Can Ducks Eat Cashews?

Cashews are one of the nuts commonly eaten as food.

If you have some cashews leftovers at home, and you are raising ducks in the yard, you might be wondering if you can serve the cashews to the ducks. 

In this blog post, you are going to discover if you can serve cashews for the ducks or not. 

Can ducks eat cashews? Ducks can eat cashews as well as the seeds. But you have to crush the seed into small pieces before serving the ducks. Cashews are a good source of fibre and protein to the ducks. 

There’s no need to hesitate if you are planning to give cashew to the ducks. Just make sure you serve the cashews to the ducks in moderation. 

Read further to discover how you can introduce cashew to the ducks and other birds in the yard. 

Are cashews poisonous to the ducks?

First, you need to know if cashews are poisonous to the ducks or not. 

Well cashews are not poisonous to the ducks. The reason is that cashews do not contain any poisonous substance that can affect the body system of the ducks. 

Photo by Mohammad Wasim on Unsplash.com

Common toxic substances like solanine, Lectin and Thamaminea cannot be found in cashews.

Therefore cashews are safe for the ducks and other birds in the yard. The important thing is to serve it in moderation to them.

It is your duty as a pet owner to always serve something safe for the ducks and other pets you have in the yard. 

The wellness of your ducks should be your major concern and you should do everything within your capacity to maintain it. 

Some pet owners treat their pets inappropriately by giving them anything they see. They don’t care about the proportion of the nutrients the ducks are consuming. 

This should not be the case with you, make sure you’re always serving them something that will nourish their body systems.

How do I introduce cashews to my ducks?

Just like any other new treat, you have to go slow when you are introducing cashews to the ducks. 

This will give you the chance to see how the ducks are going to react to the cashews you are introducing to them. 

Another thing is that you will have only a small amount of cashews turn into waste if the ducks reject it.

You can start by serving a small portion of the cashews flesh into the feeders and watch how they are going to react. 

Make sure you crush the cashew seeds into smaller pieces before you put it in the feeders for the ducks. 

Your ducks are going to eat everything you serve if they like the taste of the cashews’ flesh and the seeds you put in the feeder. 

You can mix the flesh of the cashews together with other vegetables you serve to the ducks. 

They are likely to eat everything together without noticing the cashews. However, if the ducks do not like the cashews, they are going to eat all the vegetables and leave out the cashews. 

How often do I feed my ducks with cashews?

Now you know that you can serve cashews to the ducks, that does not mean that you should start throwing every cashews you have at home to the feeders for the ducks. 

The treats should always be served to the ducks and other birds you have in the yard in moderation.

Cashews should be regarded as a treat. And anything we call a treat should not be served regularly to the pets.

This means that you should not serve cashew to the ducks more than two times in a week. 

Can ducks eat cashew nuts?

Cashew nuts are safe for the ducks. Cashew nuts come with health benefits for the ducks. 

You can serve cashew to the ducks alone or together with other grains you normally serve them.

However, it is very important to crush the nuts into smaller pieces so that it will be much easier for the ducks to pick them up while eating. 

Can ducklings eat cashews?

Cashews should be served to the ducklings that are 4 weeks old and above. 

At this stage, they might have developed digestive systems that are capable of breaking down the nutrients found in cashews into their body systems.

You should not serve the nuts to the ducklings while they are still very young so as to prevent buildup in their digestive system.

Why are my ducks not eating cashews?

It is possible for the ducks to reject the cashews you serve them if they don’t find it palatable. 

You should know that the ducks maintain distinctive body systems which makes them react differently to a certain treat or feed you serve them. 

I know it can be very frustrating when your ducks reject the treat you are serving them if you know that other ducks are eating the same treat.

You can simply look for another way to make use of the cashews if it happens that your ducks are rejecting them anytime you serve the fruits to them. 

Health benefits of cashews to the ducks

Cashews come with a lot of health benefits for the ducks and other birds in the yard. 

Cashews are a good source of protein for the ducks. Proteins are essential for growing new feathers for the ducks, especially the ducklings. Protein also enhances proper growth of the ducks and ducklings. 

Cashews are a good source of fibre for the ducks. Fibre helps to improve the digestion of food in ducks. 

The likes of iron, vitamin k, calcium, phosphorus, coppers and digestible fats are some of the essential nutrients the ducks are going to drive from eating cashews. 

Other treats you can serve the ducks

It is good to have some other healthy treat which you can serve your ducks. This will prevent serving only a few treats to the ducks all the time.

Apples

Apples are one of the healthy treats you can serve the ducks. Apples are rich in essential vitamins and minerals. You can slice the apples into smaller pieces for the ducks. 

Carrots

Carrots can be served to both ducks and ducklings. Carrots provide them with vitamin E which helps to strengthen their visions. Make sure you crush the carrots into smaller pieces for easy consumption.

Cabbage

Cabbage is also good for the ducks and ducklings. Cabbage is a good source of antioxidants for the ducks. You can mix cabbage with the water for the ducks. 

Kale

Kale is another healthy vegetable which you can serve the ducks and ducklings. You can slice it into smaller pieces and serve it in the feeders for the ducks.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are also good for the ducks. Tomatoes are a good source of vitamins which can improve the health of the ducks. It is good to slice tomatoes into smaller pieces for them.

Treats that are poisonous to the ducks

Here are some of the treats you should not serve the ducks.

Bread

You should not serve bread to the ducks though some of them are capable of eating it. Bread does not provide the ducks with essential vitamins and minerals. 

Chocolate

You should never allow the kids to serve anything chocolate to the ducks and other birds you have in the yard. Chocolate contains toxic substances that can harm the health of the ducks.

Conclusion

Cashews are safe for the ducks. Cashews can be served alone or together with other treats for the ducks. Cashews should not be served for the ducklings that are less than 4 week old. 

Make sure you crush the cashew nut into smaller pieces before you give it to them. Cashews should be serving moderation for the ducks. 

Reference

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/309369