Ducks are omnivores! The image of the duck in the pond being fed breadcrumbs by grandma is deceptive. 
The duck will be very happy to eat the crumbs and, in all likelihood, with enjoyment. Of course, the focus of your duck feed will always be on forage and grains. 
Like many other birds, the animals are not vegetarians. However, they cover a large part of their protein requirements through animals that they catch in the wild or the garden. 

What Can You Feed Ducks?

If you wanted to create an admittedly incomplete list of what a duck eats, it would look something like this:

• fresh green fodder, mainly grass and herbs, but also nettles
• Salad, leaves of all kinds of vegetables, all sorts of green cabbage and, very much, dandelions
• Grains and grains or seeds in general, and also grain meal
• Plant roots
• boiled potatoes, potato peels, boiled vegetables, corn flakes, and various types of flour
• Eggshells and eggs
• Insects of all kinds
• Worms, snails, and small frogs

This little list suggests that a duck is not necessarily picky about food. You can also feed leftover food and various products that cannot be used in the kitchen to these water birds. 

A flock of ducks in the garden can be integrated into the food cycle wholly natural and ecological without great effort.

What to Feed Ducks In Autumn and Winter

It shouldn’t be a problem for a herd of ducks to find enough food in their open space during the day in summer and autumn. However, the food supply will no longer be sufficient in late autumn and winter. 

You should also know that every duck likes to eat in the barn at night. If the authorities have ordered stable stalls due to a rampant epidemic, the outdoor area will be flat anyway. Then, it is imperative to feed them.

The following feeds are particularly suitable for this:

• Leftover food from your household such as stale bread
• extra cooked foods such as old potatoes or vegetables
• particular food waste such as potato peels
• Cereals and in particular cereal meal
• special duck feed from specialist shops

If you want to feed leftover food to your ducks, you should make sure that it is free of preservatives, flavor enhancers, and other additives. Stale bread is usually perfect. 

However, it has to be soaked beforehand. Otherwise, the animals are hardly able to cut it up into food-friendly portions. 

You should pound boiled potatoes or vegetables soft in advance. Grains and wheat can either be fed directly in a raw or cooked with water, milk, or kefir. 

The animals usually get along well with food waste such as potatoes or chopped up eggshells. Speaking of eggshells: The lime they contain is essential for the growth and formation of the beak.

As a self-sufficient provider, you may need to focus on meat food in the vast majority of cases. There is an outstanding duck food that is readily available in stores. 

It contains an exceptionally high protein content and is therefore ideal for fattening the animals to a certain extent.