Can Ducks Eat Rosemary? (Yes, Here’s Why)

can ducks eat rosemary

Ducks can eat rosemary, yes. Rosemary delivers decent nutrition to them and offers other benefits like warding off pests, insects, and rodents. However, you should avoid excessively feeding them this herb.

Is it Safe for Ducks?

Thanks to its distinctive aroma, rosemary has remained a favorite ingredient in dishes all over the world and particularly in Mediterranean cuisines. It has great taste and doesn’t require much effort to maintain.

If you’re a gardener and you’d want rosemary plants in your garden, all you need is well-drained soil and a bit of sunlight and you’d be good to go.

Rosemary is perfectly safe for ducks to eat. It’s great from a nutritional point of view. It contains a good amount of vitamins, calcium, iron, and other beneficial nutritional content for your ducks.

Just remember that ducks need a well-rounded diet for them to provide you with healthy eggs and optimal health. So, don’t overfeed your ducks’ rosemary just because they like it.

A bulk of their diet should be quality commercial feed that has been formulated to provide all nutrients that your flock would require.

Health Benefits of Rosemary to Ducks

Rosemary is a nutritional powerhouse and your ducks will enjoy the following benefits from it:

  • Protection from Free Radicals – Rosemary is rich in antioxidants which are useful in preventing your duck’s cells from being damaged by free radicals. This means that they’ll be guarded against some common poultry diseases that may be due to these harmful particles.
  • Better digestion – We all know that when ducks want to eat anything, it doesn’t take much convincing. They’ll eat through anything that is edible and this puts them at risk of having indigestion issues. Rosemary helps relieve these issues and enables them to have an easy time digesting whatever they consume.
  • Protection from bacterial infections – Rosemary has compounds that help fight a variety of bacteria that would otherwise cause infections in ducks.
  • Keeping your ducks calm – Planting rosemary around your ducks’ runs and houses or adding dried pieces in their nesting box will help them in relieving stress and calm them down as they lay eggs.
  • Protection from pests, bugs, and rodents – Rosemary has a strong smell that we all like – I know I do – when it’s added to our food. That strong scent is also disliked by pests, bugs, and rodents and so having it around your flock will keep them safe.
  • Pain Relief – If any of your ducks is ailing or has been injured and is experiencing a lot of pain, feeding her/him rosemary is going to go a long way in alleviating that pain.
  • Respiratory Health Enhancement – We all want our ducks to breathe well and not experience any difficulties. Feeding our feathered friends rosemary will help prevent any respiratory distress, especially in winter when they’re likely to face some.

Do Ducks like Rosemary?

No, ducks don’t like rosemary. I’ve asked some duck owners what their experience has been like feeding their ducks’ rosemary and most of their responses have been negative. It does seem that a good number of waterfowl don’t like eating this herb.

However, this doesn’t mean that they won’t consume it when they’re hungry. In fact, when you see them munch on rosemary when they’re hungry, you would think it’s their favorite snack.

How to Feed Rosemary to Ducks

You can feed rosemary to your ducks using different methods. Here are some you can deploy:

  • The first is you can hang some in bundles in different places in their coop and run.
  • The second is you can sprinkle some in their runs and coop or mix some of it with their feed.
  • The third is you can make rosemary tea and pour it into their drinkers – Of course, once it’s cooled down.

Can Baby Ducks Eat Rosemary?

Yes, baby ducks can eat rosemary leaves and plants. However, you should make sure you cut them into small pieces to avoid choking them.

What Other Herbs Are Safe for Ducks?

Other than rosemary, here are some popular herbs that duck owners share with their flock:

  • Cilantro
  • Mint
  • Dill
  • Basil
  • Oregano

Summary – Can Ducks Eat Rosemary?

Rosemary is fine for ducks to eat as long as you feed them in moderation. Some of your flock may like it while some may not. The only way to know whether they like it or not is to feed them a small quantity first.

Either way, rosemary offers several benefits that your ducks would appreciate.