If you’re tired of breaking the bank at the feed store and want to take control of your duck-raising expenses, consider whipping up your own homemade duck feed. While the feed store is convenient, it’s not necessary to rely on them entirely. By making your own feed, you can save a significant amount of money and make raising ducks a more practical and enjoyable experience. Not only will you be saving cash, but you’ll also have the satisfaction of knowing exactly what goes into your duck’s food.
With these tips on growing and preparing homemade duck feed, you can start reaping the benefits today.
What to Feed Ducks
Ducks are known for their adaptability when it comes to food, and they’re happy to indulge in a wide variety of options. Some staple items include birdseed, chicken feed, cracked corn, bugs, fruit, vegetables, grains, and supplements like grit and oyster shell. For a more detailed look at the best foods to offer your ducks and what to avoid, be sure to check out our comprehensive guide on feeding ducks.
It’s essential to remember that in addition to store-bought or homemade duck feed, you’ll also want to ensure they have access to an ample supply of water.
4 Reasons to Grow Homemade Duck Food
While many of the options for feeding ducks presented earlier may be free or budget-friendly, it’s essential to provide a diverse and balanced diet that meets their nutritional needs. Relying solely on insects and invertebrates can lead to nutritional deficiencies and an unhealthful lifestyle for your ducks. While commercial poultry feed can be a convenient option, the costs can add up quickly, especially when caring for a large flock of ducks.
For those looking to raise ducks for eggs or meat, or simply seeking to attract wild ducks to their backyard pond, growing your own duck food can be a cost-effective and rewarding approach.
Less Expensive
In their early weeks, ducklings have specific dietary needs that differ from those of mature ducks. During this critical growth phase, a specialized feed with a higher protein content is essential to support their rapid development. However, as they approach full maturity, you can easily prepare your own duck feed at home. The key is to strike the right balance between carbohydrates, fat, and other nutrients.
By doing so, you may be able to dispense with store-bought feed altogether, saving time and money in the process.
Lets You Use New Parts of Your Landscape
Embracing the versatility of your homestead, cultivating plants specifically designed for homemade duck feed can unlock new opportunities. For instance, the aquatic duckweed requires no traditional garden space, eliminating the need for raised beds or trellises. This innovative approach allows you to produce a nutritious and delicious food source for your ducks without compromising on valuable plot real estate.
Improves the Health of Your Ducks
In contrast to their natural habits, domesticated ducks don’t typically consume Manna Pro Duck Feed or other bagged feed varieties. Instead, they forage and adapt to their environment. Creating your own duck garden can be an effective way to replicate the ducks’ natural diet. While you may need to supplement during winter months when plant availability is limited, providing a diet that closely mimics what wild ducks would eat is crucial for maintaining overall health and wellbeing.
Some Plants Offer Additional Environmental Benefits
Growing your own homemade duck feed can be a step towards achieving self-sufficiency on your homestead. This approach offers a dual benefit: by reducing carbon emissions and promoting environmental well-being. Firstly, minimizing reliance on commercial feed reduces the need for transportation, thereby decreasing your carbon footprint. Secondly, certain types of duck feed can actually improve the environment, rather than harming it.
A prime example is duckweed, which not only provides sustenance for ducks but also benefits other species like fish and chickens. This aquatic plant has additional advantages – it accelerates water purification by absorbing oxygen, space, and nutrients that support algal growth, while its decomposition releases valuable nitrogen back into the water. By cultivating your own duck feed, you can take a sustainable step towards harmonizing with nature.
Best Foods You Can Grow For Ducks
For those eager to cultivate a sustainable food source for their ducks and take control of their homemade duck feed, there are several excellent options worth exploring.
Duckweed
When it comes to providing a consistent food source for ducks, duckweed is an ideal option. This aquatic plant thrives in ponds and lakes, offering a reliable source of sustenance from spring to fall, with some varieties even surviving winter conditions in warmer climates. As the plants grow freely, they create a constant feed for your ducks, eliminating the need for additional feeding schedules.
Moreover, duckweed provides several ecological benefits, such as improving water quality and serving as a habitat for various aquatic organisms. However, it’s essential to strike a balance, as an overabundance of duckweed can lead to poor water conditions, making it challenging for other animals like turtles to thrive.
Water Hyacinth
Water hyacinth is an excellent choice for duck owners, rivaled only by duckweed in its ease of growth and benefits. This plant thrives rapidly, increasing its size up to threefold within a week to ten days. Not only does it grow quickly, but water hyacinth can also be harvested and dehydrated, retaining its nutrient-rich profile. With the same protein content as soybeans on a pound-for-pound basis, this aquatic plant is an attractive option for duck feed.
Furthermore, water hyacinths are remarkably resilient to poor water conditions, requiring little attention to nitrogen or phosphorus levels. While they do tend to decline in the face of cold temperatures, generally failing to survive below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Millet
While millet is commonly found in commercial poultry feeds, its value extends beyond that of its agricultural applications. In fact, this small grain is often a staple in the diets of pet birds like parrots and cockatiels. Despite its premium price at feed stores, growing millet can be surprisingly straightforward. For those residing in warm climates, multiple harvests per year are possible.
To cultivate millet, sow it in well-moistened soil – typically found along pond banks or similar waterlogged areas. As the plants grow, your ducks will have access to this nutritious food source as long as the area remains flooded but not entirely submerged.
Corn
Corn is an excellent choice for DIY duck feed, particularly if you already have it growing in your backyard garden. With minimal effort, you can harvest the crop at the end of the season, dry it, and store it long-term. As a rich source of fat and calories, corn provides a nutritious addition to your homemade duck feed.
Fairy Moss
Fairy moss, with its delicate appearance reminiscent of duckweed, belies its impressive growth rate. When left unchecked, it can quickly dominate a pond’s ecosystem. Interestingly, this versatile plant has been observed to harmoniously coexist with rice, even enhancing its yields when used as a companion crop.
Peas
Given their adaptability to grow almost anywhere without the need for a pond or pool, peas are an intelligent choice for crafting your own duck feed. What’s more, pea seeds are readily available in most stores and offer exceptional value for money. Moreover, peas serve as a premier source of essential nutrients for your ducks, making them an attractive option for any duck enthusiast.
Wild Rice
While growing wild rice can be a rewarding experience, one potential drawback is that it may attract ducks before the plants have a chance to mature, which can be detrimental to their growth. On the flip side, when allowed to reach its full height of up to eight feet above the water’s surface, wild rice provides an abundance of feed for your feathered friends.
The ideal planting time varies depending on your location and climate, typically taking place in the fall when the seeds are sown into the soil. As the winter sets in, the seeds will overwinter, only to burst forth with new growth come springtime, emerging above the water’s surface. For more information on cultivating wild rice, consult the provided resource.
2 Additional Tips for Starting a “Duck Garden”
Decide on Container or Plot Growing
When cultivating fodder for homemade duck feed, a unique approach is required. Unlike other animal foods, many of the plants thrive in aquatic environments, offering multiple options for growth. While traditional choices like corn and peas can be grown directly in a garden plot, others like peas can be containerized for year-round cultivation and harvesting.
The good news is that you don’t need a duck pond to grow these aquatic foods; kiddie pools or shallow plastic tubs serve as suitable alternatives. Simply toss the mature food to your ducks or let them forage naturally, although constant nibbling may shorten the plants’ lifespan.
Pay Attention to Regulations
When choosing plants for ducks, it’s essential to consider their potential impact on local ecosystems. Some plants, such as water hyacinth, can be invasive in certain areas and may pose a threat to native species or disrupt natural habitats. If you plan to grow these plants in a pond connected to a larger body of water, make sure to research your local regulations and guidelines to ensure compliance.
In the worst-case scenario, consider growing these plants in an isolated container like a kiddie pool or tub. Always prioritize good biosecurity practices, such as sanitizing gardening tools, to prevent accidental spreading of invasive species.
Don’t Neglect Other Components of Your Ducks’ Diets
When creating homemade duck feed, it’s essential to remember that ducks thrive on a diverse diet. To get started, consider using these plants as supplements rather than the primary source of nutrition for your ducks, especially when you’re just beginning. As long as you prioritize maintaining balanced nutrient ratios, you can successfully grow your own nutritious duck feed while saving time and money on your homestead.
By doing so, you’ll be able to provide your ducks with a well-rounded diet that meets their nutritional needs.
