What can ducks eat? Safe foods, treats and what to avoid
A duck feed with extra niacin, water beside every meal, and no bread. Checked against Australian government, veterinary and poultry extension sources, October 2026.
Ducks eat most of what chickens eat, and the toxic list is the same. Three things are different: ducks need more niacin than chickens, they must have water right beside their food to swallow it, and bread, the food people most often give them, is one of the worst things you can offer. Get the base feed right, keep treats small, and search any food below.
What ducks need that chickens do not
- Extra niacin. The MSD Veterinary Manual says ducks are much more severely affected by niacin (vitamin B3) deficiency than chickens, because they convert less of it from their feed, and suggests 55 to 70 mg per kg of feed, against about 30 for chickens. A duck short of niacin shows it as bowed legs and swollen hocks, and growing ducklings are the most at risk. A duck or waterfowl starter is made for this. If you can only get chick starter, brewer's yeast sprinkled on the feed is the usual stopgap; ask your produce store or vet about the rate.
- Water with every meal. US Cooperative Extension says ducks should never get feed without water nearby, because without it they can choke. Put the waterer next to the feeder and make it deep enough for them to dip the whole bill. Expect a mess.
- No medicated chick feed. Ducks eat more than chicks, so they take in more of the drug in medicated chick starter, and extension advice is that ducks rarely need it. Buy unmedicated.
- Duck pellets over chicken pellets. The MSD Veterinary Manual recommends duck or game bird pellets for waterfowl. Adult ducks get by on unmedicated chicken layer feed if it is all you have, with a niacin source added.
The right feed by age
- Ducklings, the first 2 to 4 weeks: a duck or waterfowl starter crumble of about 20 to 22 percent protein, with 55 mg of niacin per kg (MSD Veterinary Manual and US Cooperative Extension figures). Meat breeds such as Pekin are often started on 22 to 24 percent.
- Growers, to point of lay: a grower of about 16 to 19 percent protein. Fast growth on rich food is part of what causes angel wing, a twisted wing joint, in young waterfowl, so do not push growers with extra high-protein treats.
- Layers: a layer ration of about 16 to 18 percent protein with calcium for shells, and shell grit in its own dish. A laying duck eats around 120 g of feed a day, more than a hen.
- Mould and salt: ducklings are among the animals most affected by aflatoxin, the mould toxin in damp grain, peanuts and feed, and the MSD Veterinary Manual records salt poisoning in ducklings fed a salty wet mash. Keep feed dry, sealed and fresh, and never mix salty leftovers into wet feed.
How much in treats
Treats and scraps are a small extra. RSPCA Australia gives 10 percent of daily feed as the ceiling for chickens, and the same reasoning applies to ducks: every handful of starch replaces feed carrying the protein, niacin and calcium they need. Float treats such as peas and chopped greens in a shallow tub and ducks will dabble for them, which is the most natural way to give them. Clear what they leave the same day, so it cannot rot in the water.
Can ducks eat...? Search the A to Z
Every food we are asked about, with a plain verdict: Yes safe as a treat, In moderation safe in small amounts or only in the form described, No do not feed.
Fruit
Apple Yes
Why: The flesh and skin are a good treat. The seeds carry most of the fruit's cyanogenic compounds; the flesh carries very little.
How to serve: Core it, then chop or grate. Ducks swallow food whole, so smaller pieces go down easier. Windfalls are fine if they are not mouldy or fermenting.
Banana Yes
Why: Soft and well liked, but sugary, so it counts towards the treat allowance.
How to serve: Peeled and mashed or in small chunks, a few times a week at most.
Berries (strawberries, blueberries, mulberries) Yes
Why: Safe and popular. Like all fruit, they are sugar more than nutrition.
How to serve: Whole small berries, halved strawberries. Never mouldy ones.
Citrus (orange, mandarin, lemon) In moderation
Why: Not known to be toxic, but sour, and most ducks leave it.
How to serve: A few segments now and then. Pick up what they ignore before it moulds.
Coconut In moderation
Why: Fresh or dried flesh is safe but high in fat.
How to serve: A little grated fresh coconut or unsweetened dried coconut, occasionally. Skip sweetened products.
Grapes and raisins In moderation
Why: Safe for ducks, but sugary. Raisins and sultanas are the same sugar in a smaller package.
How to serve: A few grapes, halved if large, or a pinch of raisins, now and then.
Kiwifruit, mango and fig Yes
Why: Ripe flesh is safe and a good use for overripe fruit in a warm summer.
How to serve: Small pieces of ripe flesh. Take out the mango stone, and collect fallen figs before they sour.
Pear Yes
Why: Flesh and skin are safe. As with apples, the seeds hold most of the cyanogenic compounds.
How to serve: Core it, then chop small.
Stone fruit (peach, plum, apricot, cherry) In moderation
Why: The flesh is safe. The kernels inside the stones carry far more cyanogenic compounds than the flesh.
How to serve: Stoned and chopped. Never the stones.
Watermelon and rockmelon Yes
Why: Safe and mostly water, which suits a hot day.
How to serve: A wedge to pick at, or small chunks floated in their water tub. Take the rind away after a few hours.
Vegetables, greens and garden
Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts Yes
Why: Safe, leaves and stalks included.
How to serve: Chopped small or shredded, raw or lightly cooked.
Capsicum In moderation
Why: Ripe fruit is safe. Leaves and stems are nightshade parts.
How to serve: Chopped ripe fruit. No leaves or stems.
Same advice as for chickens: nightshade leaves and green fruit →
Carrot, beetroot and other root vegetables Yes
Why: Safe, roots and tops.
How to serve: Grated raw or cooked soft. Ducks manage grated better than chunks.
Cucumber and zucchini Yes
Why: Safe and watery, good in hot weather, including overgrown garden ones.
How to serve: Grated, or halved lengthways for them to scoop.
Herbs (parsley, mint, basil, oregano, coriander) Yes
Why: Common kitchen herbs are safe greens.
How to serve: Chopped, mixed into greens.
Lawn weeds (dandelion, clover, chickweed) Yes
Why: Free greens ducks find for themselves when they free range.
How to serve: Let them graze, or pull a handful for them. Never from a lawn or path that has been sprayed.
Leafy greens (lettuce, kale, silverbeet tops) Yes
Why: Greens give ducks something to forage, and the MSD Veterinary Manual notes some lettuce is fed to waterfowl to mimic natural foraging. Lettuce alone is not a diet: MSD lists bread, lettuce and corn as the combination that leaves waterfowl short of protein and vitamins.
How to serve: Torn or chopped, floated in a shallow tub of water if you want to watch them dabble for it.
Mushrooms In moderation
Why: Plain shop-bought mushrooms are safe. Wild mushrooms are not: some are deadly, and they cannot be told apart safely by eye.
How to serve: Plain cooked shop mushrooms, chopped. Pull out any that come up in the duck yard.
Nasturtium and edible flowers Yes
Why: Nasturtium leaves and flowers, and marigold petals, are safe.
How to serve: A few leaves and flowers in with the greens.
Peas Yes
Why: Safe, higher in protein than most vegetables, and the classic duck treat.
How to serve: Fresh, cooked, or frozen peas thawed first. They float, so a handful in the water tub works well.
Potato (cooked) In moderation
Why: Plain cooked potato is safe. Raw, green or sprouted potato, green peel and the plant carry solanine.
How to serve: Cooked, plain, mashed and cooled, in small amounts. Never green or sprouting potato or peel.
Pumpkin and squash Yes
Why: Safe, flesh and seeds.
How to serve: Cooked and mashed, or raw and grated or chopped small.
Slugs, snails, worms and insects Yes
Why: Ducks are keen foragers and this is natural protein. Snails and slugs can carry parasites, so a duck living mostly on them still needs its feed.
How to serve: Let them forage. Never let ducks into a bed where snail bait or insecticide has been used.
Spinach and silverbeet In moderation
Why: Safe, but high in oxalates, which bind calcium, so they belong in a mix of greens rather than being the whole thing.
How to serve: Chopped leaves a few times a week, mixed with other greens.
Sweetcorn In moderation
Why: Safe and loved, but high in energy and low in protein. The MSD Veterinary Manual lists corn, with bread and lettuce, as the diet that leaves waterfowl short of protein and vitamins when it makes up the bulk of what they eat.
How to serve: Kernels off the cob, fresh, cooked or thawed, as a treat. Not a staple.
Tomato In moderation
Why: Ripe fruit is safe. Leaves, stems and green fruit are nightshade parts that poultry extension advice says to keep out of the run.
How to serve: Ripe fruit, chopped. No vines and no green fruit.
Same advice as for chickens: nightshade leaves and green fruit →
Vegetable scraps and peelings Yes
Why: Most vegetable scraps are fine, apart from the never-feed list below.
How to serve: Fresh, chopped or grated, the same day. Leave out onion, garlic, green potato peel, and anything mouldy or salty.
Grains, bread and snacks
Bread No
Why: Bread is the classic duck food and the wrong one. A crust will not poison a duck, but bread fills them up with little protein and few vitamins: the MSD Veterinary Manual says waterfowl fed mostly bread, lettuce and corn end up short of protein and multiple vitamins, with poor feathers and swollen joints, and RSPCA Australia says ducks fed a lot of bread become malnourished. Angel wing, where the last wing joint twists and the flight feathers stick out, is linked to fast growth and unbalanced diets in young waterfowl; bread is part of that picture, though not a proven single cause. Uneaten bread goes soggy and rots in water, and rotting matter in a pond is where botulism starts. Mouldy bread can carry aflatoxin, and ducklings are among the animals most sensitive to it. In Queensland, only bread with no egg or meat in it, and no contact with them, may be fed to any poultry.
How to serve: Do not feed it. Give peas, chopped greens or a scoop of their own feed instead.
Breakfast cereal In moderation
Why: Plain cereals are safe but mostly starch. Sugary, salty and chocolate cereals are not suitable.
How to serve: A small handful of plain, low-sugar cereal, softened in water, occasionally.
Crackers, chips and salty snacks No
Why: Salt is the problem. The MSD Veterinary Manual records salt poisoning in ducklings fed a wet mash with 2 percent salt.
How to serve: Do not feed them.
Honey In moderation
Why: Safe, but it is sugar and little else a duck needs.
How to serve: A small smear, rarely, if at all.
Nuts and peanuts In moderation
Why: Plain nuts are safe but fatty. Peanuts and grain that go mouldy can carry aflatoxin, and the MSD Veterinary Manual names ducklings among the animals most affected by it.
How to serve: Plain, unsalted, chopped small, occasionally. Never mouldy, damp or stale nuts, and none for ducklings.
Popcorn In moderation
Why: Plain popped corn is safe. Salted or buttered popcorn is not.
How to serve: Air-popped and plain, a small handful, now and then.
Quinoa (cooked) Yes
Why: Plain cooked quinoa is safe, a little higher in protein than rice.
How to serve: Rinsed, cooked plain and cooled, in treat amounts.
Rice, pasta and oats In moderation
Why: Plain cooked grains are safe but mostly starch. Egg pasta is an egg product, so in Queensland it may not be fed to poultry.
How to serve: Plain and cooked, no sauce or salt, a small amount. Rolled oats can go in dry or soaked.
Protein, dairy and eggs
Beans, lentils and chickpeas (cooked) Yes
Why: Thoroughly cooked legumes are safe and a good protein source. Raw or undercooked dried beans contain a lectin that only proper boiling destroys.
How to serve: Boiled until soft, plain, mashed or whole. Never raw dried beans.
Butter and ice cream No
Why: Fat, sugar and lactose, with nothing a duck needs, and some ice cream contains chocolate.
How to serve: Do not feed them. Frozen peas do the hot-weather job better.
Cheese and yoghurt In moderation
Why: The same lactose limit as milk, and most cheese is salty.
How to serve: A spoonful of plain yoghurt or a crumb of cheese, rarely.
Dog and cat food No
Why: Made for dogs and cats, not ducks, and most of it contains meat, which brings Queensland's swill law into play. It is sometimes suggested as a niacin top-up; a duck or waterfowl feed is the reliable way to get niacin right.
How to serve: Do not use it as a supplement. See niacin, above.
Eggs and eggshells In moderation
Why: Laying ducks need calcium. In Queensland, eggs, shells included, are prohibited feed for all poultry.
How to serve: Outside Queensland: eggs cooked and chopped, shells dried and crushed. Everywhere: shell grit in its own dish.
Fish and prawns In moderation
Why: Plain cooked fish is a protein treat. Queensland's swill law names mammal and bird material; fish is not named, but anything that has touched meat or egg is. Tinned fish in brine is salty.
How to serve: Cooked and plain, flaked small, rarely. Not in brine, batter or sauce.
Mealworms In moderation
Why: High in protein and a favourite.
How to serve: A small handful, live or dried, as a treat. Dried ones can be soaked or floated.
Meat and cooked meat scraps No
Why: Feeding meat, or food that has touched it, to any poultry, ducks included, is illegal in Queensland. We found no equivalent ban in other states, but meat scraps spoil fast and Biosecurity Queensland says swill can carry Newcastle disease.
How to serve: Do not feed it.
Milk In moderation
Why: Birds do not make lactase, the enzyme that digests milk sugar, so more than a little milk loosens droppings. A small amount does no harm, and Australian milk products are allowed under Queensland's rules.
How to serve: A splash mixed into wet feed, rarely. Never a bowl of it.
Olives and pickles No
Why: Cured in brine or vinegar, so far too salty.
How to serve: Do not feed them.
Sausage, bacon, ham and deli meat No
Why: Meat, so covered by Queensland's swill law, and salty as well.
How to serve: Do not feed it.
Never feed
Avocado No
Why: Persin in the fruit, skin, stone, leaves and stems poisons birds; the leaves are the most toxic part. The MSD Veterinary Manual names budgerigars, canaries, cockatiels, ostriches, chickens and turkeys. Ducks are not named, but no source shows avocado is safe for them, and there is no antidote.
How to serve: Do not feed any part, and keep ducks away from fallen fruit and leaves under an avocado tree.
Chocolate, coffee and caffeine No
Why: Theobromine and caffeine are toxic to many species, and the MSD Veterinary Manual reports deaths in livestock fed cocoa by-products. Coffee grounds and tea leaves still carry caffeine.
How to serve: Never. Compost grounds and tea leaves where the birds cannot reach.
Onion and garlic No
Why: Both carry sulfur compounds that damage red blood cells, raw, cooked or dried, and the MSD Veterinary Manual rates garlic 3 to 5 times more toxic than onion in the animals studied.
How to serve: Do not feed them on purpose, and keep onion-heavy leftovers out of the scrap bucket.
Dried beans, raw or undercooked No
Why: Raw kidney beans and other dried beans carry phytohaemagglutinin, a lectin that soaking does not remove and only thorough boiling destroys.
How to serve: Never raw or only soaked. Beans boiled until fully soft are fine (see cooked beans above).
Green or sprouted potato, peel and plants No
Why: Solanine and chaconine collect in green skin, sprouts, old tubers and the leaves and stems. The Massey University poisonous plants database lists poultry among the animals poisoned.
How to serve: Never. Cooking does not make green potato safe. Plain cooked potato that was never green is covered under potato above.
Rhubarb leaves No
Why: The leaf blade is high in oxalic acid and soluble oxalates, which bind calcium and in quantity damage the kidneys. The stalks hold very little, but there is no reason to feed the plant.
How to serve: Never. Fence the rhubarb patch off and keep the leaves out of compost the birds scratch through.
Alcohol and fermenting fruit No
Why: UC Davis poultry extension lists alcohol among the things toxic to poultry, and fermenting windfalls also carry mould.
How to serve: Never. Rake up fermenting fruit.
Mouldy or rotting food No
Why: Moulds make mycotoxins, and the MSD Veterinary Manual names ducklings among the animals most affected by aflatoxin. Rotting food in or near water also feeds botulism, which MSD says can kill waterfowl in large numbers.
How to serve: Never. Throw out mouldy feed, bread, nuts and fruit, and keep feed dry. Clear uneaten food from water tubs the same day.
Salty food No
Why: The MSD Veterinary Manual records salt poisoning in ducklings fed a wet mash with 2 percent salt, and notes wet feed is riskier than dry because birds eat more of it. Ducks eat wet, so salty leftovers soaked in water are a real risk.
How to serve: Never: chips, crackers, salted nuts, cured meat, olives, stock and gravy. Keep water topped up.
Foods that are toxic to ducks
The toxins are the same for ducks as for chickens: avocado, chocolate and caffeine, onion and garlic, raw dried beans, green or sprouted potato, rhubarb leaves, alcohol, mould and salt. Rather than repeat it, each never-feed entry above links to the full write-up in our chickens toxic foods guide, which covers the toxin, the signs and what to do. Two of them hit ducks harder: ducklings are among the animals most affected by aflatoxin from mouldy grain and nuts, and wet, salty feed has poisoned ducklings. One risk is bigger for ducks because of where they live: botulism grows in rotting food and plants in warm, shallow water, and the MSD Veterinary Manual says it can kill waterfowl in large numbers. Never leave food to rot in the pond or water tub.
If a duck has eaten something on the list, take the food away, make sure there is clean water, and call a vet who treats poultry or birds. The what to do steps on the chickens page apply to ducks too.
Kitchen scraps and the law
Queensland. Biosecurity Queensland's ban on feeding swill to poultry names ducks, and it covers pet and hobby birds. Swill is anything that contains, or may contain, a mammal or bird carcass or material from a mammal or bird, including meat, eggs and blood, and any food that has been in contact with those, including home kitchen scraps. Penalties include fines and imprisonment. Allowed: fruit, vegetables and cereals; bakery or vegetable scraps with no egg or meat in them and no contact with them; Australian milk products; and meat, blood or bone meals from an accredited feed supplier.
Other states and territories. The swill rules we found for New South Wales and Victoria are written for pigs and for cattle, sheep and goats. We found no equivalent ban for backyard poultry in other states' published guidance as at October 2026. Check with your state or territory agriculture department before feeding meat scraps; our advice everywhere is not to.
The full scrap rules, with the reasons, are in feeding kitchen scraps safely in Australia. They apply to ducks exactly as they do to hens.
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Common questions
Can ducks eat bread?
No, not as a treat. Bread fills ducks up with little protein and few vitamins; the MSD Veterinary Manual says waterfowl fed mostly bread, lettuce and corn end up with protein and vitamin deficiencies, and RSPCA Australia says ducks fed a lot of bread become malnourished. Uneaten bread also rots in water. Give peas, chopped greens or their own feed instead.
What should backyard ducks eat every day?
A complete duck or waterfowl feed for their age, with water deep enough to dip their bill right beside it, plus greens and whatever they forage. Treats and scraps stay a small extra on top.
Do ducks need niacin?
Yes, more than chickens. The MSD Veterinary Manual says ducks are much more severely affected by niacin deficiency than chickens, showing bowed legs and swollen hocks, and suggests 55 to 70 mg per kg of feed. A duck or waterfowl feed is made for this; chick feed is not, so ducklings raised on it need a niacin source such as brewer's yeast added.
Can ducks eat chicken feed?
Adult ducks can manage on unmedicated chicken layer feed with a niacin source added, but a duck or waterfowl feed is better. Do not give ducklings medicated chick starter: US extension advice is that ducks eat more feed than chicks, so they take in more of the drug, and they rarely need it.
Is it legal to feed ducks kitchen scraps in Queensland?
Fruit, vegetable, cereal and plain bakery scraps that have not touched meat or egg are allowed. Biosecurity Queensland's swill ban names ducks and covers pet and hobby poultry, so meat, eggs, eggshells and anything that has touched them are illegal to feed. We found no equivalent poultry ban in other states as at October 2026.
Can ducks eat avocado?
No. Avocado poisons several bird species, the leaves most of all. Ducks are not named in the MSD Veterinary Manual's list, but nothing shows it is safe for them and there is no antidote.
Sources we checked
- Business Queensland (Biosecurity Queensland), Laws against supplying and feeding prohibited feed to poultry (updated 9 July 2025)
- Agriculture Victoria, Backyard Biosecurity booklet (PDF)
- MSD Veterinary Manual, Vitamin deficiencies in poultry (niacin)
- MSD Veterinary Manual, Nutritional requirements of poultry
- MSD Veterinary Manual, Nutrition in waterfowl (2025)
- Cooperative Extension (poultry.extension.org), J. Jacob, Feeding ducks for egg production in small flocks
- Cooperative Extension (poultry.extension.org), J. Jacob, Raising meat ducks in small and backyard flocks
- RSPCA Australia Knowledgebase, What are the animal welfare issues associated with feeding wildlife? (updated 10 March 2026)
- Factors affecting the incidence of angel wing in White Roman geese (PMC4852259)
- MSD Veterinary Manual, Aflatoxicosis in animals (2025)
- MSD Veterinary Manual, Salt toxicosis in animals
- MSD Veterinary Manual, Botulism in poultry
- MSD Veterinary Manual, Mycotoxicoses in poultry
- RSPCA Australia Knowledgebase, How do I feed my chickens a healthy diet?
- MSD Veterinary Manual, Avocado toxicosis in animals
- Massey University, Poisonous Plants database: avocado
- MSD Veterinary Manual, Chocolate toxicosis in animals
- MSD Veterinary Manual, Garlic and onion (Allium spp) toxicosis in animals
- MSD Veterinary Manual, Cyanide poisoning in animals
- UC Davis and UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, Feeding your Flock (Pitesky and Reimers, PDF)
- Massey University, Poisonous Plants database: potato
- MedlinePlus (US National Library of Medicine), Rhubarb leaves poisoning
- From foodborne disease outbreak to investigation: the plant toxin trap, Brittany, France, 2018 (PMC10467087)
- The effect of whey on performance, gut health and bone morphology in broiler chicks (PMC7278671)
- Cooperative Extension (poultry.extension.org), Feeding chickens for egg production in small and backyard flocks
- Biosecurity Tasmania, Backyard Poultry: a guide for hobby farmers (PDF)
Sources checked in October 2026. Feeding rules and vet advice change, so we recheck this page every year. If a duck is unwell, call a vet who treats poultry or birds: this page is general information, not a diagnosis.