Did you know that apricots have been around for more than 4000 years? For a fruit to have existed that long, it must have some benefits that people have been reaping or perhaps it’s juicy enough to have people wanting more.
It’s not very well known but apricots are a relative of the peach fruit and are members of the rose family. Apricots are a great source of Vitamin A which aids in improving the general health of the eye. They also do not contain saturated fat, sodium or cholesterol.
Can Ducks Eat Apricots?
Yes, you can feed your ducks apricots. The important information to note is that while it’s safe in general to feed ducks apricots, fruits with large seeds or stones should be carefully fed to the ducks.
Ensure to remove the stones in the fruit very carefully because these seeds could present as a choking hazard and could contain toxic elements like cyanide (found in apples), persin (found in avocados) and a large array of other toxic substances.
Health benefits of feeding Apricots to Ducks
It is important to note that fruits that contain seeds should be carefully cleaned and washed before being eaten by ducks. Feeding them stone fruits is not a problem as long as they are only fed in moderation.
Just a 100 grams of apricots provides the duck with about 6% potassium and 12% of the daily recommended dose of vitamins.
Helps Fight Inflammation
Several animal studies have shown how apricot seed oil extract protected against ulcerative colitis which is an inflammatory bowel disease that birds like ducks are prone to.
Although feeding your pets with seeds from fruits like apples, apricots, peaches are discouraged, they can also get this health benefit from eat the fruit itself. Apricots are rich in chemicals that can prevent osteoarthritis and other inflammatory forms of arthritis.
Magnesium which is also gotten from apricots can helps reduce inflammatory pain.
Boost Bone Health
Calcium is generally known to be good for strong bones and teeth in both animals and humans and thankfully this important nutrient can be gotten in abundance in apricots. Calcium is important for bone development and health.
Potassium which is also gotten from apricots is important for the proper distribution of calcium in the system.
Improve vision
Fruits like apricots are known to have incredibly healthy benefits to both humans and animals. Apricots contain Vitamin A, an important nutrient for the eyes, which prevents age-related macular degeneration
It keeps the eye of your pet duck looking clear and sharp.
Prevents Liver Damage
The liver is a very important organ in the duck through which it detoxifies the system and protects against poisonous substances. Apricots can protect against liver damage and also ease the symptoms of fatty liver disease (accumulation of fat in the liver). Recent studies have even shown apricots to be useful in the regeneration of liver damage.
So feeding a duck with damaged liver some apricots could aid in hastening the regeneration process.
Protects the heart
Potassium gotten from apricots can help lower blood pressure levels and hence prevent heart attacks. Fiber which is also another important nutrient found in the apricot fruit lowers cholesterol levels and prevents heat related diseases like atherosclerosis.
Aids in Metabolism
Ducks ingesting apricots could have an easier time digesting their foods and have a relatively metabolic process because of the presence of fiber in the fruits. It may also help in keeping the ducks full for a much longer period of time and this in turn prevents them for over-eating and gaining to much weight than necessary which could be detrimental to their overall health.
How do I Feed my Ducks Apricots?
There’s really no specific way to correctly feed a duck with apricots but there are some precautions that should be noted to prevent any health or physical hazards from occurring to the ducks.
- Always ensure to wash the fruits carefully before feeding them to the ducks. The fruits may have passed through dozens of hands and may be contaminated with many different organisms that could be injurious if ingested by the ducks.
- Remove pits of the apricots before serving them to ducks. Seeds/pits of certain fruits like apricot, peaches and apples contain poisonous and dangerous toxins which are injurious to both humans and pets.
While consuming these seeds in small amounts may not have any significant impact of hums, the smallest trace of these seeds in the system of the ducks could wreak a lot of havoc and leave the duck severely impaired.
- Make sure to cut large chunks of the apricots into smaller pieces to prevent any possibility of it becoming a choking hazard for the ducks. Ducks have very small and narrow gullets that makes it difficult to swallow large sized chunks, so it is encouraged to cut the foods into very small pieces for easier consumption by the ducks.
Can I Feed Ducklings Apricots?
Although ducklings should be placed on a strict diet of vegetables, they can be fed very small handfuls of apricots mostly as a treat occasionally. A little sweet treat every once in a while never hurt anybody.
Conclusion
It is important to note that even while it’s okay to feed ducks with apricots, it is best done in moderation. Even the healthiest foods can be injurious to the health when overdone. Try mixing the apricots with other foods, fruits or nuts mixes to provide them with a balanced and healthy portion of daily nutrients.
Ensure to cut up the food into much smaller sizes to make ingestion and digestion easy for the ducks and you should have a healthy and robust duck quacking the whole day away.
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