Can Ducks Eat Cheerios?

Ducks are a common sight in lakes and parks, and people enjoy feeding different human foods to them. But a question that many people are looking for a satisfying answer to is, can ducks eat cheerios?

The answer is yes! Ducks can eat cheerios; they enjoy eating them. But it shouldn’t be a staple to a duck’s diet as cheerios aren’t nutritionally balanced for ducks. Plus, digesting cheerios can be hard for them as well.

Feeding large amounts of cheerios regularly to ducks or other birds can take a toll on their health. Go through this guide if you want to know more about it.

Looking for more articles about duck foods:

Are Cheerios Safe for Ducks?

Cheerios are safe for ducks as long as you feed them in moderation. These are processed food and contain many additives and preservatives that are not suitable for ducks. This is why giving cheerios in high quantities can cause several health issues.

Moreover, ducks aren’t picky when it comes down to food, but they’re not designed to digest high amounts of human snacks. The carbohydrates and sugar content in cheerios are high. And high carb can cause several diseases in ducks, such as avian botulism, angel wings, etc., and it can also cause diarrhea.

So, even though it seems like a fun activity to feed cheerios to ducks, it’s not recommended.

How Often Should You Feed Cheerios to Ducks?

There is no fixed frequency that one should follow. And, as we have mentioned before, you can give a very small amount of cheerios occasionally to ducks as a treat but never feed them on a regular basis. Feeding two or three times a month should be good enough.

Plus, there isn’t any fixed serving size as well, but a handful of cheerios two or three times a month shouldn’t do any harm to the ducks.

How to Feed Cheerios to Ducks?

You shouldn’t give dry cheerios to them; it’ll be hard for them to digest. Dry cheerios can even cause ducks to choke.

First, soak the cheerios in water, and give them to the ducks when they become very soft. It’ll help ducks to digest the food easily.

Can Ducks Eat Whole Grain Cheerios?

Ducks can eat whole-grain cheerios, but like other types of cheerios, it can be hard for them to digest. Whole grain cheerios should be only given occasionally as treats. Making it a part of the duck’s diet can lead to several health issues.

Can Ducks Eat Honey Nut Cheerios?

As said before, ducks can eat cheerios, whether it’s honey nut or whole grain, or anything else. But since all forms of cheerios aren’t nutritionally balanced for ducks, they shouldn’t be a part of the duck’s daily food. So, cheerios should only be used as treats.

What Are the Nutritional Benefits of Cheerios?

If given in moderate quantities, cheerios can provide some health benefits to ducks. Here are some nutritional benefits of cheerios for ducks:

Carbohydrates

Cheerios are mainly made of processed grains such as corn, oats, etc. And they’re rich in carbohydrates. Like humans, ducks also need carbohydrates for energy which cheerios can provide.

Not only that, Cheerios are rich in fiber as well, which helps improve digestive health. In a single serving of 39g, cheerios contain 4g of dietary fiber and 2g of soluble fiber.

Protein

It contains protein that can improve the overall health of the duck. There are many health benefits of protein, such as improved muscle mass and strength, improved immune system, etc.

However, the protein content in cheerios is pretty low; they contain only 5g of protein in a single serving (39g). But ducks require 16 – 22% of protein on a daily basis.

Fat

Healthy fats will enable the body to absorb all the vitamins and minerals properly. And that will lead to improved health conditions.

The total fat found in a 39g serving of cheerios is 2.5g, which includes 0.5g of saturated fat and 1g of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat.

Sodium

Cheerios come with a decent amount of sodium; a 39g serving contains 0.19g of sodium. Not only ducks, most other birds, like chickens and pigeons, are fed high-sodium food as it develops the breast and leg.

Vitamin D3

Not all cheerios you see in the market contain vitamin D3; only original cheerios come with this vitamin. These cheerios contain 80 IU (International Unit – an indication of how much the vitamin is going to affect your body) of Vitamin D3 per serving (39g), which is equal to 2051 IU (International Unit) per kg.

Vitamin D3 is essential for ducks and other birds, as it enables their intestines to absorb calcium.

However, one thing to note here is the duck’s requirement for vitamin D3 per kg of food is 400 – 900 IU. But a kg of cheerios contains around 2051 IU, which is way too high.

Therefore, feeding large amounts of cheerios to ducks can cause Hypervitaminosis D.

Iron

For maintaining normal metabolism and improving overall health, Iron is an essential nutrient. And per 39g serving of cheerios contains 12.6 mg of Iron, which is equal to 323 mg per kg.

Duck’s iron requirement is 80 mg per kg of food, anything higher than that will cause the duck to develop iron storage disease. Therefore, giving a very small amount of cheerios to ducks occasionally should be good for their overall health.

Minerals

Apart from the mentioned ones, cheerios also come with some other minerals, such as niacin, magnesium, etc. And these minerals play a crucial role in developing the duck’s health.

Magnesium improves the bone formation of ducklings, whereas niacin works mainly to strengthen the leg bones.

Conclusion

So, can ducks eat cheerios? If you’ve gone through the guide, you definitely know the answer. Whatever it is, if you want the very best for the ducks or other birds, then don’t give them cheerios or anything like that on a regular basis. Use that as an occasional treat.

With that said, wrapping up this guide and if you want to go through more pieces like this, then don’t forget to connect with us via Facebook, Twitter, & Pinterest.