What Do Pekin Ducks Eat?

If you’re raising Pekin ducks, one of the first questions you’ll run into is what exactly they should be eating. A proper diet plays a major role in how well your ducks grow, how healthy they stay, and how consistently they produce eggs. Pekin ducks are omnivores, which means they eat both plants and animal proteins like insects and worms. A healthy diet helps Pekin ducks grow properly, lay strong eggs, and maintain healthy feathers.

In most backyard setups, Pekin ducks rely on a high-quality duck feed as their primary food source. They also benefit from access to natural foods they can forage, such as insects, worms, and leafy greens. Providing a balanced duck feed along with occasional fresh foods helps your ducks get the protein, vitamins, and minerals they need to stay healthy.

In this guide, we’ll walk through what Pekin ducks should eat, how their diet changes as they grow, and how to make sure they get the nutrients they need at every stage of life.

What Should a Pekin Duck’s Diet Look Like?

While Pekin ducks can eat a wide variety of foods, most of their daily nutrition should come from a balanced waterfowl feed.

A healthy Pekin duck diet usually includes:

• 80–90% complete duck feed
• 5–10% natural forage such as insects, worms, and plants
• 5–10% fruits and vegetables offered as treats

Duck feed provides the essential nutrients Pekin ducks need to grow properly, while forage and treats add variety and additional vitamins. Keeping treats limited helps prevent nutritional imbalances and ensures your ducks still receive the nutrients they need for healthy development.

What Makes Up a Healthy Pekin Duck Diet?

Before choosing foods for your ducks, it helps to understand the nutrients they need to stay healthy. While ducks can eat any of the food listed here, their diet still needs to include the proper levels of each nutrient to keep them growing, active, and productive.

High Protein Foods

Protein supports muscle growth, feather development, egg production, and overall health. If you’re raising ducks for meat, it’s recommended that you provide around 18–20% protein. For egg production, 16–18% protein is usually recommended.

You can find duck feed formulated with specific protein levels to support different stages of growth, from starter feed for ducklings to maintenance feed for adult ducks.

Niacin (Vitamin B3)

Vitamin B3 is essential for bone growth, metabolism, and healthy leg development. Without enough niacin, ducks can develop leg weakness or a condition known as slipped tendon. Ducks require significantly more niacin than chickens, which is why feed formulated specifically for ducks is recommended instead of standard chicken feed.

Calcium

For non-layers calcium is less important, but still helps them maintain strong bones and avoid bone diseases. For layers, calcium is much more important. Providing them with calcium ensures strong eggshells and helps them avoid issues like egg binding.

Grit for Digestion

Grit helps ducks grind food in their gizzards so that plants and grains can be digested properly. This becomes especially important if your ducks eat grains, plants, or forage outside of their regular feed.

Constant Access to Water

Ducks also need constant access to clean water. Water helps them swallow food, digest meals properly, and clean their bills while eating. Make sure your Pekin ducks always have access to fresh water.

What Should You Feed Pekin Ducks at Each Stage of Life?

The most important part of a Pekin duck’s diet is a balanced duck feed. This is because it’s specifically formulated to provide the right protein and niacin levels they need at each stage of development.

Ducklings grow quickly during their first few weeks of life, which is why starter feed contains higher protein levels. As ducks mature, their protein needs gradually decrease, making grower and maintenance feeds a better fit for long term health.

Best Food for Pekin Ducks

Pekin ducks do best when most of their diet comes from balanced duck feed, with occasional healthy treats.

Common foods that work well for Pekins include:

• Feed formulated for ducks
• Lettuce
• Kale
• Frozen Peas
• Worms
• Insects
• Oatmeal 
• Strawberries
• Blueberries

Duck feed should make up the majority of their diet. Fresh fruits, vegetables, and protein rich treats should be offered in moderation.

Many Pekin ducks also enjoy foraging. When given safe access to grass or pasture, they naturally hunt for insects, slugs, snails, worms, and even small fish. This behavior provides additional nutrients and keeps them active.

What NOT to Feed Pekin Ducks

Some foods can cause digestive problems or contain compounds that are harmful to ducks. Avoid feeding Pekin ducks the following items:

• Bread
• Crackers
• Raw Potatoes
• Citrus
• Avocado
• Onion
• Garlic
• Caffiene
• Chocolate
• Junk Food
• Spinach
• Eggplant
• Green Tomatoes
• Rhubarb
• Raw Beans

Bread and crackers are especially common mistakes. These foods provide very little nutrition and can lead to health issues if fed regularly.

How Much Does a Pekin Duck Eat Per Day?

An adult Pekin duck typically eats around ½ pound of feed per day. The exact amount depends on several factors, including age, weather, activity level, and access to forage. Ducks often eat more during colder months since they burn additional calories to maintain body temperature. Growing ducklings also require more protein rich feed to support development.

How Many Times Should I Feed a Pekin Duck Per Day?

Ducklings typically eat small amounts throughout the day and should have consistent access to feed during their early growth stages. 

Adult ducks can be fed once or twice daily, though many backyard keepers provide free choice feeding so ducks can eat when needed.

What is the Best Feed for Pekin Ducks?

The best feed for Pekin ducks is a starter, grower, or maintenance feed designed specifically for ducks. These feeds are formulated to provide the proper levels of protein, niacin, vitamins, and minerals needed for each stage of growth.

Starter feed supports healthy duckling development, grower feed helps maintain steady growth as ducks mature, and maintenance feed provides balanced nutrition for adult birds.

Shirlock Acres offers starter, grower, and maintenance duck feed options that provide the protein and niacin levels Pekin ducks need throughout their life.