Ducks are omnivores just like humans and chickens. These webbed friends are not choosy and will not mind trying new treats. So, can ducks eat green beans?
There are a host of foods that ducks can eat. Their main diet is made up of forage material they get on your backyard.
However, seeds, fish, mealworms, snakes, rodents and leftovers are good for them to eat. It is a common practice for us to toss some of our leftover food and table scraps to these birds.
In this article, I am going to take you through ducks and green beans. This will help you know whether they are good for your pet ducks or not.
Can ducks eat green beans?
Yes! Green beans are good and healthy for ducks to eat. These vegetables are loaded with a different variety of nutrients that are beneficial to ducks.
However any green beans meant for ducks should be cooked first. This is because raw green beans contain phytohemagglutinin that is toxic when ingested.
If green beans are in abundance, do not throw away those extra ones away. They can be eaten by your flock of Khaki Campbell ducks and this will help avoid food wastage.
Can ducks eat uncooked green beans?
As I have just said, uncooked green beans are not safe for ducks to eat. They are laden thin a phytohemagglutinin a toxic lectin when swallowed.
This does not just apply to green beans; raw dry beans are also laden with this chemical and can lead to death within 1-3 hours after they are swallowed.
The amount of lectin in raw kidney beans is much higher than in other bean species. Raw kidney beans contain 20000-70000 hemagglutinating units while after thorough cooking; they contain 200- 400 units.
Therefore, do not feed raw green beans to your ducks. If you want them to eat green beans, cook them first and add no salt, butter or other additives.
Are frozen green beans good for ducks to eat?
Yes! Frozen green beans are good for ducks. However, first defrost them and cook them well before feeding to your Cayuga ducks.
Keeping green beans in a freezer is a good way to preserve them and keep them from going bad. Frozen cooked green beans will help cool your birds on a hot summer day.
Cooked green beans can be frozen together with other tasty duck treats like chopped apples, strawberries and peas.
Can ducks eat canned green beans?
Canned green beans are good and can be fed to ducks. Most foods are first cooked first before they are canned.
If the green beans in that can are cooked, they are safe for ducks and chickens to eat. However, most canned foods are high in sodium and other preservatives.
First check not to feed your ducks salty foods or those with any spices. Salt is not good for ducks and can lead to kidney problems.
If you have some extra canned green beans, first wash them to remove any salt before tossing to your duck breeds to eat.
How many green beans can ducks eat?
Green beans are treats just like cracked corn and pineapple. All treats should be fed to ducks in moderation.
Duck treats are meant to supplement the diet of your birds with extra nutrients. You should never do away with their main course of pellets and crumbles just because they can eat green beans well.
The general rule of thumb states that all treats fed to ducks should not exceed 10% of their diet. This is because they do not have all the nutrients these birds need in their bodies.
Green beans are good when fed to ducks once in a while. Toss to them once or twice in a week after they have eaten their main diet.
What are the health benefits of feeding green beans to ducks?
As I earlier said, green beans are packed with a host of vitamins and minerals that are very good for the health of your ducks.
Study the table below and see what 100g of these vegetables will add to your ducks.
Nutrient Value
Energy 31kcal
Water 90.32g
Protein 1.83g
Fat 0.22g
Carbohydrate 6.97g
Fiber 2.7g
Sugars 3.26g
Vitamin C 12.2g
Vitamin K 43ug
Manganese 0
Iron 1.03mg
Potassium 211mg
Magnesium 25mg
Phosphorus 38mg
Sodium 6mg
Zinc 0.24mg
Copper 0.069ug
Water
Green beans contain about 90% water. Feeding these vegetable treats to your ducks will help keep their bodies on a hot summer day.
Ducks are water loving birds and need it to digest food, pass out waste and keep all metabolic processes running smoothly.
Protein
Protein is very important in the health of your ducks. It helps in body building making sure your birds have healthy tissues and other body organs.
Ducks need the right amount of protein to continue laying those fresh eggs for baking. Duck eggs contain more protein than any other mineral.
Fiber
Fiber is a vital mineral in the digestion of food. It helps prevent constipation by ensuring that the bowels are running out smooth.
This mineral is also important in blood sugar regulation. It ensures that your ducks are healthy and do not get heavy or obese.
Iron
Iron will make sure that your ducks have healthy and rich blood. It helps prevent a blood condition called anemia which can lead to poor oxygen levels in the cells.
Can baby ducks eat green beans?
Out of curiosity, ducklings can eat green beans. , this is not the right food for these little critters to eat. Green beans do not have all the nutrients these baby ducks need in their bodies.
It will be good if you let your ducklings stick to their starter feeds. These feeds are specially formulated and have all the nutrients in balanced rations.
The digestive system of ducklings is not well developed to digest treats. Feeding green beans or other treats like cracked corn can lead to health issues.
How to feed green beans to ducks
Chopped
Whole green beans are big for ducks to swallow and can lead to chocking. Chop the raw green beans into small pieces and cook before feeding.
Chopped cooked green beans can be mixed with other tasty duck treats like live mealworms and bird seed or commercial duck feeds.
Cooked
Cooking is the best way to make sure that green beans are safe for ducks to eat. Cooking will help get rid of Phytohemagglutinin which is toxic to ducks.
The best way to cook green beans for ducks is by boiling or steaming them. Never add oils, salt, butter or dairy products.
Salt contains high amounts of sodium which can lead to serious kidney problems. Butter and dairy products can be a recipe for diarrhea leading to dehydration.
What other vegetables can ducks eat?
Apart from green beans, there are a host of other healthy and nutritious vegetables that you can feed to Florida ducks at the park.
Most vegetables are low in calories and sugars making them very safe for ducks to eat. These vegetables include:
- Carrots
- Onion
- Broccoli
- Chard
- Squash
- Asparagus
- Pumpkin
- Cucumber
- Zucchini
- Celery
- Green peas
- Cabbage
- Kale
- Corn
Don’ts when feeding green beans to ducks
Although feeding green beans to ducks is good, there are certain things that you should avoid. By doing this, your ducks will be out of any health risk.
Chemical laden green beans
Do not feed ducks any green beans that you are not sure about the source. Those store bough vegetables may be laden with pesticides and other farm chemicals.
Feeding such treats can lead to serious health issues or even death. Wash those green beans first with plenty of clean water before cooking them for your duck breeds.
Avoid rotten or moldy foods
Rotten and moldy foods are not good for ducks to eat. What you cannot eat do not feed it to your ducks because it is not good.
Bad foods can be the genesis of health issues or even death.
Feed in moderation
Green beans are treats just like other vegetables you feed to your birds. Treats should be fed in moderation to help supplement their diet.
Do not replace their main course with green beans. Remember that these vegetables do not have all the nutrients these birds need in their bodies.
Summary
Cooked green beans are safe for ducks to eat. However, they should be fed to these birds in moderation after eating their main meal.
Avoid feeding those stores bought green beans and other vegetables to your ducks. They may be laden with toxic chemicals which are not good for ducks health.
Chopped cooked green beans are good. They are easy to swallow and cannot choke your birds. These treats are good for adult ducks and not ducklings.
Do your ducks eat green beans? Share your views with us.
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