Raisins are good in taste and rich in sugars. I love raisins to eat as they are tasty and have great nutritional benefits.
We have teeth and a good digestive system that can digest this dried fruit. But can ducks enjoy the same benefits as we do? Can ducks eat raisins?
Ducks can eat raisins. These dried grapes have several benefits. Being rich in sugar, they are a great source of energy. This snack is a great feast for the ducks. You can feed raisins only 2-3 times a week.
We came to know that they can eat raisins but what are their benefits for this bird? How much to feed? And what are the precautions you need to know before feeding them?
Contents
What are raisins?
Before giving, you must know what you are feeding them? What are the main ingredients? So you can easily maintain a balanced meal for the birds.
Raisins are grapes that dried for almost three weeks. They are mostly dark brown and light yellow. Size, taste, and color depend upon the type of grape used. They have a soft texture and are very sweet. Dried grapes have 4 times more fiber, vitamins, and minerals than normal grapes, by weight.
Composition: 1 Ounce raisins have 95 calories, 1 gram protein, 1 gram fiber, 17 gram sugar, 22grams carb. They have about 60-75% sugar.
Due to higher levels of sugars, it is recommended not to feed them every day. Overeating can always be harmful.
What are the Nutritional benefits of raisins for ducks?
Here below are some of the main benefits of raisins that are explained shortly.
Potassium:
Raisins are high in potassium. One-half cup contains 618mg of potassium. It is involved in maintaining fluid balance, helps the ducks in muscle contractions and nerve signals. Birds remain more active when they eat foods rich in potassium.
It helps lower blood pressure which reduces the chances of strokes in birds. In short potassium, it helps the heart muscles to work properly.
Vitamin B :
It plays an important role in the synthesis of proteins. Purifies the blood by the formation of new red blood cells. It is good for the nerve tissues. The deficiency of vitamin B in ducks can cause problems in their growth such as reduced weight, poor feathering, and nervous disorders.
Vitamin B helps in growth, helps them to eat balanced, and is also involved in cell growth.
Can ducks eat grapes? How much is safe?
Sugar
This dried grape is extremely rich in sugar which provides a lot of energy to the bird. Just like humans, it can be bad too. But it can not be ignored from the meal.
Feeding too much sugary food can cause digestive problems. So, it is recommended to feed raisins only a few times a week along with other nuts.
Fibers
Fibers are very helpful for relieving constipation. They are extremely helpful in digestion and absorbing nutrients. You can feed ducks for gaining a healthy weight.
Iron
Iron helps in muscles growth. It maintains red blood cells production and is helpful in bone growth.
Can ducks eat currants?
The answer is yes, currants are just another type of fruit, and they are also safe for your ducks.
Currants are usually a lot bigger than raisins. That’s about all that makes them different.
Because of this, be careful when giving your ducks berries.
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Because they could choke your ducks, you might want to break them up a bit before giving them to it.
Once more, it’s even more important to be careful with blackberries because they are bigger.
Add some of them to their other food.
So, how should you cook raisins for a ducks ?
It’s not always best to buy something in a store.
How to feed raisins to ducks?
Raisins are dry grapes. So what is the best way of feeding them that digest in their body easily?
The best way to feed the raisins to ducks is by soaking them in water the whole night before the feeding day.
It makes the raisins more soft and easy to pick and digest.
Reason: It is because they don’t have teeth and can’t chew. Instead, this bird has nibblings, by the motion of these, softer foods can be broken into pieces.
It makes the food easy to digest. Although bigger size food is crushed by the gizzard present between stomach and intestine.
The excess sugar on the raisins is also washed away when soaked in water.
Another way of feeding them is by placing the raisins in the water and place them in their water pots as it is.
It makes it more interesting and enjoyable to eat. You can feed them raw too but the softer dried grapes are preferable.
If you have less time, you can soak raisins for 5 minutes in hot water.
After that place them on a plate and dry their water. It is now ready to feed your bird.
How much to feed?
Too much of anything is harmful. Dried grapes like raisins, sultanas ad currants are high in sugar content.
Higher sugar in the body turns into fat which makes the body obese and Obesity is the mother of all diseases.
You can feed 10% of the total diet. It should be 1 tablespoon or 10 grams per duck.
Most raisin companies coat them in sugar for making it more preferable for humans. It can be a hazard for pets. Try to feed them sugar-coated free dried grapes for any complication.
To maintain the diet, you can feed your duck 2-3 times a week. Feeding every day is not a good choice.
You should feed in moderate quantities. Add some other nuts too in the diet. It should not be their main food source.
Why are raisins bad for ducks?
Raisins are not bad for the ducks if given in moderate quantity. Over-eating can cause digestion problems.
Due to higher sugar content, they can cause weight gain in them.
It indeed provides a huge amount of energy that is enough to drive the whole day.
But if your duck has nothing to do and doesn’t have space to walk and swim outside the cage.
Then this higher sugar content is converted into fat which leads to obesity and heart problems.
Your bird might become lazy and inactive. Overeating can cause sickness.
These problems are caused only if you feed them regularly and in vast quantities.
All you have to focus on giving them good quality raisins and 2-3 times a week in moderate quantity.
Precautions:
There are some things to consider before giving the dried fruit:
- Feed them in moderate quantity.
- Do not force the ducks, if they ignore to eat.
- If your bird shows laziness, skip this from the diet. There are chances you are overfeeding him.
- Soak them overnight or boil them in water for making them soft.
- Always use the best quality and sugar-coated free raisins.
Can Ducks get sick from raisins?
No, they aren’t. They don’t pose any special health risks.
No matter how many they eat, they won’t hurt your cockatiel.
Still, what I said about balance is very important.
Your Ducks could get sick if it eats too many of them, because too many can make it have diarrhea and stomach problems.
The reason Ducks shouldn’t eat too many raisins is that they are very healthy.
It could make your Ducks stomach hurt, so don’t eat too much of it.
Summary: Can ducks eat raisins
Ducks can eat raisins. It is not harmful in moderate quantity. Feed them sugar-free raisins. They are very nutritious and energy boosters. Always soften in water and dry them before feeding
How your duck give respond to feeding raisins? Let us know in the comments