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Ducks will eat almost anything if you let them.
We all know that this is not the most practical treat, but actually, ducks can eat walnuts.
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It is a hassle if you first need to deshell walnuts and ground them into smaller pieces; however, your ducks will appreciate this treat.
But before you give them a ton of walnuts, read what you should pay attention to first.
How Many Walnuts Is Enough for Your Ducks?
Please do it in moderation because walnuts are energy-dense and high-calorie food.
You can give kernels from one walnut per duck.
If you are using grounded walnuts, and mixing them into your duck’s daily feed, make sure to take that into account.
Heads Up! – You don’t want to overdo it because ducks will eat as much as you give to them – high consumption of walnuts can lead to pourly balanced diet and in some cases diarrhea.
If ducks eat too many walnuts, they won’t have an appetite for protein rich and well balanced food you are giving them.
All that will lead to health consequences in the future.
Preparation Techniques
Be sure to deshell walnuts and ground them into smaller pieces when feeding ducks.
You can make walnut flour and mix it with duck pellets.
Even if you don’t create flour, your ducks won’t have any problems.
But make sure that pieces are tiny so they can digest it more quickly and absorb all the nutrients without stomach upsets.
You can even toast them before – it will change the flavor, and your ducks will love it.
Feeding Ducks With Walnuts Benefits
As you probably know, walnut is a high-fat food, but it is rich in polyunsaturated fat (omega 3 and omega 6), meaning they are rich in “good kind of fats”.
Simply put, walnuts can help with inflammation. Saturated and monosaturated fat is bad.
For Example – Brazil nut has twice as much saturated fat as walnut. And three times more Monounsaturated fat than a walnut.
Even though you will hear that all the nuts are the same, that is far from the truth.
Walnuts have substantial nutritional value to ducks with all the minerals like:
- manganese
- magnesium
- phosphorus
- zinc
- iron
Also, vitamins thiamine(B1), folate (B9), and B6 will improve your duck’s overall health.
Frozen, Raw, or Toasted Walnuts for Ducks
Yes, ducks can eat frozen walnuts as soon as you make sure that walnut is well prepared and defrosted.
You can give them raw walnuts, but as mentioned above, toasted walnuts will change a flavor and be even testier for your ducks.
They will eat either way you prepare it, but it will change a flavor that can be more attractive to some ducks.
Can You Give Walnuts to Your Ducklings
Ducklings require duckling pellets in the first four weeks, and if you give them fat-rich food like walnuts (that is also not that high in protein), that can cause future problems with their development.
The same story with other types of nuts like peanuts or almonds. Also, some people disturb the appetite of young ducklings, giving them all kinds of food.
Works Best – I suggest you stick to the regular duckling pellets in such a fragile part of their life.
Final Words
Ducks can eat walnuts, and you can add them to their daily feed.
But before, you need to prepare walnuts well.
Remove the shell, ground walnut kernels well, and make sure not to give more than one walnut per duck a day.
Walnuts are nutritious, but duck pellets should be the priority, and everything else should be considered just as an occasional snack.