Can Babies Eat Duck?
Yes, from 6 months, skin off and cooked through. Duck is a genuinely good option that most people never think to give a baby. It is darker than chicken, carries more iron, and slow cooks into something soft enough to shred easily. Two rules: no pink, since it is poultry, and skip the skin and the restaurant versions.
Duck rarely appears on lists of foods for babies, which is a shame, because it solves a real problem. Iron is the nutrient most likely to run short after six months, and duck carries roughly twice as much as chicken breast. Slow cooked until it falls off the bone, it also has exactly the texture a baby can manage.
What makes duck different?
Duck is a waterfowl, and its muscles are built for sustained flight and swimming, so the meat is dark all the way through rather than split into white and dark like chicken. Dark muscle contains more myoglobin, which is where the iron sits. The fat is almost all under the skin rather than marbled through the meat, which makes it easy to remove.
Our turkey page covers the leaner poultry option, and ground beef is the other strong iron source at this age.
Duck against chicken
The iron column is the reason to bother, and the fat column is why the skin comes off:
| Per 100 g cooked | Duck, no skin | Chicken breast |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 201 kcal | 165 kcal |
| Protein | 23 g | 31 g |
| Fat | 11 g | 3.6 g |
| Iron | 2.7 mg | 1 mg |
| Zinc | 2.6 mg | 1 mg |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.4 mcg | 0.3 mcg |
Typical values, duck with skin removed. Duck with skin contains roughly three times the fat. Source: USDA FoodData Central.
Serving duck by age
Slow cooked and shredded works at every stage:
Slow cook a duck leg until it falls apart, remove every bone, shred finely and mash with sweet potato or carrot plus cooking liquid.
Shredded duck holds together well enough to pick up and is soft enough to gum. Keep it moist, since it firms up as it cools.
Roast duck as the family eats it, cooked through and cut small. Crispy duck and confit stay off the menu because of the salt.
Check for bones twice: duck bones are smaller and more numerous than chicken bones, and slow cooking loosens them so they separate from the meat easily. Pull the meat apart with your fingers on a plate, as you would with fish, and press each shred. Never give a baby duck on the bone.
Slow cooked duck and sweet potato
Long slow cooking renders the fat out and leaves the meat soft enough to shred with a fork:
Slow cooked duck and sweet potato mash
Makes 3 baby portions, from 6 monthsIngredients
- 1 duck leg, skin removed
- 1 small sweet potato, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 250 ml water or no salt stock
- A pinch of ground cinnamon
Method
- Remove the skin from the duck leg and trim off any thick fat.
- Put it in a pan with the vegetables, cinnamon and liquid, cover and simmer gently for 90 minutes.
- Check the meat falls off the bone, then lift it out and remove every bone carefully.
- Shred the meat finely, mash it with the vegetables and cooking liquid, and cool before serving.
Risks and safety
Duck is poultry, so it must be cooked right through. Serving it pink is normal for adults and not appropriate for a baby, since campylobacter and salmonella both hit small children hard. Cook until the juices run clear with no pink remaining.
Bones are the physical hazard, as above. The skin is worth removing for fat and, in shop bought or restaurant duck, for salt. Crispy aromatic duck, confit and duck in plum sauce all carry considerable salt or sugar, so plain cooking at home is the route for a baby. Poultry allergy is uncommon, and a child who tolerates chicken will usually tolerate duck, though they are separate proteins so introduce it on its own the first time.
Duck FAQ
Can babies eat duck?
Yes, from around 6 months. Duck meat is darker and richer than chicken, with more iron and zinc, which suits a baby whose iron stores are running down. Remove the skin, which is very fatty, cook it right through rather than pink, and shred or mince it finely.
Should babies eat duck skin?
Better not. Duck skin is where nearly all the fat sits, and crispy skin is also usually salted heavily. Babies do need plenty of fat in their diet, but they get it more usefully from avocado, olive oil, full fat dairy and oily fish than from a piece of rendered skin.
Can duck be served pink to a baby?
No. Duck breast is often cooked pink for adults, and that is not suitable for a baby. Poultry can carry salmonella and campylobacter, and a young immune system copes badly with either. Cook duck until the juices run clear and there is no pink left.
Is crispy duck or duck confit suitable for babies?
Not really, and mainly because of salt. Crispy aromatic duck is usually cured or marinated in salty seasoning, and confit is cooked and preserved in salt and fat. The plum sauce served alongside is also mostly sugar. Plain roast or slow cooked duck is the version that suits a baby.
Sources
- Duck as food, Wikipedia.
- Feeding and Nutrition, American Academy of Pediatrics.
- FoodData Central, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
This article is general information, not medical advice. Every baby is different. Talk to your doctor, health visitor or paediatrician about your own baby, and about starting solids or any allergy concerns.
