fruit trees and ducks

[Britesea]

we don't have morning glories, but we do have bindweed(which is related) that crops up here and there. I pull it up when I see it, but I'm always worried that I'll miss some. I found this link to a list of plants that are toxic to poultry. http://www.poultryhelp.com/toxicplants.html

 

[flynntheduck]

I always ignore those lists. Many plants listed may be toxic to mammals, but not birds....for example....birds love lantana fruits.... they are a bird dispersed species....if the sugars in a fruit are sucrose...thrushes will starve because they lack sucrase to digest it....give Chinese tallow fruits to bobwhites and they starve....feed yellow-rumped warblers tallow fruits and they get fat, they have a very different digestive strategy.....so much is species-specific that general lists are often in error.

Clint

interesting! Do you know anything specifically regarding ducks eating the pits of fruits, specifically cherry and apricot?

 

[Speceider]

I will quote from "Avian medicinerinciples and application, authors Ritchie, Harrison, and Harrison 1994" "...however, plant intoxications are rare. Free-flying companion birds encounter and consume a variety of plants found in the home...., some of which are thought to be toxic and some are of unknown toxicity......There are few documented cases of plant poisonings in birds.....
"

In their list of 15 possible plants, morning gloryies are not listed. The NRC nutrient requirements book, Duck Management And Nutrition, Domestic Duck Production: science and practice, and Comparative Avian Nutrition all fail to even include a section of all these poisonous plants (although similar mammal texts have extensive chapters).

Clint

 

[flynntheduck]

Thanks. I mean the choking risk not toxicity. Apricot pits are pretty big.

 

[Speceider]

How many millions of wood ducks and mallards fed on acorns all last winter?

Clint

 

[flynntheduck]

I'm just concerned is all. No need to get snotty. Thanks. These are the first ducks I've had so I want to make sure they are safe.

 

[Speceider]

Not getting snotty, just stating facts....could have included pics of scoters choking down clams, and ring-necks apple snails...
Only choking cases I know of involve fish when the spines stick in the esophageal lining. There's a difference between concern and paranoia. We all are concerned about our children, but accidents still happen. Same with ducks.

Clint

 

[chickengirl987]

I have several fruit trees in my yard and my ducks will be outside soon. Will dropped fruit cause any issues? We have a full grown apricot tree that drops a lot of fruit. And baby trees that are not producing yet, plum, cherry, and apple. Will the ducks eat the pits of fallen fruits? I'm concerned they might try and choke. Thoughts? There is no way that I can guaranty there wont be pits around since my dog eats the fruits and randomly spits/poops the pits wherever he feels. The apple tree is near the coop

"Dried apricot and other fruit leaves are toxic to ducks" I remember reading that somewhere.

 

[ringaring]

interesting! Do you know anything specifically regarding ducks eating the pits of fruits, specifically cherry and apricot?

Check out "beautyofbirds.com". They have a list of foods birds should not have. It's one of the more thorough lists I've seen. I recall that the pulp of ripe stone fruits is OK but the leaves, seed and wood are all toxic. And apples seeds (as well as most rices) contain arsenic - in trace amounts but my ducks are not good at moderation when it comes to food. Also check out the nutrition threat for ducks. Good luck.

 

[TheBurrow]

Hello! Did you ever end up determining if cherries/cherry pits were bad for ducks? We're researching the possibility of having ducks *and* a sour cherry tree in our back yard, but I don't want to create a danger or hazard choking or anything. Any advice or help would be much appreciated!