Everyone loves to feed the ducks especially with our kids or grandkids, but did you know that this age old tradition is actualy bad for the duck population? So in this article, I will try to provide some other alternativesa nd explain why its not such a great thing to do.
The facts are clear; feeding ducks bread, crackers, crisps or cakes offer little or no nutritional value to birds or waterfowl. Although they are a good source of Carbohydrates, this simply equates to no more than junk food to the ducks and birds. Many problems can be caused from feeding birds too much bread, such as malnutrition, excessive weight along with other serious problems.
I will list the reasons why you should not feed ducks bread in a moment, but do want to stress that a small amount of bread in reality would not be harmful to ducks. However the reality is that many duck ponds or wildlife areas, recieve far too much bread because of the amount of visitors who feel the need to feed the ducks. This sadly leaves many ducks with an unhealthy diet that is rich in carbohydrates.
There are a few reasons why you should not feed ducks bread, but one major issue is that ducks put on too much weight, which makes it much harder for them to fly and that makes them vulnerable to predators.
Here are some other problems that can arise when you feed ducks bread:
Ducklings can suffer from malnutrition: If ducklings recieve too many handouts from humans, they will not feel the need to naturally forage for their food, which is where they would get the correct nutrition. Bread quite simply starves the duckling of the correct nutrition, which will impact their growth and development.
Overpopulation: If there are too many ducks in an area and an abundance of food, they tend to lay more eggs, which leads to further overcrowding of a pond. This leads to aggression and territorial fighting, because finding healthier sources of food is more difficult.
Ducks natural behaviour can be lost: Sadly ducks especially lose their natural fear of humans as they become accustomed to regular handouts. There is certain evidence that ducks can lose their natural instincts to migrate, because they know there is food available all year round. Another issue is they lose their fear of humans, which can lead to aggressive tendancies as they look for more food. Another real problem is the danger to ducks crossing busy roads as they look for human food handouts.
Disease: Disease is another problem that can occure when feeding ducks bread. Deseases such as Aspergillosis from mouldy bread can cause lung infections that can be fatal and wipe out entire flocks of ducks and wildfowl. Carbohydrate-rich diets also produce higher levels of defacation and unfortunetly duck faeces can produce bacteria, which can lead to Avium Botulism.
Can encourage pests: Leftover food after feeding ducks and wildfowl is likely to attract other pests such as mice, rats and insects. This again is a further danger to local residents, as pests like these carry further disease that can threaten our heath.
* Water Pollution: When you feed ducks bread it also has a major impact on water quality. Any soggy uneaten bread is not only unsightly, the rotting bread can also generate noxious odours, lead to algae growth, that can quite simply clog natural waterways. In extreme cases this kind of pollution can lead to fish and other life in the vicinity dying off.
Some other ideas for you to consider instead of feeding the ducks bread
There is no doubt that wild ducks and waterfowl will live healthier, longer lives when they rely on natural food sources. There is plenty of natural food sources around such as aquatic plants, seeds, grasses and insects which will in the long run be much better than taking handouts from well-meaning humans. However we understand that many of us have a need to feed ducks, so here are some healthy alternatives to bread;
A good alternative to bread is floating duck food pellets, which can be purchased from most pet shops. At Hanley Swan, we provide ready bagged up duck food, which residents and visitors are encouraged to use instead of bread. The food floats on the pond, so any excess food is not left lying on the ground, so avoiding the danger of unwanted pests.
Cut up grapes
* Cracked corn, barley, oats, birdseed or other grains are a good alternative, however be mindful that when you feed ducks this option, you should try to ensure all the feed is consumed and not left around as this can attract pests like rats and mice.
Peas that have been defrosted are another alternative
Don't Waste Bread: Being able to feed ducks for many, is a way to interact with wildlife, but it can also end up just being a handy way to get rid of old, stale or mouldy bread. So instead of running down to the pond and disposing of your bread there, here some other alternatives;
Create mulch and natural fertilizer, but placing your bread on your compost heap
Stay in the kitchen and whizz up a tasty bread pudding or homemade bread sauce or stuffing
Stale bread toasted, makes fantastic croutons or garlic toast
Finally use your loaf! Why not freeze your bread and simply defrost what you need, or better still simply toast your bread from frozen. This is a really simple solution to having stale bread around and reduces the likely hood that you'll have bread to feed the ducks. We know the need to feed ducks goes back generations, but today there are many other solutions that are far better for the ducks.
The facts are clear; feeding ducks bread, crackers, crisps or cakes offer little or no nutritional value to birds or waterfowl. Although they are a good source of Carbohydrates, this simply equates to no more than junk food to the ducks and birds. Many problems can be caused from feeding birds too much bread, such as malnutrition, excessive weight along with other serious problems.
I will list the reasons why you should not feed ducks bread in a moment, but do want to stress that a small amount of bread in reality would not be harmful to ducks. However the reality is that many duck ponds or wildlife areas, recieve far too much bread because of the amount of visitors who feel the need to feed the ducks. This sadly leaves many ducks with an unhealthy diet that is rich in carbohydrates.
There are a few reasons why you should not feed ducks bread, but one major issue is that ducks put on too much weight, which makes it much harder for them to fly and that makes them vulnerable to predators.
Here are some other problems that can arise when you feed ducks bread:
Ducklings can suffer from malnutrition: If ducklings recieve too many handouts from humans, they will not feel the need to naturally forage for their food, which is where they would get the correct nutrition. Bread quite simply starves the duckling of the correct nutrition, which will impact their growth and development.
Overpopulation: If there are too many ducks in an area and an abundance of food, they tend to lay more eggs, which leads to further overcrowding of a pond. This leads to aggression and territorial fighting, because finding healthier sources of food is more difficult.
Ducks natural behaviour can be lost: Sadly ducks especially lose their natural fear of humans as they become accustomed to regular handouts. There is certain evidence that ducks can lose their natural instincts to migrate, because they know there is food available all year round. Another issue is they lose their fear of humans, which can lead to aggressive tendancies as they look for more food. Another real problem is the danger to ducks crossing busy roads as they look for human food handouts.
Disease: Disease is another problem that can occure when feeding ducks bread. Deseases such as Aspergillosis from mouldy bread can cause lung infections that can be fatal and wipe out entire flocks of ducks and wildfowl. Carbohydrate-rich diets also produce higher levels of defacation and unfortunetly duck faeces can produce bacteria, which can lead to Avium Botulism.
Can encourage pests: Leftover food after feeding ducks and wildfowl is likely to attract other pests such as mice, rats and insects. This again is a further danger to local residents, as pests like these carry further disease that can threaten our heath.
* Water Pollution: When you feed ducks bread it also has a major impact on water quality. Any soggy uneaten bread is not only unsightly, the rotting bread can also generate noxious odours, lead to algae growth, that can quite simply clog natural waterways. In extreme cases this kind of pollution can lead to fish and other life in the vicinity dying off.
Some other ideas for you to consider instead of feeding the ducks bread
There is no doubt that wild ducks and waterfowl will live healthier, longer lives when they rely on natural food sources. There is plenty of natural food sources around such as aquatic plants, seeds, grasses and insects which will in the long run be much better than taking handouts from well-meaning humans. However we understand that many of us have a need to feed ducks, so here are some healthy alternatives to bread;
A good alternative to bread is floating duck food pellets, which can be purchased from most pet shops. At Hanley Swan, we provide ready bagged up duck food, which residents and visitors are encouraged to use instead of bread. The food floats on the pond, so any excess food is not left lying on the ground, so avoiding the danger of unwanted pests.
Cut up grapes
* Cracked corn, barley, oats, birdseed or other grains are a good alternative, however be mindful that when you feed ducks this option, you should try to ensure all the feed is consumed and not left around as this can attract pests like rats and mice.
Peas that have been defrosted are another alternative
Don't Waste Bread: Being able to feed ducks for many, is a way to interact with wildlife, but it can also end up just being a handy way to get rid of old, stale or mouldy bread. So instead of running down to the pond and disposing of your bread there, here some other alternatives;
Create mulch and natural fertilizer, but placing your bread on your compost heap
Stay in the kitchen and whizz up a tasty bread pudding or homemade bread sauce or stuffing
Stale bread toasted, makes fantastic croutons or garlic toast
Finally use your loaf! Why not freeze your bread and simply defrost what you need, or better still simply toast your bread from frozen. This is a really simple solution to having stale bread around and reduces the likely hood that you'll have bread to feed the ducks. We know the need to feed ducks goes back generations, but today there are many other solutions that are far better for the ducks.
About the Author:
We went MAD at Hanley Swan, hanley swan, stay here holiday accomodation and explore the area
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