Cabbage treat!

[newbyduckmom]

Decide to give the ducks a special treat and bought a head of cabbage for them. Chopped it up in food processor and floated it in the kiddie pool this morning (since they refuse to eat such things out of a bowl, the ground or whatever - spoiled rotten ducks. But whose fault is that, truly?). They (all 6) piled in the kiddie pool for a swim and sloshed the cabbage all over the ground without taking so much as a bite!

They must be tired of what they are getting free range, because I just noticed they actually ate it off the ground (about 5 hours later)!

 

[Ducks and Banny hens]

I've never had much succes having ducks dabble for forage, either. I guess they know that they aren't meant to!

 

[Amiga]

My ducks will eat some things in their water. Cabbage is not one of them. But they do enjoy lettuce, chickweed, dandelion.

Tried getting them to eat sprouts last winter. Not much enthusiasm. Perhaps it's in the presentation. . . .

 

[newbyduckmom]

They have always loved cabbage in their water. Gave it to them when they were just ducklings. But sometimes we just have to be picky ducks.....just because we can!

 

[duckdad]

Interesting...

Mine will eat a picture of cabbage !

And my 2 big birds were raised by hand and they are divers and they dabble in the mud along the edge of the pond. I was worried that they might lack some "skills" but they took to it quite easily. I do not worry now that they could survive on their own if they suddenly had to. Another thing, they will step on bread, sit on it, but they will NOT eat it thankfully.

I was worried that I was the only one that used a food processor !
I grind seed in there to mix with their greens, (indoor diet) and hack up cabbage, lettuce and carrots. ALl goes into tupperware and stored in the fridge so they have at least 3 meals worth ready to go.
Cucumber is their current favorite treat...they eat the rind and all...the duckling will trip all over herself to get to a piece of cucumber. Funny watching a duck eat into a slice of cucumber..like eating a sandwich from the middle out.
Sometimes I'll bury a few small pieces under the usual feed in the bowl...and when they discover the cucumber they practically shovel the other stuff out of there. Its entertaining seeing how they react to different treats.
Might try cantalope some day, if its not too expensive. Honey Dews..no way! thats mine!

 

[Miss Lydia]

My ducks and chickens love cabbage in the winter months only, I hang a head from the ceiling and they play tether ball with the cabbage. I also will cut one in half and put it into a big suet feeder and they will nip off pieces to eat it doesn't last long.

 

[mandelyn]

I gave the chickens and ducks both half a head of cabbage... not chopped up at all! Each group destroyed it down to a nub. Had some tomatoes going soft, big ones. Cut them in half. Chickens picked at theirs and ate it.

The ducks? Those lunatics grabbed them, the whole half, threw them in the pool, tossed them around like little alligators tearing up meat to get smaller pieces off.

Hilarious! It's taken many months, but they now know that they can trust what I bring them as food.

 

[lovesgliders]

I've found the same thing, that ducklings aren't too picky but adult ducks are wary of what you bring them. When my ducklings were being brooded in my dining room I would bring them apple, bell pepper, lettuces, mushrooms, cukes, tomato, crickets, guppies, mealworms... anything!

Now that they are adults like like corn and peas. That's pretty much it for veggies.

They do still love anything that moves (fish, bugs, etc.) so that's fun in the summer, to catch them grasshoppers.

 

[duckdad]

... that reminds me.

I need to get some more minnows. I did'nt know if they'd eat minnows so I got a sample of about a doz and threw them in a bucket and set it in the pen. This was a few months back in summer when my now big birds were maybe 4 mts old. As I watched, the 2 ducks stood there practically frozen watching minnows swim in a circle. I watched for a while and decided that they did'nt know exactly what to do, so I went on about my business.

Came back an hour later and the ducks were sitting around doing duck things...I look in the bucket and there are NO minnows anymore !
Thats a LOT of fishing in an hour! I would have thought there would be a mess and water everywhere...but no, the kids did good. I never would have believed they could grab those little fish that easily. Heck, the kid at the store had a hard time catching the things and he had a net!

Yep...I forgot about that treat. I need more pellet feed anyway so tomorrow they get something special.

 

[jynxster]

My 2 ducsk will gut a watermellon in minutes, is obviously their favorite treat, I cut it in half set it on the ground and LOOK OUT they are ravenous abvout watermellon however. wouldnet touch a cantelope and kinda picked at a honeydo mellon and they love love dog kibble too. They get fed two times a day, half all porpouse poultry feed high in protien and half chicken crumble. 2 ducks 2 cups every morning and night, they also pick at teh grass and will not eat crumble off the ground, weird. When they are in the pool sometimes I float some kibble or feed in a plastic bowl that floats in there,:cool they love it and have yet to knock it over . LOL
Luv My Quackers
O yea frozen peas and frozen corn