Why You Should Not Feed The Ducks Bread
.. and what you could give them instead
I have fed a considerable amount of ducks bread when I was young. — Who hasn’t? Zero waste, happy ducks, a walk outside; the action seems to be the most innocent thing to do with your leftover crumbs or old slices. I am now 21, considered an adult, and don’t usually think about what to do with my leftover bread anymore — if I had some, I would probably just throw it out. However, lately someone told me feeding bread to ducks can be harmful. I had no clue if or why this was true, so I did some research.
Why bread = bad for the duck’s body
Ducks usually eat whatever’s thrown at them, as they are omnivores, but that does not mean it is good for their bodies. In contrast to our own needs, bread is junk food for many animals. It offers little nutritional value for not only ducks, but also geese, swans and other birds. The danger is that the stomach is filled with this junk instead of more beneficial food. The birds can thus become malnourished or overweight, which of course does not add to the mobility to look for food themselves. Especially white bread should be avoided for this reason, but also think crackers, crisps, cereal, chocolate, nuts and other big sources of carbohydrates.
High-protein diets are also not the best; they contribute to wing bones growing excessive, making the wing too heavy for the joint. The joint eventually becomes twisted, and therefore this wing deformity is called ‘angel wing’. It is recognized by the feathers sticking out sideways instead of lying flat against the body. The condition makes flying hard or impossible, and is incurable in adults. So avoid proteins; leave the avocados and nuts at home as well.
More (indirect) negative consequences
When bread does not get eaten, predators are attracted to the lake as well, so instead of feeding your local friends you are actually providing help to their natural enemies. Leftover bread can also, just like in your own kitchen, grow mold, sickening the ducks if they would become hungry again tomorrow. Lastly, it can contribute to algaea growth in the water, damaging water quality, killing animals, and spreading diseases.
What you could feed ducks instead
Let´s take a look at the average duck´s diet. They are, as earlier has been mentioned, omnivores. Berries and fruits, algae and aquatic plants, but also insects can catch their hungry eye. Small fish (plus their eggs), worms, crustaceans and snails neither go unnoticed. They even eat small amphibians such as frogs, newts and salamanders.
However, chances are your home is not full of leftover amphibians and fish eggs. I found a long list of what responsible food items are for feeding ducks. A small summary; cucumber, corn, peas, beans, broccoli, beets, flowers, tomatoes, eggplant, bananas without peel, dry cat food or dog food, and rice.
The question remaining is an obvious one, though; should you be feeding ducks anything at all? By feeding them in general, you keep ducklings from learning how to forage food without their human friends (read; enemies) around. Of course, this comes close to an often mentioned dilemma about how much people should be interfering with nature, and this counts for feeding our garden birds as well. However, birds in your backyard may have an issue during harsh winters, as some are unable to find seeds and nuts in those conditions. Ducks can usually manage quite well without help; grass and water plants are not often scarce.
What you could do with your leftover bread instead
There are many other things you could do with remaining slices & crumbs leftover. For example, take a look at this BBC page featuring tons of recipe ideas for your leftover bread!
Next time before you head down to the pond with your leftovers, think twice. It may do more harm than good. This does not mean your family trip has to be cancelled; instead, choose from healthier options listed above, and brush up on your baking skills in the mean time.
Stay updated for a post about why birds fly in V formations!
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Thanks for reading! I hope you like my post. I am Mo Schouten, a Biology student located in the Netherlands. Capturing my environment with a camera is what I love most. — — Comments as well as tips are always welcome; leave them below!
