ducks can safely have watermelon seeds, too much of them can give them digestion issues. When feeding them, you may remove the visible seeds, chop the juicy part, and let them have that. Also, you can decide to blend your watermelon since the seeds will be smashed into tiny pieces, then let your ducks enjoy.

Can ducks eat watermelon rind?

Yes, the ducks will feed every part of the watermelon, including the rind. If the peels are sliced into tiny pieces, they may find it easier to swallow.

However, this part is rough and hard for your ducks, so you should also blend it and place it in a water container for them to take in as water. Also, do not allow them to take too much of it since it can still cause indigestion.

If you must give your ducks a watermelon rind, ensure that it is not pest infested. Cleanliness is also a key factor. Wash the melon and place it in a clean place when slicing it. This will minimize the risk of infection to your ducks.

Secondly, ensure that the watermelon is fresh and healthy. Do not look for rotten and spoiled watermelons and feed them to ducks. You might lose your duck to stomachaches and other infectious conditions. If you notice you have sliced more than enough melons, put them in a fridge for the next time.

Ducks love watermelon as well as the rind. It serves them well during summer because of its juicy water content. It also has natural minerals that your duck will benefit from. But it’s your responsibility to ensure that it does not exceed 10 % of the provided duck’s diet. 

In addition, quantity, freshness, and cleanliness should be your top priorities while serving watermelon to your ducks. If you do these three things correctly, they will enjoy watermelon without difficulty. Good nutrients will also keep ducks from limping due to weak bones.